Band Images

To create a good brand identity my group have decided to have a photo shoot to create our own Hollywood Undead band. We used the masks we created and took some shots off all the band together. These images will be shown on the web page and digipak. It will show that we have not only made the music video but we have created the whole package including band, video and website. These shots will especially be used on the back cover of the digipak as it says so on my plan. I look forward to editing the images to give them better effects.

Digipak Plan

This is my CD/Digipak plan.

This plan shows the front, back and inside covers. I have decided to stick with the themes of the masks. The front cover will be the image I used for the advert on my webpage of the new single. The back cover will be the shot in the music video where the boy drops the mask and runs off, however we are going to put an image of the band wearing the seven (six) deadly sins masks just behind the mask to create a good back cover image. I don't think I will put the track listing on here because it is a single so no tracks will really need to be listed except for the single, however the title of the song will be produced on the front cover, along with the bands name. I may change my mind about this however closer to the time as I will see what the finished product looks like.

The inside covers will be half of each mask used in the video. This will show the gold and silver masks on different colour backgrounds. It will be different to show the different acts in the video of the two masks. Showing the opposite sides to each mask can show a sense of equality, or 'coming together as one' to show that even though the colours are different and the one mask is smiling and one is frowning, they can still create one mask, creating one person, one world etc.

Designing our band masks

Today we created our band masks. We needed this to create our own iconography and also images for our digipak and webpage.

We wanted to follow the bands idea of using masks, however we didnt want to design our masks the same as theirs so we wanted an idea of our own. We then come up with the seven deadly sins which are lust, gluttony, greed, pride, envy, sloth and wrath. This gave us an idea to create masks for each of these and call these the bands. We used the silver masks we used in the music video and decorated, cut and designed each mask to create and band look.

These are the gluttony, greed, wrath, lust, pride and sloth.

We decided to not do envy as we felt that 6 band members were enough and its not obvious that the masks are the seven deadly sins so therefore no one would notice that one was missing. We will begin our photo shoot next lesson.

Compare CD Cover iconography

Out of the 3 I just analysed I feel that the Linkin Park and Queen + Paul Rogers albums are the most similar but have many comparisons in target audience and iconography. Even though they are of the same genre one has a wider range of target audience than the other. For example the Queen album holds more of a target audience but this is because they have a lot more fans as they are more famous and have been going on for longer, therefore they have more people to impress and please with there iconography.

However, I feel that their iconography isn't as good as Linkin Park's CD covers iconography. This is because Queen's album cover is simple as it just hold a small image of the band and the bands name. But Linkin Park's album cover has an image that symbolises their music and shows rock in a different way.

A stereotype of rock is all the dark side for example death images, strange skulls and evil. And Linkin Park's album cover holds bits of this stereotype. For example they have an army man looking like he has come back from battle whilst having wings with some disfigurement to show its not all good. They also have some dripping images which is sometimes symbolised as blood in the rock genre, but I think this is clever how Linkin Park have used a white colour for these drips on the wings to maybe show a different type of blood and misery.

Overall I believe that the Linkin Park's album cover would appeal more to me as their iconography shows more of what the band are about and what their music would be like, whereas the Queen's album cover shows their iconography as it just shows an image of the band holding their instruments but not really showing me what the music is about and like. On the other hand for this Queen album, old fans will already know what the music is like and will buy this just for the sake of a new album from the well known band.

I have learnt from the Linkin Park's that I could show what the bands music is like by using a symbolic image and interpreting stereotypes of the rock genre in it, for example using dipped writing or the masks with a smudge etc. I will definitely consider using this technique.

CD Covers

1. Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory

This genre of music is rock/alternative rock and I believe the target audience is 16+. This is because I believe they are targeted by the images shown for example there is an army soldier holding a flag showing battle but at the same time having wings which could symbolise anything from an angel to a butterfly, even a fly. This could link with people who have been in the army and possibly people who have come back as heroes. i.e. the wings.

