Skeleton website layouts and questionnaire

This is my first design for a website homepage for our production company's website. For this site i chose to use a minimalistic, monochrome style that matches our company's logo. However I also chose this colour scheme as it is easily contrasted by the use of bright colours such as orange and yellow, this use of colour scheme has allowed me to easily establish a house style for our production company and its logo. I have also chosen to include social media links as it allows our site to become more interactive and follow  any updates on the production of our final music video.



https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/PLLKS6Q


I have chosen to use the second design for my website for the final website due to its use of bright colours and clear text that contrast the background, I chose this over my initial design as it is more visually appealing despite also being minimalistic in style. I have chosen to use this image as the background for the homepage as it matches the monochrome/ sepia colour treatment that we are experimenting with using for the final video. This will allow the final website design to become more cohesive with the themes and imagery that are shown in the music video


From these results,  we can observe that our audience are mainly female. This is very stereotypical as females tend to prefer romantic genres. In our music video, we will include young female characters within our video. However although there was less males participating in the questionnaire it still shows that this might be a topic of interest within some males. The minority group of participants who answered 'prefer not to say' may cause some trouble within our final casting as there is only very few people that fit into this group that would be willing to be cast in our final music video. We will however not be including this minority within our final video as we are attempting to make the focal point of music video being on the breakdown of a relationship as opposed to the gender identity of the cast members which we will we represent through focusing the narrative on the breakdown of a heterosexual relationship.




The majority of our target audience were aged between 16-25, whilst the least were aged 45 or older. Due to our music video being aimed at such a young target audience, we will have to include characters of similar age to help the audience watching connect with them and sympathise. Also, many music videos nowadays include young actors as it's easier to attract the younger audience as they're more likely to watch and get involved with promoting the video. However due some older participants for the questionnaire we will include this representation by including older character within our music video who will represent those in the present day that are reflecting on their past and the memories that they have had as this representation will then relate to the theme of our music video being retrospect and looking back on the past via flashbacks, that we will achieve through the use of black and white colour treatment of our resultant footage.



From these results, it is made evident that those who were taking part in this questionnaire preferred the second design and found it visually appealing due to its use of colour and cool tones. These participants also stated that they liked the layout and how it was minimalistic but still served its purpose of promoting the music videos. However for those who preferred design A it appeared that they like this design due to it s use of monochrome as this would relate to the title of 'retrospect' as we usually associate black and white images with the past or something that has already been and gone and you might become nostalgic about. They also stated that they liked the contrast between the black and white and the orange as it made the text stand out more and allowed us to be more clear about what the site was promoting.



Those who took part in our questionnaire also felt that using the use of text on our website homepage were  particularly effective as it was clear and easy to read and also give the audience more information about who the artist is and what the title of the song is as it will be useful in helping them find more music to listen to from the artist if they like the song that is being feature within our music video. Participants also liked the text was minimalistic  and modern and gave the right amount of information without giving away too much about the final plot of the music video.


From this data we can learn that those who took part in this questionnaire would agree that we could improve these website homepages by including more images, including an image of the artist in the final website design  as it would allow the audience to gain a visual aid in understanding who has produced the song and if they conform to their audiences expectations of what they look like and if this translates into their music and visuals. These participants would have also liked to see improvements in regard to the text placement on our website so that is larger and more visible to audiences so they are able to see which information is most important as it will be the largest on the page. Finally an improvement that our participants would like to see in the future that we would add more images from the production of our music video so that they get to see behind the scenes and the process in which we have created the music video. 



Therefore, I will make a few changes such as the size of the font as well as its position on the homepage. Also, I will try to change the layout of where the subheadings and the social media links are and try not to make it compliment the background

Furthermore, all of my respondents chose website  two  as the preferred layout and the average rating was 4 out of 5. This therefore helps me with understanding what the target audience expect within a website and the layout. It also allows me to make improvements that have previously been suggested by them in order to receive a 5 star rating from all the participants in my questionnaire.



Finally, my audience said that they expect to see social media links and a about page to give a summary about the production company and cast. I have already included these aspects within my website, therefore no changes are needed. However, two of my respondents mentioned that they expect to see all of the conventions listed. My website includes all of these aspects apart from a contact form , therefore I will include one so it gives the audience easier access to find their interests within my website and to offer their feedback on the final video.



