Group meetings - Miss Georgiou

Intro

There are a number of purposes towards a group meeting. As a whole they help to shape the entire process of creating the production as it enabled my group and I to organise where and when we would create/ plan out certain things. They are essential to carry out as if this wasn't done everything would be unorganised, which could lead to confusion with what each individual planning process would be, preparing for the creation of the music video itself.

It helped my group and I construct our production. This was as we had set out to do certain things on days which we had planned together, so when it came round to completing the tasks we had little to no distractions and we were clear as to what needed to be done. Also, as we established times where we were all free to do certain things, we dedicated our own time solely to completely that task, so every group member never missed out on any stage as we prioritized this over other things as we already had a schedule which was planned ahead.

I believe my group and I had a number of strengths when it came to creating and following our meetings schedule. As the three of us are good friends, communicating with each other over certain dates which would suit us to complete certain planning tasks was a non issue, and because of this if there was any concerns over anything in particular over our production, we could consult each other easily and with no hassle. We followed the meetings schedule very well, although I believe that one thing I would do differently next time is rather than contributing each individual part for certain elements into the production, more specifically the narrative of our production, we should have discussed as a whole about the task and had one writer while everyone speaks, and share the writing duties out equally if the task required it. This is as at times I was a bit lost as to where we were going with the narrative, although this become clearer the more meetings me had and the more we discussed things.

Conclusion
I've learnt tht when carrying out group meeting, it really does help with making the production flow, preventing less things from getting in the way, although it is still important to be flexible and work around issues if anything does arise.
I think my group and I have worked well together when its come to establishing and following timetables we have organised together. The only times where we had minor issues towards meeting schedule's was if personal issues got in the way of being able to complete certain tasks on certain days, which as a group we managed to work around and always found a way of completely tasks and working around obstacle's.
If I was to repeat this process, one thing I would do differently would be to discuss the narrative in greater detail as a group to avoid any confusion, and to make it a more group orientated discussion task when establishing the narrative of the music video.

Miss Miller - Photoshoot

Pictures had to be taken to demonstrate basic camerawork skills and techniques. Also, we needed to gather photographs which we took ourselves so they we are not infringing with any copyright laws for when we went to gather images for our work. This work consisted of our individual magazine adverts and digipak adverts more so. The images which we took were needed for this reason so that they could be used throughout our individual magazine adverts and digipaks, to allow for the artist to be shown in a likable and appealing light towards our target audience.

Taking a variety of pictures is essential. This is as it allows for a diverse viewing experience. The most important reason for within my group and I's media project was so that we could have different images for each of us. This is as we had to take different pictures based upon which each individual group member wanted to have in their digipaks and magazine adverts, so that the portrayal of the artist and certain themes/ feelings was shown in whatever light they visualized their work to be like. Therefore taking a variety of pictures is essential so that each group members ideas are being expressed through the pictures taken, and that their is less overlap between group members work, and provides evidence for the independent work carried out.

This is the first image which I took of my groups artist. I have taken this picture in particular as I believe that it could be used in a number of different ways, so it would be a safe option for a number of elements in my work. Although saying this, I took this picture in mind to ideally include within my digipak, more specifically for the last slide of it where the songs list is shown. I believe that this picture is conventional to the indie genre for a number of reasons. Firstly, the setting of the image is based around a suburban field and lake, which is a location that fans of the indie genre would expect to find within a digipak. Secondly, my artist can be seem playing a guitar, which in itself is a commonly used convention within the indie genre. I think this picture is good because of its versatility with how I could have used it within my digipak. Another reason is that it is a very indie image; including a number of conventions from within the genre, so that the viewer and target audience may appreciate the image and find it appealing for this reason. I think this will help my audience create a relationship with my artist. This is as the artists representation within the image might be appealing, as he is shown in a down to earth light. This is achieved through the use of an everyday setting, so the audience might find the artist to be a more relatable individual because of this. Alongside this, the audience might be able to build a relationship with the artist as he is shown as being very indie like, and representing the genre through his representation and the conventions within the image, therefore the niche target audience of fans of the indie genre would be able to relate towards my artist and the representation of him.

