Individual digipak - Miss Miller

Having looked into both the benefits and disadvantageous to digipaks and jewel CD cases and weighed up the pros and cons of each I decided to create a digipak as I found that this style provided more benefits for my chosen artist and was more conventional towards the genre and better at pleasing the fans. As a digipak allowed for more of the artist to be represented allowing the audience to feel as though the artist was really making an effort to appeal to the audience through her relate-able side hence following further codes and conventions towards the genre helping the artists music to be promoted to her chosen audience.

Before I went on to create my digipak much planning had to be put in place.  I needed to have a rough idea of how I wanted my digipak to look and certainly understand the effects I was going for with this so to provide me with a strong knowledge of what photos to shoots, where to shoot them and how to pose for them so best to achieve the right effects from the audience. I knew I wanted to go for a conventional theme throughout my digipak towards the artists chosen genre of soul hence various different codes and conventions towards the genre have been explored throughout.


Here is what all six slides of my digipak look like when they are placed together:

For my first slide (being the cover of my digipak) I wanted to keep t a fairly basic theme. This is a conventional theme throughout the soul genre as artists are recgonised as being so good that they don't need gimmicks etc. to engage with or attract the audience as their music and their voice is thought to e strong enough as well as their lyrical content. Soul artists are known for singing about subjects which are more personal to them hence the concept of keeping the style/design fairly basics shows the artist more harshly this represents how the artist is really gibing herself to the audience in her music which is beneficial as this follows codes and conventions towards the genre hence attracting those fans towards the artist.

I focused on the important of referring to codes and conventions towards the genre throughout my digipak as this is the sure way to ensure that the audience understand what genre the artist belongs to. Which is important as it means that the artist is able to attract the right audience for her. Seeing these codes and conventions is able to attract the audience as they view these elements and understand that this is the type of music that they would enjoy as it is of their genre, following the correct codes and conventions and the artist is presented to really understand the genre and be of it suggesting to the audience that they shall really be able to enjoy and benefit from the artists album.

One of the quickest ways to make sure that the audience are aware of the artists genre is to focus on the actual representation of the artist and how this can be suited towards the genre. If the audience were to see a young male wearing a tracksuit at a rave the audience for the soul genre are straight away going to dismiss the album as it clearly isn't aimed towards them. Demonstrating how important it is that the audience is able to connect with the genre straight away. Doing this through the artists representation is the quickest way as the first thing the audience look at when seeing the album is the artist.  This is because of a number of reasons for instance the fact that throughout the media people have been taught on focus on the appearance on others as indicators, Another reason being that this is the artists album hence it is suggested that their personality shall be reflected within it signifying that this should be a teller as to whether or not they shall enjoy the album. Due to this  decided to portray my artist as being highly conventional towards the soul genre throughout the digipak but focusing on this even more so for the cover as this is the first thing the audience see when they see the album cover hence they need to really feel this connection to the genre right away otherwise they may not bother to analyse the digipak any further. It it the digipaks job to attract the audience not the audiences job to be looking for digipaks to buy; this cover needs to really sell the artist and their music. I decided that I wanted to go for the really stereotypical image of a female soul artist, dating back to the period when the genre was born (50s/60s) from which the genre has ceased to develop from as the audience are fans of the genres classical vibes. Thus I opted for the artist to wear make up which conforms with that of what women were expected to display within the period, including fairly basic base make up with really emphasis on the eyes, cheekbones and lips which was achieved via applying eye-shadow to the artists eyelids as well as the stereotypical winged eyeliner which was recongised throughout the media and still used via female soul artists today including my chosen artist Amy Winehouse as well as Duffy and Adele. Red lipstick was applied to the artists lips not only was red a good choice as this would really stand out against the rest of the artists make up aiming the audiences eyes towards the artists lips but it also meant that further codes and conventions would be displayed towards the genre as red is a conventional colour towards the genre due to the classical feel the colour provides and it's heavy use throughout the time period as well as in the genre  as red is thought to be the colour of love, passion and rage themes often expressed throughout the genre as the artists really come to grips with informing the audience with personal knowledge about their lives. Another conventional Mise en scene element I decided to opt for when capturing the representation of the artist was her hair. Throughout the period women were known to display rather big hairstyles a trait which was also obtained via my chosen artist Amy Winehouse hence this was evidently a strong convention for me to use which was important as I really wanted to hammer the importance of the artist belonging to the soul genre.

I decided that the location should be at the jazz bar as this is a clear convention towards the genre of soul, as the jazz genre and the soul genre share many similarities and therefore share links hence the audience would expect soul artists to be performing in such a place. The audience are able to connect the scene as being a jazz bar as all of the codes and conventions towards the genre put in place with each other are able to tell this story. I decided for the artist to pose in front of the typical red curtain background you would expect to see a soul artist performing in front of as this really highlighted the artists location to the audience. Also the actual colour of the curtains works on it's own being red which is a conventional colour towards the genre due to the classic vibes the colour provides as well as it's frequent use throughout the period of the genre was captured.

For the 2nd slide of my digipak I opted for a rather simplistic plain image of the artist. This was done in an attempt to urge the audience to embrace the artist as they feel that the artist is trying to create a bond with them as they are providing them with information about themselves. Although at first look this appears to be simply a photo of the artist with a deeper analysis it becomes apparent the benefits and effects of said photo. For instance as the frame of a mirror is showing at the edge of the photo it becomes clear to the audience that the artist is looking at herself in the mirror which suggests that she takes pride in her appearance and looks after herself physically. Which follows codes and conventions of the genre as women from the time period the genre was captured were expected to look after themselves aesthetically for the pleasure of men. As this was a period were men had the upper hand and were more privileged as they were allowed to lively more freely without the judgement of society unlike women, This is not only beneficial as it helps the audience to really place the artist to the soul genre and brings this theme home to them but it also allows female members of the soul audience to feel as though they are really able to relate to the artist as she is seen to be expressing such a clear admiration for the genre. The concept of the artist looking in the mirror also helps to highlight the artists make up really emphasising this conventional side to her help to enforce my idea of really clarifying the artists genre to the audience via the artists appearance/representation. The artists make up is also make more noticeable as the artist has her eyes shut; as eyes are one of the first things people are drawn to when looking at someone this means that the audience are focusing their attentions towards other aspects of the artists appearance hence noticing factors such as her make up more clearly. 

Editing the photo with a black and white filter was also a beneficial decision as this meant that further codes and conventions towards the genre would be explored within my digipak. The concept of black and white filtering is conventional towards the genre of soul as the black and white reminds the audience of past times before colour film was available. Hence this suggests a theme of going back in time which is conventional as the soul genre is able to provide this feeling for it's audience as the genre hasn't developed much since it's birth. 

As well as the filters I also altered various different tones on the image including the brightness, saturation, clarity etc. When doing so I was aiming to make the image look nicer as well as more professional for instance I found that at first when I applied the black and white filter to the image it looked slightly blurry and less professional than I would like so I altered effects a like so to solve this problem. Had I left the image looking like this it would have provided negative connotations upon the artist as the digipak is said to be representative of the artist hence if the images used were to look unprofessional this would connote that the artist isn't a particularity strong artist meaning that the audience wouldn't be all that appealed to her nor would they feel particularly encouraged to go out and purchase the artists album. As you can see on the image the artists eyelashes really stand out although this helped that I applied the make up so to enhance the eyelashes but it is also a benefiting factor from the editing I put in place so to create this effect. Which I was going through so to highlight that the artist belonged to the soul genre and that she really conformed to the codes and conventions of the genre. I experimented with the shadows used within the image so that there was a lasting effect under the artists eyes from the shadows of the eyelashes meaning that they would appear bigger and more dramatic. With this in place the audience would be more equipped to easily notice the importance of the artists make up and place her in the correct genre. 

