Group Digipak- Miss Miller

As a group, we have created a group digipak in order to promote our artist. We looked in depth to what elements to included within the digipak to promote the indie genre successfully and what would be key in to promoting the artists personality traits. We researched into various other indie genre digipaks in order to get the best idea of what needs to be included to convey the indie genre successfully and also which promotes the artist well. The stereotypical elements used enables for the niche audience to be able to connect with the artist as it makes them more attracted to the audience. We looked at each group members individual digipaks and decided as a group what we liked from each and then put these ideas together to create our final, group digipak.





We have looked at every members digipaks and have looked closely at the micro-elements to decide which elements put together would look most effective and would promote the artist and the genre best. The first micro-element that we looked at was colour. When researching into many other different digipaks from the same genre, we came across that the majority of the colours used were natural and light. The typical colours that were seen were yellows, greens, blues, and browns, all conforming to the topic of nature. We wanted to reinforce the stereotypes of the indie genre as well as promoting the artist successfully. We did this by using colours such as yellow to write the artists name 'Lola Starr' to associate her with being a star, and someone who is seen to be successful. We think this would be successful in the branding of the artist as the audience are able to have a better idea of who she is and the audience will be able to remember her more successfully. We also had the use of darker colours such as browns and greens, we used these colours to present the artist as being mysterious and intriguing. The photos were taken at night time so therefore the lighting is extremely low key, the pictures fade into darkeness around her which make the audience think she is mysterious and hiding aspects of her personality from the audience. It also gives the audience an idea as to what type of songs will be included in the album, the dark colours represent sadness and mystery, allowing the audience to believe that her album will include such songs related to the topic of sadness, for example. This is effective as it makes the audience want to know more about her and will buy the album to find out what the songs are about.

When we had looked at the different digipaks from the indie genre, we believed it was highly important to use conventions of the indie genre within our group digipak, we took these conventions from each of our own digipaks. One of the main conventions used throughout the digipak was the mise-en-scene elements, clothing, iconography and body language. On the front of our digipak we have used a close up of the artists face, she is looking directly into the camera which makes it seem as if she is looking directly at the audience, building the relationship between the audience and artist as the audience feel as if they are being targetted by the artist. This is conventional to the indie genre as the audience are then able to see her features, the makeup in which the artist is wearing is shown effectively as the close up allows this. This is effective as it conforms to the indie genre and allows for the artist to show to the audience who she is. However, because she is not wearing a lot of face makeup, this conveys a message to the audience that in order to be successful and well known, you do not have to change who you are, and change your image. The clothing is also extremely conventional to the indie genre, the baggy denim jacket, the red bandana and the tight, leather leggings portrays successfully an indie artist. This clothing makes the artist seem more realistic and relateable which is the effect my group and I wanted to achieve, allowing for the audience to connect to the artist more knowing she is just an everyday girl.  Another convention we have used is the iconography. We took this from Leandra's individual digipak where she had made a collage of the artist to show the iconography more specifically. We have used the iconography of a guitar in order to show off the artists talents to the audience. We believed that this would promote the artist effectively as it shows that she is a good musician in which the audience would be attracted to and want to buy the album to hear her talents. 

The images that we have used within the group digipak promotes the artist effectively as an artist who conforms to the genres stereotypes. One image on the front cover we have used shows a close up of the artist having peace signs over her eyes. The lighting used here is high key, making her eyes the most noticeable feature, this allows for better eye contact to be made with the audience as the audience are automatically drawn to her eyes. We have used this image specifically  so the audience feel a connection with the artist and see her more close up than you usually would. This enhances the audience and artist relationship as  it shows the naturalness of the artist and how she isn't fake and superficial, this makes the audience believe that she is somebody who is true to herself and has become successful off of her own efforts and hard work. It promotes the artist well as it makes her look like someone who is relateable to her target audience and someone who they can easily connect to. Another image that is included in our group digipak is the artist sitting on the floor in the natural envoirnment she is in with her guitar smoking a cigarette. We used this image as the back cover of the digipak where the song titles are. We placed this here as we wanted to make it look as if the artist is at one with her music and she loves what she does.

The layout is the stereotypical layout of a digipak. It includes 6 sections, all of which contain images of the artist, promoting her and making her seem more appealing to her target audience. We have included a personal message from the artist to the audience so that the audience feel more connected with the artist and that they feel the artist is speaking directly to them. This creates a much better relationship between the audience and the artist as the audience believe that the artist has taken the time out to talk to her fans and this ultimately makes her seem down to earth and thoughtful. The layout of the digipak is very simple to make it more accessible for the audience, this easy layout is reinforcing the stereotype of the genre as it creates a more mellow and easy going feel rather than flashy and bright. 



