Media Evaluation Question 4

                                                       

      Question 4 Transcript

4.)     How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

When planning and researching, I was able to make full use of the equipment and programmes I had access to. I was able to watch music videos on YouTube and TV to find inspiration and the programmes I used varied from the internet to professional software such as Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects.

    When creating my music video, I used a high-quality camera which was the ‘Cannon  550D’ this was a great camera to use as it had the deep focus where I could capture my performer clear whilst the background was blurred, this was also really useful when taking pictures, It enabled the lights in the background to be blurry whilst my model was clear. I also used the Sony HD camcorder to shoot my green screen.

     As well as using a high quality camera I also had the lighting equipment I used for my shootings, where two spotlights which were very useful when shooting at night-time, they gave a huge source of light and also made the shots look more professional.  I also used fairy lights to hang up across the black backdrop in one of my green screen shootings to make it more interesting.

    I also used a 50 lense on the camera and a 1.8 aperture which enables it to shoot in the dark and still have great quality, with the in-depth focus. It also gives a cinematic quality to the clips, using these shutter speeds and lenses enabled me to create a more professional-looking music video.

    The software I used to edit my clips together was Adobe Premiere Pro and I had already  used this in my AS work, although I had to gain new skills in order to create a high quality standard production for my A2 work, I used tutorials to gain as much as I could and  this was really useful . Adobe Premiere enabled me to place and cute different clips together until I was happy with the sequence. I then had to lip synch the clips with the music which took a lot more time than I expected.  There were tools such as different layers, where I could place together and cut where I wanted, this took me quite long to figure out which clips to use then edit at the right time.

     I also used Adobe Premiere Pro in the planning of my A2 coursework; I used it to create my animatic which showed my initial drawings being played along with the song, used for my draftings.

     I then moved onto Adobe After Effects where I removed the green screen and replaced it with colour solids, with moving swirls and lines behind, I also used multicam on After Effects, and put a filter onto the footage to create a more realistic/edgy tone. The use of After Effects also enabled me to play back my edited footage and see if there were any mistakes or errors I needed to fix.

     I also used Adobe Photoshop to create my print work, I had used this programme during AS so was quite familiar with it, this enabled be to use it more easily to create my digipack designs and magazine advert.

    The fact I had use to these programmes enabled me to gain new skills and act on my feedback making the best possible productions I could.

Media Evaluation Question 3

                                                 Question 3 Transcript

3.)    What have you learned from your audience feedback?

My music video is aimed at young people, within the age group of 15-25, this is because the artist is a young girl and my performer is also young, so the audiences can relate to both the song and performer. It is mainly aimed at girls, but boys may also watch it due to 'voyeurism', where boys will watch the video due to scenes of my performer in certain clothes and shots.

   I believe that feedback is a critical/important stage in the process of making my music video and print work. It enables me to improvement my work and make the best out of the critiscm I get.  The opinion of others is extremely important, especially when it comes to my print work, as this is advertising the artist and if the audience aren’t willing to pay money and isn’t convinced then the CD won’t sell. Feedback would also be important in the real world music industry- the audience’s opinion is one of the most important factors in keeping the industry going.

                When planning my music video, I made sure I carried out primary research to see what my target audience expected and wanted from a music video, I created a polling system on my blog where I got people from the age group to vote what they most agreed with, questions like "Do you expect to see a narrative music video?" and I also asked questions about my print work asking "Do you expect to see the artist's face on the front of the CD?" which helped me a lot. I also found that most of my target audience would watch music videos on either YouTube or channels like MTV, so this is where I'd plan to show it.

     I gained my audience feedback in many ways, I used a polling vote to gain feedback for my music video and print work. I also got people in my class to record their feedback after watching my music video.  I also created a face book page for my music video, where friends could give their opinions and feedback, which was really helpful when improving my work.  I also got my target audience to comment on my print work, this was helpful as I could see it next to my work and make significant improvements.

The feedback I got was from people who were aged my at my target audience. It was quite useful that my friends fit into this age group, as I could ask them to review my work, and I also got feedback from younger students as I wanted to get a variety from people I knew and didn’t know. I also got really good feedback from my teachers which helped me to improve my work.