The colour scheme is dark colours showing a strong link to rock music. It also has the band logo and album name in the same font to keep the things similar and looking neat, however they have made it look like its a messy stamp that could be smudged etc. This could count for the whole image as the soldier is faint and the wings are smudged and dripping as if it has just been painted and left. This promotes the band as it gives a powerful thought about their music and the roughness of image shows they are a band of mischief and rebellious.

2. Queen + Paul Rogers - The Cosmos Rocks

This genre is once again rock and the target audience is a very wide age range as the band have been round for many years and are very famous, therefore the target audience is round 20-60. They are targeted by the band releasing a new album with another lead singer and also they show the instruments on the CD cover. This gives the audience on the type of music the band creates. The album also has the word 'rock' in the title, therefore allows the audience who enjoy rock know that this album may hold a lot of it.

The iconography is used well to promote the artist as it shows an image of the band with an effective star / explosion image. This shows that the band may have great music which creates an explosion in the fans ipod playlist or CD cupboard. It also shows the bands name so the audience know who's album it is and what past fans will know what the music will be like or what they will be expecting from them.

3. Scissor Sisters - Ta Dah

This genre of music is pop and their target audience is mainly homosexuals but an age range of 16+. They target this audience by making their album cover look like a man is revealing the real him, which is one message from the band which is 'proud to be gay'. This will encourage homosexuals to buy the album. Also, for the different age ranges the image on the cover also has many people in the lift of different gender and age, therefore they may be telling the audience that their music is for everyone.

The iconography of the album cover is that they have used the bands logo in the image of the lift. This is clever as it shows previous fans that just because their is a new alum, doesn't mean the music is any different and the band are still entertaining with a new theme. They have also used good colour scheme as the lift and room seem plan but what all the characters in the lift are wearing, it shows a variety of colours and clothing which really symbolises what the band are really like.

Filming Day 2

We completed our filming today as we finished with our main actor who was in year 7. We managed to film the toilet scene and the escape scene alongside a teacher for him to chase after the rebel while he escapes. This was successful but the most challenging thing about filming today was trying to keep the continuity, for example the rebel had his sleeves and collar up and we needed to make sure they stayed this way for the rest of the video.

All the other filming shots were successful and should create a great ending to our video.

We need to now concentrate on editing our final piece which we are really looking forward to.

Filming Day 1

Me and my group had organised to use a year 7 class for our army of children for an hours work. This was successful for the amount of filming we needed them for but felt like a rush as we were non stop working. We firstly needed them to understand that this was our coursework and any misbehaving would waste precious time and wouldn't be fair on us. We also had our teacher there for supervision so all children would be under control. Saying this when we started the shooting we noticed that they were all well behaved and we had no trouble at all.

We then had to discuss about the main part which was a young boy who stood out to us as a rebel. In the end we picked a young boy with a moheekan as a hair style and we felt that this boy fitted the part without even trying. We therefore presented him with the gold mask and everyone else with the silver mask.

Our first shots were of all the children marching down main street. We got different shots and angles of this and they did this very well by all using the same feet and all moving at the same time. It really began to look like an army of school kids which was our main aim. Whilst doing the marching shots we discovered that we didn't have the white shoes needed for the rebel, therefore we left this and concentrated on all the children's feet marching and did good shots of them turning at the same time which looked effective. Another reason why we felt that the white shoes could be left out was because we believed that the shot where the rebel leans out of the line is an effective one and we felt that this would be the first time we notice the boy and the most powerful shot.

One thing me and my group worried about was if we had enough footage for us to use of them marching but as we only had half an hour left to do the classroom scene we needed to move on. We decided to book the class to do any more filming if it was needed.

We then took them upstairs to do the classroom scene where the rebel notices that all the children are writing the same then he goes over the top, for example we made him scribble over his writing, stand up, push his chair over and storm out. This worked well as all the children still wearing the masks were all writing the same thing at the same time. This was 'All work and no play makes John a dull boy' over and over again. They also co operated while we concentrated on the rebels shots of him storming out.