The typography that my group and I decided on using for the digipak was flowing and bubbly font in which is easily readable for all audiences but also, making it conform to the conventions of the genre. The colour thats used for the font for her name was in yellow. We used this in order to make her name stand out against the dark background, making it aware to the audience she is a bold, stand out, artist. I also wanted to use a bright font to reinforce her name to the audience, with her name being Lola Starr, the bright colour enhances the idea of a star being bright. I believe this is successful as it allows for the audience to make the connection between her name and her artist image. The language that I used within the digipak is also very simple. I wanted the digipak to be accessable to audiences and to do this I had to use simple language that all audiences could read. The simple language however makes the digipak more relatable for the audience.


The back page of the digipak was created by myself, with ideas and suggestions put forward by my team members. I had some difficulties when creating this image as it was difficult to create the ripped paper effect. I found an image of ripped paper on Google and placed into photoshop, I had to try and cut around the edges and still create a ripped paper effect. This took a lot of time as I tried to make it as realistic looking as possible. However, I overcame this by using the blur tool to fade out bits that didnt look effective. One of my strengths whilst using Photoshop however was the use of the lasso magnetic tool. The use of this enabled me to use the whole image on the side of the digipak but crop out bits that I didn't want. Another strength of mine was being able to add effects onto the image. I enhanced the brightness on the picture and also made the edges darker, this worked well as I was able to make the artist be the centre of attention and be the main focus. This created a more successful promotion tool as the image is now focused fully on the artist, making her the centre of attention.

I believe that our final digipak conforms to the genres conventions, giving the audience a high indication of the indie genre. The conventions are portrayed through the mise-en-scene elements of clothing, body language and iconography. The use of these enabled us to promote the indie genre well and make it much more relatable to the audience. My group and I believe that the digipak will appeal to the target audience as it follows the typical conventions of the indie genre,making fans more interested and want to know more. 

Rough Cut- Miss Georgiou

When creating our music video, we also created a rough cut. A rough cut is essential to carry out when creating a final production as it allowed for constructive criticism to be made by peers, teachers, family and friends. Audience feedback is highly important at this point as we are then able to change and edit things differently in which the targeted audience may not like, also, we are able to see if our music video represents the artist image successfully by what the audience tells us. The feedback we get will allow us to make improvements or amendments to our video to create a successful indie music video.  A rough cut is important for my group and I to carry out as it allows for the audience to see what we have put together, and to get feedback to make the final product successful. 


We received audience feedback by screening our production to fellow peers within out media group. By doing this, the other group were able to pick out points that needed improving and things that were successful. They did this by writing on a sheet of paper, giving us 3 things to improve and 3 things that worked effectively. This is helpful to us as the intended audience were for people of their age, so this therefore tells us what the audience would like to see, enabling us to make changes and improvements to create a successful indie genre music video. They gave their feedback on a sheet of paper, giving their feedback in a style of a questionnaire. They told us what was good about our production and what they thought the final product should include. One of the ways in which the audience said we could improve our video was to change certain cinematography elements and some of the camera angles that we decided on using. The group said that some of the shots were shaky and looked unprofessional and rather amateur. We also agreed with this and believed it would be a good idea to re-film such elements by using the equipment such as the tripod to create a more steady piece of footage, to make the video more professional. Another way we got feedback from our audience was by putting the rough cut onto YouTube as well, we were able to get feedback from a much larger audience, rather than just our intended audience. We were also able get feedback from friends and family this way. People were able to comment on the video telling us what they thought was successful, what they liked and what the disliked. This let a wider audience have a view of our video, it would also benefit my group and I within the music industry as what the wider audience said to improve, we would do in order for our video to target much wider audiences and achieve globalization, making the artist more well known. The feedback then benefits the music industry as they are able to know what to include to make a video to attract as many people as possible, as well as targetting the intended audience.




