Questionnaire

Now that I have done my research into music videos and analysing different digipaks, I now need to conduct secondary research into my audience. I will aim to find out what genres of music are the most popular, what type of music videos they like watching, where they watch them and how often they watch them. I will be finding out all this information by creating a questionnaire.

Imagine Dragons - Digipak

The front cover of Imagine Dragons' album titled 'Continued Silence' is very simple. There is only one person on the cover and it is hard to tell whether they are a member of the band or not. Normally the artist is dominating the cover of the digipak which acts as a selling point, but not in this case which is what makes this digipak unique.

 

What makes it more unique is the action that the person on the front cover is doing, they seem to be in a state of levitation. This brings an element of mystery to the front cover, this may intrigue the audience. The briefcase is the only prop in the digipak cover, it is used to enhance the mystery that has been created by the person holding the briefcase and goes well with the colour scheme that is used.

 

The font also adds to the 'mystery' of the cover as the  the letters are incomplete. The title of the album is very defined and stands out clearly.  The dark colours used throughout the cover creates a feeling apprehension, which gives the cover a great selling point as it makes the audience want to buy the album. The name of the band is displayed in big, bold font which makes it clear to the audience who the band are. The background of the cover also adds to the mystery. It seems to be set in the woods on a misty day. The whole concept of the cover, the mist, the dark theme suggests that the target audience is aimed at older people, because these people will possibly connect with the songs better than younger people.

Gabrielle Aplin - Digipak

 The only prop used is the multi-coloured umbrella. The use of the multi-coloured 'rainbow' umbrella contrasts with the plain black and white background scenery. The costume that Gabrielle is wearing, the brightly coloured yellow dress also contrasts with the background which makes her stand out. The black and white background makes an extreme contrast between the sky and the floor. The black simple font used for her name 'Gabrielle Aplin' contrasts with the white background and typically used for many products with her name on. The name of the album is written in a script like font effectively adding to the 'indie'  theme. The background and the colour scheme also reflects the name of the album 'english rain' as the colour of the background is very dull and gloomy which reflects the English weather (English rain) which what makes this album cover effective.

The back of the album used the same black and white background which is used on the front of the cover. It also uses the same dull and gloomy theme. This is effective because it uses continuity throughout the digipak. I like Gabrielle's digipak because it keeps continuity throughout all the sides, which I believe makes it more visually appealing. Therefore, when it comes to designing my own digipak for my music video I will stick to the same theme throughout. 

Ed Sheeran - Digipak

On the front cover of the album is a picture of  of Ed. The same pictures of Ed are used on the front and the back of the album just edited in different shades of orange I think this is because it is used as a reference to Ed's ginger hair. 

Another difference is that the picture on the back is more close up. On the bottom right hand corner it has the name of the artist 'Ed Sheeran' is in a white font then 'the debut album in black underneath in the same font, underneath that is the name of the album which is '+' but in white again. On the back of the album cover where all the songs on the album is listed the font style is different but sticks to the black and white theme. The name of the album '+' is also on the back on the bottom right hand side of the album. 

I like this Ed Sheeran's digipak cover because it is simple but extremely striking and most definitely stands out from other digipaks and because of the use of the orange colour, the audience are expected to know that it Ed Sheeran due to his distinguishing features. 

Music Video Director Research

Samuel Bayer 

Samuel David Bayer (born February 17, 1965) is an American visual artist, cinematographer, commercial, music video and film director. Bayer has been responsible for some of the most memorable images of the last 20 years: Nirvana's music video for Smells Like Teen Spirit, Blind Melon's No Rain video as well as award winning commercials for brands like; Chrysler, Nike, and Coca-Cola. In addition to Nirvana and Blind Melon, Bayer has shot and directed videos for The Rolling Stones, Green Day, David Bowie, Garbage, The Strokes, Marilyn Manson, Smashing Pumpkins and Justin Timberlake, among others. Bayer has won five MTV Video Music Awards including Best Video in 1991 and 2005 as well as Best Direction in 2005 and 2007.