This was also a good image to add as it is a fairly close up image of the artists face, which implies connotations to the audience that the artist is attempting to become closer to them as she isn't hiding herself or shying away from the camera but embracing it and the concept that her audience shall be able to receive a closer up image of her. Seeing more of the artist also works psychologically as it suggests to the audience that the artist is more successful as due to all of the various image and news they have heard of the artist they begin to see different sides to the artist which builds up to feel that they have heard a lot from the artist connoting that she is someone whom is successful and that they should therefore be listening to and buying into. It also makes the audience feel as though they are closer to the artist as they feel like they've seen more of her implying that they have a good knowledge and understanding of who she is as a person which makes them feel closer to the artist. This is important as it teaches the audience that they are able to become close to the artist as they are attempting to reach this level of closeness with the audience. It is beneficial for this form of closeness to form between the audience and the artist as this provides the audience with further means to root for the artist. They begin to feel as though they really want the artist to do well meaning that they shall contribute to this success themselves. This also improves on the artists likability factor as the audience appericate the concept that the artist is trying hard to create a relationship with them. This suggests to the audience that the artist despite their fame and fortune is still a nice, normal person urging the audience to grow towards the artist as they feel that if they were to meet the artist they would easily get along with them and possibly even become friends hence the artist begin to think of the artist more of someone who they know of whoever not well rather than someone who is living a famous lifestyle a million miles away from their own. 

Showing various different images of the artist, applying different styles to herself and shot from different angles is beneficial for the artist as it means that the audience shall be able to more easily recognise her in the future. This is important as it means that the artist then appears more relevant in the eyes of the consumer as they find themselves remembering who she is. This suggests that the artist is a strong one as for the audience to remember her over all of the various different people mentioned throughout the media it suggests that they have received much coverage implying that they are doing well in their musical career for themselves to have been brought to the surface of the media so much hence the audience are more likely to purchase the artists digipak. Which is essential as without sales the artist would soon die out as no record labels would want to put money into her recording new music on their label as they would be loosing out on money rather than making it with her.

The third slide contains the actual CD. Although some people may think that this is the least important slide as it is simply a CD and you are unable to fit a full image onto it; it is still a very important slide as this is the actual main product the audience are buying. With out the CD there would be no digipak hence this is the main aspect to the digipak meaning that the design on the CD is still of a high importance. For many audience members the CD will be the thing they look at most as once they have looked at the digipak and read any writing on it they are unlikely to re-look other it again and again however with a CD as they are likely to play it again and again this shall be what they really look at the most hence this is an image which is likely to stay in the audiences mind when thinking of the artist. Due to which if the design of the CD was to be a poor one then the audience may take this as a negative connotation which they may without even realising apply to the artist.

I decided to opt for an image of something other than my artist when planning the design for my CD for a variety of reasons. For instance if I was to use an image of the artist this would be hard to place due to the whole in the middle of the CD. Which would likely lead to the CD  looking as though it was poorly made as the audience would find themselves irritated by the hole ruining the photo thus this would reflect negatively on the artist. So I decided that it would be best to use an image of something other than the artist as the audience would be less distracted via the hole as it wouldn't be defacing the image of the artist. As the hole would be on something else it would appear more appectable. 

I decided that I wanted to continue with my theme of being conventional towards the genre of soul throughout my digipak however I also wanted to really bring across a representation of the artist so to suit the character she portrays within her music video. I wished to do so as this would in itself be conventional towards the soul genre as it would help me to tell a narrative and really build upon the meanings behind the artists songs. This is beneficial as it means that the audience are provided with a more in-depth experience as the audience are providing them with more than just music. Hence being conventional towards the genre of soul as soul artists are recongised for trying to provide their audience with more than artists of other genres as they feel that their is more to their music and really work to achieve that relationship with their audience. 

So to keep in tune with the 'party girl' image which was following the artist I decided that it would be a good idea to include alcohol somewhere in the image. As not only would this represent the party girl lifestyle but it would also connote that not everything is as happy as it seems for the artist as she is finding herself having to seek the comfort in alcoholic beverages so often. Thus this would build further upon the codes and conventions towards the soul genre as it indicates to the audience that there is further meaning behind the artists lyrics being conventional as artists of the soul genre are known for really being their heart into their lyrics and taking their time to ensure that they are representing what they want as they wish and that they are providing their audience with the best experience they possibly can. It also suggests that perhaps the artist has had more of a troubled background herself. Which is conventional towards the genre of soul as soul artists are so known for singing about issues within their own lives etc. that it often appears that these artists have had harder lives than artists of other genres whom are known to sing happier more up beat songs for instance artists belonging to the pop genre. At first I thought it would be a good idea to use a bottle of Jack Daniels somewhere in my image as this is a well recgonised, strong alcoholic drink meaning that straight away the audience would clearly get the message. This would also be a conventional choice of beverage as whisky was a popular drink throughout the period; it also connotes on the conventional image that soul artists drink 

a lot as people were known to do so throughout the period hence they were known for drink stronger drinks such as whisky more causally than you would expect today. As I did have a bottle of hand and wouldn't be able to purchase one myself being under the age of eighteen I knew that my best option was to find an image on the internet and then edit it as best I can so to really alter it so to best suit the theme I was working towards. I decided to look at bottle of the drink on Tumblr as if I was to just search for images of Jack Daniels on google images the images which would come up would be fairly dull and not very artist as they would be simple shots of the bottle. So I decided to look for images on Tumblr knowing that they would be more artistic and therefore more interesting thus becoming more appealing to my audience. However these images all seemed a little too dark spirited to really be conventional towards the soul genre. As although artists of the soul genre are known for having their issues their also known for being able to bounce back on their own feet and cheer themselves up. Due to this I decided to search for images of more fancier slightly more feminine bottles of alcohol with pretty objects scattered around it which were conventional towards the genre and able to help expand on the narrative when I finally found the image I went for.

I knew this image would be perfect for the effect as their are so many different wants this could be read which follows codes and conventions of the genre as it is known for really getting it's audience thinking. As their are two glasses of champagne this may suggest that the artist is sharing the beverage with a love interest. Or it may be interrupted that the artist has left the scene unhappy as her glass of champagne doesn't appear to have been touched and her shoes have been left. I also liked the concept that there was much use of the colour gold throughout the image, this being a highly conventional colour towards the genre, as it suggests the concept of previous times as gold is recgonised as being a classic item with much history behind it, being conventional as the genre has developed much since the period it was born.

I edited this image using similar tricks as I had to the previous image, I made the image softer by turning down both it's focus and the sharpness  I also filtered the image with a slight tint I done so as I wanted to provide the image with an essence of the artists femininity. Which would be beneficial as it remains the audience that the artists feminine side is important to her which is conventional as female soul artists are expected to take pride within their feminine looks as the women from the period the genre was captured did and the genre has ceased to developed much since said time hence the same elements to the genre are still carried out today.

For the fourth slide I used another image of the artist. However for this one the artists face isn't shown; I choose to have the artist looking out onto the water rather than looking at the audience as it seems more natural/realistic. The concept of the artist looking out onto the water indicates to the audience that the artist is in deep thought. Hence being conventional towards the soul genre as artists are known for being rather deep thinkers and considering things with more efforts than others as they are known to really care and really analyse things. It is also conventional as artists of the genre are known for expressing themselves and their thoughts/issues throughout their work. Seeing the artist like this allows the audience to know that these key conventional themes to the genre shall be explored throughout her album hence making her album appear more appealing to them as it evidently explores themes which they are supposed to be interested in. Therefore these audience member's shall be more likely to purchase the artists album. 

Another convention towards the genre which this image explores is the concept of using relate-able locations. Often throughout the soul genre artists use relate-able locations so to present themselves as people whom the audience would be able to relate to. This is done in an attempt to ease the audience into the artist and their music urging them to consider what aspects to the artists music they could relate to or may even fit in with their own. This also helps to strengthen the bond between the artist and the audience as the audience like the fact that despite the artists fame and fortune they aren't so different from them, this encourages the audience to view the artist as a nice person, due to which they hope that the artist does well meaning that they shall contribute to the artists success buy purchasing her music. This also enables the artist to view the artist as really being conventional towards their chosen genre as she s presented to be behaving in ways which are conventional towards the genre and appears to be doing so in a way which seems more natural and less set up. Encouraging the audience to like the artist more as they appear to be showing more of themselves to the audience which highlights how much they appreciate this audience and this feeling of appreciation also encourages the audience to support the artist and buy their music. 