We then realised that we needed the children to shoot the escape scene for the end of the video, but had little time for us to actually do this, therefore we changed the story slightly - we thought the rebel could get into the office and use the tannoy, this way we could film the rest of the class still in the classroom look up as if they hear the tannoy and then all of a sudden run out. We also thought this would be effective to use subtitles to show the viewers what the rebel was saying to the rest of the school.

With minutes left of filming we took effective shots of all the children in the corridor all cheering and messing about with their masks whilst the rebel stood still staring at the camera whilst holding the mask. This shot worked incredibly well as we got different types of shots, from extreme close ups to mid shots. It showed that the rebel had got the rest of the students on his side and he was the leader of the alliance. We will definitely use them shots in the video, even if it means changing the ending slightly.

After the children went back to their class we had another hour to shoot our CCTV footage around school. We got shots of corridors with no one in them. We also wanted to make sure that no windows were visible so none of the outside world was shown. We also got a shot of a corridor where a door is just left swinging, this showed that the school was empty and possibly deserted. This looks like a good start to the video as it fits with the beginning music but once the singing and heavy music begins is when we see the children beginning to march.

Our next filming day we will need our lead boy to do the toilet scene and the escape scene. This should only take about two hours, but we need to organise getting the lead out of his lesson or organise a time after school.

Paradise Lost Advert For Webpage

Here is my advert for our music video and it will be on my web page to advertise the song, it also creates band identity. I used a creative image of the masks as we use the sad and happy masks in the video so it advertises what will be in the video and what the fans can expect to see. I had to make it lack and white however as the colours of the masks were wrong with the smile mask being gold and the sad being silver whereas in our video it is the opposite way round. However, I do find the black and white to be effective as our video will also be in black and white except for the gold mask but it will give a sense of mystery when the fans see the video and link it back with this image.

What we need...

• 30 students / year 7 that are well behaved and easy to control.
• We also need 1 student who is preferably a boy to play the rebel, he will be needed for all shooting.
• Entry to an empty classroom and boys toilets.
• 2-3 teachers for most of the filming, either gender.
• 30 masks, 29 in one colour and 1 in another. (29 of the comedy masks, 1 of the tragedy mask)

With all of these our filming should be successful.

Shooting Schedule

If we don't have the masks by Wednesday:

• Shoot the CCTV shots of the building. This will be needed to do without any person in shot.

If we do have the masks be Wednesday:

• We do all the marching shots with the kids, all shots where they are moving in main street e.g. the shoes, the rebel looking round the queue etc. We will have to do these shots during lesson time so no disturbance will occur.
• Shoot the classroom shots where all the students are working then the rebel runs out. This will involve the whole cast as well as the marching will. This will require an empty classroom which won't be interfered with during shooting.
• We will then do the escape scene which will also involve the whole cast including teachers. This will require some outside work therefore the weather will need to be right - sunny, not wet.
• Then we will do the toilet scene with the rebel boy. This will not take long but is an important part of the video.
• We then will shoot important shots such as the CCTV or certain shots of the teachers e.g. one walking on the bridge.

This shooting schedule can be spread out over two days but the same cast would be preferred in order of them knowing what they were doing and how to act the part etc. If this isn's possible then it isn't a major problem as most of the cast are wearing masks so no one will know we haven't used the same people. The rebel will have to be the same as his identity is shown and to keep with continuity he has to stay the same.

Model Release Form

Our production; Bucket Head Productions have made model release forms for the students that will be in the video to sign so we have permission to use them. This is important because some students may not want to be in the video and it also reassures and notifies the schools and parents that they will be in the music video and will be used in a piece of coursework.
However, we realised that most of the students in the group will have masks on, therefore their identity will be hidden. This made us think that we don't necessarily need their permission, but we fill that we need to be on the safe side anyway as they are children and the main character takes his mask off so his face will be shown so his permission will be needed.

Masks for Video

Me and my group where research the masks to buy for our music video. Firstly we had the idea of blurring the face of the students so all attention would be on the rebel, however we noticed this wouldn't be possible as we don't have the correct technical resources to do so. In conclusion we decided to use the masks.
We wanted to have masks to show the students marching were like robots and all similar, however the rebel would have, throughout the video, become different and stood out.
We therefore looked for masks on ebay and found plain white masks which covered all of the face.

