Main narrative shot!

The main narrative has now been shot and looks good, got lots of shots at the local park to put across the meaning behind some of the lyrics, this will fit nicely into the female related lyrics and mix up the locations. Gina did really well and did everything right, looks like a got lucky with that

Made a start...

At last after months of putting it off i'm up and running on the edit suite with some footage on the system, my fault really been putting it off for long enough, now too get it finished before the deadline!

Web home page analysis

This is a home page of the Ed Sheeran website (http://edsheeran.com/) who is a vastly rising star of music at the moment. He is a young, popular artist who is up to date with all social media sites and has huge inputs on his work and advertising etc. Therefore, i thought who better to model my home page around than his own. With various links, pictures and videos he created an effective and hugely viewed page for fans to buy from, gain information from and much more.

Text- On this page there is minimal text which relates to his target audience of an ever evolving teenage to early twenties age group who depend on social media to keep in touch with the world and like to visibly see things and not read tons of text on a page.This allows young visitors to navigate through the page easily and use media which is scattered around the page offering them a chance to see and hear his work. And as a standard website must there is a Terms and conditions, Privacy policy and help and support centre link along with the name of the record label he's with giving acknowledgement to it. There is a clear black/grey and white colour scheme on this page which makes the focus completely the content of the site which works really well and allows easy reading while maintaining a media focus.

Social Media- A significant focus to this page is the social media aspect of things which reflects the globalisation of music in modern times and shows that the artist acknowledges this and has a row of social media links at the top of the page under 'Ed Sheeran'. The links include My space, Twitter, Facebook, You tube, sound cloud and an audio player with a link to buy a track of his after listening to the preview. These are all the biggest sites on the internet in terms of social media which contain all of his fans across all networks. Thsi allows them all to come together and share their interest in music. Again creating this idea of bringing together the globalisation of his music into one place for all to share.

Advertising- Not only is Ed Sheeran promoting himself but other artists and products by not only using them in videos which you can watch but by mentioning or linking someones material or name on Twitter, Facebook or even just the website somewhere. For example, he tweeted Ryan Keen's name and posted a link to his new music video on the internet which is already being viewed by many and talked about for it's brilliant animations in the video and his singing ability. Predominantly of course though, Ed Sheeran promotes himself as it is his home page and almost the central point to him as a musician outsourcing his products, music and most importantly his name to millions around the world. With an online shop linked to the page he can not only earn money through merchandise but through advertising products on the site. He advertises his new album in the top right corner and provides a link to buy or view the price of it. He's almost encouraging you to go and have a look by putting things all over his page with the option to buy. With the page having live updates of news regarding Ed, you can flick to any program's he's appearing on or visit anywhere he is going to be creating a base almost for him.

Layout- One thing i immediately noticed with Ed Sheeran's home page was the amount of blank space and how simply it was laid out. This simple design meant everything was easy to find and although rather bare looking in parts, it served its purpose very well and contained everything it needed to be successful. One very effective feature was the video you immediately notice which is in fact a gallery of various music videos he had which you can flick through and play just like on You tube. Also, to the right hand side is all of the social media related parts and the left is more standard of a website with the list of different pages to navigate through. On every area you look there's links to promotional pages whether it;s buying merchandise, CD's or signing up to his pages. The page is clearly split into three columns of information, the left being navigation dominated, the central a live update of his news in general and on Twitter and the right hand side being totally promotional to him as an artist whilst promoting companies such as HMV, Play,com, Amazon and iTunes etc. through synergy.

Audience specific- This website has the option of being displayed in 7 languages. 'English', 'American', 'French', 'German', 'Dutch', 'Australian' and 'Rest of the world'. This multi lingual platform is a representative of how well Sheeran has done and how many links and what an international image he now has. This is also giving all consumers of his products and image a chance to be involved with this despite being from different countries.The amount of media and social media on the page shows how relatable his page and him as an artist is to his student and teenager predominant fan base who will all use either Facebook or Twitter and in a lot of cases, both. This allows Ed Sheeran the ability to promote all sorts of things to do with his name through other links around the page and the chance to 'Like' him on Facebook and 'Follow' him on Twitter.

Digipack analysis

I chose Katy Perry as she is a huge player in the mainstream music market having many hits throughout her career. Therefore this 'Teenage dream' album digipack seemed appropriate.

Front:

The front cover of this digipack almost goes against conventions in the aspect of it being so plain and lacking in text. In fact, the only text is a parental advisory sticker. The pink cloud which Katy Perry is laid naked on reflects the albums name 'Teenage Dream' where your dreams are in the clouds and surreal and in one sense, out of reach from you and a little wild. Katy Perry will have probably been photo shopped in this photo to fit the stereotypical 'perfect' pop singing mould for most record labels. This colour scheme and the image of her being 'perfect' reflects the record labels ideology and them as an institution trying to give themselves a brand for producing the perfect popstar which always sells. The fact that the singer is only covered by a towel is also a sexy type of photo which teenagers obviously like and the record label acknowledges that.

