Album Cover

Myspace

http://www.myspace.com/harlemuk

Evaluation Planning

In order  for our evaluation to be as good as we could get it we planned it in great detail first. Here are the charts we used to plan it:
Goodwin Planning Chart

Vernallis Planning Chart

Album Cover Planning Chart

Myspace Planning Chart

Evaluation - Question 4

Throughout our project we have used a range of different types of technology and here is a still shot with all of them in it:

For research the main type of technology used was the web. It was useful to watch TV and find music videos like that, but when it came to being specific www.youtube.com and www.myspace.com came in handy. Most of our research was conducted over the web in order to compare other music videos and research into the conventions of band Myspace's. The web is the place where you can get the most variety of things in a short space of time and therefore came in handy a huge amount.
When planning our music video, the main type of technologies that were used were the HD Video camera and the stills camera. We practiced recording videos of each other lip-synching to our track in order for us to plan what looked realistic and what did not and who was going to say what lyrics. Also the stills camera was used to take pictures throughout the planning process of evidence of the progression of our planning. We took pictures of our storyboard, timeline and various spider diagrams in order for them to be uploaded onto blogger easily.
The technology used when producing our music video was the HD video cameras which we used to record all of our footage on and pag lights which were used when natural lighting was not strong enough. The HD cameras allowed our footage to be of better quality than previous cameras and therefore made the video look more professional. However when it  came to editing the footage, as the footage was of such high quality the PC could not cope with it and therefore caused many problems with crashing and saving. The pag lights were not originally going to be used, however when we captured our footage of the performance shots we noticed a huge contrast in lighting between that and the New York footage as some of the shots were grainy and dark due to lack of lighting. We therefore decided to reshoot and took pag lights along with us to use for these shots. When capturing this footage we noticed how much more professional it looked with the use of more lighting and therefore felt the pag lights came in very useful.
When editing our music video we used Adobe Premiere Pro. It allowed us to edit our video in a non-linear style which made the process a lot easier and quicker. Also it allowed us to create more than one timeline so we could create different parts of the music video on different timelines and then put it together when it was completed. It made it a lot easier to organise and manage. However the only downside with using this was that because we shot on HD cameras, the programme became slow and temperamental as the quality of the footage was so high.
The technology which has been used from start to finish of our project has been the use of our blogs. This is where all different forms of technology have come together and been apparent with us uploading photos, videos, website links etc. This technology has come in most useful to us as it has enabled us to work on this project wherever and whenever we like. The use of a blog has made the management throughout the project a lot easier and allowed us to communicate ideas a lot easier.

Evaluation - Question 3

Evaluation - Question 2

The music video and Myspace work together to market the album as this is where the money is made if the audience buy it. This means that we have used cross platform throughout our marketing campaign. When using this type of marketing we had to create a link between all of our products to make sure the audience do not get confused. To do this we used the theme of New York and dancing throughout each product to allow the audience to spot a link.
Our video is based around two girls using their dancing to find fame in New York City. This is where the themes of New York and dancing stem from and as they are such strong ideas we decided that we could use them to market all of our products and create a link between them. At the beginning of our video we use montages of New York to set the scene and there are a lot of shots of the New York taxis. This links in with our Myspace where the main colour scheme is that of the New York taxi. The beginning of the video is taken up with shots of the city and therefore really sets the scene for the audience and makes them understand that New York plays a central role with the artist. At the end of the video we see the two girls dancing in a dance studio. We can tell its a dance studio due to the mise-en-scene with the bars, mirrors and white walls. These signifiers, mainly the bar element, are used throughout our three products to show the dancing theme. The ending of our video is taken up by the dancing shots, making it both interesting for the viewer and to draw attention to the fact that the girls are dancers and therefore make it easier to find the link between the products.
On our Myspace we used the colour scheme of white, yellow and black which is very stereotypical New York as it connotes a New York taxi. Also we used a background image of New York taxi's lined up on the street to amplify the New York theme throughout our myspace.

We have also used lots of images of us wearing 'I Love NY' tops to create another link between the album cover and myspace as these appear and are dominant in both. To emphasize the dancing in the Myspace we used images of us with the bar behind us, signifying a dance studio. These images and shots are used on both the album cover and the video creating a link between the three.

Also in our Myspace we have focussed our background information on the fact that we both grew up with dancing playing a central role in our lives.
On our album cover we have used an image of the New York skyline layered over another image of Nisha and I which enforces the New York theme running throughout our products.

Also on the back cover we have used a shot of Nisha wearing an 'I Love NY' top, linking in with the Myspace and also signifying the New York theme. The shot of Nisha on the back cover is of her holding a bar. Once again this shot is used in all three products linking them all together and connoting the dance theme as bars are usually seen in dance studios.

We have also used the white font on the black background which links in with our Myspace and therefore relates back to the idea of the New York taxis.
All in all we have tried to create something different by incorporating the fact that dancing is one of their main talents as well as singing and their background in the marketing of our products to distinguish them from other artists out there and encourage the audience to buy their products.
Overall i think our marketing campaign does work quite effectively as we focus on the artists to market the products rather than the music itself which is very stereotypical for this genre as it is all about the appearance of the artist which attracts the audience into buying their records. However our marketing campaign can be seen to be too similar to the original artists 'The Pussycat Dolls' who also used their dancing background to promote them as something different and unique to the audience. Also the fact that the music video is only for their debut single would make it seem as if the New York theme and dancing theme which have stemmed from it are only promoting the video and not the whole album, therefore in order to make our campaign successful we will need to incorporate these themes throughout every single from that album in order to make it clear to the audience it is promoting the album and not just that one single.

Evaluation - Evidence for Question 1