This way all the students would where the same masks including the rebel to show equality. However, when ordering we discovered comedy and tragedy masks which we believed to be a better idea. All the students would where the comedy masks which had huge smiles on, whilst the tragedy mask would be worn by the rebel which had a sad face on it. This showed the difference between the two. Also, they were different colours, the tragedy mask was gold whilst the comedy mask was silver. This gave use the opportunity to use chroma key. This would allow us to make the rebel stand out even more and make it more noticable.

Blog Update: Web Page Convention

How have you used web page conventions to create brand identity?

I have used many web conventions to keep my bands identity, for example I have kept a good layout which provides colours that the band and genre would use - red, black and white. I have also included images such as the American flag in this layout as it represents their country and shows its important to the band and we know this because they have used it for one of their album covers recently. I have also chosen to use the flag in an effective way for the banner as I have mixed the band with the flag. This shows the band representing the country and being proud to be apart of the USA.
The text I have used is to let the audience know the latest news of the band and have a forum for them to join in. This has the bands identity written in it, as the news is about them and in the forum fans talk about how good the band is and what they enjoy about them.
I have kept the fonts the same for each section as it makes the website look more organised and it helps the viewers know what to look at and easier to understand what is what.

Final Video Idea

Me and my group have decided to have a narrative video. This is because we have come up with a good idea which involves a rebellious streak from a child. In the video it begins in a school which looks like it is filled with robots as we have decided to make the kids wear masks that match. This links with the bands recent videos and gives a sense of mystery to the story line. There will be teachers who look like the leader. It creates a society where all the kids are equal and perfect. However we are going to have a rebellious kid. For example they will be marching at the beginning and they will all have black shoes except for the rebel who will have white trainers. This will show his differences. The story goes along with the kid realising something is wrong and becomes more 'out of the pack'. We thought of ideas such as CCTV's over the school which will not only give us a good opening of the school but it will also be used to catch the boy scruffing his look creating a better rebellion look. This will cause more trouble and leads us to the big climax which is him taking the mask off. We thought for the ending that he will escape from the building and encourage others to do the same but once freed they realise that it was best for them to stay in their as they will 'burn' on the outside.
We still need to develop this idea but it looks like a good start and I look forward to the production of it.

Moodboard for Video

Mood Board

Banner Ideas & Progress

For my banner I had two good ideas which I am struggling to decide on what to use.
Firstly I decided on having the Hollywood sign on my banner with a slight defect, this defect would have been that half of the sign was collapsing. This was meant to show that even though the band respects that area as they have decided to have it apart of their name, they are still rebels to the world as you only have to hear their music to discover, therefore with the falling sign it shows not all is good. The 'Undead' part would have been with a scripted font to show graceness with also a twist. Yes, it would have had nice neat writting, but I would have made it look like it was written in blood. The bands name would have been designed graphically and dark looking but this would have suited the bands music and genre and the fans may be expecting it anyway and may even like it. Also on this banner I would have incuded an image of a dove grasping hold of a grenade. This image is already represented for the band, however I would have made it look more realistic whereas the one the band already use is a cartoon image like the one shown above. This banner would have included dark colours and a faint dark background to represent the dark places of America and how this band is brought across.
The second idea I prefer slightly as it includes an American flag. This american flag would be behind the bands title which I would do similar to the first idea but not so threaten looking. For example I would do the 'Hollywood Undead' without the Hollywood sign falling down and the Undead looking like blood, instead keep the fonts the same but normal. However, this alone doesn't show the bands real side to them, therefore I would add in bullet holes around the bands name and some in the American flag. This I believe is a strong message as the American flag has been shot but is still flying, showing that the band are a strong unit and feel passionate for their country which may reflect in their music. It also shows that America may not be a perfect country but is still a powerful one, just like the band want to be recognised.
Overall I believe that the second idea may be the one I choose as I think the message is a strong one to give to fans and it makes the band look extremely powerful, therefore giving off a powerful sense of music.

