Final digipak

Final Digipak

Album Cover 

The album cover is fun, cool and youthful. I was inspired by the Beatles 'Hard days night' album which had a similar concept of the band members faces being duplicated. I used a variety of props that have been inspired by 'Wheres Wally' such as the glasses and matching tops. Instead of red and white stripes I chose to use check shirts which is a popular type of clothing for indie bands, I also used sunglasses intead of glasses to give it a trendy vibe. Most importantly i used the prop if a wig to relate to the bands name 'Blonde Louis'. This adds an element of intertexuality. Furthermore as it is their first album it's conventional of the band to have their image as the main focus point as this shows brand identity so their fans can see what type of people they are.  The reason I used the name 'Blonde Louis' as the album title is to follow the conventions of new albums as they often use just the name of the band or artist to promote their brand image and get the audience family with their name. 

CD Disc

As the front cover is quite bold in appearance I wanted the CD to reflect the same style but tone it down in terms of images. I decided to go for a plain white background with the bands name 'Blonde Louis' in bold lettering that followed the theme. I thought that having just the band name was very effective as when the person opens the album the CD reinforces the name to the audience. Also it is clear who the band are. I was influenced by a british indie band 'Arctic Monkeys' as they have done CD discs like this. 

Back cover

I wanted the back cover to follow the same simple and bold theme but also look different to the front and the CD. I followed conventions of digipaks by putting the band on the back cover which is used alot in first albums. Moreover i wanted to challenge conventions as the text is usually central. I wanted to place it in a unique place to highlight the indie genre as they often don't follow what other artists do. I think it adds a unique element. I also used two types of barcodes. The first is the standard barcode, but the second is a QRCode so the buyer can scan this on their smartphone and accesses different content relating to the band. I also used the record label 'Columbia' which is a rock/indie record label to so that that is the type of music they will be producing.




Insert

For the insert I didn't want to have the band in the image, but instead i used the props of the guitar, drum set and keyboard. I did this to reflect the genre of the band as being indie as no instruments have featured in my digipak other than this. Moreover using the bands name over again reinforces the brand identity but also gives it a pop art feel which I was trying to achieve.

Digipack- trials

Ideas for an album cover

First attempt- Blonde Louis album cover.

This is my first idea for my Blonde Louis album. I think that it captures the band image well as it shows them as young fun people. Moreover the setting is in rural countryside which reflects the indie genre. However I think that it is missing something in terms of creativity. I don't believe that it looks like an album cover but more like the back of the album. One element that I like is the positioning of the text as it is clear and easy to read. Another is the props of the music instruments, it clearly identifies them as a band and their style of music.


































2nd attempt- Blonde Louis album cover

I prefer the second idea of the album cover to my first because I feel like it looks more professional. I used a filter to make the image seem unique. Also the style of the image matches with the font as it is cool and quirky. However this is not the image I want to use because I feel that it needs to relate more the the title of the band as it such a unique name.

3rd attempt- Blonde Louis album cover

Out of the three album cover this is my favourite. I love the boldness of the images and the retro pop art feel which reflects the 90's era. I also feel that it relates to the indie genre as well the the band pulling faces giving it a fun element. Also the white background makes it look a lot more professional than the first one and the pop of colour makes it stand out to the others. I think that the blonde wig shows the link between the band name and the image clearly.

Font ideas for my digipack

Font idea's

Below are some font ideas for my digipack. I think it is important to have a clear font so that you can read it straight away which saves any confusion for the audience. Moreover it is also imperative that the style of the font is unique, this identifies the band's image and also the genre of the music. If the font is in bold bubble writing then you would associate it with  the pop genre, whereas if it is edgy and harsh then you would relate it to the indie genre.

Above are some fonts that i may use for my digipack. I have selected a variety of fonts all of which I think are 'cool' in some way. I have ask my class for some feedback on what font they prefer. This way it makes it easier for me to choose but also it allows me to see which one is more effective.

The results

1st font- 3

2nd font- 0

3rd font- 1

4th font- 2

5th font- 0

The first font was the most popular. They said that it reflects the cool edge look the band have. Moreover it has a youthful vibe to it which attracts my target audience. This is the font I will be using for my digipack.