The final question within our questionnaire asked the participants if they thought that our use of images and font conformed to the conventions that they had previously suggested to be conventions of a website. For this question we received a divided response as some of the participants only agreed partially that these two designs conformed to the conventions due to the images used on the second design not conforming to the conventions regarding costuming as it does not feature an images of people therefore we will have to include these images elsewhere on our site. However in our final design we will make sure to include costuming and makeup that conforms to these conventions. However those who did agree that these designs conformed to these conventions said that the use of images were effective as they challenged traditional representations of relationships within the music industry as the image is focused on the breakup as opposed to the couple being together. These participants also agreed that the layouts were effective due to their use of colour and images however there was some refinement work needed in regards to typography.



Firstly, the second website is the main website which I am using due to it meeting more conventions of the Indie genre. For example, the variety of colours such as blue, purple, white and baby pink, connoting love, purity, growth and peace.  I have only chosen to use the logo for Light Beams Productions infrequently on the site to allow the site to be minimalistic and  in order to match with the pastel colour scheme of my website. This is mainly due  due to the grey background in the original logo design not blending in with the rest of the theme of the website. Furthermore, I have included subheadings which link to different pages of the website such as home, about, news, gallery and contacts. This will make the audience have easy access to the parts of the website which they want to access. It is also a simple and modern layout due to old websites having a lack of graphics and one main page of heavy text with simple links, which lead to other websites. Therefore, my audience will be intrigued with going through other parts of my website due to there being a lack of heavy text.

In conclusion, I will slightly change the layout of my website. For example, the colour and size of the text and image to make it easier for the audience to see and read. To do this, I will change the opacity of the background image and change the colour of the font for the headlines and search bar. Also, I will change how some parts of my website is set out to make it look less overcrowded, therefore making it more aesthetically pleasing to the target audience



Location Scouting

Google Maps.

Firstly, the images above shows one of the many locations which we will use within our music video. We chose this location due to the field being near a river, which will be needed for the male to throw the ring in. Also, the field being a large area, therefore it will be easy to film as well as not interfering the locals whilst filming as it has such an open space. The field is a key location for our filming due to using the bridge for the main character to walk across, to help emphasise his emotions of being heartbroken. It will also be used for the flashbacks of the male and his loved one.

However, if it's windy, the sound can disrupt our audio. Also, if it's raining, it can cause a hazard due to mud as well as the equipment getting wet and not able to work properly, therefore we will use the weather forecast to guide us into which days will be most suitable to film. If not, we will bring suitable gear such as rain jackets, welly-boots and umbrellas to help shelter the camera crew and equipment whilst filming, and making sure that no cables are needed incase of any tripping.

 Google Maps.

Furthermore, the image above is another location which will be used in our music video for when the man back away from the graveyard and in anger, kicks the wall. Also, this location will be used for flashbacks of the man and his loved one walking down the street. However, we will need to be careful about interfering with the locals due to a bus stop being there, as well as passing cars which cause lots of sound, which may get in the way of our audio. In addition, passing locals may get in the way of the filming process due to the pathways being narrow, therefore we will choose a suitable time of day to film the video without causing conflict.

In addition, the image above is the third location of our music video. This is because this is where the scenes with the man and his guitar will be based. This location is important to the main character as it's his place of safety and where he feels comfortable, as well as isolating himself away from the public. 

The images above show another location which we were thinking of filming our music video, however, my group and I chose not to film here due to this location being vandalised and therefore not aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Also, we did not feel that the area was suitable to film the romance narrative due to the skate park and the litter around the field. The other location has a clean field with a bridge and river, which is a key part of our music video because the scene of the man throwing the ring into the river will be used. Also, the other location has more vegetation surrounding it and less infrastructure, therefore we will not get many local people intruding in our filming process.

Transport links: Bus, Car, Taxi.

By Rebecca Harris

Ancilllary task questionnaire digipak

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/VR7XBWM

For our ancillary task research we have designed a questionnaire that will help us in order to produce the final covers for our digipaks. I asked an audience of 13 people from various age group a series of questions in regards to digipaks and their layout in order to gain insight on what the potential audience for our final music video would expect to see when purchasing a digipak.

 From these results,  we can observe that our audience are mainly female. This is very stereotypical as females tend to prefer romantic genres. In our music video, we will include young female characters within our video. However although there was less males participating in the questionnaire it still shows that this might be a topic of interest within some males. The minority group of participants who answered 'prefer not to say' may cause some trouble within our final casting as there is only very few people that fit into this group that would be willing to be cast in our final music video. We will however not be including this minority within our final video as we are attempting to make the focal point of music video being on the breakdown of a relationship as opposed to the gender identity of the cast members which we will we represent through focusing the narrative on the breakdown of a heterosexual relationship.