This was another image I decided to filter in black and white as it would have made more a better suited flow if more than one of my images on my digipak was in black and white. It also meant that the same effects which were applied and aimed towards when filtering my other image in lack and white would also occur within this image. Hence highlighting the effects/importance of the images being in black and white to the audience meaning that they are more easily able to recognise the purpose and therefore benefit from it as they match this to the artist and there are more easily able to note the artists genre. Due to which the digipak is more likely to appeal to the artists chosen audience.

Once I filtered the image in black and white I decided that I wanted to keep the artist in colour so that she would stand out against the rest of the image so to highlight her importance and really draw the audiences attention towards the artist. This al informs the audience that the girl in the image is indeed the artist as her face isn't shown within the image that may wonder whether this girl is someone else. It is important to clear such queries up before the digipak is actually produced as consumers questioning aspects of the digipak implies that it is not a very strong product. Hence this may prevent consumers from purchasing it as it reflects badly upon the actual contents of the digipak as if the packaging which is suppose to represent something looks bad it makes what's inside look bad also as this is suppose to be a reflection of the album. This is also likely to provide negative connotations upon the artist as the audience recongise this as being her work meaning that in the future audience members will be reminded of their feeling that the artist could have worked harder to achieve a better product.  

My fifth slide consisted of my artists thank you note to her fans. This was a majorly important slide to input when trying to build upon the relationship between the artist and the audience as this really suggests to the audience that the artists values them and their support. The concept of a thank you note allows someone to know that you have been thinking about them and that you are grateful either for them or something they have done. Hence the artist writing a thank you note to her fans makes them feel more appreciated. Due to which the bond between the artist and the audience is strengthened as the audience find themselves liking the artist more because of this. Thus meaning that they are more likely to go out and buy the artists music and continue supporting them as they feel a mutual respect with the artist.  

Writing a thank you note also improves upon the artists likability factor as this indicates to the audience that this artist is a nice person, as the thank you note suggests that they don't take things for guaranteed especially their career or their fans.  As it appears that the artist is aware that without her fans she wouldn't be as successful. It also indicates to the audience that the artist is a nice person as despite being a fully made artist with her own record deal she still doesn't feel that she is too good to communicate with or even thank/ acknowledge fans. This is beneficial as often artists are stereotyped to believe that they are above others due to their fame and success which makes them appear rather unlikable to the audience as this comes across as arrogant and stuck up. Fighting this image off helps the audience to encourage audience members to purchase her music as they feel that she is someone that they want to do well and therefore they shall contribute to their success. 

For the typography for the digipak I wanted to use a style of font which appeared to almost look as though it had been hand written like I had selected when constructing the typography for the artists name/logo. I wanted the writing to appear like actual handwriting as this provides a sense of the thank you note being more personal; highlighting to the audience that this note really did come from the audience encouraging them to grow further towards the artist as they make them feel more appreciated. This technique can work to lure new fans in who may have simply bought the digipak having heard a few of the artists songs and enjoyed them. As this can make them feel as they are being welcomed into a fandom or cult supporting the artist. Because the artist is coming across so well this becomes appealing to them meaning that they find themselves supporting the artist throughout the rest of her career. 

I opted to use another image which was taken from the jazz bar shoot; planned to make the artist really conform to her chosen. I done so as I wanted the audience to be able to really suit the artist with her chosen genre and recongise her as being a part of it. Which is important as it is these elements which attract the right audience to the genre. If the album was to attract the wrong audience this would be very negative as it would mean that the audience members would be having a bad experience with the artists album and therefore would be likely to spread negative word of mouth about the artists album. This would also likely lead onto negative perceptions of the artist being formed as bad reviews of the album would lead the audience to view the artist as generally being bad at her career.

This shot is also more close up on the artists face, I opted to do this as it is a strong way to help build a relationship between the audience and the artist as the audience feel that they are physically closer to the artist hence representing the bond which this allocates for. The audience are encouraged to feel as though the artist is warming to them and attempting to encourage the audience to become closer to them. It also demonstrates how the audience isn't hiding her true self from the audience as they are able to see her up close and personal which suggests that she is baring all for the sake of a relationship with her audience. Not only does this encourage the audience to feel closer to the audience and therefore making them more likely to purchase the artists music but again it also makes her appear more likable as it appears that the artist is trying hard to dedicate their work so to suit her audience and that she really cares for them and their experience of her work.

For the sixth and final slide for my digipak meaning that it would be the back of my digipak I applied the track-list for the songs featured on the album. This was both an important and beneficial element to add as it helps the audience to feel connected to the artists work when they are aware of the songs involved as well as their titles. The audience may also be able to pick out songs they already know and enjoy from the artist which encourages them to buy the digipak. This also improves the audiences experience when listening to the album as this means that they are able to follow the songs that they are listening to and if there are particular songs they want to listen to then they are able to move onto them easily.

Again although I have used different typography throughout this type still appears to have been hand written. I wanted to use this again so to keep with the theme running throughout the digipak as this keeps it looking nice and professional. This kind of typography is also conventional towards the genre as it indicates to the audience that the artist is creating a very personal piece of work therefore following codes and conventions towards the genre as artists within the soul genre are known referring to personal issues throughout their work hence this appeals to the artists chosen audience and informs them that the artist is of their genre.

To add in the images of the record company's logo and the bar-code I simply saved the images from google and placed them onto my digipak once having found the right place. Although this was simply a small fixture it was highly beneficial as these elements are the things the audience expects to see  therefore providing the digipak with extra touches so to make the digpak look more professional. In fact it would look less professional without these elements although the audience won't nesecarily be purposefully looking out for these elements they are use to seeing them. Thus if they were to be missing this would reflect negatively on the digipak itself and the artist. Showing acknowledgement to the record company is good as this connotes that the artist is professional hence indicating to the audience that she is worthy of listening to making them more likely to purchase the artists album.

Based on my feedback from my target audience I applied the suitable changes so to suit my digipak to my audience ensuring that they are more encouraged to buy the product. For instance my front and back slide have been changed as I have used different images and different backgrounds. I changed from the red curtain as this appeared slightly intimdating as it was almost over empowering which drew more attention to the differing situations of the artist and the audience preventing them from forming a bond. I also added different images of the artist as these images better suited the theme of my music video this is because within these images the artist is seen not looking at the camera and is generally presented to not be aware of the camera, audience or the fact she is being watched making her appear more relatable to the audience as this prevents her from obtaining this kind of celebrity persona. Throughout these images I experimented a lot more with filters incorporating filters which were on the mac computer by going to the filter section on the apple bar and importing them onto my photo as it sat in the editing stages on photoshop. I also applied lyrics from the artist onto the digipak this enforces the concept of how much the artist cares for her music and attracts the audience as they are likely to recognise these lyrics from having heard the song played before. 

Group meetings - Miss Georgiou

The purpose of having group meetings was so that our group was able to meet up with the purpose of discussing ideas and ensuring that everyone in the group was aware of what was happening and was happy with it. Within these meetings we discussed every issues element of our music video which needed planning from the actual production itself to the ways in which the music video would be perceived, how it would effect the audience and any risks or dangers which may occur on set. Had we not spoke to the lengths of detail which we took when having our meetings this could result in numerous different issues. For instance group members may be unaware that certain things are happening which may mean that either they aren't turning up to filming etc. or a an idea may have been ran through with everyone else who was happy with it expect from one person who may have been able to bring something better to the table. This could also result in group members feeling out of the loop which can be demotivating as they begin to feel that their role isn't as important or as respected and therefore loose interest in the production. Without group meetings it would be hard to arrange and complete tasks as a group as this would mean simply discussing things as and when they happened. This can be time consuming and also mean that a lot of our work is therefore rushed ruining the quality of our work. This may also result in one person completely taking charge which isn't a good idea as this can also be demotivating for other groups members; also it is essential to have a range of different people applying input when creating a production such as a music video as this means that a variety of different opinions, ideas and concocts are being put into the production preventing it from becoming boring and meaning that it is able to suit a wider range of people as a wider range of mind-sets have  gone into it thus suiting a wider range of people.

