UNIT 9: CULTURE CHANNEL

I confirm that the attached assessment is all my own work and does not include any work completed by anyone other than myself and sources have been appropriately referenced.

PLANNING

For this project, we are collectively running a website. This website is inspired by online magazines like Vice and gal-dem. We will all have separate pages where we post our own content, but will work together and share resources to ensure the site is ran efficiently and the best it can be.

TIMETABLE

Deadline: 23rd October

W/C 14th September:

Plan what you will do for your METConnect page.

W/C 21st September:

Start the logo for the METConnect website

Plan the design of your personal METConnect page.

W/C 28th September:

Look at the website Daisie has made for METConnect and decide on any changes needed as a group

Present the METConnect logo to the class.

Research for METConnect articles.

W/C 5th October:

Make a presentation of what has already been done to show the class next week.

Carry on doing research for the articles.

Plan what the articles will be and when they will be posted.

W/C 14th October:

Present what work you have already done to the class.

Finish the METConnect website layout with the class, make sure everyone is happy with it.

Finish the pilot article for your section on the website.

Create the social media accounts for METConnect.

W/C 21st October - DEADLINE WEEK:

Upload the pilot article to the METConnect website.

Promote it on the social media accounts.

Make sure all your work is on your personal WIX website.

My section will be to-dos for the music industry. I am working with Ember Tree to help them grow and break into the industry. I will be documenting the work I do with them and how I did it - ie press release packs, BBC Introducing, running their social media, producing content, etc. I will also include the photography work I do and write to-do articles for how I do it.

I will also document the band’s growth over the year and make this a feature on the METConnect website. To do this, I will keep notes of everything they are doing, write down everything that is said about them in the press and by others in the music industry, and make sure to take lots of photos & videos of what they are doing.

I will also be collaborating with Grace Dickinson who is doing an interview series with artists from a studio. I will be attending some of the studio sessions to take behind the scenes photos and maybe film a promotional video for it.

RESOURCES NEEDED:

People in the music industry to interview
Sound recording equipment (maybe) - to record podcasts with.
WIX website - to create the METConnect website & publish the articles.
Editing software - Lightroom, Photoshop, Premiere - to edit the photos & videos with.
Photography equipment & software - for my photoshoots & to take photos of Grace's studio sessions, as well as behind the scenes photos of my classmates working on METConnect to use to promote the site.
Music (mp3 files) - to use for promotional videos for the website.

WHO WILL BE INVOLVED?

People in the music industry from all sectors - musicians, events, PR, management, etc.
Freelancers affected by Covid - to interview for an article to discuss the impact it's had on their work.
Grace Dickinson - as we are collaborating for part of the project.

CURRENT SKILLS

Photography
Journalism
Interviewing
Website design
Social media management
Networking
Planning

SKILLS NEEDED FOR THIS PROJECT

Photography - for my photoshoots & to take photos of Grace's studio sessions, as well as behind the scenes photos of my classmates working on METConnect to use to promote the site.

Journalism - to write the articles - it's important I have this skill so I know how to plan the articles, what content to include, how to write & structure them, and how to lay them out.

Interviewing - so I can conduct interviews with people in the music industry to ask for their opinions on things and any advice they have to include in the articles. This is a great skill to have for this project as it means I can set up interviews and know what sort of questions to ask and how to respond and keep the chat going.

Website design - this is crucial as METConnect is a website and I need to know how to format one and add/edit different elements such as uploading photos and creating a blog so it can run smoothly.

Social media management - important for promoting the articles as otherwise it will be hard to get the word out about METConnect as most promotion is done online now and especially with lockdown it's one of the only ways to currently promote things as many places are closed.

Networking - to promote the site to people I know and meet and to also find new people to interview for it.

Planning - to make sure there is an article every week for the website and that it is promoted so each one can reach a wide audience. Planning also ensures there is enough time to do an article weekly and regular content attracts more readers as they know they can come back on a certain day and find something new to read and learn from.

PLATFORMS NEEDED

WIX
Social Media platforms (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook)

The content will be visual imagery & words and there will be no sound (except for music in promotion videos for social media) unless I decide to do a podcast.

