FINAL MUSIC VIDEO

I decided to change my music video slightly by altering the brightness/contrast to make it look slightly more professional. I think this has improved my music video and it has even made the balloons slightly brighter which puts the focus on the key prop.

Evaluation Question 5

Evaluation Question 5 – Script

Project Overview

Overall, I have found this course to be challenging and interesting, and I have made three products I am proud of. However, if I could do the course again I would gain even more feedback and work on presenting the information on my blog in more exciting and unique ways.

This A2 course has been very interesting and has allowed me to be much more creative and develop my knowledge of media products in terms of music videos, digipaks and magazine adverts. I challenged many forms and conventions of music video theory, as well as conventions of the genre I chose, Indie/rock. I chose Indie/rock because I felt it would allow me to develop an engaging concept which would dominate the video, therefore I also chose to make it all narrative based. I had studied the Indie/rock genre before, but mainly in regard to music magazines, therefore the research I completed this year expanded my knowledge of the genre even more. I also decided to choose it because the Indie/rock genre has been increasingly popular within the music industry over the last five years. Furthermore, I researched many music videos from the same genre and found that it was quite uncommon for them to include special effects or a green screen, which I conformed to by filming entirely in the outdoor location of a park. I felt that this added to the tone of the concept and thus made the music video more appealing to my audience.

I had a key prop throughout the music video, and after extensive research into digipaks and magazine adverts of the same genre, I found that consistent use of key props and colour schemes across all three products was done considerably. Therefore I made sure I did this by using images taken from the location, as well as using the same costume and of course, including the key prop of the yellow balloon.

Throughout the whole project I enhanced my skills with media technology. For example, I had used Adobe Premiere occasionally during the AS course however I used it much more during the A2 course while editing my footage. I had basic skills for this software and then improved these skills and mastered others such as altering colour correction. This gave me a much greater chance of creating a successful music video because I had good knowledge of how to use the software effectively. I also used similar equipment I had used before in the AS course, such as the Canon 550D SLR camera. However during this course, I used it much more for filming instead of just taking images. This made me investigate different lenses and tripods or steady cams, and these made my music video look much more professional.

During the A2 course I also found that planning was essential in creating good products. I made sure I was planning throughout the year, and displaying all of it on my blog in order to keep it clear and concise. I completed several storyboards for each shoot, as well as making filming schedules in order to manage my time effectively. I also created mood boards containing images which inspired me for the music video, as well as a mood board for my target audience which helped me make sure I was appealing to them. All of these components made me extremely well prepared when it came to production shoots for my products, and thus showed I could manage my time effectively.

Furthermore, I found that audience feedback was a key component to help me improve and develop my products. I gained quite a lot of feedback from my target audience, as well as other audiences like media students. However, I felt that I could have kept a record of much more feedback that I gained.

In conclusion, I felt that my successful research and planning during the course were the key elements that allowed me to create successful products. Therefore overall I have thoroughly enjoyed this course because it allowed me to be independently creative and develop my skills with different types of media technology and I am very pleased with the outcome of my products. 

Music Video - Draft

This is one of the drafts for my music video. I will most likely be improving it in order to make it look more professional and I hope to do this by editing the lighting in Adobe Premiere.

Evaluation Question 4

Powered by Issuu

Publish for Free

Transcript:

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

Media technology has been a vital element in the completion of this course. From the research, planning, construction and evaluation, technology has been a key tool in completing these tasks to the best of my ability. The first thing I did at the beginning of this A2 course was create a blog on blogger.com, and I would use this throughout the year and keep the blog up to date about what I’ve been doing as well as using it to present completed tasks. Blogger allowed me to track my progress, and the use of labels such as ‘diary entries’ and ‘research’ kept the blog clear and accurate. I found using the blog to be extremely helpful and efficient, and it made me much more organized when it came to putting all my work in to one place.

On my blog, I had to present all the tasks I had completed in a variety of ways, and various computer websites allowed me to do this. For example, I used Prezi, PowerPoint and Slideshare to show all my documents in different ways, and this allowed me to have a much more interesting blog, and also exposed me to the many ways in which a document can be presented.

Furthermore, I used the equipment available to me to film myself several times for diary entries. I used a Canon 550 DSLR and tripod to film myself talking to camera about what I had been doing recently. I then used a SD card reader to transport this footage on to the computer and uploaded it straight on to my blog. This was efficient and quick, and could be easily accomplished in a matter or minutes; showing just how important new media technologies are.