In the end for my banner I create a new image completely, I wanted to merge the band with the american flag which I did so on gimp. I wanted to do this to show the bands relations to the country and how close they are to it. I changed some of the colours to make it look more effective then added the bands name as a title. Overall I am very happy with the logo I produced.

Blog Update: Logo

My logo production is that I used colours that will link with not only the band but also the genre of the music, but how i did so was i used paint software to create the image and used a website called picnik.com. These softwares allowed me to get the correct image which i had in mind and happy with my finished logo.
For example I used picnik.com to create the correct colours so they matched the same stereotypes as the genre which is dark reds, black and white. This will tell the fans that this company produces the videos for this type of music. I also used original font as i felt it wasn't as symbolic and important as the image because the image needs to be noticed to see the similarity to the band for example the masks and hidden identity.
It represents my company in a good way as they also have a hidden identity as the Hollywood Undead does as they wear masks. This shows that the company likes this sort of music and creates the videos for this music therefore the fans will know and remember because of the image what sort of music we do.
The next step will be to produce my banner and in order to do so I will need to use a software called gimp, with this software it will allow me to create a banner with good effects and relate to my bands style. For example I will use an american flag to connect with their title and give it some effects to show how rebellious they are.

Bucket Head Logo

This is my final logo design for my music company. I made this logo by using paint and also a website called picnik.com. This allowed me to create the right colours and design patterns to fit the genre of the band we have chosen and to match the music they play. It also made it easy for me to create the image and make it look the best that it could be. I decided to keep a red colour in the logo as it gives a sense of evil in the eyes but the buckets eyes, not the man who's wearing the bucket on their head, therefore it may show an innocent person underneath. This links with the Hollywood Undead band as they all wear masks and they produce mystery for the fans which maybe another thing that is liked by them, therefore they might take interest in the company too because of the similarities.
Bucket Head Productions.com has now got this logo which will hopefully encourage and persuade the public who enjoy alternative rock music to look at more music that the company can offer which gains more fans and overall more money for the company.

Logo Design Evaluation

For the company design I have decided to have Bucket Head as my title and a man wearing a bucket as my logo image. We thought it would be fit for purpose as it reflects the identity of the companies name. Also, It is similar to the band we are working on our music video with as they all wear masks and it shows a bit of mystery to their true identity like the band does. Also the colours fit the genre of music we are working on.
I wouldn't change a lot if I could as I like the logo as it adds a bit of comedy element, links with the genre and band and it is a rememberable image so people will remember our company. I have also put .com on the end of my production as it lets the audience know what the website will be called and notifying them that the company can only be found on the internet.
The target audience is 18 years + so this logo and company name reflects this age group as they enjoy jokes and strange things so it helps them with remembering the logo and company - Bucket Head Productions.com

Mood Board and Website Plans

Here is my mood board and website design and it shows all of my ideas which i might want to include on my website. It also shows all the conventions I have included and gives the audience a good navigation system and easy to understand. This is how I want my website to look.

Introduction to iweb

I used iweb to create a practise site and I used many of the conventions to meet the brief which was the sixth form consortium.
I had a menu bar above that linked to other pages that students or parents may want such as 'news', 'events' and 'blog'. I also provided links to each of the four schools websites individually but it took me a while to add a hyperlink as the internet wasn't working.
I also included widgets such as photos and a countdown for the events page, and I was going to add a clip from youtube of showing some footage produced by one of the schools in the consortium but I couldn't complete this as the internet was down. I added shapes and text to the banner as to make the sixth formers who looked at the site think it was professional and well organised.
I wanted the layout to look good so all people who looked at the site from all ages could use the site and navigate freely and easily.

Website Workings -11/10/10

How did you use your iconography research and web page analysis to inform your homepage design plans?