Overall our group meetings went well. However there was one occasion with miss-communication which resorted in heated tensions. If there was one aspect to my group meetings which I could change it would be this. As there being tensions within the group doesn't make things easy to progress as often when tensions arise as does peoples egos making it difficult for people to work together within a group as they become less willingly to compromise or even communicate with each other.  In order to change this I would make it clear to group members at the very beginning of production at the very first meeting that this sort of atmosphere wouldn't be tolerated, reminding people of the issues this can bring with it and how negatively it would effect our production, if tensions were to continue then roles would have to be delegated more separately and there would be less over lapping work between either party working within the group meaning that work would be completed individually. However this is something to avoid as having more eyes working on something is generally better than having just one person as different people are able to view different things, thus someone may notice a flaw which audience members may pick up upon which someone else working on the production may not pick up upon, also the concept of having different mindsets also means that more ideas and on offer which others may go unheard of. Although we did generally work well together working around each others commitments and doing our best to ensure that all three main group members would be able to attend meetings and filming etc. Together we were able to create the narrative for our music video well as we all listened to each others ideas and bounced off of them as we found inspiration from each other. We also worked well as a team as all of us were happy to donate our possessions to the production of our music video as well as going beyond our actual role for the project and offering to help out in a variety of different elements to our music video. Good examples of this would be the fact that although I was portraying the artist I still went behind the camera lenses, so to have a look at how the location looked on screen so to understand how the audience would capture the setting and whether how it would be filmed would be doing the video justice as well as testing out different camera angles prior to actually filming again so to see what would work best for the audience. Another example would be the fact that for the scene which took place at the jazz cafe both Jess and Emma helped to do my hair and make up so to help represent the artist and conforming to the soul genre. This went above their tittle as they were only expected to film the production, plan it and ensure that things generally ran smoothly however it was thought that other people would be delegated to perform such a role. Yet they opted to as I asked them and we understood that the only people who would truly be able to picture what we were trying to create that we would be able to employee on budget would be ourselves.

photoshoot - Miss Miller

It is essential to take photos as they are needed for both promotion purposes of the artist as well as to cover the digipak/album etc. It is important to take a variety of different shots as what may appear to be working well on the camera may look different when on the computer and has been stretched. Ideas are likely to change along the way through the editing process however if the editing team are only provided with a certain few types of images and few of them then they aren't face with much to work with meaning that they are less able to expand therefore unable to better their work. If the audience feel as though the artist is simply using similar images throughout then they are like to apply negative connotations upon the artist as this suggests that they are being fairly lazy or that they are quite un-creative as they are using the same style again and again. It also suggests that the artist doesn't care as much about their audience which is highly subversive towards the soul genre and certainly something to avoid. This would suggest that the artist doesn't care much about providing a positive experience for their audience hence they don't consider the smaller details. Artists of the soul genre are expected to really care about their audience and the bond they form with them. Hence it is important to highlight this treasured bond when trying to help the audience conform to the soul genre so to attract the right audience. 

Here are some of the images I gained from my photoshoot:

Here is one of the final images and the original shot which I plan to use for my digipak. Once I had altered the colour of the image slightly and changed tones etc. I discovered just how grainy the image really was. This was unfortunate as it meant that I was unable to keep the image so similar tones as it originally was only slightly lighter and without the shadows being so highlighted. I knew that it would be okay for the audience to know that there was a shadow there in the image as that is to be expected; in fact without it the image would be rather subversive as it would appear rather unrealistic for there not to be a shadow. This would appear over edited painting the artist to fit the image of a typical star in the music industry rather than adopting traits of a typical artist of the soul genre. Hence I decided to allow the shadow to stay and be noticeable however I did make it so it was less highlighted. I also changed the image from a mid shot to a close up, this was done in an attempt to help the audience build a relationship with the artist. As the concept of a close up suggests that the audience are closer to the artist as she appears to be closer to them because she is physically closer to the lenses. It also represents to the audience that the artist isn't holding back because she isn't shying away from the camera. It also helps the audience to view the artist as a more attractive figure as the concept of having an artist up close to the camera and looking good more them appear more appealing as many people find that they don't like the look of themselves when closer to the camera as they feel this highlights their flaws. Showing the artist to be more attractive is beneficial to the representation of the artist as it urges the audience to look up to her more so; as often young women who are thought of as being fairly attractive are often thought to be not much more. Making the artist appear to be a very positive role model for female audience members particularly the younger more impressionable female audience as following the artists influence would seem to be much more inspiring and positive for audience members whom are discovering themselves and looking for direction. The purpose of the close up also helps to convey codes and conventions of the soul genre as not only does it portray the element of the artist attempting to become closer to her audience but it also highlights her make up. Which suits to the genre as it follows the styles of make up you would expect from women within the period the genre was born (1950s/1960s) of which the genre has ceased to develop from as the audience adore it's classical vibes. Hence female artists of the genre often still present themselves within this way so to suit the genre. As the artists eyes are shut this forces the audience to look at other features of the audiences face rather than her eyes which would usually be the first thing the audience looked to as people often feel that they are able to catch a glimpse of others through their eyes. Therefore the audience are more able to notice the artists winged eyeliner, highlighted cheekbones and rouge lips. The concept that the artist is looking in the mirror is conventional as it demonstrates that the artist cares about her apperance which is also convention as women of the genre were expected to care their appearance as this is what men judged them on and men's opinion of women mattered more so in this era as  women found that they had to relay on men as they suffered at the hands of a lack of rights. What is actually shown of the location also sets for conventional tones involving the colour scheme which is still evident through a black and white filter. Showcasing mainly black white and grey all of which are conventional colours as they are seen as being rather classic. The idea of filtering the image in black and white also follows codes and conventions of the genre as it implies the concept of going back in time as seeing black and white reminds the audience of past times were colour film wasn't available thus the concept of black and white filtering provides the audience with a sense of going back in time.  The mirror is a rather conventional piece of iconography as it appears to be rather grand and expensive, this follows codes and conventions towards the genre as artists of the soul genre are thought to take great pride in things that they do and look after their belonging hence they are able to buy grade pieces and treasure them. Where as genres such as Pop are known for changing with the seasons hence there is no point in the artist spending a lot of money on one piece and genres such as Hip Hop and Grime are known for being a bit more 'trashy' and therefore artists are unlikely to spend large amounts of money on such things. Where as soul artists are known for sticking with things and keeping classic vibes hence this is conventional. 

The artist is portrayed to really care about her appearance as she is seen looking at her reflection in the mirror, applying as though she is checking over her make up, this is connoted as her eyelashes and lips are two of the most noticeable features on her face. Also she is moving her hair out of her face thus making it appear as though she is really trying to get a good view of herself as she checks herself over. Highlighting that the artist really cares about her appearance which is conventional as you would expect a female artist of the soul genre to try to look after their looks. Because women from the period the genre was born (50s/60s) really took care of their appearances due to the kinds of pressures and expectations put upon women throughout said time for their appearances. As it was seen as socially unacceptable for women to work with this period as well as the lack of respect they suffer women had to relay on men to support them. As a result women were considered to have tried to impress more as they really felt as though they needed them to like them. This involved both the way in which women behaved, often catering their lives around their husbands etc. As well as taking care of their physical attributes which came with it's own style for the period. Of which women would fashionably apply fairly basic face make up so not to look to heavily made up, whilst focusing on their cheeks, eyes and lips. Hence as the artist is wearing fairly plan make up with rouge lips, attention around her eyes and highlighted cheeks the audience are able to conform the artist to her chosen genre. For a lot of women within the soul audience this makes the artist appear more relatable as these are aspects to the genre they find themselves attempting to adapt to so to conform. Often these are aspects to the genre of which women adore as they enjoy dressing themselves up to the genre and are happy with the finished look. It is beneficial for audience members to view aspects to the artist which they find are similar to their own as this suggests that the artist follows a similar mind-set to them. Which indicates that the artist would be able to get along well with audience members suggesting to the audience that if they were to come across the artist they would be able to form a friendship. Due to which the audience are more likely to purchase the artists music as they find themselves feeling more kindly towards her as they root for her hence they purchase her music as they want to contribute to her success and find themselves enjoying her music as they feel this connection with the artist.