RELEASES

Releases will be weekly on the website. I am aiming for 1 article weekly, on a Tuesday. These articles will be promoted on social media on separate accounts I will create for METConnect. A hashtag template and template posts will be made by me to use each week and I will adjust them when needed to fit the article theme.

The Tuesday uploads will be part of a series - the articles will all focus on a specific theme. Each article will be a 'How to...' on different aspects of the industry, such as making PR packages, doing photoshoots with artists, running a music website, etc. I will be using my personal experience within the industry and what I am doing outside of college as content as I am working with a band and still doing photography work.

The articles shouldn't take too long to write - it'll be the practical work I am doing for them that will take more time. The practical work can take between 1-3 days to do, depending on what it is. For example, if I am just writing a press release, this can be done in a day usually. However, editing photos from a shoot can take 2/3 days to do, sometimes more, depending on the amount of photos & locations. Once all the practical work is done, it shouldn't take more than a day to write the actual article. I will be collecting screenshots & photos of what I am doing as I'm doing it so it won't take more time to gather it for these articles. Formatting the article with these pictures & documents may take a while though, especially when transferring it from Google Docs (where I'll be writing them) to Wix as you can't simply copy and paste them over - you have to add everything in individually and add in the links separately.

COLLABORATIONS

I will be collaborating with Grace Dickinson on this project as our ideas cross over. She is doing an interview series with artists recorded from a studio, so we have agreed for me to attend some of these studio sessions to take behind the scenes photos and maybe film a promotional video for her to use. I will be using this experience to write a 'How To...' article about studio photography sessions and how they are different from general music shoots.

PROMOTING THE CONTENT

We, as a group, have decided to set up social media accounts for METConnect which we will all have access to to promote the content. The platforms we will be using are Instagram, Twitter & Facebook. Templates for different types of posts will be created on Canva so we can keep a consistent style that is recognisable and becomes our brand. With a consistent style, it will grow our account and keep people engaged as they will know what they can expect from us.

Even though an account will be set up for the website, we will still be using our personal social media accounts to promote the content. We already have audiences built up on them and it will bring new visitors to the website who will hopefully decide to stay engaged with what we are doing, especially if they know who's involved. Using our personal accounts to promote content can also open up the website to people who otherwise may not have seen it, especially if they don't engage with hashtags and visiting new profiles.

SCHEDULE

I will do a pilot week before confirming this schedule to make sure it works and I am posting on time.

Monday - Doing research/drafting the articles

Tuesday - Upload & promote on social media

Wednesday - Get the article & social media content ready to post

Thursday - Upload & promote on social media

Friday - Plan the articles

Saturday - Doing research/drafting the articles

Sunday - Doing research/drafting the articles

ARTICLE PLANS

Target audience: Young people interested in music and/or working in the industry

When articles be posted: Once a week

What will be included in the articles: Word, pictures, videos (where relevant)

Prior to the second lockdown being announced, I already had planned the articles based on the covid restrictions at the time. However, with the new lockdown I have had to change things around as the new restrictions mean a lot of things now can't go ahead when planned. I was able to do 3 photoshoots before the lockdown started though so will use these photos and experiences for the photography articles instead of the ones I was going to do in November for them.

Week 1: How to do a photoshoot

The process of booking a shoot
Creating moodboards
Planning outfits/poses
The day of the shoot
The editing process
Sending over the photos
The uses for the photos

Week 2: How to edit photos on Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop

What Lightroom & Photoshop do and the differences between them
How to edit photos on them
Using & creating presets
Colour grading
Point curves

Week 3: How to make a promotional video

Using clips from the Flow Forever club night in February
Using iMovie & Adobe Premiere
Adapting the formats for use in for YouTube, Instagram, IGTV, etc

Week 4: How to make a press release

The process of making a press release for Ember Tree
Emailing it out to people
What to include

Week 5: How to set up a BBC Introducing profile

How to create a profile for a band - what you need
Updating the profile to keep it relevant
How to get noticed by BBC Introducing
Talking about other artists who have been noticed by it

Week 6: How to run an artist’s social media

Creating moodboards
Coming up with content ideas
Scheduling posts
Creating hashtag templates
Analysing analytics
How to grow your profile
What not to do

Week 7: How to organise an interview

How to book one when you’re starting out
How to come up with questions
The interview process
How to transcribe an interview
Where to publish it
How to promote it

MEETINGS

All the minutes for the meetings can be viewed below (click to view PDF versions).