Digipak Idea/Inspiration

Digipak idea

I wanted my digipak to be fun and interesting as often the indie genre is just this thus conforming to the conventions of an indie album cover. I decided to base my digipak on the hit selling books 'Wheres Wally'. The idea came about as the name 'Blonde Louis' focus's on the features. Every time I think of 'Blonde Louis' i think of a young boy in a blonde wig. Moreover the indie fashion involves stripes and the nautical trend, similar to that of Wheres Wally.  I think that is very significant that they named their band 'Blonde Louis' as it shows they think the image is key to the band. Therefore i had to incorporate the name with a intertextual element as the name is so unique but simple as it based on a person and their features. As Blonde Louis is an indie band their style is often quirky and retro referring back to the 90's as this was the influence when they were younger. Wheres Wally is also a quirky book from the 90's which was predominant in many childhoods. I though that incorporating this intertextual link between to different forms of media, into my digipak would create a fun, interesting and quirky style drawing two different audiences together. 

Instead of them dressed up as wally I though to use a blonde wig and guitar instead on the glasses, therefore it still keeps an element of originality. The Blonde wig referees to the name on the band and the guitar will reflect the genre of the band.

I also found inspiration from one of the Beatles album as I like how simple it was I was thinking to incorporate this into my digipak maybe on the cd. The other inspiration came from the Beatles album 'A hard days night' as I though I can incorporate the pop art style into my album cover.

Examples of professional digipak's

Professional Digipak's 

When I started to research digipaks, I felt it would be best to use some of my own as inspiration, that way it made me get a better idea of what a digipak feels like. 

1. Led Zeppelin- Mothership

Album cover

I thought that this front cover was very striking due to the bold use of colours. You can tell that the genre is rock because of the lightening bolts at the top of the album. This is one of the conventions of rock music and this symbol is widely recognised.

CD and opened

I liked how the layout was simple on this digipak as many digipak a have unique layouts. Personally, I prefer this layout as it is more pratical. Moreover the CD ties in with the theme of black and red adding continuity.

Insert

The insert is similar to the front cover. This is so the audience is familiar with their style they are trying to achieve. Moreover the symbol of the plane is very iconic for 'Led Zepplin' which adds to those brand image. 

2. The Beatles- A Hard Days Night

Album cover

I think that this album cover is very unique and stands out due to the pop art feel. It has each member of the band on the front which adds to the bands image creating a brand identity. It had conventions of the 60's such as bold images so it follows the rock n roll genre.

Inside

    

I like how this is unique inside. It folds how containing different slots for the insert and CD. The image of the apple is very iconic for the Beatles so it becomes instantly recognisable. Also i am inspired by the used of a mid shot to show the band together which lets the audience became familiar with the band.

What is a Digipak?

Digipak's

Part of our coursework is to create a digipak to go alongside our music video. I have done some 

research into digipaks and how much it contributes to the overall success of the song. Digipak is a 

patented style of CD or DVD packaging. A CD digipak is usually folds out to four sections, each featuring different images of the artist or their influences. Digipaks always contains the artist or bands CD, a bonus item, it could be a DVD of their latest tour, posters, bonus tracks ect. 

In all, digipaks are designed in a way which is meant to attract fans and target audiences. They must have a aesthetically pleasing cover to attract the age, gender and the type of person who will like and listen to the music . However digipaks are also created for the companies finical interests, unlike regular albums which are easily downloadable from illegal websites, digipaks incise people into buying extra content which gives the artist some worth. 

For example Kasabians- Velociraptor contains a DVD with behind the scenes footage and bonus live tracks. 

Feedback from final cut

Feedback from final music video.

My feedback from my final music video has improved vastly compared to the rough cut. The main areas i wanted to improve on were:

• Lip syncing
• narrative
• The closing shot

After i got all of this feedback i took it on board and focused the re filming in these areas. My final music video synchronisation was a lot better and showed the continuty from the previous rough cut.  Another one of my peers said that the use of props such as drums and guitars added to the indie mise en scene. The narrative was a lot clear because i re filmed some shops to show the lead singer and the love interest arguing and together. After viewing my final cut, my school friends also commented on how the ending was more effective as it finished of both the narrative and the performance. Moreover, they have said that the band image that I have created is clear and corresponds with the genre of music and my target audience.

Final music video

Final Music Video: Blonde Louis- Sleep on the Floor

This is my final cut for the Blonde Louis- Sleep on the Floor music video. I feel that i have achieved more than i expected in terms of the editing and found it enjoyable to create. Hope you enjoy!