For this shot I decided that I wanted to pose (as the artist) on the bed with the head board showing so really highlight that this is a bedroom. Which is most beneficial as a bedroom is known for being a relateable scene as all audience members shall have one. Therefore they are all able to consider the ways they act within their own and how they are similar to the ways in which the artist behaves within hers. Another beneficial impact of highlighting the headboard for the bedroom shot was that it also really demonstrated the wallpaper. A lot more than the image of the artist in the mirror this helps the audience to understand that both shots were taken in her bedroom which helps to paint the artist as being someone whom they could relate to and get along well with as she isn't attempting to portray herself as this grand figure getting out of expensive cars and visiting tropical places but instead she is showing herself doing the ordinary day thing living a typical life.  The wallpaper is also conventional towards the soul genre as it follows the typical colour scheme of the genre and appears to be rather classical and expensive also following codes of the genre. This is another shot where the artists make up is highlighted as I zoomed in on the shot and cropped around the surrounding irrelevant space on the image so to make up my CD cover. I done this for the same effects as before. I decided that it would be essential for me to apply this effect more than just once throughout my digipak as had I just done it the once this image may have juxtaposed the rest and really brought across the concept to the audience that the artist wasn't doing as such in the other images; which would over rule the one image where she was doing it and course this to be the audiences lasting thought of the artist. Providing her with negative connotations meaning that the audience would be less likely to purchase the artists album as she doesn't appear to be putting much effort into it which signifies that the album won't be up to the standard that it could be. It also conveys that the artist isn't particularly dedicated and that they don't exactly care about their fans or for their fans experience. This makes the audience less likely to purchase the artists album as they are painted as a negative role model meaning that the audience aren't going to like them as much and therefore not want to spend money on them. 

Within this image the artist is represented to be rather dominant considering her facial expressions rather than smiling as audience members may expect or even pouting both facial expressions which inform the audience that the artist is happy or at least concerned about how she is perceived, which is suggested as it appears that the artist is attempting to urge the audience to view her in a more physically appealing image. As the artist appears not to feel as though she needs to convince others that she is content or even try to please in the sense that she is content or even simply pleasing them with her looks makes the artist appear more fierce and independent. Traits which many audience members shall like about the artist as the fact that she presents herself not to need comfort from others implies that she is good enough to stand on her own. Not only does this connote that the artist is somebody that the audience should invest in as she unlike most people doesn't seek the respect and attention of others, thus hinting that she is above others and therefore someone to b admired but a lot of female audience members shall look up to the artist for presenting herself in such a way. As despite the stereotypical image of a women of the soul genre suiting to the presentation of women within the 50s/60s she certainly doesn't present herself to obtain the mainstream mind-set for the period. As she appears perfectly fine and content on her own. A lot of women shall like this

subversive representation as it works as a strong representation of women hence implying that the artist is a good role model for female audience members particularly young and impressionable ones; because she is able to provide them with the inspiration and motivation to become independent on their own as she is proving to them that women are capable and that they shouldn't feel as though they are inferior to men.

Although this is a positive representation of the artist some audience member's may view different sides/connotations to the image which may not be beneficial to the artist or her representation. Although the artist presents herself to appear unhappy she doesn't look particularly sad either she simply more unimpressed and unwilling to find joy. This could result in the artist be perceived as someone who forces misery on herself therefore suggesting that this is a theme she spreads to those around her. This can lead audience members to feel that her music is particularly worthy of listening t as with the clear codes and conventions to the genre of soul the audience re lead to believe that the artist has most likely wrote her music or had a large amount of input into it therefore implying that a lot of it reflects the bad persona the artist appears to have around her connoting that listening to her music wouldn't be beneficial and that it would be a waste of time. This image also paints the artist as being someone whom is unapproachable which leads onto another point as to why this concept to the artists representation is negative as the audience are less likely to buy into an artists music is they find that they don't particularly like the artist. Working in the same way that if an actor who many audience members didn't like landed a main role in a film. Many people would find that they wouldn't be interested in watching the film as they don't want to watch this person or support any of their projects.  Another concept to this which may be turning audience members away from the artist based on this image alone is that the audience are less likely to be interested in an artist if they feel as though the artist wouldn't be someone they would get along with in real life. However the digipak as a whole package makes up for this as the images together capture a persona for the artist which makes her appear more relatable to audience members for the artists chosen genre of soul. Soul artists are conventionally known for being more personal with their music and often talking about issues and emotions which have risen within their own lives however they are also known for keeping these aspects to things which people outside of the industry who are unaffected by fame may fall prisoner to. So rather than referring to having large sums of money and attending big parties with fellow members of the public eye artists are known for singing about issues which have been filtered so that they are more relatable for audience members hence this has become a convention of the genre so much so that it is also conventional to represent this themes throughout other stages of artists conventional representation belonging to the genre for instance relatable locations being used for artists when they are posing for promotional photos or when they are filming their music videos. Thus the effect of the artist clearly being in her bedroom for this image as well as being shoot in various other different relatable locations throughout the images on the digipak as well as throughout her music video paints the artist as being someone the audience would be able to relate to. This is beneficial towards the artists representation as it suggests to the audience that the artist is someone whom they would find themselves getting along well with if they were ever to meet. This is an important aspect to the artists representation not simply because this presents the artist as belonging to their genre but also because it displays them as the kind of person audience members should get behind and want them to do well. With this further encouragement the audience are more likely to buy the artists digipak. The idea of the artist looking less than impressed also has it's benefits as it implies to the audience that this is a part of some sort of narrative either running as a theme throughout the artists album a technique  followed via many artists for instance 'Marina and the Diamond's' or simply throughout one song or music video etc. regardless this effective as it shows that the artist is able to imply the conventional depth which is adored throughout the soul genre as well as the benefits to displaying a narrative which has become known as conventional towards the soul genre as soul artists are known for wanting to provide their audience with a more in-depth experience. Thus this shall be a good image to display on my digipak as it clearly shows the artist as belonging to the soul genre as well as providing the audience with clues as to what her music may be about. This is most beneficial as it gains the audiences interest as they find themselves wanting to know what topics the artist reaches to throughout her music. As well as showcasing a questionable representation of the artist which can lead audience member's to feel more intrigued via her as they attempt to work her out/understand her. This can also gain the audiences attention as often members of the soul genre feel misunderstood or as though they are struggling with everyday ways to life so they seek comfort in the art of soul which may be interrupted as something the artist does from her less than impressed persona.

This image I decided to use twice. I done so as I liked the different ways the image could be used. I also realised the potential which lay ahead with using the same image only edited in different styles for different purposes. At first glance you could be forgiven for thinking that these were three different images however once you take a proper look at all three the audience is able to realise that they are the same image. Hence when the audience make this connection for themselves it makes them feel rather pleased with themselves as they feel as though they have discovered something for themselves. The fact that they have discovered this on their own makes them feel as though they have a better connection with the artist as they are able to realise this which makes them feel as though they are more than just another fan. It also means that the positive feels which come with the audience discovering this are then applied as positive connotations upon the artist as the audience unconsciously recognises the artist with this experience. It also helps the audience to remember the artist more which is important as this keeps them as fresh and therefore relevant in the audiences minds. The audience are more likely to remember an image if they have seen it on numerous occasions; however if I was to use the same image without the different editing styles then this would likely apply negative connotations upon the artist as it would appear that they had be lazy in different taking different shots and trying different styles for their images. Which would suggest that they don't put much care and attention to detail into their work applying the same negative connotations to their music. These different editing styles set this to be the main image for the artist for this album. A technique which many artists use. For instance Marina and The Diamonds has created a different persona to adopt for each of her albums. This helps the audience to really get into the album and creates a hype around it spreading word of mouth helping the artist to reach a wider audience. It also encourages the audience to remember the album as they remember this image to the artist. Within this image the artist looks very powerful and dominating as she is seen holding the iconography of the microphone which provides connotations of the artist being someone important as this item reminds the audience of situations where microphones are often used often when someone in power needs to give a speech. Hence this portrays the artist to the audience as being someone of importance and relevance this perks up the audiences attention gaining their focus thus they are more likely to purchase the artists digipak. As the artist has her eyes closed this suggests that she is more  in tune with her music than she is of the people around her. Representing that the artist cares more for her music than she does impressing others; demonstrating to the audience that the artist cares more about creating quality music than she does impressing others. Informing that audience that the artists music is of a high standard whilst also providing further positive connotations upon the artists representation as it is highlighted that the artist is in the industry out of a pure passion for her music not for the fame or fortune. Capturing the artist as a better person as she is shown to be being true to herself and not allowing shallow obsessions to get the better of her thus painting her to be a positive role model.

