Auxiliary Task: Wix Website #2

Since my last post I have reconsidered the homepage of the website and have modified it.

• Background -  I went out and took some photos of the band. I felt this was a particularly strong image and so, I later photoshopped the band logo into the top left corner. 

• Video - I have set the music video to auto-play as soon as somebody enters the website.

• Further info - I have also presented the information: Reviews, Tour Dates & News in a transparent box on the homepage.

I now have the remaining pages; Biography, Gallery, Store and Contact to complete. The store will later be finalised with merchandise.

Auxiliary Task: Poster

Here is the first draft of my promotional poster.

I began by deciding the placement of the logo. As the band name is one of the most significant details on the poster, I began by positioning the band logo approximately half way across the page. I then added graphics around this. 

As part of the editing, I used tools such as the 'Polygonal' and 'Magnetic' Lasso. This was something I found particularly useful and was a good way of learning a new skill. I also experimented with the clone tool on the image of the band. However I decided to simply open the whole image instead of cloning it. I may choose to use the clone tool in my final copy.

What I wanted to achieve from the poster was a realistic, professional 'look' to it, thus I took into account sponsorships/affiliations (i.e. the NME, Rocksound, MTV logos), which act as part of my synergy link between the three pieces of work. I also used 'Silver Bullet' Promotions because they are a well known promoter company that work with the London Relentless Garage.

As you can see above, the label is something I have not used on the poster. I wanted to use this to advertise the show as an 'album release' show. I am still looking for a way to illustrate this on the poster as this will be one of the key points of the event.

Previous Student Evaluation Analysis

As part of the preparation for my evaluation, I have looked at three previous student examples. I am going to be individually commenting on the strengths and weaknesses of their work, a good use of technology and any influence their evaluation may have on mine, (i.e. particular things I would like to perhaps incorporate). 

Student Example #1

This first example was one I found very uninspiring. Their answers to the questions are vague and do not cover enough detail to consider. What is clear is that the student has not given an adequate amount of planning to their evaluation. 

What is more dissatisfactory is the length of the clip (only last 00:48 seconds across 4 questions!), but also the consistent use of only one technology. They have failed to recognise the importance of using separate medias for each question and this is what they have remarkably fallen down on. 

The description of their work across the questions is very basic and fails to broaden their explanation about the auxiliary tasks. They have also given little consideration to the idea of synergy and I think her evaluation falls down also on the strengths of her music video and auxiliary tasks.

They only positive that can really be taken from this piece of work is that the student has been able to work with basic medias and ideas that she hadn't previously. However this is again vague and doesn't go to much length to suffice a good feedback. 

Student Example #2 

I think this is a stronger student example than the previous. I think the video is engaging and considers the questions well.

Strengths: 

- What I particularly liked was the 'response videos'. The student has taken into account what other people thought of their video and used this in part of their evaluation. However I feel like could have been made stronger by using people other than her family and immediate peer group. 

- I also like how they have approached the evaluation of the audience feedback. I feel that they have answered this well and presented it in a coherent way.

Weaknesses: 

- The student has failed to use enough different medias, and therefore falls down on their use of technology. For every question I would like to have seen a different media used.

- Although their commentary throughout is effective, I feel that the constant narration throughout brings the evaluation down. This ties in with the previous point. 

Influences:

- I may consider presenting my Audience Feedback in a similar way. 

Student Example #3

Across the examples I have looked at, this is my favourite. 

Strengths:

- What I particularly like from this evaluation is the consideration the student has given to presenting the medias they have used in their work.
- The way they have presented their evaluation is good. Title sequences are accompanied by kinetic typography.
-  I think the frequent use of screenshots and clips is particularly effective. 

Weaknesses:

- The narration is good, however I would have liked to see different medias (i.e. text) as part of the evaluation.

Influences:

- Use of screenshots is particularly effective over the narration. This enables the audience to get an impression of what the student was doing in the project. 

Auxiliary Task: Website (Wix)

At present I have just begun making my Wix Website.

I think the template I have chosen for my website is a good one, as it contains enough tabs for the five headings: Home, Bio, Gallery, Store & Contact.

The two tabs 'Concerts' and 'Recordings' are ones I found to be irrelevant for my project, which came as examples on the template. This is because I have chosen to display tour dates on the homepage and as the band will have one show booked as their 'album release show', I have chosen to keep this as their only current booking. Recordings didn't serve much purpose and therefore I have decided to create a Store tab instead. As a hosting site for the store I have considered using BigCartel, a reputable merchandise store which offers artists a few service. 

www.bigcartel.com - is a site I have used myself previously in bands.

I have noticed that I will need more promotional photography, simply because just stills from the Music Video will not suffice as enough. I will also be able to create some good backgrounds and build upon a set theme. (At present the current picture is blurred because of the image distortion.)

Editing #10 - Considering The Third Draft

After receiving feedback on the second draft that I had submitted earlier on, this feedback is relevant to my most recent Draft #3, as these are areas which I had not changed.

However, the only piece of feedback that no longer applies is the attention given to the problem of aspect ratios, which I have now resolved. 

This is the feedback I recieved:

• The shot of the band (2:02), slightly goes against the rule of 180 degrees. However it is not a big problem, I will attempt to flip this footage or maybe consider replacing it with something else.

• Some of the shots of the band packing up at 2:37 are slightly dark. I will therefore lighten these by enhancing the exposure. 

• It was also suggested that it might be better to remove the shots of the lead singer in reverse (during the reverse sequence). However this was a personal preference and therefore isn't a big factor to consider. After looking over the footage more, I may choose to remove this as it would not harm the rest of the footage. I would simply be losing perhaps 5 seconds in total? This would run over to the pub scene, with the soundtrack diminuendoing.