In terms of research, media technology was an essential tool as it allowed me to explore the Internet to find out more information about the Indie/rock genre, as well as provide me with the history of music videos and various other tasks. Access to internet sites such as YouTube (through Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox) also gave me the opportunity to see what professional music videos looked like and what they included and thus gave me inspirations for my music video.  I also researched various locations for my music video through the use of Google.co.uk and then presented my findings on my blog. Also, when I was considering using t-shirts with lyrics printed on them I used Google.co.uk to research various shops I could purchase these t-shirts from, which was very useful because I could quickly discover which shop would be the cheapest and most useful. In addition, as part of the planning process I had to complete drafts for my magazine advert and digipak. In order to put these on my blog I used a Scanner which quickly uploaded the paper drafts as images on to the computer.

In terms of construction, there were various pieces of equipment and software available for me to use. At the beginning of the course I researched possible equipment I could use, which included a Canon 550 DSLR, tripod, steady cam, fisheye lens and jib. I went on to use the Canon and tripod multiple times for diary entries, and I used both pieces of equipment and the steady cam during production of my music video. I investigated using the fisheye lens also, however later decided it would not fit well with my narrative. Knowing these pieces of equipment were available to me at any time was very useful and encouraged me to learn more about the equipment, and I even completed a Prezi detailing the equipment and details about it.

When constructing my print tasks, the main software I used was Adobe Photoshop CS3. In my previous AS media course I used this software constantly to edit my magazine, therefore I was well experienced with it. This software allowed me to add filter effects to background images, which I took advantage of constantly. Specifically, I added the filter ‘Conte Crayon’ to the background image used throughout my print tasks, and this gave it a more unique and recognizable appearance. It also allowed me to cut out images and use drop shadows on fonts to make them stand out more. These elements enhanced the final product and made it much more appealing.

When editing my music video, I began using Adobe Premiere CS3, which I have much experience with. However, due to it unexpectedly crashing and not saving my files, I decided to switch to Adobe Premiere CS6 which proved to be much more reliable. Using this piece of software I input all my footage in to the document and added the mp3 of the song in to one file. I then proceeded to edit and cut my footage in order to make it cut in time to the music, as well as edit out pieces of the footage that were unusable. I also altered the speed/duration of various clips in instances where the length of the clip was not long enough. This software also allowed me to add a fade transition to the beginning of the video, which I found very helpful and useful.

I have also used media technologies in the process of the evaluation. For one of my evaluation questions I presented it in the format of  PowerPoint and uploaded it on slideshare, then putting the embed code on to a post on blogger. I also used Prezi for another question, which had a similar process; I created a Prezi file and copied the embed code on to a post on to my blog.

Evaluation Question 3

Transcript: 

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

The audience I decided to attract for my music video and print tasks is primarily males, but also females, between the ages of 16 and 24. A stereotypical audience profile would demonstrate them to be of working/middle class, most likely in education such as university. In order to attract this audience, I use a young main actor, and dressed them accordingly to what this audience would most likely wear and like. The narrative can be seen from a social class issue standpoint, as the ‘thug’ at the end of the video pops the innocent girl’s last balloon. This type of audience would be very interested in this issue being portrayed, as they themselves can be seen as hooligans or criminals from a societal view. The narrative is the main focus in my music video, which would appeal to them greatly as this audience would be likely to watch films and listen to music to escape from their daily lives. This audience listens to Indie/rock music, and therefore are less interested in ‘mainstream’ music and videos, and I have tried to keep this in mind when developing the concept and choosing a song, as I needed to pick something that would not be viewed as mainstream.

Throughout this project I felt it would be important to gain feedback from audiences, as being provided with another opinion would help develop and improve your work. I found that asking my target audience, as well as peers, gave me great insight to how a viewer would interpret the music video and the print tasks. It was incredibly helpful to gain feedback from anyone, as it allowed me to know if I was making the best product I could.

One example of helpful feedback I gained was during the process of editing my music video. I showed the video to various peers and a teacher and they gave me constructive criticism about the video and the shots. They gave me specific examples of new camera shots I could film, such as a close-up on the converse the actress was wearing, and this helped me decide that I had to do a second shoot for my music video. Without this important feedback I may not have filmed a second shoot, which would have left me with much less interesting camera shots. This therefore proves how essential audience feedback is, because little comments and opinions can influence major decisions about production and editing a product to make it its best.

Throughout the whole stage of the construction of the projects, I used feedback to ensure I was improving my work. Even if it was something small that seemed insignificant, like asking for a member of my audience to come over and evaluate something I had just completed, this still helped me make sure I was on the right path in attracting my audience. In many of my diary posts I mention instances where a member of my audience or a peer has commented on a piece of my work and suggested areas for improvement. For example, during the process of making my magazine advert I asked a 21 year old female, whom listens to my relevant genre, what she thought I could add to the magazine advert as I had a blank space which needed filling. She suggested adding a subtitle of “OUT NOW”, because she said she sees this a lot on magazine adverts she likes. This was a small but significant comment that added an extra element to my music video, and quickly led to me putting the finishing touches on the advert.

