creating our digipak

8/13/2019 Creating Our Digipak

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Creating our Digipak

Research

I first started by creating a simple sketch of what I want the Digipak to look like. I used the

template of a six panel Digipak and explored possible photos that I would take, or if I would use

photos from the music video itself. I thought that the most important aspect of the Digipak would

be the front cover. I wanted the front cover to be eye catching in order to attract the most

attention from our desired audience. I therefore decided to research into successful album covers

from artists in our genre of music.

The original cover for Cyndi Laupers 1983

track is an image that has been taken

whilst filming the official video. Lauper

appears to be dancing in the street withthe same costume she wore at the

beginning of the music video. I believe that

this is an effective cover and I like the red

font that represents a female colour.

However, the title is not as clear as it could

be. The producers have decided to focus

the viewers attention on Lauper herself as

her pose reflects the track list, as she

appears free and unaware of others

around her or what they think, as she is just

focusing on having fun.

Lily Allens album covers for The Fear is relatively

simple. However, although it lacks in complexity, it

is still very effective in promoting her image. Her

image comes across as fun and innocent, and you

can see that she is proud to be promoting heralbum. Through her pose you can tell that she is

enjoying herself and that is the message that comes

across. I enjoyed the pose she created as, like

Laupers cover, she comes across as care free and

enjoyable in a much more subtle way.


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Template

This is the Digipak template we have decided to use. It has a six panel layout with one disc tray. I

believe it was crucial to have a template before creating our design because I could be able to be

more creative when it came to deciding images, as I know how the template folds and how it

would look overall.

I then researched into English musician Birdys

album cover Live in London. The photo

caught my eye as I immediately recognised the

red London bus. The creators have also used a

clear, white font in order to promote her

product. They have done this as she is a young

artist, who is not as well-known as other artists.

I liked the setting of the cover and that the

busy crowd around her are dressed in dark

clothing, whilst she is wearing white which

enables her to stand out from the crowd.

However, although the location of the image is

effective, I did not think that the pose she is

displaying would be effective for our song.

Birdy is known for her heart felt cover Skinny

Love, and our song is much more light hearted

and enjoyable. Therefore, although I liked the

setting, I decided that I wanted our main

character to perform a more entertaining pose.


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Editing images

I took all the possible photos on my IPhone because I felt it would be easier to directly edit the

photos from my phone. I downloaded three apps that would assist in making the photos stand out

and become original. The first, Instaeffect enabled me to add a unique, colourful image to

overlap our original image. This app was extremely useful as I was able to edit the picture so they

had a colourful image that blended into the original photograph. The second app, Split Pic,

enabled me to have one image, yet one half would be a different effect that the other. When

deciding on the best image to use with this app, I thought about taking two photos of our main

actors face, with one side in black and white and the other colourful and vibrant. Initially, I wantedAmbers facial expression to be dull and sombre on the right side, and fun and excitable on the left.

As both images juxtapose each other, I wanted to make an even clearer contrast by creating a split

pic that looks like one image of Ambers face yet it shows two sides to her character.

Image inspiration

Original Images

InstaEffect SplitPic InstaText

This photo was on the popular page of the social

networking site, Instagram. I thought it was extremely

effective as it was eye catching and unique, something

we wish to create.

This is the image that I created by taking two

photos of Ambers face, and combining them into

one image. I wanted the photo on the right to look

like she is looking at herself having fun, and that

she is day dreaming about the times that could

have been.


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Edited Left Image

Edited Right Image

Final Edited Image

After reviewing this image, we decided that it did not create the desired effect that we wanted to

achieve. I asked some other media students and other people in the same age range that we are

trying to appeal to, and they agreed that they did not understand the initial idea of one side being

dull and unhappy, and the other care free and excitable. Therefore, we have decided to not use

this image in our final Digipak design.

In hindsight, I should have dressed Amber in smart, uniform clothing for the right image, and a

colourful outfit in the left. I should have also taken the photo as a mid-shot and not a close up; as

this picture does not reflect the image I was trying to create. After this trial and error attempt, I

decided to take one photo of Ambers face, with only half her face in the frame. I then used this app

to flip the image so it looked like a reflection. I then decided to test my original idea to have one

side colourful and the other black and white.

Original Image

This image was taken on an underground train. Therefore,

the lighting was not ideal. As a result, the photo is darker

than we would have liked. Ambers eyes arent as defined

and clear, and the background of the picture is quite

distracting as a train is going past.

Firstly, I edited the left photo to achieve a warm

and colourful vibe. I changed the background colour

to softer beige as supposed to a sharp white, and I

brightened Ambers skin and whitened her teeth

and eyes, as the original image was taken in a

darkly-lit room.

I changed the right image to black and white

because I wanted it to represent sadness and

jealousy. I also added a focus to be on her facial

expression, and her hair and the background out

of focus in order to draw the attention entirely on

her face.

The final image did not come out as I

had initially hoped. I was unable to

move the two images so that it was

one whole image of Ambers face and

instead had to zoom into her facial

expression to make sure that the two

images were in alignment with one

another.