This image is also beneficial in capturing the artist to the soul genre as she is shown in the typical element for a soul artist; performing live on stage. I decided that I wanted members of my team who had photography skills to take photos of me as the artist on stage as I knew that using this location for my photos would be a good way to convey my artists chosen genre to the audience. Because artists of the soul genre are recongised for having a genuine talent. This stems from the fact that artists of the genre have always been known to singing live on stage often with a big grand band instead of a backing track and without all of the other added extras which artists of other genres such as R&B and Pop need to entice their audience. Hence showing the artist so simply as she is on stage appearing to be in her element clearly demonstrates codes and conventions towards the genre meaning that the soul audience are able to take notice of the album and which means that they are likely to buy it. I decided that I wanted to include the key piece of iconography of the microphone as this is what really signifies the artists performance to the audience. Without this she may simply be standing in front of a red curtain as they are unable to see an audience and her mouth is almost closed. I was very particular about the backdrop for this image. I wanted a red curtain for the back of the stage and I wouldn't have settled for anything else. As it wouldn't have appealed the same effective. The image of the red curtain, the artist looking all glammed up  and of era and the microphone in its stand screams codes and conventions towards the soul genre. As this is the typical image the audience think of when thinking about a soul artist performing live on stage as it represents a typical jazz cafe from the era the genre was born. Jazz being a genre which is closely next to the soul genre often with over laps often on the part of my chosen artist Amy Winehouse herself. Along with the typical make up traits which have been conventional throughout the images taken throughout my photo-shoot the photos taken for this set where done so with Mise en scene elements such as costume, hair and make up highlighted even more so than previously before. This was important to highlight as the scene the artist was in she would be expected to be even more conventional. As in this environment this is what is expected and is considered socially acceptable however in other environments this would be fairly subversive hence to remain relateable to the audience as a whole the artist would tone this elements done in these areas to appear more like a real human being and not present herself as a star such as Lady Gaga whom to many audience members is so far fetched from the norm she seems alien. I asked my hair and make up team to style my hair so that it I had a big quiff on top of my head. As it was conventional for women of the period the genre was captured to have big hair and has been adapted by many modern day soul artists. Such as Duffy, Adele and again Amy Winehouse herself with her infamous 'beehive' hairstyle. 

It is important to really highlight what genre the artist belongs to right away. It is our job to grab the audience attentions not their job to seek out artists. Buying new music isn't seen as a necessity, hence audience members don't go out and buy it in the same way that they would food, the artist and their music need to be promoted in such a way that the audience feel as though they need to buy the digipak or at least that they strongly desire it. So the digipak needs to attract the audiences attention. However just because something attracts attention that doesn't necessarily mean that it's a good thing. To catch attention I could fill the digipak with neon colours but this wouldn't help with sales. The use of neon colours would be subversive towards the soul genre, so subversive in fact that audience members may even think that the artist is following the genre of dance rather than soul. It is important throughout the digipak with the usage of various different codes and conventions following the genre so that the audience are aware of the artists chosen genre. This is a good way to reach an audience as this does more than simply catch the attention of audience members belonging to the soul genre but it also enables them to feel a connection.

One of the first things the audience notices/looks to when looking at an album or digipak is any images of the artist. Throughout the media and various other forms people have been trained to focus on ones and others appearances. Hence rightly or wrongly people often take others appearances as indicators as to who they are. Because of this it is important to capture the essence of soul around the artist. Even suiting her more so towards the genre that she would dress/style herself even with her admiration for the genre. This is because it really needs to be highlighted so to ensure that the message is properly being brought across and that the right audience are attracted to the artist. I plan to achieve this by using images of the artist where she is shown not just by her actions, locations or narrative to be following codes and conventions towards the soul genre but also simply it how she presents herself e.g. key Mise en scene elements including the artists hair, make up and costume. Thus I decided to take much of the images for the photoshoot on location when filming the scenes for the music video which included the artist performing at the jazz bar as not only does this show the artist in the kind of location you would expect to see an artist of the soul genre and expect to see them feeling comfortable but this is also an environment where they are free to really let their passion for the genre run wild. Hence the artists costume, hair and make up for these scenes where more emphasised of the genre. As the period in which the genre of soul was capture was in the 50s/60s a time period in which the genre hasn't developed much from as fans of the genre enjoy it's classic vibes it is expected for artists of the genre particularly female artists to follow the ways in which women of the period dressed. However often artists add their own modern spin on this but the overall feeling is kept alight aspects which really remind the audience of this time are still used or at least referenced to. For instance the popular fashion of big hair for the period which is often used via female artists throughout the genre hence I adopted it for the representation of my artist. As well as the style of make up often appearing to be fairly light and basic base make up, where emphasis is put on the artists eyes, lips and cheekbones thus I also opted for this when styling my artist. The artist is shot wearing a black off the shoulder dress this is conventional for a variety of reasons for instance black suiting the popular colour scheme for the genre as it provides the classic vibes suiting to the genre as well as representing that the music is often of a much darker nature compared with other genres such as dance and Hip-Hop as soul artists are known for singing more so about issues which are personal to them. It was also common for women of the period to wear off the shoulder dresses and women were beginning to feel more free and empowered to wear certain types of clothing however it was still fashionable not to show off too much skin. So women often opted for revealing their shoulders and collarbones as this is thought to be an attractive and aesthetically pleasing part of the body which doesn't reveal parts of the body which are deemed to sexual or personal.

I opted to use this image for both my advert and my digipak because the effects of it really represent the artist well as a whole. As it is apply to successfully paint her to the genre of soul whilst still portraying her to be a positive music icon throughout the industry; as well as demonstrating aspects to her personality which capture her to be a good role model away from her world of work and more as an individual. This is formed as the artist has her eyes closed as she focuses on her singing and not the people which although aren't shown are evidently there following the narrative as the artist is captured performing on stage. Signifying to the audience that all of the attention doesn't matter to the artist as she cares more about her personal passion for music. I also wanted to use this image twice as it reminds the audience that they have already heard of the artist which is important which a fairly new artist is being promoted as this is the hardest yet most vital stage for an artist to make themselves known. If the audience hears about new music coming from an artist they have never heard of before they may simply disregard it as being nothing exciting as if the artist were good then they are likely to believe that they would have heard someone of them before. The use of using this image twice only with different editing effects and techniques keeps the artist relevant in the minds of the audience meaning that they are more likely to pay attention when hearing of the as they seem to be someone of relevance.  

 At first I planned to filter all of my images in black and white however I soon found once editing the different ways in which I captured the different black and white filters through altering the tones and lighting etc. that the different styles of black and white provided different effects and worked well with different images. Hence the black and white effect which I found looked really nice on one image different look great on another hence I made the necessary changes which I thought were needed so to make the image look better. Although I soon deemed it to look rather scruffy having different black and white filters next to each other on the actual format of my digipak all contrasting each other. As a result of this I decided that I wouldn't have all of the images for my digipak in black and white; I still wanted some to remain in black and white as I think the effects of this are both aesthetically pleasing and providing beneficial connotations upon the digipak benefiting the portrayal of the artist for instance the evident codes and conventions towards the soul genre which are essential in the audience ensuring that she is marketing herself towards the correct audience. I did decide that I didn't want any images in black and white to be next to each other as this contrast created for a messy, unappealing and unprofessional look. Which would have been subversive towards the genre as artists of the soul genre are known for taking pride and care into their work which is so strong that it is able to stand the test of time. 