 The majority of our target audience were aged between 16-25, whilst the least were aged 45 or older. Due to our music video being aimed at such a young target audience, we will have to include characters of similar age to help the audience watching connect with them and sympathise. Also, many music videos nowadays include young actors as it's easier to attract the younger audience as they're more likely to watch and get involved with promoting the video. However due some older participants for the questionnaire we will include this representation by including older character within our music video who will represent those in the present day that are reflecting on their past and the memories that they have had as this representation will then relate to the theme of our music video being retrospect and looking back on the past via flashbacks, that we will achieve through the use of black and white colour treatment of our resultant footage. 

From these results, it is made evident that those who were taking part in this questionnaire preferred the first design and found it visually appealing due to its use of colour and warm tones. These participants also stated that they liked the layout and how it challenged the representation of happy couples within the media as the photograph is shown to have been destroyed by fire which has connotations of a breakup as the picture of the couple together no longer exists, much like their relationship. However for those who preferred design B it appeared that they like this design due to it s use of black and white as this would relate to the title of 'retrospect' as we usually associate black and white images with the past or something that has already been and gone and you might become nostalgic about.


Those who took part in our questionnaire also felt that using text on digipak covers would be particularly effective as it allows the digipak to look more cohesive and also give the audience more information about who the artist is and what the title of the song is as it will be useful in helping them find more music to listen to from the artist if they like the song that is being feature within our music video. However there was a smaller 30% of participants who stated that they didn't feel that text was necessary on digipak covers as they believe that if the images are effective enough they will portray the message of the song and its title without using text that would take up unnecessary space  on the cover.

From this data it can be observed that around 70% of those who took part in this questionnaire would agree that we should include an image of the artist in the final cover for our digipak as it would allow the audience to gain a visual aid in understanding who has produced the song and if they conform to their audiences expectations of what they look like and if this translates into their music and visuals. However those who did not think we needed to include the artists image within the cover stated that it may not be necessary as an alternative image may be more effective at portraying the message of the song due to the connotations an image might have, e.g. black and white having connotations of the past and a burnt photograph representing the breakdown of a relationship. However due to our music video based on a Jeff Buckley song, we will be unable to include his image due to Buckley's death in 1997 and due to the artist being deceased it may be difficult to gain access to his images whist still avoiding copyright infringement or any other legal consequences due to using this artists image without the proper permissions granted.


Those participants who chose design A stated that one of the things they would like to see improved about the design was the style of  font that is used so that it stands out more against a warm toned background and they also suggested using an alternative colour for the font such as black,white or dark grey. This colour font would be particularly effective as it is something that would contrast the background and relate to theme of 'retrospect' as in relation to Barthes semantic code all carry the connotations of the past or being dark natured, similar to the narrative of our music video. Those who chose design B also said that the colour of font could be changed so that there was a higher level of contrast between the background and text so that the audience is able to distinguish the image from the text on the cover.



Our questionnaire asked the participants what they considered to be conventions of the indie genre to which they responded with a variety of answers that included the use of vintage images and the embracing of individuality. We will attempt to include these conventions within our final music video  through our use of costuming and makeup. Furthermore we will conform to these genre conventions by denaturing colours within our music video using colour treatment during post production  to give more of an indie feel to our video and conform to audience expectation of what our final video should look like.



The final question within our questionnaire asked the participants if they thought that our use of images and font conformed to the conventions that they had previously suggested to be conventions of the indie genre. For this question we received a divided response as some of the participants only agreed partially that these two designs conformed to the indie genre due to the images used on the second design not conforming to the conventions regarding costuming as the image featured isn't shown to be wearing casual clothing. However in our final design we will make sure to include costuming and makeup that conforms to these conventions. However those who did agree that these designs conformed to these conventions said that the use of images were effective as they challenged traditional representations of relationships within the music industry as the image is focused on the breakup as opposed to the couple being together. These participants also agreed that the layouts were effective due to their use of colour and images however there was some refinement work needed in regards to typography.

Skeleton Layouts

Audio Permission

For the audio permission, we (Light Beams Productions) messaged the UK leader of Rufus Wainewright's website to ask for permission to use his song "Hallelujah". The images below show what we sent out to them via email and their only reply to us. We mentioned that the audio will only be used for educational purposes due to the music video being a part of our final A-Level exam. We did not hear any further notice after that reply.

By Rebecca Harris