I also held a test screening of my music video at a certain stage. This was really useful as I got the people watching to give me feedback and then record it to camera.

   
I was then able to make changes to my video, like making sure the lip synching was in time with the song and some people said the editing went too fast, so I slowed some shots down on After Effects.

I started to improve my work after getting feedback, I went back onto Adobe Premiere and added in more video transitions as people had said the cuts in my video were too sharp and fast, I added a dissolving fade in which I think made my video look really effective.

   I also added more effects in After Effects, the feedback I received said the backgrounds were a little dull, so by adding a few transitions in the backgrounds like flourishes and extensions, it would make each clip a little different and more enjoyable to watch.

    I think I targeted my audience successfully, my target audience would be grabbed in by the different locations, my shots are constantly changing so it doesn’t appear dull, the lighting which is at night- spotlights and fairy lights give a certain theme, I also believe the performers make-up and costumes would appeal to the audience, some shots focus on the shoes she wears which would interest the audience.



Media Evaluation Question 2

Question 2 Transcript

1.)    How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

For my A2 coursework I created a print package of a music video, CD pack and a magazine advert. I think it’s important that each of these products have a consistent theme and home style, where they all look like they’ve come from the same package and audience can relate to them as a whole.

   The purpose of a music video is to represent the artist’s latest song, and target the audience keeping them interested by using a narrative and showing the artist performing the song. Music videos are produced to entertain the target audience/fans, and to represent the artist through the latest technology shown on music channels such as MTV and virally online like sites YouTube.

   The purpose of a magazine advertisement is to promote the CD/album that is due to be released. The magazine advert will usually show the artist on the front, and usually has a picture of the CD, my advert does this, with a small picture of the album at the side so audiences can see what it looks like and look out for it in shops, it also features the release date, special songs and ratings from popular magazines/industries, this is a way to promote the CD further and make it look as advertising as possible.

    The purpose of the CD cover is to represent the artist and appear attractive for the target audience to purchase, I have used a close up of the performers face, this will allow my target audience to identify with the cover as soon as they see it, I have kept the text simple, with the same font design as the magazine advert and back covers, a simple script font ‘Jordon’. I have also included a plug line at the side which will interest the audience more, and if it was to be sold in a shop, would catch their eye.

   The colours I have used throughout my productions have been dark, blacks, purples and reds. I think this is important to keep a consistent colour theme as otherwise it could look odd together and the audience may feel like they don’t fit. I’ve also made sure my print works were as similar to the colours I have used when shooting my music video. By ensuring this, I took photos from the first location shoot I did, so they fit together.

    I have also used the same fonts on each of my designs; I made sure ‘Jordon’ the artists name was in the same font type, as this needs to be consistent to look professional. I created this font on Photoshop, I made sure each production had the same background to it which was a picture of the fairy lights I had used when shooting my video, and I duplicated this image so it was the same background for each production, I changed the colour of it to either black&white or a more blue colour.

     I used the internet to find these fonts, like www.refont.com as I thought it would be more interesting than using a typical font.

   I believe I have created a brand identity because when placing my productions together on screen, they all look similar and have the same features from each other in some places.

Media Evaluation Question 1

Question 1 Transcript

1.)    In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

  Looking back at my A2 media coursework I believe I have successfully met the forms and conventions which are present with current music videos and digipack/magazine advert for the genre of pop music.

    My music video is the genre of pop, I chose this genre because I felt like I would be able to create a video which relates to the target audience, and by using my performer in situations/costumes and settings the audience are familiar with, I thought this would let them look up to the artist and she can be seen as a role model. I also chose the genre ‘pop’ because singers like Pixie Lott, Ellie Goulding and Jessie J inspired me to create a video like they have performed in the past.

   Throughout the planning and researching music videos I ensured I was aware of the forms and conventions of real media products, I researched into Andrew Goodwin’s theory and thought about ways in which I could incorporate this into my own music video. The theory states many factors that make up a music video, 3 of these which I felt related to my own work the most were:

-          A relationship between visuals either illustrating, amplifying or contradicting lyrics

-          Likeliness of Voyeurism

-          A demand of close up’s of main performer

These points can be shown through my music video as there is a relationship between the lyrics of the song and the visuals you see in the clips, the song tells a story and I think certain clips can be shown to illustrate this.