I am very happy with the ways in which both my team and myself styled myself in portrayal of the artist so to suit the codes and conventions expected of a female artist from the soul genre. Following Mise en scene elements such as hair, make up, costume and iconography where the first elements I chose to focus on so to highlight the artists genre to the audience as these are the first things the audience consciously picks up on. This is because the media has taught society that appearance and materialistic items matter. It is key for the audience pick up on these codes and conventions suiting the soul genre as this means that the soul genre audience are aware that this artist is aiming her album towards them. Without having done so they would have likely overlooked the album as the genre is fairly subversive in terms of modern day music. Which is generally filled with Rap, Pop and Hip-Hop music. Due to which members of the soul audience are less likely to be looking to new artists when attempting to discover music of the genre which they are yet to become well acquainted with. I also like how the artist has been captured with a persona which paints her to be relateable. As not only does this provide further connotations of the genre but it also impacts positively upon the artists likability factor. 

Although we are working as a group and have taken these images together we plan to create individual magazine adverts and digipaks. Hence we needed to take an even wider range of photos than we would have to simply ensure that we had enough and that there was a big enough range to experiment with different ideas. As ideally we would like for group members to be able to use differing images so to ensure that are magazine adverts and digipaks really are different. Naturally we all had different plans for how we wanted our digipaks to look meaning that we had planned different image styles for instance involving different costumes, locations and poses meaning that what I may have planned to pose for and asked to be taken may not have been of any use to anyone else in my group anyway as it wouldn't have fit the theme for their music video. 

Magazine advert - Miss Miller

The main purpose of a magazine album advert is to advertise an artist upcoming album however these forms of advertisements are also able to help promote the artist. This works as it reminds the audience of the artist, often viewing them paired with flattering images of themselves, whilst they're being portrayed in positive ways for others things such as their talent and their dedication towards their fans and their chosen genre with various codes and conventions following it. The concept of actually seeing the artist bringing out a new album straight away suggests to the audience that they are doing well for themselves, so to be in a position where they are able to be producing an album and that they are working hard as they have managed to achieve such a goal to an extent that they are being advertised in a magazine which most readers would redeem to be impressive as having bought the magazine or taken the time to read it suggests that they value it and what it's writers have to say. This also helps to promote the artists music video as this urges the audience to become more inclined towards the audience. Say an audience member was on a site such as YouTube and they saw that the artists music video was on their suggested list they are more likely to watch the video if they have heard of the artist before as this suggests to the audience that the artist is relevant. Had they not heard of the artist they would be less interested as this suggests that she isn't as important.

Here is a copy of my magazine album advert:

I used Photoshop CS6 to create my magazine album advert. I decided to use this software as it was a fairly easy to use format which allowed me to both edited the actual image itself as well as put it into the correct sizing format for a magazine advert as well as adding other images such as the stars and the NME logo to as well as the text. 

Prior to creating my magazine advert a lot of planning was put in place. I researched into magazine adverts for upcoming or newly released albums so to get a general understanding of good ways to advertise albums in magazines. Then I filtered my findings to focusing on magazine album adverts for albums of the soul genre because this would help me to find inspiration for good ways to highlight my artist as being of the soul genre. This is an essential element to advertising the album as it means that the audience are aware of the artists genre therefore members of the soul audience know that the artist is aiming towards them which means the album appear more appealing to them as it seems to be something which they shall be able to relate to and enjoy as it appeals these aspects. I found that two of the adverts I liked the most for soul albums belonged to Adele and Paloma Faith so these were the two which I looked at in the most detail so to gain inspiration and take direction for my own. I really liked the simplistic colour scheme Adele used. It was also good as it was conventional to the soul genre being mainly in black and white suiting to the genre as this applies connotations of going back in time hence suiting the genre as it hasn't developed much since it was born in the 50s/60s. I also really liked well Faith used the element of iconography to highlight herself as being of the soul genre this inspired me to include props etc. which would be significant of the genre when participating in my photo-shoot. Hence I included the microphone in the image for my advert which was beneficial as it meant that the audience were straight away able to pick up on this and note my artist as being someone who is able to perform live and it is suggested that she is able to do so well as this element of her is being highlighted rather than something else rather than her body like artists such as Britney Spears. This follows codes and conventions towards the genre as the audience recognise artists of the soul genre as being better at singing/performing live than artists from other genres who are simply recognised for their ability to dance etc. 

The typography I used for both the title of the album, the artist name and the date or release is all conventional as it appears almost as though it has been hand written, this suggests that the artist has put a lot of care and attention to detail into their work as well as the concept that they are trying to getting closer to their audience. Following codes and conventions towards the genre as soul artists are known for trying to create a connection with their audience on a deeper level than their audience simply viewing them as a God like figure. The concept of the artist trying to gain a sense of closeness with their audience adds to their like-ability factor as this suggests that they are a positive role model as their talent has prevented them from remaining grounded and humble traits which people like to see as they are thought of as creating a nice person. The audience is more likely to buy the artists album is the artist appears to be a nice person whom audience members are able to see themselves getting along with and relating to. Working in juxtaposition to the fact that if audience members view an artist to be fairly nasty and someone they couldn't see themselves getting along well with then they are likely to purchase any of their music as they don't want to be spending money on them and helping them with the success of their career. The artists name is in the largest font as this is what I wanted to really stand out to the audience as they are expected to view the artist more as a product than a human being. Therefore her name acts as a stamp for the product of her album, showing that the album is hers acting as a part of her franchise. It also helps to promote the artist which is important as the audience are less likely to buy the music of an artist who appears to be unsuccessful and unheard of and this would indicate that the artists music isn't that strong. Seeing the artist's name in a larger font size to the rest of the text remains the audience of when they see the names of important people in bold/lights etc. hence this connotes to the audience that the artist is someone who is important building a further hype around her making the audience more interested. The second largest font is the tittle of the album. This was done as this really highlights the actual product to the audience. Hence ensuring they are fully aware of what the advertisement is showing them. This technique also helps the audience to remember both the artist and the release of their new album. Making the audience more likely to purchase it as they feel they have heard more about it as they recognise it which indicates that it must be good. 

Following codes and conventions of the soul genre I chose to keep my advert fairly simplistic. This is conventional towards the genre as soul artists are known as being naturally talented and therefore not needing extras and gimmicks to help them attract the audience in fact these elements are often thought to take away from their performance. Hence I decided to use just one image with a few pieces of text so not to distract from the artist and her actual music; keeping the focus on her work rather than her as a person. This is important as it signifies to the audience that for the artist the actual music she is creating is more important to her than promoting herself and trying to achieve fame. Conveying to the audience that the artists work is of a good standard as this illustrates how much effort has gone into her music and how dedicated she is to it as she clearly really cares about it's quality. 

Through the use of Photoshop CS6 I was able to copy a image of five white stars and an image of the NME logo and put them on my magazine advert so that it appeared the artists album had received a five star rating from the well respected magazine. I was able to do so saving the images from the internet onto my desktop and dragging them onto the open tab on photoshop. From here I had to open up a new row for each image. This was important as this means that I was able to save the images onto my advert and then in there section I would be able to keep track of any extra editing which was being done to them and alter this editing as accordingly within this section; for instance both the NME logo and the image of the stars had backgrounds which came with the images which I wanted to remove as otherwise keeping these backgrounds would have distracted from the main image and looked unprofessional as it would have become more apparent that these images had been taken from the internet. At first this seem to be a rather difficult task as it meant that I having to remove the excess image around the parts of the images I wanted to keep free hand using the mouse which meant I was rather staggered which showed with this leaving a staggered effect outlining what I wanted to keep. In attempts to go other this and fix it I found that I had taken to much of the image away and left them looking slim than I had hope hence I found myself starting the entire process again. Until I discovered a special tool called 'magic eraser' which was able to remove the excess image for me without effecting the parts of the image I wanted to keep.  I chose this magazine purposefully as having an actual music magazine rate the album rather than any tabloid magazine such as Heat or Closer appears more professional as being an actual music magazine it obtains a better understanding of the industry and is therefore more well equipped to comment than other magazines. Although they are many music magazines I could have chose from for instance Rolling Stones etc. I opted for NME I like the reputation the magazine has; despite the fact that it the magazine doesn't always stick to or follow alongside with the mainstream it is still a popular magazine which is well liked via the audience. Hence having a such a strong review from such a well renown magazine encourages the audience to go out a buy the album as they value the magazines rating.  