On my mood board I have put ideas for my banner with the Hollywood sign, but edited it to make it look like the D was falling to make it look not so perfect, then complete it with a decorative Undead font. This shows that the band are rebels and aren't perfect and neither is their music but it is loved by a lot of people and they are passionate about it.
I have also included skulls as their genre has many skulls as the darkness of the music is relevant so in my website design I have also but a skulls head in my banner.
Along with other media conventions I have made my website advertise the bands albums, songs etc which was my main aim. With my logo for the band large at the bottom of the dove and the grenade I feel that this will be a good web page.

Some Music Video Ideas...

Our group brain stormed and come up with some more ideas that we felt would fit our chosen song Paradise Lost.
We firstly thought of a mafia theme in the past which also linked with the 3 blind mice. This included comedy elements and fit well with our songs upbeat rythme. We also wanted it to be a strange narrative video and this fitted it well but once thinking of how we would achieve this and how much it could be we were beginning to think negatively about the idea and then decided to still keep it in mind but carry on brain storming.
We then thought of an idea similar to Fedde Le Grand with his song Put Your Hand Up For Detroit as it involves robotic movement in a narrative way. This brought us to an unnormal world similar to sims which is controlled by one person. Then a rebel breaking free from the controls demanded to them. This also fitted with our genre as indie rock is rebellious with their music. We thought this idea was good and are considering it along with a good narrative story to go with it. It will supply good comedy elements and get our audience interested in the song and most importantly make them remember the video.

Audience Profile

We collected all our results from our survey that we asked people to fill out from all ages and areas.

From this we found out that 64% of our genre fans are females, and this has surprised us as we thought that it would of been more males than females.

Out of the 45 that like our music genre they were between the ages of 17-19 with a total of 71.1%.

We also found out that most of these people were students as an occupation and there main hobbies are to do with music as 73.3% said this with 44.4% also saying creative hobbies.

The clothes these 45 people normally wear according to the survey is skinny jeans and light clothes with a joint result of 57.8%.

We also found out that 71.1% of the 45 favourite genre of film is comedy and 82.2% watch music videos on youtube.

Profile

Age: 18

Gender: Female

Occupation: Student

Our typical fan is a full time student at college. She enjoys listening to music as a hobby especially the genre of indie, but sometimes likes to be creative with drawing etc. She enjoys wearing skinny jeans and light coloured clothes. She normally watches her music videos on the internet on youtube.com. Her favourite genre of film is also comedy and her favourite radio station is Kiss 100 fm.

Website Analysis - Hollywood Undead

How are web page conventions used?

Hollywood Undead uses a very big banner and I believe this is good because it allows fans to know that that is their site, it also has information about the latest album which is good as it shows fans what their newest album is and how to buy it. I like this idea as it has a good image of a city and seeing as the band are from Hollywood it links well with the band. I may also do a similar banner for my web page.

They also use a great background of images of the band. This goes along with the layout of the web page as this background stays the same whilst all the web page is being viewed. It shows fans what the band is really like and gives an idea of the bands genre etc.

They also have links to social networking sites so fans can interact with information about the bands on other famous sites they may use such as facebook, twitter etc. They also have a menu bar that links fans to other web pages on the website. I like the way they have done this as they have kept the page organised and made it easy for people to navigate around the site. I will use this on my web page.

They also have media sources on the web page and this is a good thing because it allows fans to know what sort of songs they produce. This can create more fans and more people to subscribe to the site causing the band to get more money. With this in mind I will also use this technique in my web page.

Who is the target audience? How are they targeted?

The target audience for this web page is the fans of the band, mainly male as they do heavy rock. However they can also come under Indie rock, therefore their music may relate to many more. They way it does this is with the colours used on the web page such as blacks, whites, some reds. This is stereotypical of people who like this sort of music.

They are also targeted by the images used on the site, as the background image includes the band with their masks, performing, some girls etc. giving the idea to viewers of what type of band they are. Also looking at their new album cover shows a grenade, and this could relate to people in the war etc, even though the music may not it captures the eyes of a wider range of people.

How successful is it at promoting the artist?

I believe it is very successful at promoting the artist as as soon as a viewer or fan looks at the site it is advertising the new album, and this allows the audience to know that its available to buy now or download without even looking at the rest of the page or site.

