Digipak Planning

Through researching the layout of cd packaging by similar artists i decided that i definitely wan't to use a cardboard digipak as opposed to the jewel case style packaging because i feel it reflects the earthy feel of the genre better, and i also think they are much more original than the jewel case and i personally find them more appealing.

I have decided upon the three panel style digipak mainly because of the idea i have for the inside panels. This idea is described below, and i feel it wouldn't work so well with a two panel digipak. Therefore for the front cover i decided to use a similar approach to the front cover of albums by artists such as Beth Orton, Tristan Prettyman and Colbie Calliat (these covers can be found in the collage on previous post). The front cover will be a naturalistic image of the artist in natural surroundings, this will promote the artists image, and in this style it will promote it positively avoiding objectification. Also in the style of Tristan Prettyman's cover for her album 'Hello...x' I have placed the artist name and title beside her face as it will appear as though she is speaking her album title. The artist name may end up in another placing on the front cover if there is a lack of space and the two titles look cramped together, but the album title will stay in the planned area. The artist name will be written in a clear, printed yet delicate font to keep it easy to read but that will reflect the delicate feel of the artist and her music. The album title on the other hand will be in a font that appears hand written, once again adding to that personal feel, and will be decorated with a small hand drawn flower flourish, this will become a type of signifier throughout the digipak that will be found on most panels and would be something that would be used on future albums, adverts merchandise etc. to create an identity for the artist.

This image will follow on onto the second panel so that when opened up the two panels create one elongated image. On the second panel will not be any part of the artist but it will just be a landscape image, personalised once again with the hand drawn flourishes. Hopefully due to the natural, earthy feel in combination with the genre convention it will be able to stand alone successfully as a single image taking up a whole panel. On the final panel will be the track listing, this will be kept simple with no photography to add variance to the view and texture of the digipak. But to avoid the panel being too simple the flower flourishes will be once again added to create a personal and naturalistic element.

For the inside of the digipak i decided to create a personal connection between the artist and the audience through the use of hand drawn cartoons, scribbles, phrases etc. including images that relate to the song 'Sail Away'. These will be presented as the artists own and as if they are snippets of her own personal thoughts., this makes the audience feel as though they have an insight into the artists personal life, ultimately giving them the impession that they feel a stronger personal connection to the artist. This idea i took from the Jason Mraz album 'We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.' To further emphasise the impression that these drawings are the artists own thoughts I decided to use photo images of the artist at both the left and right, framing the drawings, these images will be one half of her head each on each side, therefore it will appear as though these 'thoughts' are streaming directly out from her head. This is the reason for the requirement of 3 panels, as they wouldn't fit well on a two panel digipak without the 'thought' section being separated by a fold crease. The CD will slip in a pocket inside the centre panel of the digipak. This way it won't corrupt any of the album art. On the CD there will be hand drawn flower flourishes like what will be found throughout the digipak, it will also contain scribbles much like those found on the inside of the digipak alongside the artist name and album title.

Upon revising my original pan for my digipak above i realised there were some mistakes in the layout that needed reworking, being the order of the panels on the outside cover of the digipak. As they were the front cover would be found on the back of the digipak and the extended image would be seen as the front cover, also the track listing would be the inside panel, this would be an unconventional way of presenting the digipak and wasn't what i had planned as i want to follow the layout conventions to avoid confuzing the audience and putting them off purchasing the album. I also scrapped the idea of the extended image for fear it wouldn't stand strong enough alone, also it wouldn't work with the conventional layout as with the track listings in the centre panel the two panels containing the image would be separated. So on the third panel i decided to have a photo of the artist 'behind the scenes' in the drama studio setting of the actual music video. This gives a greater variance and once again adds to the personalised feel that the audience will appreciate. Therefore below is the revised layout plan.


Upon revision i also decided to move where the actual CD will be placed in the digipak, it will now be placed in the centre panel of the inside of the digipak. As the CD has quite similar images to that on the centre panel of the digipak i have decided to keep the image exactly the same on the CD as it would be found on the centre panel, this way with the CD placed in the centre it will still show the same image as will be found when it is taken out of the case.

I also forgot to mention the overall theme/ colour scheme of the image although it is mentioned in the hand drawn plan. There will be an overall colour scheme, of sepia/warm sandy colours and pastel blues to link once again to the earthy naturalistic convention of the genre, it is also the colours of summer and the sea which once again ties the digipak artwork to the song. There will be a sandy texture on the digipak panels aswell to give further variance and generally a nice look to the digipak. This also prevents the panel with track listings from being too plain.

How our video is designed to appeal to the audience

How costumes, props, idea and actors would appeal to the target audience.