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Edited Image

Final Edited Image

.

This image will be used for the Extra Panelof the Digipak because it isnt too effective as a front

cover yet it is still a unique and prominent image that would set our Digipak apart.

Creating the Front Cover

After researching into professional front covers, I had a clear idea of what I wanted ours to look

like. I wanted a famous landmark in the background of the image, with Amber in front performing

an excitable pose by raising her arms in the air and laughing. Therefore, when we went to London

to film part of our video, I decided that the best landmark to be on the front cover would be

Trafalgar Square. I believe that this was the most suitable area because it is creative and extremely

identifiable.

I first started by editing the left image by whitening

Ambers eyes and adding a focus to her face, so the

background wasnt as distracting as the original image. I

then added a softer effect to the image which made

everything brighter and clearer. For the right image, I

went through the same procedure as the first, yet instead

of adding a softer effect, I made the photo black and

white. Finally, I blurred the lines separating the two

images in order to make them blend into one another.

I finished editing the image by moving the

entire photo up, leaving a white space just at

the foot of the image as supposed to the top

and bottom. This enabled me to add my

chosen lyrics from the song onto the image.

Furthermore, I blended the under part of the

image into the white strip, and finally added

some shading to give an even more striking

effect.


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Original Image

Using the first app, InstaEffect, I decided to add a different colourful overlap image to the image:

First Edit

Second Edit -

This is the original image that we have used for

our front cover. I wanted Amber to raise her

arms as if she is singing and laughing along with

the lyrics of the song. Although Amber is not as

visible as I would have liked, through editing the

image I was able to create a focus on her. I

would have also of liked the flags at the top

right of the photo to be more defined, so I

eventually decided to crop them out of the

image in order to keep the attention on our

main actor.

This was my first practise at using this app. I

used our chosen image and added a subtle

effect that made the picture brighter. I liked

the rainbow effect at the bottom of the

image also because it gave the photo a

distinctive edge. By adding colour effects, we

are able to respond to the fun feeling of

the song and physically represent it on ourfinal Digipak cover. Although this image was

effective to our audience, we felt that it was

a little too subtle for a front cover effect, as

we want the cover to be memorable and

exciting.

When I added this effect to the image I thought it

was the least effective out of the four. It did not

change the original image by making it brighter

and instead detracted the attention from our

main actor as supposed to highlighting her. The

bright lights are also quite distracting and, as a

result, it is obvious that the image has been

edited. Whereas, I want the edit to blend into the

image, so it looks like a still photo.


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Third Edit -

Fourth Edit -

We decided to choose the Third Edit image for our cover photo because it rated the best

amongst the people that we received feedback from. Although we liked the fourth edit, we

decided that we wanted a more subtle image for the front cover. However, as we have to make six

images in total, we will be able to experiment with this effect in more detail for another panel.

This edit enabled me to swap the colours between

the noticeable images. I decided that the darker

colours, blue and pink, should be on either side of

Amber and that the yellow, which almost created

a spot light, should be the middle colour as it

highlighted and brightened her face. This made it

easier for the audience to read her facial

expression, which is crucial because they are able

to see that she is having fun. It is also effective in

helping Ambers costume become more defined,

which is the case because the background is

slightly burred, yet the landmark is still noticeable.

The final edit was the most striking of the choice. Itincludes bold colours such as bright pinks and

yellows, with green and blue tints. This undoubtedly

made the image stand out with a unique

background colour edit that looks like Amber has

created with her pose. However, I would have

preferred that the centre of the colour mix have our

main actor in the centre, as supposed to the

landmark. Although this image was our second

choice, we decided that it was too bold and, as a

result, it detracted the attention away from Amber.


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Finally, the third app, Insta Text,enabled me to apply text over my chosen image. I found this

especially useful when it came to creating the cover image for our Digipak. I had already decided

that I wanted the colour of the font to be a deep red, similar to the original Lauper image. This

colour will not detract attention from the main image and red is predominantly known as a female

colour, reflecting love and romance. I experimented with different fonts before adding the text to

the image:

Font 1

Font 2

Font 3

This font appealed to me because of the italic look to

it. It seems feminine at first glance, which reflects the

song and its content. However, the main flaw with

this font is that it is hard to read due to the

connection between letters being constant.

This font seemed the most modern out of the choice,

and its design made it eye-catching. It is also very

clear, as supposed to the first font which, if used,

people may not be able to see the title from afar. We

also liked the fact that the font is automatically

presented in capital letters. This makes the design bold

and distinctive.

I thought that this font seemed the most childlike of

the choice; it also looks personal, as if someone has

actually hand written it. Although this font may be

used in another Digipak photo, I believed that it wastoo informal for a front cover.