I cropped and place the image on the advert in a way that the iconography of the microphone would not only be in the image would it would also be a big part of it. I also placed the text and images used within my advert around the microphone for the same reason. I wanted this key piece of iconography to stand out as this represents to the audience the artists love for music. It also comforts the audience that the artist really is someone who is all about the music as she could have been doing anything in the image or represented herself in any way but she chose to capture herself performing showcasing just how important her dedication to music is to her. This is important for the audience particularly members of the soul audience as their genre is less conventional towards the mainstream hence they are thought to take more pride into the genres values and therefore are thought to be more protective of them. Thus if they felt that an artist wasn't living up to the standards expected of the genre they would likely find a lack of respect for them as an artist. Thus it is important to reassure the audience that the artist really does belong to the genre right away this helps to get the audience on side and ensures that the artist is taken seriously as a member of the soul genre. This is also a conventional element towards the genre as soul artists are thought to be much more focused on their music rather than anything else where as artists of other genres are known for allowing other factors of their representation to sometimes take away from the actual factor of their music something which the soul genre wouldn't particularly like as they are use to artists following codes and conventions towards the genre. Hence I decided to focus the artists representation solely around her admiration for the soul genre. 

I also added a list of a few of the songs featured on the album.I done this so to help the audience put a name and a face to some of the artists well known songs which they may have heard on the radio. This helps them to view the artist as relevant as they have heard of her before which makes them more interested in her had they not found anything  on the advert which they recongised they would likely not be interested in the artist as they would have thought to they would have heard of her if she was good and therefore become disinterested. I made sure I included the song which my music video is for (In My Bed) so to encourage the audience to keep both the song and the music video in their minds keeping the idea of the artist being relevant. 

I used fairly simplistic language throughout my advert as it is only an advert. If it was to appear overly wordy then audience members would likely simply turn over the page just viewing it as a boring advert and not bother with it. I kept the writing short for the same reasons and to apply the same effect. Often when writing is short the audience can't help but read because as soon as their eyes register the writing they automatically read it as their isn't much to take in. This is most beneficial as it means that the information is already in the audience minds, again keeping with the concept of keeping the artist fresh in the audiences mind and therefore relevant, preventing the audience from feeling as though they have had this information forced upon them or that the artist has overly advertised herself. This is something to avoid as if the audience feel as though they are seeing too much of the artist promoting herself this can become quite annoying as they feel they've heard too much for this side to her or it may even appear that all the artist really cares about are her sales. This would be a very negative portrayal as she would appear to only be in the industry for the money and fame which would not only apply negative connotations to her but also to her music as it suggests that the quality of it is poor. Because it is often considered that people who are desperate to become famous don't have much talent. 

For the image filling my magazine advert I used a close up of the artist. I done this so to encourage the audience to form a bond with the artist as they feel closer to her as she is physically closer to the lenses and isn't shying away from the camera or trying to hide herself. Which represents that she wants to become closer to her audience and that she isn't hiding anything from them but simply letting her true self run through hoping that this shall be able to benefit them. In doing so the artist is able to show a side to herself which is not only relateable to the audience but also something which they find remarkable about her. Also aspects encouraging the audience to purchase the artists able as they look up to her as a positive role model due to the admiration coursed by her actions. 

At first I found using Photoshop CS6 rather difficult. It was completely different to anything I'd used before or any other forms of photoshop I'd come across before when I studied photography. This meant that it completely through me at first as it all felt rather alien. However once I got into the swing of it it was all alright. Whereas before I had only worked on formats which were created simply to photoshop and not all of the added extras which would then turn my image into an advert I was unfamiliar with them and didn't know what tool and what icon and what they all did. This simply lead to a matter of trial and improvement until I had worked my way around the format and knew what I wanted to create. For instance there was a time when I was trying to change the colour of my front to white from black but it kept changing to yellow even though I had changed the colour settings however I didn't realise that I needed to activate this action at first.

Using this software I was able to apply all elements I wanted to include so to make my image appear as a professional magazine advert whilst allowing my to position it all in the correct places so I am happy with it and feel that it effectively meets it's job critic.

I enjoyed changing the tones for my image and felt this worked fell as it provided more of a finished touch. However I didn't want to over do it as this could lead to my image appearing overly edited which would take away from the persona the artist is trying to create. As artists of the soul genre are thought to put more effort into their work the idea of them putting this much effort into their appearance away from the conventional theme of women's fashion apparent when the genre was born is rather subversive as you would expect to see them putting more effort into their musical abilities.

I've generally stuck to the plan for my advert however I did use a different styled image as I felt this appeared to be a more personal image which helps to convey themes of the soul genre as it demonstrates codes and conventions towards it. Both through the element of the artist trying to be relate-able and connect with her audience as well as the fact that this style of shot highlights the artists chosen style of make up suiting her to the genre.

My advert appeals to my target audience as I have applied various different codes and conventions towards the soul genre so to entice them. For instance the representation of the artist is very suiting towards the genre of soul. As the artist adopts the style of a typical woman living in the 50s /60s which is to be expected from the genre as the soul genre was born throughout these periods. Periods of which the genre hasn't developed much from as the fans of the genre are so inclined towards the classic themes and vibes of the genre. Henceforth connotations towards these times applied throughout the artists work are conventional towards the genre and therefore able to interest the audience as they are recogniseable elements to their chosen genre. The artists's representation is able to shape the artist is such a way uses of Mise en scene including hair and make up are demonstrated within the image which are suiting to that of the period, for instance the artist is showcased wearing her hair in a rather big do, this is conventional as it was fashionable for women throughout these times to wear big hair dos. These codes and conventions highlight the artists genre to the audience and prove that the artist really is of said genre as she understands what it is made up of and how to suit it. Showing the audience that the artist really is of the soul genre and she isn't just something pretending to be so to earn money as a performer. This would course audience members to take a dislike to the artist and feel as though her music wasn't of a high enough standard as in their eyes she wouldn't be seen as a true performer certainly not of the soul genre. Another way in which the image is conventional and therefore encourages the audience of the soul genre to listen to the artist is that the image has been filtered in black and white. Being a conventional element towards the genre as it reminds the audience of times before colour filming hence providing an element of going back in time which the genre is known for doing as it still relates to and revolves around themes which were first developed when the genre was first created. NME was a good magazine choice for this genre in-particular being that soul is a genre fairly away from the mainstream meaning that it's audience are considered to be much more picky than audience members of other genres suggesting that they would follow this up which considering who to actually take note of when hearing musical critics. Audience members are much more likely to respect the fact the artist has praise from NME  than most other magazines as not only does the magazine base itself around the music industry but it is also known for having some of the best journalists with a reputation that many music journalists want to write for the magazine hence suggesting to the audience that to receive such praise from the magazine the artist must be doing well.

Creating a magazine advert to promote the artists album is beneficial as like I've said before it keeps the artist fresh in the audiences minds and therefore keeping her appear relevant. A magazine is a good form of advertisement as mixing this different media forms together means that the advert is more likely to go to people who are interested in the music industry as they are already entertaining themselves with one form of media. Being a form of media which often refers to various others such as TV and film. Suggesting that the reader is likely to be interested in the multi-media therefore this is a good place for the artist to advertise.

After listening to/reviewing my feedback I decided that to apply the constructive comments to my advert so to improve it:

One of the most notable changes I made was to the lightness of the advert which I made by taking away the black and white filter as well as altering the brightness by turning it down on the brightness bar. I did the same with the saturation and the sharpness this meant that the image felt a lot harsher which was beneficial as this meant that it provided a more welcoming feeling so the audience felt  more welcomed by the artist. I also used the clone tool so to remove the lined box around the NME logo as I cloned a sector of the brick wall and went over the line with it so to sink it in with the background so to look more professional.