Overall I found that audience feedback was hugely helpful throughout the creation of my main product and ancillary tasks. However, I feel as though it would have been helpful for me to have held a focus group where my target audience would assess and review my work, as this is a frequently used by a variety of industries and could have been very useful. When looking at my final products I am pleased that I gained and used the improvements suggested by different audiences, as it allowed me to broaden my mind about what to include in my products. It also allowed me to stay focused about who I was targeting these products at, and the best ways I could do this.

Evaluation Question 2

Transcript: 
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

When acknowledging the roles and purposes of my music video, I decided that I wanted my video to tell a story, and for the combination of the lyrics and visual aspects to make this a success. I wanted my audience to feel as though they were watching a story unfold while listening to the music, and to make their own interpretations about what this story means. With the cohesion of the song lyrics and visual elements, I believe that it will be easier for the audience to gain something from this video, and explore the narrative in their own way. Another purpose of the music video is to provide a sense of escapism for the audience, and with the combination of these elements, I believe the audience can fully immerse themselves in this narrative and furthermore be entertained by it. There is also an apparent theme of innocence and positivity, which is portrayed mainly by the main actress, and I wanted this to be clear to the audience. To achieve this, I included several close-ups and extreme close-ups of the actress smiling, looking at the sky, fiddling with balloon string and wearing converse, which highlight her innocence, positivity and optimism. However later in the video I wanted her innocence and positive attitude to be taken away as a representation of a ‘harsh reality’. I did this by providing a long shot of a ‘thug’ in a hooded jumper running up to her and popping her last balloon. In turn, as her yellow balloons symbolized hope and happiness; this prop enhanced the theme of innocence to the audience. I chose the colour yellow for the balloons as the colour has well-known connotations of comfort and happiness.

In addition, I also wanted nature to be a key feature in the music video, as I felt it would highlight the ‘free’ and ‘open’ characteristics of the main character in the narrative. In order to illustrate this to the audience, I used several establishing shots of the trees, greenery and pond. Furthermore, I wanted to begin the music video with shots of the park before the main characters’ balloons would brighten it up. This decision also allowed the audience to further develop a sense of escapism, as they are being presented with a whole new location where they will follow a character on a journey. I wanted the audience to be entertained and intrigued by the location as well as the narrative, which I hope I have achieved through the use of panning and establishing shots of the park.

I knew that I needed a unifying theme for both my main product and ancillary tasks to fit with, and I think this would be the yellow balloons, which symbolize hope and happiness. The yellow balloons are present throughout all my products, with every image in the digipak and magazine advert incorporating a yellow balloon in some way. In most images including in my print work the balloon actually covers the model’s face, highlighting how she is a further representation of hope and positivity. This key prop therefore emphasizes the theme of innocence (as balloons are frequently given to children), as well as positivity due to the colour of yellow, representing hope and optimism. I believe that this consistent use of the balloon will make it easy for the audience to identify the key theme of the music video, as well as make it easier for them to recognize the band’s unique style.

The house style of my products also further reinforces the theme of innocence and positivity, as I chose to use specific colours and fonts that would achieve this. The colour scheme included the colour of yellow, which is clearly relevant to the video and its theme, and I also included the colour red, as the writing on the balloons was this colour. I chose fairly basic fonts as I wanted to focus to be on the colours and images, but I also used the font Bradeley ITC for the song title, as it gave it a slightly handwritten appearance, and I felt this enhanced the theme of innocence and childlikeness.

Overall, I feel that my main product and ancillary tasks work greatly together to fulfill their roles and purposes while highlighting my chosen themes to audiences.

Digipak

Front Cover

Inside Front Cover

Back Cover

Magazine Advert

Evaluation Question 1

Transcript:

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

There are several forms and conventions for music videos, digipaks and magazine adverts that I have researched in detail, even exploring relevant theorists such as Andrew Goodwin. During this project I have made various decisions to either conform or subvert these forms and conventions, and I have several reasons for these decisions.

In terms of music videos, initially, music videos were created to promote an artists’ song and to expose their music to their fans and broader audiences. This is still the case today, but music videos are now also made to provide audiences with a visual representation of the song. The main purpose of my music video was to enhance the song I chose by creating an interesting visual to accompany the music. Unlike some of my peers who chose their visual aspect before they chose their song, I found the song ‘Yellow Light’ by Of Monsters and Men and was inspired by the lyrics and this led to me developing my narrative.