Back:
The back of the digipack is fairly conventional with a very basic lay out using two coloured texts (Red and blue). These are easily visible across the pink clouds which flow from the front of the digipack.The barcode is clearly visible and is a necessity if it is to be sold, which of course is the predominant aim of the record label. The list of tracks can easily be seen due to contrasting coloured fonts. Red and Blue (Text colours) and both boyish colours and reflect the ideology of women wanting males in their teenage years to re enforce 'Teenage Dreams'. Another conventional element to the back of the digipack is the acknowledgments of making at the bottom under all the titles. The back and front of the digipack open out to create a spread out pink cloud which looks like candyfloss, a sugary sweet which teenagers associate with fun and fairs, stereotypical of teenagers.

Side:
The side compartment of this digipack connotes the idea of a perfect popstar again. No text, focusing only on the beauty of a naked woman holding one of her breasts almost teasing the male teenage audience and offering women the attraction of looking up to people who other teenage boys admire and like. Similarly to the front cover, Katy Perry has probably been photo shopped to look 'perfect' and had all blemishes cleared to appear to have perfect skin making her more desirable, the focus of the artists face also allows potential buyers to know who the album is made by which will narrow down who does and doesn't want to buy it automatically when browisng through albums on shops shelves.

CD Compartments:
Both CD'S are made to look like a doughnut and a lollipop. Again presenting the ideology behind a 'Teenage Dream' full of sweets and attractive women who look perfect.No text again allowing the message behind the visual on the CD's too attract you.These simple, yet effective designs attract the target audience and are very mainstream re presenting consumers with what they know and love. Although the CD's aren't a huge selling point they can make a difference if a consumer is undecided and looking through based purely on album designs and pictures. These pictures allow anyone passing by to take a good guess at this album being from the pop genre.

Ed Sheeran- Drunk effect

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2fOum_KWQU
The effect used on 1 minute where a woman throws water off her hands which then cuts to Ed Sheeran on a bed in another room, i like this effect and may incorporate it into my video.

Digipack

Digipacks usually consist of a gate fold or book style paperboard or card outer binder with one or more plastic trays which hold a CD or DVD that's attached to the inside. The MPAC Group first owned the digipak trademark. Atlas Holdings owned rights to the digipak from 2010. CD Digipacks were first seen as limited edition products but improvements in CD production and CD packaging and printing techniques meant they were available at much lower prices and produced on a larger scale. The most common CD digipacks is the 4 panel digipack which opens like a book. 6 panel CD digipack's are also popular, providing a larger area for CD pictures and text about the CD. 8 panel and 10 panel CD digipack's are also on the market. 
Here is an image of a digipak:

Website home page brief and draft

Not only do i have to produce a digipak to accompany my music video, but a home page layout for the artist/s. The use of websites in modern times can dramatically increase thigns such as ticket sales which can be ordered, paid for and arranged delivery via the internet in minutes meaning increased convenience for consumers. Convenience is everything for the modern consumer who wants it at the clock of a finger without much effort. In particular teenagers, this age group pave the way for major changes in digitization and look online first instead of a directory book or go outside to find sources of information and contact. The home page to a website must be easy to follow to avoid viewers becoming lost or confused with how to get to what they want. Website's play a huge role on advertising and use synergy to cross promote artists/companies or products. Advertising is a key way to increase revenue of a company/artist and gains recognisation from the public. Links to twitter and/or Facebook also allow an instant connection to social networking sites which are used by millions of people who are in tune with mainstream music. Similarly to the digipak, this service can offer an outlook to consumers through clothing stores, videos and pictures uploaded, colour schemes and even style or size of text. All of which contribute towards the creation of an image or style conveyed from the artist through something as simple as a website. Similarly to the digipak, i also looked at existing home pages for artists to give me an idea and some inspiration for my own. I will be using Photoshop to manipulate the image of the home screen with all links indicated.

After looking at various website home pages and evaluating one, I modelled my page around Ed Sheeran's who i thought was the most effectvie for the genre of music i am targeting. It has a main focus of social media which dictates a lot of peoples opinions and thoughts on music. This is my first draft which I drew by hand:

Digipak brief

Another task i was set alongside creating a music video was to produce a digipak. Before i plan or create one, i chose to investigate some currently produced digipak's for artists on the market. This gave me inspiration for my own and gave me a model in parts to shape and develop one of my own. A digipak plays a big role in improving the name of an artist as not only is it a CD but a video and another digital media product associated with the artist. It plays a massive role in promoting the artist whilst selling records. The increase in globalisation means that demands for not only a CD but a digipak are on the increase. Not only the product, but the cover pictures and design can help to create and sell a brand/artist image which is wanted by the professional. Choice of photos, colours and designs all contribute to this as what an artist is doing/wearing can impact a stereotype attached to artists along with the style of music they create. I will be using Photoshop again to manipulate a product image which i will use for the digipak.

Andy Warhol

This is a famous picture from the post modern artist named Andy Warhol who created many paintings based around iconic items/products or people from different eras. This particular painting was based around Marilyn Monroe who was a key figure to media in the 50's. Other work includes a similar style of coke cans from modern years and a focus for both is on simulacrum with the boxes being an exact copy of one another with different colours on each. I particularly like this painting and tried re creating my own version of this for my digipack:

So much to do and so little people available!

As i prepare myself for more filming to get myself ahead in my coursework people cancel on me and prevent me getting more footage to build up my video and piece it together. Gets annoying but can't help peoples social lives, starting to consider making myself the main character but would it be too much to do?