My second image I have taken is of the money basket my groups artist uses to busk with throughout my music video. I have taken this picture in particular because it has a lot of significance towards the portrayal of themes within my group and I's music video, and is important towards the portrayal of our artist. This is as it helps to further emphasis the struggle which he goes through throughout the video. I intend upon using this image within my digipak as one of the artwork pieces within it, being a standalone image as I believe it has more of an impact upon the viewer this way, as the focus is purely upon the money basket and that alone. I believe its conventional to the indie genre. This is as the image itself evokes the theme of struggle for our groups artist, and within the indie genre a number of different themes and values are often expressed throughout the content. Although shallow focus has been used so that the main focus is upon the money basket, it is conventional also due to the background seen within the image, as the photograph was taken in Liverpool Street, in London. This is a urban setting, and is commonly seen throughout the indie genre, as it is a everyday setting which many would be able to relate towards seeing. I think this image is good for both the camerwork/ quality of the image and shallow focus, but mainly for what the photo represents and its purpose towards my groups artist and the audience. For this reason I believe it does in fact enable the audience to be able to build a relationship with my artist. This is as the image evokes the theme of struggle demonstrated with my artist, which the audience might either appreciate or emphasis with. Because of this, if the audience feels bad for the artist because of the struggle he shows, they'll be able to create a relationship as they might be able to relate towards his situation, due to their own personal struggles. Another way in which the niche target audience might be able to form a relationship could be through the conventions within the photo, more specifically the background of the urban setting. This creates a down to earth and everyday portrayal of the artist, as well as showing how he represents the indie genre, which fans of the indie genre will appreciate, and due to this might take a liking to the artist for that reason also. 

My third image which I took is of my groups artist once again. I took this image in particular as I wanted to get an image of my artist looking ready to play his guitar amongst an urban setting, due to its connection between the genre, and also its potential versatility with its purpose and how I could use it. I did have one idea in mind as to how I was gonna use this image, and that was to have it as being the cover of my magazine advert, as well as the first page within my digipak. I believe that this image is very conventional to the indie genre. This is for three reasons/ conventions in particular. Firstly, the most straight forward convention which can be seen is that of the guitar in the photograph, which my artist can be seen holding. The next convention present within the image is the clothing of the artist, as he can be seen wearing all black clothing, and urban brands such as Adidas trainers. The last convention in the photograph is the urban setting where it was taken, more specifically the brick wall which the artist can be seen leaning against. All three conventions stated are commonly seen throughout the indie genre, and help towards giving an indie like portrayal towards the artist. For this reason, I think its good as it helps towards creating a very indie like representation for the artist, which the niche target may find appealing, which would be the result of the conventions within. For this reason I think it will help the audience build a relationship with the artist. This is as he is shown as being a down to earth individual through the use of the urban settings in the background, so the target audience might see him as being a relatable individual. Because of this, a relationship is likely to be built as the niche target audience will identify the indie conventions throughout and how my groups artist is portrayed because of this, and because he is shown as being down to earth individual they'll be able to relate to his character and the elements seen throughout.

The fourth image which I took is of my groups artist again, showing a direct mode of address. I took this image in particular as I wanted a picture of my artist showing a direct mode of address towards the audience, while having the guitar case in the frame. I intend upon using this image within my digipak, where I will dissolve the image of my artist onto the personal message written by the artist towards the audience. I believe this image is conventional to the indie genre as within the frame, a number of various different conventions can be seen. As mentioned previously, the first convention which can be seen is that of the guitar case besides the artist. The next convention present within the image is the clothing of the artist, as he can be seen wearing a black coat; black being a commonly used colour within the indie genre. The last convention in the photograph is the suburban setting of a field. All three conventions are commonly seen within the indie genre, and help towards the portrayal of the artist and in turn his appeal towards the target audience. I think the photograph is good because the quality of the image is high, and it has a number of potential uses. For the context which I am going to use it, it is good as it is going to have the artists facial expression to be clearly visible alongside the text of the thank you message, which is important towards the portrayal of the artist towards the viewer. For this reason I think this image helps the audience build a relationship between my artist. This is as having the artists direct mode of address of him showing his face to the audience, paired alongside the personal message, it will allow for a more "personal" feel towards the image and general portrayal of the artist towards his audience. Because of this personal like element created from this, alongside the relatable setting within the image, the artist will be shown as being an individual who is down to earth and relatable towards his audience. This makes him come across in a generally more likable way, due to his ordinary like portrayal, as it connotes to the audience that he cares a lot about his fan base, and appreciates their presence and support. This allows for the audience to feel as if the artist is directing them and just them, allowing for a relationship to be built throughout the visuals. 