I decided very early on in the process of planning my product that I would use a song from the genre of Indie/rock, as this genre has been becoming more popular in the music industry in the last five years. After researching the genre extensively I discovered various key conventions of the genre, such as the type of costume bands or artists of this genre tend to include in their music video. Actors featured in Indie/rock music videos have a very casual and laid-back style, many of them wearing skinny jeans, jackets and converse trainers. I decided to use this convention in my music video (my main actress is shown wearing converse trainers) and I found this helped audiences recognize which genre the music video was. Another convention in this genre I conformed to was the illustration of social issues in the music video. In relevance to my music video, the social issue of class and discrimination could be applied to the end of my music video, when a ‘thug’ in a hooded jumper runs up to the main actress and pops her last balloon. Audiences will be left wondering why this particular stereotype was used, and my reason for this was to subtly highlight the stereotypes constantly present in today’s society.

Also, while researching the Indie/rock genre I discovered that many of the music videos in this genre do not include the use of a green screen, or any special effects. Instead, they use real world settings and interesting locations for their music videos. Once again, I decided to follow this convention, and decided to shoot my music video entirely in a park, as I felt the use of nature would emphasize the delicate and positive mood the actress portrays in the narrative. I also felt that shooting entirely outside would increase the audiences’ level of entertainment, as they are following the actress in a mysterious location, and the narrative is quite ambiguous therefore the audience feel like they are being taken on a journey.

Furthermore, I discovered after much research into similar music videos from this genre that many Indie/rock bands do not even feature in their own music videos, and I followed to this convention. I focused primarily on the narrative, as Goodwin suggests that the audience make up their own idea of the message behind the song through the understanding of what happens in the music video and I wanted to highlight this by giving the audience a strong narrative. I chose to make the narrative stem from something metaphorical, as I felt that different interpretations of what the yellow balloons represented would allow my audience to develop their own understanding of the song.

Goodwin’s theory of visual relations can clearly be applied to my music video, as it highlights how the use of sound and editing is used to enhance a music video. Goodwin suggested that the cuts tend to coincide with a new beat in the song, or a change when a verse or chorus ends. He also suggests that visuals can be used to illustrate a key lyric, and I combined these two elements; I used cuts when the beat changed, and also cut to specific shots which would relate to the lyric being sung at that time. For example, when the male singer sings the lyric ‘close my eyes’, I cut to a shot of my actress closing her eyes. This was done to maximize the audiences’ entertainment, and interest, and then to maintain this attention for the whole video.

Differently, a convention from the Indie/rock genre that I challenged was the presence of a musical instrument. I decided against having my actress playing a guitar, as I felt that the use of a performance aspect would not work well with the narrative. The narrative is very focused on the characters, especially the main female character; therefore I felt a separate element with a musician playing an instrument would take away from the story being told.

Furthermore, in terms of camera angles and shots, I included several long shots, establishing shots and mid-shots in order to allow the audience to fully absorb the location and props and how they were being used. However, after gaining feedback and exploring Goodwin’s music video theory in even more depth, I decided that I needed more close-up shots, as these are a key aspect of a music video as they keep the viewer interested and engrossed throughout. Therefore, I completed a second shoot where I shot several close-ups, and this ultimately improved my music video, and gave the video more variety in terms of camera shots.

Similarly, when creating my magazine advert and digipak, I decided to look into conventions I have explored as a consumer. I also decided to include things specifically targeted at my audience, as these are the people who would be consuming the products. I included several social media links such as Twitter and Facebook pages of the band on the magazine advert in order to appeal to my target audience and consumers in general. Bands and artists use social media sites and new media technologies to gain success globally, therefore this it is key to incorporate this in my magazine advert and digipak. In addition, I have found that there is a high level of consistency between the digipak and magazine advert. This therefore influenced my decision to include a consistent colour and font scheme in both pieces of work, as well as very similar main images used for my magazine advert and digipak front cover. I also imitated this convention by using the key prop of the yellow balloons throughout both print works as it gives the audience consistency and also makes the band’s style recognizable, as well as it becoming a key piece of iconography. I really wanted audiences to associate this yellow balloon with the band and their song, as it is a symbol for hope and happiness, and I think I have achieved this by incorporating these balloons throughout the digipak and magazine advert.

Furthermore, I demonstrated consistency repeatedly by using images of the same actress, in the same costume that she wore for the video shoot. I chose to do this in order to make the audience instantly recognize the actress, and furthermore the song by the band.