RESEARCH FOR MY METCONNECT PAGE

The idea I have for my METConnect page is to do a series of 'How To...' articles for the music industry. I have experience with different aspects such as music photography, networking, management and writing, and will use this experience to help others who are interested in working in the industry and want to know how they can approach it. My articles will explain how to get started in a certain role, what you need to do, what you will need, and how to promote yourself. I will be using examples of my work within that role and giving templates for emails you can send to people.

As well as the 'How To...' series, I will be documenting the progress of the band I am working with - Ember Tree. They are a new band from Southampton who since their debut release in July have already been played by BBC Introducing, released a remix EP, and their 2nd single. Unfortunately they cannot gig at the moment because of the pandemic, but have done extremely well considering we were in lockdown when they launched. As they continue to release new music and grow their audience, I will be following their progress and writing about it on the METConnect website to help new bands starting out who need inspiration for promotion ideas, etc.

To write these articles, I needed to look at what you should include in a good 'How To' article to make sure I am including everything and not missing any key parts out.

These websites all have guides for different careers in the industry and so I had a look at their content to see what you need for these articles.

Music Industry How To - https://www.musicindustryhowto.com

- What is ....?

- History of ...

- Different approaches to ...

- Tips

- Conclusion

The Balance Careers - https://www.thebalancecareers.com

- Introduction

- Pros/Cons

- Steps to achieving your goal

- Notes about the subject

- Tips

CDbaby - https://cdbaby.com

- DIY musician resources

- Free guides to different things musicians can do

- Steps you need to take to achieve your goal

- Checklists

SmartistU - https://smartistu.com

- Things to do before proceeding with something

- Questions to ask yourself before & as you are doing something

- Steps you need to take to achieve your goal

- Different ways of doing something

From my research into these websites, I was able to come up with a list of what I need to include in each article. I am going to keep a consistent style of writing - professional but also with a personal element so readers can relate to what is being discussed and feel they can achieve it.

In my articles, I will need to include:

- An introduction

- How to get started

- Steps you need to take to achieve your goal,

- Templates for emails you can send

- Notes about the subject

- Pros & cons and alternative ways of doing something (where applicable)

- Conclusion

I already run a music blog outside of college so don't need to research about how to write these as I already have ideas I can. take from the content I produce on there - music reviews & interviews. For some of the articles, such as writing a press release, I will need to research how to do this as I haven't before, but I will include this research in the articles as it not only helps me but also the reader to get a clearer understanding of what they need to do.

DESIGNING MY LOGO

I designed the original logo for my music website About That Record back in 2018, but the current one was designed by a great graphic designer who I commissioned. To make the first logo, all I did was choose a font, type out ‘About That Record’ and replace the ‘o’s with a simple picture of a vinyl. For the logo for my METConnect page, I wasn’t too sure what to do and needed some inspiration.

I began by researching different music sites that talk about getting a career in music and have ‘to-do’ articles as that’s what my page for METConnect is about. I began looking at their logos and seeing if they had any similarities.

MusicWeek - https://www.musicweek.com

Music Careers - https://www.musiccareers.net

CareersinMusic - https://www.careersinmusic.com

The Balance Careers - https://www.thebalancecareers.com

Music Industry How To - https://www.musicindustryhowto.com

Ditto - https://www.dittomusic.com

CDbaby - https://cdbaby.com

UK Music - https://www.ukmusic.org

Music Jobs - https://www.music-jobs.com/uk

SmartistU - https://smartistu.com

As you can see, all of the logos are simple and don’t have a lot of detail. A few are just simply the name of the site, whereas others have symbols in them. The logos for ‘Ditto’ and ‘CDbaby’ stand out to me as they have symbols in them that are unique and make their brand easily recognisable. I wanted to do something similar for my logo so it’s memorable and can be referred back to my website when people see it somewhere online.

For my logo, I wanted to keep it simple but effective. I used Photoshop to create it.

I had an idea in mind of having curved text in a circle, so went about creating this. The first step was to use the Elliptical Marquee Tool to draw the circle and fill it. I chose yellow as my logo colour at first as it’s the colour of happiness & optimism.