I found taking pictures for my photo shoot a relatively stress free process.  This was as once my group and I established a time where we could take photographs just for the purpose of the magazine advert, as well as our individual digpaks. I feel that we particularly done well with capturing the urban settings which would be commonly seen throughout the indie genre, and while doing so creating an image of our music artist which is appealing towards our niche target audience of fans of the indie genre. I feel as if the overall quality of the images came out well, and that the lighting and imagery throughout mimics the feelings which many would associate with the indie genre, and example being the eerie lighting and cloudy sky of the images of the artist in the field. I feel as if we struggled with finding other potential locations to take the photographs. This is as we couldn't find an a more urban location (similar to that seen within the music video) which was suited towards getting images of our artist, with exception of the picture of the money box. I feel as if this would have helped towards getting more diverse backgrounds within the images taken. We also struggled with getting images on prior occasions to the last photo shoot which we dedicated solely towards just gathering images oppose to doing some filming in the process. This was either related towards having some issues with the camera, or having lighting issues, which we over came by gathering pictures at a different time and day. An example of this can be taken from the last image seen within my group and I's music video, where our artist is sitting on his doorstep with his head in his hands, which we originally wanted to get a picture of for our digipaks, although this was scraped due to lighting restrictions as the photos were too dark. 

Overall, the images do help towards giving a certain portrayal towards the artist. This portrayal mainly consists of emphasizing the struggles demonstrated by the artist. One image in particular where this is evident and used purely for this purpose is of the image of the moneybox, where the shallow focus of the image is upon just the money basket and how little money is there. The artist also gives off the general representation of caring about his fan base, and being demonstrated as a down to earth individual which the audience may be able to relate towards. This is evident within the image where the artist can be shown with a direct mode of address towards the camera, as it helps towards creating a more personal connection between the viewer. The artist is also shown as being someone who represents the indie genre, as throughout the images a large number of conventions can be seen throughout. Overall, the way in which the artist is shown is done to directly appeal/ target the niche target audience of fans of the indie genre, while doing so helping his down to earth/ relatable persona enable for a relationship to be built between the audience. 

As both the magazine adverts and digipaks of my groups were individual, taking a large number of photographs was an essential element towards our photo shoot. This is as we had to take photos based upon every individual group members ideas/ inspirations, which they wished to include throughout there work. Although as my fellow group members may have an overlap in images for the odd photograph, we have insured that they have been used in a different content and way, so that they are representative of whatever vision and idea each individual intended upon using them. 

Individual magazine advert - Miss Miller

Original planned version

A magazine advert has a number of purposes towards it, mainly relating towards promoting a music artist. This is as magazine adverts show off the artist, letting people that see the poster know about recent albums, concert dates and so on. It helps towards promoting my artists album and music video as magazine adverts alert those that view it to artists new albums, and if they see it as being something they might enjoy or see as appealing they might search up the song online and watch the corresponding music video.

To create my magazine advert I used the program adobe Photoshop. Photoshop contains a number of different tools which make editing both images and text not an issue, while allowing me to be creative with creating whatever it is I might envision. So for this reason I chose to use this software due to the number of tools which are made available to myself, and there are very few restrictions on how creative the work I created could be.

I came up with the idea for my magazine advert by looking at real life examples by actual music artists, belonging to both the indie genre and also other genres. For the indie artists magazines adverts I have seen, I analysed two, one being by Jake Bugg and the other being by Ed Sheeran. From doing this it enabled me to look at the conventions and elements which are within them, how they are used and to what effect this achieved, which gave me a greater insight into what I should include within my magazine advert. I created a plan for my magazine advert also, which I took inspiration from a number of different artists magazine adverts, although my planned design differs a bit to the final product, but contains the same/ similar elements but used to a different impact.

The colours within my magazine advert are conventional towards the indie genre, and help towards promoting my artist effectively. The magazine advert itself is black and white, which is a form of editing which is commonly seen throughout the indie genre. I have incorporated this specific element as it appeals towards the target audience (fans of the indie genre). This is as it is visually what they would expect to find within a magazine advert, through including it making it look similar to that of real life counter parts. Alongside this, fans of the indie genre are often mature and older than most other music audiences, and through having the black and white gradient adds towards the advert having a nostalgic feel towards it, which I have included to directly appeal towards them. The use of this element is also appealing towards promoting the my music artist, as it makes it clearly evident that the artist belongs to the indie genre and establishes that to people that might be unfamiliar with them. This helps towards promoting the artist as having his image being very indie like and providing with a retro element towards the magazine advert, which makes the artist come across in a more appealing way towards the niche target audience. Because of this it helps towards promoting the artists image directly towards the audience to ensure the album/ music videos success, of being appealing towards the intended target audience.