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I tested the three fonts on our chosen image:

I decided to add the font to the sides of the image, facing into each other. I did try to add the text to the

image itself, but it was hard to decide where to place the text that didnt detract attention from the main

photo. It was also hard to read the title and artists name if I placed the text over the image, because it has

numerous different colours included in it. I therefore made the sides of the image white, which enabled me

to be a lot more creative in choosing the font. We decided that we would have Font 3as the chosen font

for our front cover. I thought that this image was the most bold of the choices and it was unique, as no

Microsoft word font was similar to it. Whereas, the others are easier to find and copy. The dark red colour of

the texts was chosen to match Ambers costume, as well as being unique and striking to the viewer.


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Creating the Back Cover

I wanted the back cover to be relatively simple, because I needed to add the correct information

for the product. I wanted an image that reflected the ending of the video. Therefore, I decided to

take a lone photo of a train leaving an underground station when the station was empty. This is to

reinforce the idea that Amber and her friends have had a good day out, yet the day has ended as

they are returning home.

Possible Image 1

Possible Image 2

Final Edited Image

This image was actually taken on our return

home from London. A train had just left the

station so the platform was clear of crowds. I

tried to represent the perspective feeling to

the image by taking a low angle shot thatshowed the dark tunnel. Although we liked

this shot, we didnt think it was as effective as

the first at showing the audience that our

actors have gone home after their day,

because there isnt a train in the shot.

This image was taken at Bank station. I

took it whilst the train stopped, so all the

commuters had already entered the train.

The bright colours presented in this photoreflect the bold atmosphere of the song and

its content. Furthermore, I thought that the

train itself is effective as it is a famous image

represented with the idea of a British

theme, along with the blue, red and white

colours, which reflects the British flag. This

enables us to portray our own British

interpretation of the song, as supposed to

the original.


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Creating the Inside Left Panel

We eventually decided to use Image 1 as the

final photo for our back cover. I thought it was

more interesting if an actual undergroundtrain was in the shot as supposed to just a

dark, empty platform. I added a barcode to

the lower left side of the image to create a

more realistic effect. This makes the back cover

look more professional as we can imagine how

a real product is made. Furthermore, I added

the title of the song and artist yet again to put

emphasis on the product we are advertising. I

used the same font as the front cover for the

name of the song because I wanted it to be a

running theme throughout the Digipak. I also

used an italic, dark red font for Laupers name

as I believed it assisted in helping the name

stand out.

For this image, I decided to create a collage of our days filming in

London, as it is our main location and a running theme throughout

the video and Digipak. I used a fourth app to make this image,Frame Your Life. It enabled me to choose a layout for the collage

and then add a selection of images in each space.

Final Edited Image -

This is the final edited image for this panel.

Firstly, I edited each image individually before

combining them. This enabled me to go into

greater detail with each photo. For example,

the centre left image seemed more effective in

black and white, because you are able to see

Stephs and Ambers facial expressions more

clearly. Finally, I created a shadow between

each picture to let them flow into one another,

which creates a smoother effect.


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Original Image-

Final Edited Image -

Creating the Inside Centre Panel

For this image, I decided to have an extreme close up of Ambers mouth. I

initially wanted to have a bold lipstick design such as the one below-

Although we liked this image, we felt that it was too

overused in professional Digipaks so; instead, we

decided to do something different. When we visitedM&M world in Leicester Square, we thought that it

would look effective if we bought a variety of

coloured M&Ms, and take photos of the chocolates in

our actors mouths.

We decided to take this image as it is

unique and creative, which complieswith the idea of fun that we are

constantly trying to create.

Furthermore, the bright yellow

chocolate contrasts with the bright red

of Ambers lipstick, which makes the

entire image eye catching to the

viewer. This original image was taken

with our main camera, as supposed to

the other Digipak photos, this made

the picture be of better quality from

the outset, and I as able to be evenmore creative with the editing of the

final image.

For the final image I decided to use the

first app, InstaEffect, to add an

overlapping colourful image to the

original. I used the effect that I

practised with the front cover, which

was our second favourite of the choices.

When I added this effect, it

automatically made the image more

vibrant and striking, which is what we

are trying to create. After this, I added

a focus to Ambers mouth, which

enabled the yellow to become the most

prominent image in the photo. By

adding this focus, the rest of our actorsface and clothing was blurred out,

which assists in drawing the attention to

her mouth.


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Creating the Inside Right Panel

Original Image

Left Edited Image Right Edited Image

Final Edited Image

By making the left image

brighter I was able to draw

all attention to the main

part of the image, which is

the red phone box. For the

right side, I used a black and

white effect to represent

that Amber is too concerned

about having fun, and the

rest of the world is too

traditional and dull.

We decided to use this image in our Digipakbecause it involves a lot of distinctive images.

For instance, a red telephone box. This reinforces

the British theme throughout our video and

Digipak and enables us to appeal to a wider

target audience, as audiences around the globe

are able to relate to the images presented.

For the final image I decided to

combine the first two images to

create one whole photo. By making

the right side of the image black

and white, I was able to further

brighten the red phone box, which is

essentially the main image.

Furthermore, the right side also

assists in bringing out Ambers

costume. This image can be used to

represent either the idea that

Amber is the only one having fun,

whilst others are content going

about their daily lives. Or it could

represent the idea of past and

present.

creating our digipak

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