   Voyeurism is also typical in pop videos, my performer is dressed in clothes that are fashionable and could be seen to attract the opposite sex. The theory of the male gaze was by Laura Mulvey. Clips in my video often focus on the performers facial features like her mouth and her eyes; I think this is typical of the ‘male gaze’ theory as some shots could be seen as attractive to the opposite sex.

   I have used many close up shots of the performer to focus on her and grab the audience’s attention, I have also used mid shots to highlight her body movement and costume, and also used tracking to enable the audience watching to relate to the performer.  These shots can also be explained using Andrew Goodwin’s theory, as the close up’s show my performer is in focus and as she is the only person in the video, it’s obvious to the audience she is the most important figure.

   I also used a variety of different shots including long shots, mid shots which could show the performers body language, and extreme close ups.

   I chose my performer as I believe she fits into the ‘look’ of a pop artist and would represent this genre well; I did this by choosing clothing, makeup and styling which was stereotypical of the pop artist genre. She also performs the song well and I think the target audience would be able to identify with her.

  The mise-en-scene of music videos puts importance on the representation of something, every prop used in the video can be seen as symbolic, and it often creates a theme for the video, giving the song an extra meaning. My video consists of many different locations; all the shots are at night time, as the song is about a girl going out for one night and having fun without any stress, so the lights in the background create a relaxed and romantic feel. In the video, there is also a shot where the girl ignores her phone ringing whilst lying on her bed, this symbolises her moving on from the past, and it also enables the audience to watch her as a normal, teenage girl, many audiences can relate.

   I can also relate my music video to the theory by Levis Strauss, who came up with a ‘binary opposite’ theory and although we do not see the boyfriend in my music video, the audience can identify the performer as being the ‘hero’, and this is shown through her being the only one in the video, and he is associated as being the ‘villain’.

  Editing is also a typical convention when looking at music video. In my video, I have used many dissolving transitions from shot to shot, this created a flow and each clip fades into the next which makes it more interesting to watch. As the song tempo gets faster, I challenged my editing skills by speeding up the cuts of clips; this builds the tension in the song and video.  

    
When constructing my ancillary tasks, a digipack and magazine advert, I believe my digipack designs and magazine advert is typical of pop genre designs. I think that layout of my work is conventional of pop products; the colours are also quite feminine.

 I have used simple yet bold fonts on each design, which is typical of Pop genre to have pretty fonts like the one I chose. I have also used images of my performer as the main feature on both designs which I think is typical of pop style artwork; this can be related to Marjorie Ferguson theory, which has identified four main types of facial expressions for British women’s magazines. My pictures would fit into the ‘invitational’ type as I have created emphasis on the eyes, her mouth is shut yet slightly parted with a smile and her head is to one side. To create this I edited the images so that my performers facial features like her eyes and her mouth stood out, I think this makes the image look more invitational and this is important as it will encourage audiences to buy my products.

    On the magazine advert I feel I have used an effective amount of sell lines. I used real-life popular companies rating the CD 5 stars and with positive comments which can be seen as persuasive language to encourage my target audience to buy the CD. I also used a bold font to feature the CD ‘Out NOW’ and I also edited the image so the background was black whilst the artist stood out.        

Final Music Video

This is my final music video after I have made the final changes, by adding lens flares instead of flourishes and extensions and changing the colours of my greenscreen backgrounds.

Diary post 34

During this week, I recieved feedback from my teacher to improve my music video, as the backgrounds in some shots didn't really match with the rest of the sequence and by replacing the flourishes and colours with lens flares, this will enable it to look better, so I will be editing this on After Effects. I have also finished my evaluation, exporting them as a seperate question each time and these will be on my blog shortly. After this, I think I have finished everything! Will just be checking through my blog to ensure everything is detailed and up to date.

Diary Post 33

During this week I have been finishing and finalizing my coursework, I have been working on my evaluation, this took me quite long trying to think about how media-like I could make it, and thinking what was most suitable to put in places, but I have now finished it and waiting for it to export so I can upload it to my blog.
    I have also been recording more diary posts to put on my blog, and just making sure each post is as detailed as it can, for my media deadline tomorrow!