Evaluations

Evaluation 4 Essay Form

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

At the start before any of my research and planning began, I created a blog on www.blogger.com, so that I could keep note of every element within the process of creating all three of my products. This was not very hard for me as I used a blog in year 12 and knew how to keep it all up to date and the importance of it.  Additionally, it has proved to be extremely great in displaying my multimedia skills and portraying my work in a visually interesting way. It was essential for me to find a variety of ways to showcase my media work, not just in essay format. I began to familiarise myself with Prezi, which is a web based presentation application, which helps to present work in abstract and entertaining ways. The embed tool on Prezi is what allowed me to put a copy of any presentations I created onto my blog – meaning a copy of my work was always accessible online.

 

When presenting videos and copies of my music video drafts, I found Vimeo was particularly good as it allows you to host videos in HD. Often after exporting my music video drafts, which were made using Premier Pro, I would discover that uploading them straight to Blogger was not possible. This is because the file size of my music video drafts were generally over 100MG as I would convert them in high quality, and files over this size would often be disallowed on Blogger. Therefore, finding alternative ways to showcase videos was something I taught myself to do. Other methods might include placing my video into Windows Live Movie Maker and converting it from that, as it would automatically reduce the file size, and also uploading it to Youtube and then embedding it on my blog however visually the video didn’t look bad.

Furthermore using Microsoft PowerPoint became a habit and it was one software which I used frequently, especially when analysing products such as my similar product research for music magazine adverts. This is because using the Text Box Tool and the Shape Tool (when drawing arrows to parts of the images), meant I could analyse products quickly and easily, as I am familiar with PowerPoint. However, adding a PowerPoint presentation to Blogger is not simple. There are two ways it can be done, you can either save the PowerPoint as individual pages and upload them as JPG files, so that they are viewable from blogger as images. Or, you can use Scribd – which is the method I used more often. This is a digital documents library that allows users to publish presentations and then access the embed code, enabling you to post it on blogger by pasting the embed code in the HTML section. SlideShare was also used, but as a provider of information when carrying out research on the soft Rock genre, this website displays presentations created by people around the world – meaning I could access different views and opinions of my research topics such as “What are the conventions for Rock music?”

When shooting photos for my ancillary tasks I used a Cannon 550D. This camera was equipped with a cinematic shutter speed with a 1.8 aperture lens. This meant I could take photographs in shallow focus for a more creative and artistic look and change setting to make it darker if I wanted to in order to suit the conventions of my rock genre. When editing these images I would place them into Adobe Photoshop, which allowed me to use the Crop Tool to make images the size I wanted for my digipak or magazine advert and the Magic Wand Tool is what assisted me in cutting out particular parts of an image in a professional manner. The Brush Tool also came in handy when making my magazine advert look more interesting, as it meant I could scroll through a selection of shapes and images and print them onto the background of my advert. In order to change some contrasts in the picture and make it look either very dark or suit the Rock genre with different colours I would create an Adjustment Layer and edit the Brightening or Contrast of the photo – choosing a more dark tone.

 

In production, I shot my music video using a Canon550D; this is because I wanted to ensure my footage was of the highest possible quality. Using this camera provided a cinema-look to my production piece as it uses different modes which creates a progressive-look effect. After filming I made some parts of my video slow motion to add an effective look. To light the shots of girl  as she was indoors I used 2 Arri 650 watt lights that come equipped with barn doors, meaning you can control and create the shape of the light you want. I chose to make a straight slash of light across the wall and window inside, creating a tense and negative atmosphere in order to again suit my Rock conventions.

I used Adobe Premier Pro CS5 when editing my music video, as it allowed to me to cut shots using the Razor Tool and rearrange them into the order I wanted and then add the song and any other audio I desired to have within my music video – for example the ringing of the bell on the window at the beginning of my video. The option to add titles came into use at the beginning of my music video, when the artists name and song shows on screen, as well as my own. To create this, I placed this title on top of the first shot in my video and used the Dissolve transition to make the writing fade on and off screen as it would on professional music videos shown on music channels such as MTV or VIVA.

 

After Effects was used when adding a filter light to my music video – although I did not use this in my final product, it was experimented with in my second draft. To do so, I first chose the filter I wanted to use which was called Cinematic2. I would then add an adjustment layer over all of my footage and drag this particular lighting onto the layer. It gave my whole video a dark tone, with extra defined shadowing. However, after converting it and watching it, I decided it decreased the quality of my footage, resulting in me deleting this layer and going with the lighting from my original film shoot.

Evaluation 3 - Essay Form

     What have you learned from your audience feedback?

       Having to gather feedback was a very important part of my production process, as it gave me a very good idea on what I was doing right and what I needed to improve in order to reach the best product I could.

It ensured that I was creating products that would successfully appeal to my target audience and be of a high professional quality.