The feedback that we received we took all into consideration. By following their feedback from what the audience would like to see benefits our production in many ways. As well as receiving constructive criticism, collectively, the audience gave us three points in which they thought were good within the video. The first point which the audience thought was successful was the fact that the relationship portrayed within the video was highly realistic and relatable. This comment was added on YouTube and it also stated that the footage was natural and would therefore let the audience know and people watching that it was a real relationship. My group and I also agreed with this statement. The natural relationship was shown through the use of mise-en-scene elements such as body language between them both. It gave off a positive vibe to the audience as it looked like a real and true relationship, showing to the audience that were truly in love. This is effective for the video as it makes the audience connect to it more, and get more of an insight of the artists lifestyle. It was shown to be realistic and natural through the use of cinematography elements we chose. For example, POV (point of view) allowed for the relationship to be seen through the artists eyes and captured the naturalness between the couple which made the audience relate to it more as they feel more involved with the scenario which creates a better relationship between the audience and the artist.
Another positive comment we received was the range and good use of the cinematography elements that we used within our production. The range of angles we used was good as it showed off the artists relationship, performance and emotions extremely well. This is effective in many ways as the audience are able to connect with the emotions that she is feeling, making the bond between the artist and the audience tighter as the audience have may been in the same situation and felt the same emotion. It is also effective in the way that the music industry are able to show different sides of the artist through the different camera angles , therefore, being able to show more of her off to the audience, and the relationship she has with her partner. The wide range of camera angles portrays relatability which the audience can connect to.
Another element of the music video which received positive feedback was the use of performance from the artist herself. Within the performance scenes there were many close ups of the artist. We included this in order to make it easier for the artist to connect with the audience more. The audience are able to have eye contact with the artist, allowing for the song to have a more personal feel and make the song more connected to the audience. By using close ups within the performance it allows for the bond between the artist and the audience to build, it lets the audience see the artists face and connect fully with her, being able to understand the emotions that she is feeling. This creates a better relationship between the audience and the artist as they feel as if the artist is singing to them, this is the feedback we received from our peers. 

Apart from recieiving the positive feedback, we also was given various constructive comments which were made about the video. One of the main points in which repeated itself was the various different people being within the shots in different scenes of the video. We tried to make our video as natural as we could by filming the video in typical everyday settings in order to make the artist seem relatable and realistic and ultimately to portray the relationship between the couple. The feedback that we recieved about this confirmed that the background people made the clips within the video look unprofessional and unorganized. We discussed this point as a group and ultimately decided that cropping the clip would be successful as we want to make the video as proffesional as we can. Cropping the clip we believed would be easiest rather than re-filming it, and taking the clip out of the video was not an option as we believed it portrays the natural relationship we intended. Cropping out the extra people also meant that the audience are able to focus more on the relationship without the distraction from other people, enhancing the bond between the artist and the audience as the audience are only able to see them and therefore fully focus on them, which the audience may have experienced before. This makes the artist seem fully relatable and a down to earth, everyday person. This is successful for the music industry as it makes for a wider audience as she seems highly relatable for the audience. This will increase the views of the video and therefore resulting in the increase of sales of the song. 
Another comment made about the video in which the audience believed wasn't successful was that some of the filming was shaky. This could be due to the fact that some of the footage we filmed was not filmed with a tripod therefore leading to a more shaky effect. We also had trouble with the use of the tripod due to the weather occasions. The wind led for the tripod to shake and therefore create shaky footage. This feedback was easily fixable for us as we could re-film the certain footage that wasn't good. However, if we wanted to keep the certain clips, we could edit it to make it less shaky. We would use elements on Final Cut Pro to balance out the shakiness of the footage. However, we agreed with this feedback and believed that re filming the footage would be the best thing to do in order to create it to become a better music video and much more professional.
Another constructive criticism we had been given was the use of shots being repeated. We also had noticed this ourselves and is something that we will work on to improve. As for the rough cut, we did not have enough footage to use for the entire song so therefore the only thing necessary was to put in shots that already had been used. We have already overcome this a group by filming some more footage to include within the video. We also plan to include more performance of the artist so the audience can connect to her more.

Overall, from the feedback we got and how we feel about our production, there are many different changes that we are going to be making to our music video. The first change that we plan on making to the music video is the shakiness of some shots. We believe that the shakiness makes the video much more unprofessional and unappealing to the audience, so therefore re filming certain elements will make it more attractive for the audience and make the audience feel more intrigued towards the music video.
We also are going to make sure we use the tripod better as we could refilm the certain elements of possibly not use them or try to balance them out by editing them using the ProX element we used to edit our footage and if not check the weather before we go to film and just refilm small elements.
To therefore overcome the comment on repetitive footage we have already filmed some more footage to put into our music video and this should hopefully connect better with the audience due to the wide range of footage we will now how. We plan to have more performance as well so that you can see the artists talent.