As I was planning on keeping this logo simple, text was added next. I had a bold font in mind, so I looked through the ones already installed on Photoshop and Adobe Fonts (access is granted with a Creative Cloud subscription). A few fit my criteria, but the one I went with was ‘Arial Black’ in bold. Using the Warp Text tool and ‘Arc’, I created an arc with the ‘How To...’ to put at the top of the circle.

However, there was too much space between ‘How To…’ and ‘Music’ so changed the warp type to ‘Wave’ and adjusted the curves until the two text lines matched.

The logo seemed too plain with just one block of colour & text, so I changed the circle fill to white and created a yellow outline around it.

I felt there was too much of a contrast between the outline and text, so experimented with changing the text colour to match the outline. This worked a lot better and didn’t seem as harsh as the first option.

I decided the yellow I used wasn’t the best colour for a logo as it doesn’t stand out too much compared to the other logos on the website and tried a few other colours until I settled on pastel green. The ‘How To…’ needed to be a separate colour to ‘Music’ as all the article titles will contain ‘How To..’ at the beginning and so changed it to black.

I was really happy with how this looked but felt like something was missing so put a crowd picture in the background with the opacity turned down so you could still read the text.

The combination of colours - black, white, green & brown - did not work well and so I desaturated the picture. This looked much better and this colour palette worked, but I still felt like something was missing.

I came up with the idea to create a collage of live photos and use this as the background. To do this, I opened a new document and inserted lots of pictures I have taken at gigs. I then cropped around the people in them and cut the backgrounds out.

After all the pictures were cut, I arranged them in a collage. I copied the circle over so I could use it as a guide to make sure all the photos will fit.

There were still white gaps that I was unable to fill so used the picture I had originally for the background, put this at the bottom of the layers and turned down the opacity so it didn’t take away from the rest of the collage.

I then cut out the collage in a circle to make sure nothing went over the edges and neaten it up. I saved the colour version and then put it into black & white too as I feared the colour one may clash too much as a background but needed to try both to decide.

I replaced the photo background with the colour version of the collage. As you can see, it was difficult to see the text.

Turning down the opacity helped a lot with this, but it felt like there was too much going on with all the colours.

The black & white version worked much better however it was still difficult to see ‘Music’ as the green was too pale.

I doubled the ‘Music’ text and changed one to a darker shade and put it slightly to the left of the original one. This made it easy to see the text and also gave a 3D effect to the text which I much preferred.

I changed the colour of the border to match this new shade of green, but felt like the original shade still needed to be in it.

I doubled the border so both shades were present and it matched the text well. Although this design ended up being very different to how I originally planned it, I am extremely happy with how it turned out and feel like it worked a lot better. It also helped me learn different text techniques within Photoshop which I can use throughout the rest of the project for the articles and my own personal portfolio.

FINAL LOGO

DESIGNING MY METCONNECT PAGE

My METConnect idea is ‘How To…’ articles for different fields in the music industry, and so I needed my page to reflect this. I had a look at different music sites and made notes of what they all have.

NME - https://www.nme.com

So Young - https://soyoungmagazine.com

Dork - https://www.readdork.com

DIY - https://diymag.com

As you can see, all of these online music magazines are quite similar with their layout, in that they have ads at the top, social media links, their logo & menu, and then sections for each category on the homepage with their top article right at the top. Dork even has a music player at the top and a small section dedicated to their current favourite songs.

For my page, I will include a header, my logo, a summary about the page, my most recent articles at the top in a slider gallery, a section for older articles, a Spotify playlist, a gallery of my current favourite songs, and photos at the bottom. I can create the header on Photoshop, embed a playlist from Spotify that I will make especially for the site, and do the rest on Wix with their tools. I don't need to worry about the menu or social media links as that stays the same throughout the whole website.

It’s important to make the design great and eye-catching to keep people engaged as if you have a poor design, people won’t stay and look through the rest of the website.

EVALUATION OF MY PEERS' PROJECTS

A couple of weeks before the project deadline, we each had to present our work to the class to get feedback and see what we can improve on/add to our sections. This meant we were able to find out what was missing from our work and how we could solve it before the deadline so the METConnect website is the best it can possibly be.

All the reviews can be viewed below (click to view the PDF versions).