A connotation of the use of colours within my magazine advert is evident. This is because people that see it might get the impression that my group and I's music artist enjoys retro music, and that he creates music of that nature. This is appealing as the content within the indie genre having a retro feel towards it is appealing towards the target audience as it is a common convention, and visually what they would expect to find. Because of this it helps towards promoting my music artist as if the viewer sees the artist in this light they might find his image to be more appealing for them, and for this reason might entice them to buy their new album, or if not to watch the artists latest music video to get an idea of what content they create.

Conventions of the genre are present throughout my magazine advert. One example of this being a guitar and guitar case which can be seen within the advert. The use of this convention is appealing towards the target audience as it lets them know straight away that the artist belongs to the indie genre. Therefore the niche target audience of fans of the indie genre may take an interest in the artist straight from the off, as she is shown as representing the genre and providing with visuals which they will be familiar with. This helps towards promoting the artist as it makes it clearer to those that are not familiar with the artist that he creates indie content, and therefore the use of the conventions such as the guitar, black and white filter and other conventions are included to cater directly towards the target audience. All of this may lead towards the audience taking a liking towards the artist, and make him come across in a more favorable light. This might entice them to either purchase the artists album, or to at least view the artists content online via his music video.

I have used a large variety of images. One example of images which have significance towards the magazine advert are the star ratings, by various media outlets (one being by the sun magazine). This can be seen besides the artists image, and has a number of artist and target audience benefits towards it being there. Firstly, the target audience might find this appealing as it is made clear to them that the artist is highly regarded. This might make them more likely to show an interest in the artist, due to the amount of positive feedback by large media outlets. This is as if the audience feels as if the music artist produces/ creates high quality content from the high reviews, they are going to be more likely to look further into the artist. Including these images into my magazine advert is also effective towards promoting my artist as it clearly shows him in a positive light. This as the reviews rate him and his content highly, and in turn will make the target audience more likely to purchase his new album, or at the very least watch his music videos as they might feel as if they are missing out otherwise. This helps towards the overall success of the artist, as if they are the topic of debate between individuals either online or word of mouth, the general perception of the artist is going to be good, which will help towards making the artists image appealing towards a larger number of people; allowing for additional exposure and sales not only just from the niche target audience. This is as fans of music as a whole might take these comments on board and watch the artists music video, and take a liking towards him from being recommended. The more exposure given enables for a greater chance of higher album sales, the foundations of this coming from the positive words of large media publishers.

The layout and design of my magazine advert helps towards both promoting my artist, and appealing towards my target audience. An example of where this is evident can be seen with my placement of image of my artist, as it is directly in the middle of the frame. This is appealing for my target audience for a number of reasons. Firstly, this is as the artist is made the main center of attention, where he is shown having a direct mode of address towards the audience. Through having the direct mode of address as being the main focus, this enables for the viewer to create a relationship between the visuals of the artist, as the artist is shown to be directing himself towards the viewer. From this relationship being formed, it enables for the artist to come across in a more down to earth and generally more likable way, as the artist is shown to be a relatable character to the viewer. The layout of this image is effective towards promoting the artist as the artists image is clearer to see for the viewer, which enables for him to get more exposure as those that might be unfamiliar with how the artist looks will be able to associate an image with the name. If the viewer does create a relationship with the visuals due to the placement of the artist, this might entice the viewer to purchase the artists album or to view their music video, due to the "personal" connection evident between the viewer.

The typography use within my magazine advert is conventional to the indie genre. For the name of the artist, the font I chose to include looks very similar to a style of handwriting. This has been purposely put in to assist with both appealing towards the target audience and to promote my artist. This is appealing for my target audience as they might feel as if they have a more "personal" connection with the artist. Because of this it enables for a relationship to be built between the two. This is effective towards promoting the artist as it shows him as having a close bond with his fans and appreciating them. From this positive representation as well as the potential for a relationship to be built between the visuals, it increases the chance of higher album sales, and the overall reputation of the artist within the media to be better.