This music video is targeted towards a demographic of both males and females aged 15-25. I think the idea created for the video reflects the youth of today but it also represents change, which is something people of the target demographic go through a lot at their age that is beyond their control for instance the idea of independance is quite scary, with the thought of leaving the safe confines of school and being thrown into the real world with no real support or guidance. The video is a light hearted way of showing that change doesn't have to be scary, it can be fun, exciting and uplifting. From the video the target audience may feel they can take inspiration and that by looking at change from this point of view life can be a little less scary, they can see it as more of an adventure.

The folk genre is all about telling stories, as that is how it originally came about - telling stories in the form of song. But it is also also about the raw music in its simplest form, not using gimiks such as auto tuners, synthesizers etc. Therefore the idea of using a performance narrative alongside a linear story narrative gives the two different elements that the genre represents. Although music videos often use this convention, music of the folk genre and similar genres tend to not have their performance element in such a structured location as a studio, they are often found playing in casual, relaxing locations such as the bedroom, eg. Tristan Prettyman - Madly, Missy Higgins - Where I Stood. A set up like that of our music video is similar to videos such as Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone, Paramore - Misery Business, 30 Seconds to Mars - Kings and Queens. This shows that the set up is used throughout a wide range of genres from pop to rock. Therefore maybe using this layout will grab the attention of the target demographic better especially people who fall into this demographic that wouldn't usually be attraced to the genre as they may be attracted to the variance.

Freya was chosen to represent Ruth as she has similar characteristics to the actual artist. She is pretty, petite, and feminine, this is something that i also would relate to the voice had i never seen the artist as it is a 'pretty', delicate voice. Casting someone who is pretty and feminine will hopefully attract the target demographic as she is easy on the eye for the male viewers, and something the female viewers will be attracted to in a sense of idolisig or comparing, effectively someone they aspire to be. The choice of clothing for this character reinforces this idea, as the clothing is all attractive feminine and appropriate, complimenting her figure without showing a lot of skin to prevent making her body the main focus yet still emphasising her beauty.
The casting for the guitarist wasn't quite so important as the camera isn't often focussed on the character. Therefore the main aim was to choose someone reliable, but so as not to alienate them casting someone of a similar age seemed the most appropriate therefore Cameron was casted. This way even though he is not focussed on very much, a viewer who is interested in the guitar will be scrutinizing this character or aspiring to him, therefore a good image is crucial. He was casted with a grey t-shirt and jeans so as to look casual and comfortable in his surroundings, the song is about being laid back and this image reflects this.

Props affect the appeal of a music video, for instance certain brands of mobile phone are often used in music videos (for instance in Fall Out Boy's music video, 'This Ain't a Scene It's An Arms Race) to show the status of the artist, to promote the phone and also if the viewer idolises the artist they are watching they are most likely going to want the phone in the video so that they have as similar image to the artist as possible, ultimately making them feel accomplished and in style. In the music video for Sail Away the main props used are:- an amp, a microphone, an acoustic guitar, a stool, and a suitcase. These are not so much about image and status, they are simply essential props to both a performance and to the story narrative, but nontheless they still affect the audience somehow. In order to appeal to the target demographic a modern suitcase is used, as an old fashioned suitcase may alienate the audience slightly, and it would also clash with the image given to the main character. The acoustic guitar is an essential instrument to the genre, it is also a very popular instrument with young and budding musicians today therefore alot of the target audience will be able to relate to this. The stool is simply used to give the guitarist a comfortable position to play, and it also emphasises the casual, laid back feel to the performance, this simply adds to the viewer feeling at ease from the mood created by the atmosphere on screen. The microphone and amp are used to give realism to the performance element, without them the balance would be thrown off and the scene would not be quite so aesthetically pleasing for the viewer, the veiwer would also get the sense that the performance is simply a farce, so by using these props we are avoiding this from happening. Also the amp is a 'Marshall' amp which is a very popular brand, the viewer may notice this and get the impression that because upmarket brands are being used, this artist is modern and stylish and therefore it would be 'cool' to be a fan of the artist and their music, as today with people within my target demographic, style and the way you present your image means a lot within society and if the artist didn't give off this impression that they are stylish it may put off a lot of the target audience.

The animation at the beginning of the video is used as an enigma to entice the viewers. The idea of a pile of clothes growing on the bed followed by a paper boat sailing over the top of them gives the viewer a taste of what to expect within the video, it gives a hint at what both the song and the video is about without the viewer realising, they won't understand this until the end of the video hence the idea that they will have to watch up until the end to work out the enigma set at the beginning. This quirky technique is being used more and more often in music videos today as technology is getting more and more accessible, for instance in videos such as 'Beneath the Rose' by Micah P Hinson. I think this technique will captivate the target audience because it is not music video style they will be used to seeing as most videos they view that are in the charts at the moment are very conventional, and don't often use complicated or unusual techniques for the rick of their audience rejectiong or not understanding whats happening on screen.