Also giving the viewers a chance to listen to the music on the web page will also encourage them to buy the album, even youtube clips that are available on the page will encourage them more to do this.

By the looks of the web page it looks like they are promoting this site and the band on other social network sites. This gets more people knowing about the band and looking at the site, which will end up in some people listening to the songs and buying the album. This includes connecting with the web page from another site i.e. facebook, twitter, myspace etc. so the fans who do so are always in the know about the latest things and happenings of the band, including when a new album comes out.

The Internet as a Promotional Tool

Benefits

• Wide range of audience
• Easy to access - can be accessed from anywhere in the world
• Can be cheaper
• Can notify a lot of information all in one place
• Can be a popular place for fans to visit
• Viral marketing gets round
• Much more interactive

Drawbacks

• Over advertising can bring too much traffic
• Complications can be caused - the internet may have problems, disconnected, crashed etc.
• Not everyone has the internet - less fans
• Hackers can enter and destroy the site and mess with information
• Not everyone knows how to use the internet
• Lots of adverts from web can distract fans from the site

Glossary

Conventions

Images - To engage the audience, to help the audience identify the web page content.

Text - To inform what the website is about.

Links - To help the audience navigate.

Banner - Eye catching, lets the audience know what the page is.

Logo - To show what the website belongs to and what its about.

Layout - Your audience can navigate the site.

The difference of a web page and website is that a web page is one singe page of information, whereas a website is made up of a number of different web pages connected by links.

Website Analysis

The difference between a website and a web page is that a web page is one single page of information, whereas a website is made up of a number of different web pages connected by links.

I analysed Linkin Park's home web page and answered these questions about how the conventions were used and what promtional tools were used and how. I chose the Linkin Park web page because I feel that they are near the genre of music we are studying.

The website is http://www.linkinpark.com/main/

1. How are web page conventions used?

The links at the top and side of the web page give navigation to many different pages and sites that are useful to the bands fans, for example their are links to go to social networking sites e.g. facebook, twitter, myspace etc. Another link also takes you to itunes which enables fans to buy some of their records or albums. There is also a link that enables you to return to the home web page if taken to another page. This is useful because it is simple for fans to use and navigates them easily.

Another convention this web page uses is a banner, and this is used well because it lets the site viewers know what the website is about and what current album is available. It also shows viewers what type of band it is as the colours and images in the banner change every time the page is refreshed which gives a specific genre idea - rock.The banner also shows the logo of the band which is an image. This is important for the web page as it alerts fans that it's the official site for the band.

The layout is set out so all different information is in its own area/box. This makes it a lot more organised and easy for fans to see what they want to see. It is also a simpler way to navigate around the site and see a part of the website without even leaving the home page. The information on the home page is mostly about the new album and forums. This allows fans to contact other fans. There is also a 'LP Blog' which means that the band contribute their tour, views and life on the site whenever they want to for their fans to see.

Media is used on the web page as you can here some of their tracks off of their new album. This is good because it encourages fans or viewers to buy the new album or download a song. It is also there to entertain anyone who goes on the site.

2. Who is the target audience? How are they targeted?

The main target audience for the site is for the fans of the band. This is visible because on the homepage it includes the forum which is what the fans use to contact other fans. Therefore when the fans look at this site its one of the first things they see.

Also, it could have a target audience of new fans, and people who haven't heard of the band because they have put a music play on the web page so people can hear their music and see if they like it or not. They also have a link to itunes so them new fans can go straight there and purchase the album/song there.

Lastly, they could also be targeting rock fans as the colour scheme and font etc. gives the impression that that's what they like. Its stereotyping what them sort of fans like.

3. How successful is it at promoting the artist?

I think it is good at promoting the artist as it has lots and lots of information about their new album so it lets fans know that they need to go and buy it which equals more money for them. Also, they include some songs on the web page so new fans can hear them and it will encourage them to buy the new album. The site should also encourage them to join the forum and then they will be in a sort of community with other fans.

Band Ideas

Band Ideas - Logos, Fonts, Colours etc.