The use of language I have included within my magazine advert is both appealing towards my target audience and towards promoting my music artist. This is as evident through the text of "debut album to remember". This is appealing towards the target audience and promoting my artist in a number of ways. Firstly, its appealing for the target audience as it might entice them to take an interest in the artist, which might result in them either purchasing their album, or watching the artists music video. This is as the person who sees it might feel as if they are missing out otherwise due to the emphasis drawn on how its a good album. This is effective towards promoting the artist as it makes the artists portrayal come across in a better way. This is as the artist is shown in a good light to those that see it, so it might connote to the target audience that the music within the album is very good, due to it being unmissable. From this, including this use of language would generally help towards increasing the number of potential album sales, as well as making the artists image better for the media.

There are a few weaknesses I found when using Photoshop throughout this process. One issue I had was trying to crop the backgrounds out of certain images. This is as the software struggled to identify what within the image was what I wanted to keep, as when using the magic wand tool (even on a small and more precise setting) removing backgrounds was a bit of an issue as the final product would have imperfections. I overcame this issue by retaking certain pictures in different locations, so that this time round the image which I wanted to keep (which was my artist) stayed and the background was removed, which I found easier to do when finalizing the final product.

Although saying that, there were still a large number of strengths towards using the program. One aspect in particular which I liked was the large array of fonts (text tool) to choose from, ranging from a number of different styles and textures which could be used in a number of different ways. This feature I believe in particular helped towards making my magazine advert successful. This is as the fonts throughout my magazine advert had to differ from each other for certain effects, one example being the use of a handwriting like font with the name of the artist. This helped towards making the artist come across in a more down to earth and likable light, due to the "personal" feel created. Because of this it assisted towards the overall success of the magazine advert and the portrayal of my artists image, due to him coming across as being more likable and relatable.

I have taken a number of inspirations from my work which I applied towards my final product. One example of this can be seen with the image of my artist being placed directly in the middle of the frame, and being the main focus. I gathered inspiration from this with a magazine advert by the artist Calvin Harris. Although not related towards the indie genre, I took the idea of having the face of the artist to be the main focus of my magazine advert as it enables for the artists face to be "out there", and to become more recognizable within the media. From doing this, it enables for my artist to get more exposure, and in turn helps towards increasing album sales from the artist being a familiar face in the media.

I followed a number of elements which were within my originally intended design of my magazine advert, while in the process making a number of changes towards the layout. The use of images within my magazine advert doesn't differ too far away from what can be seen within my plan, although the way in which this shown towards the viewer has been altered. An example of this can be seen with the use of star ratings seen besides the artists face in my planned version. This was changed within my final version to not be placed besides all angles of the artist, but rather to have two reviews placed towards one side of the artist.

Conclusion 

I do feel that my advert does conform to genre conventions. This is as I have included a large variety throughout, which would be commonly seen within real life examples. Through doing this it will make my own magazine appeal more towards my target audience of fans of the indie genre, as my final product is what they would expect to see throughout real life examples.

For this reason I do believe that my magazine advert appeals towards my target audience. This is as mentioned previously it will look similar to that of real life examples through the use of conventions, overall making it look professional and appealing. Also, through the use of having an image of the artist to be the main focus, it allows the audience to gauge a better perspective of the artist, which through doing this may enable them to form a relationship with the visuals. This is as the audience is exposed to the artists facial expression and body language; therefore receiving a more "personal" insight into them, which might enable them to relate towards the artist and make come across in a more down to earth way.

I think that creating the magazine advert will help towards promoting my artist, both with their album and music video. This is as if someone who views the advert see's the artist as being someone they might enjoy listening to, they may preview a music video of theirs to see whether or not they like it. Leading on from this, through promoting the artist and music video, if the view does in fact enjoy the music video and artist, it might entice them to purchase their album. Both of which is achieved through giving the artists face and album name exposure, so if the viewer finds the artists representation to be appealing and relatable, it might lead them to look at the other media outlets of theirs shown within the magazine advert; being both the album and music video.

Final magazine advert

Upon receiving feedback from my target audience, I have made a number of amendments to my magazine advert to make it more appealing towards my audience.

One comment I received from my target audience was that they felt as if they didn't know what to look at as there were too many different colours and fonts on the magazine, so I have improved upon this by making the only font colour to be black, and to only use two different font types. I believe this has helped the visuals to look more crisp and clearer. The target audience would find it more appealing for that reason due to the higher quality visuals, and also due to the only colour font being black, it further re-enforces that the artist belongs to the indie genre, and that he represents the genre.