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Paradise Lost - Song & Lyrics

Lyrics

So watch my chest heave
as this last breath leaves me
I am trying to be
what you're dying to see

I feel like "F**k man,
can't take this, anymore,
this heart, break this."
This is life that's so thankless,
How could he just forsake us?

racist he makes us
hate us he gave us
nothing but no trust
and I am so f**ked up
So let this gun bind us
Lets hide by this lust
and once we are just dust
he'll know that he loved us

LET IT ALL BURN
I will burn first
God ive lied, am I lost in your eyes?

Just let me burn, it's what I deserve.
God of mine, am I lost in your eyes?

So take me and make me
weakened and save me
this hate that you gave me
keeps saying the same thing

to sing when you hurtin'
to sing when you cry
to sing when you livin'
to sing when you die

and here at the end
at the end of the hurt
all the pain ain't the same
when it's your turn to burn
We're the heart for the heartless,
the thoughts for the thoughtless,
the means for the end,
we're the gods of the deadless!

Let it all burn
I will burn first
God ive lied, am I lost in your eyes?

Just let me burn
It's what I deserve
God ive lied, am I lost in your eyes?

So cry 3 tears for me,
burning so good,
sing me this song

So cry 3 tears for me,
burning so good,
burning so good

I can not stand
who i am I'm this man
with this blood on my hands
in this blood I am damned
so watch my wings burn
as they burn in the fire
I'll scatter the ashes
now sing for the choir

Let it all burn,
I will burn first
God of time, am I lost in your eyes?

Just let me burn
it's what I deserve,
God of mine, am I lost in your eyes?

This hate that you gave me keeps saying
Just let me burn,
Just let me burn

This hate that you gave me keeps saying
Just let me burn,
Just let me burn

Burn
NOW
Burn

Just let me burn
NOW
Burn

BURN!

4 Track Ideas

Me and my group had 4 tracks that we were deciding on using for our music videos. These tracks were:

Pretend Your Not Alone - Keane

Paradise Lost - Hollywood Undead

Crush - Pendulum

Human Nation - 89ers

We then produced ideas such as for the Keane one we were thinking of doing a similar video to Fatboy Slims song Weapon of Choice but a tramp dancing down the street slowly become wealthy whilst dancing.

We also thought of an idea for Crush by Pendulum as we imagined the band running down the street away from something and the use of slow motion shots would be used effectively.

However, my group suddenly decided to use the Paradise Lost song for our music video as it included genre that most members of our group are currently into. It has potential to be a great video.

Music Video Analysis of Genre

Music Video Analysis

View more presentations from Sophie Leach.

I have analysed this 3oh3! video as it is in the same genre as our chosen song which is indie rock. I have shown different shots used and what's going on in the video and what may be useful in our video.

Here is the link to see the 3oh3! video for this song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdB3Oyd5HtU

Music Video Notes

I have researched some music videos that I remember viewing and have kept a memory in my mind. One of the music videos was 'Stop Me' by Mark Ronson. I enjoyed this video as it was a narrative video with a man discovering shoes that had a mind of their own. The video shows this man who is rather chubby at the beginning of the video and near the end become slimmer because of wearing the shoes. The confusion in the characters face looks like he doesn't want the shoes to control him which fits in with the songs title however that is the only link to the song.

I then looked at Elbows 'One Day Like This'. This video included a man listening to music on a street corner whilst holding a sign up for passes by. Through the song he begins to do tricks with the sign in beat to the song. Even though this video is rememberable for me it becomes quite boring throughout as its just the boy throwing the board around for the whole video. It is an abstract video but simple. It also has nothing to do with the song as firstly I felt it may have been how the man was feeling, but listening to the lyrics with the video it doesn't link.

I thirdly listened to 'Hopes And Fears' by Will Young, and this was rememberable because it was different. He was pregnant through the video and experienced all woman hormones whilst going through the pregnancy stage. It was different and unexpected. It also linked with the song as their are many hopes and fears throughout pregnant times. It was a narrative, performance and I believe abstract video and enjoyed it very much.