I received quantitative and qualitative data and this was by encouraging other people who saw my video and my other products to take a survey on ‘Survey monkey’. The question types involved “Rate my magazine out of 10, 10 being very good and 1 being very bad”. I believe this has massively supported me in order to make creative and technical decisions.

The primary target audiences for my products are females and males aged 13-25. Due to my chosen music artist 'Kodaline' being of a rock type band it is therefore being aimed at people who are more into the soft rock music genre. This was presented in the way I created my products in a delicate and rock like manner. Examples of this could be the black colour clothes my artist wore throughout the music video, or the narrative in my music video following a female on her journey where she is seeing lyrics but they have no effect on her emotionally– allowing audiences to personally identify with the female character having a strong personality.

I made sure to gather audience feedback for all products I was making, all the way through the process. I generated this feedback through social networking websites such as Twitter and Facebook, asking people to message me with their likes and dislikes. I also created a questionnaire, that was handed out to 30 members of my target audience, asking them questions such as “what does an interesting music video involve?” This guaranteed that I was going to create a music video that suited their interests, ensuring it would be popular amongst my desired audience. Other ways included, asking audience members directly and organizing screenings, in focus groups, of my drafts so audience members could watch my video and I could note responses

Additionally, I found that some feedback was more effective than others, for example asking audience members directly was very helpful as I could indulge in greater depth of conversation about their views, allowing me to ask them leading questions such as “If you didn’t like that, what would you prefer to see instead?” I took the feedback very seriously and took note of it all the time in order to use it in my advantage. This meant I could refer back to the feedback later on in the process of creation, reminding me what to include and what to dismiss. Having said that, the questionnaires were extremely helpful, as they allowed me to compare particular answers and using these statistics to come up with the best decision. For example, when deciding what my narrative should include, the feedback I gathered was hugely relevant, as the question “What do narratives in Rock music videos usually involve?”  I gathered answers that could ensure my music video was conveying my chosen genre in the right light. My concept of the female being strong emotionally and representing women to be generally strong was conducted through the responses I received – highlighting just how essential audience feedback really is.

Furthermore, once I had done my first drafts for all three products (music video, magazine advert and digipak) I asked people on Facebook to message me their views. This is where I gathered very important information about my house style, as many people asked to see more of a nature effect on my digipak photographs as essentially this is what Kodaline usually tend to go for. Taking this into account, I interpreted that the rock  genre look was obviously popular amongst Rock fans, however even though rock fans are known to be ‘stronger’ the nature look to my Digipak contradicts it completely which encouraged me to use the photograph of the rain drops on the window in my magazine advert.

Moreover, my determination to gain criticism and advice was displayed in the way I sent copies of my music video and printed pictures of my magazine advert and digipak to family and friends. I found that the most positive feedback I received was surrounding the way I edited my shots to be in time with the pace of the music, in result depicting the sad and foreboding tone of the narrative. The mise en scene and lighting was also commented on as a success, as audience members were able to instantly recognise the theme of rock and nature and freedom due to the large open locations I used to film in and my focus on sunlight and nature.

Lastly, I believe I have been very dependent of feedback as it has encouraged me to improve my music video massively.

Evaluation 2 - Essay Form

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

While creating my music video, magazine advert and Digipak I ensured to make a recognisable ‘rock style’ so that the theme of the album will be easily identified by its target audience, in result; working together to promote the album. The extended metaphor that runs through all my three products is the feeling of nostalgia. However, also how carefree actions reflect on other people’s lives – which is reinforced within the lyrics of my song choice.

My music video has the purpose to entertain its audience and also, to create a character that fans of  Kodaline can personally identify with, therefore feel sympathy for when observing the ending of my music video. As well as this, it was also used to amplify the lyrics and message behind the song “All I Want” by using a modern and interesting narrative to reflect how losing someone can be very difficult. The way the video is filmed; using slow motion and gentle slow cuts at the start helps to represent my theme of innocence for the female, creating a feeling of nostalgia amongst older viewers – encouraging them to remember a more carefree time. The artist I chose will naturally help sales and stimulate word-of-mouth, as she is of a very young age with such great talent.

 The purpose of the magazine advert is literally to promote the album and contribute to the image and style of the artist I wish to create. I feel my magazine advert successfully represents this as I chose to design it in a very simple way and by just taking a picture of rain drops on the window– which will appeal to the target audience of my artist as they will appreciate products representing pathatic fallacy that reflects nature. In terms of the image of the raindrops; it signifies the emotion in which my music video is set in, which is reiterated within the mise en scene of the window raindrops. It’s also a visual representation of everything my artist stands for – music. This will instantly assist sales of the album, as my target audience will appreciate artists with a passion and consideration for music. The mention of it being sold on Digipak will appeal to more enthusiastic fans of Kodaline, as they will be able to buy a high quality product; which might be used and kept as a collector’s item – making them feel as though they are getting something special and worthy of their money.

The digipak I created also maintains to portray the rock style with the same photograph being used. The darkened edges around the  picture make the customer feel as though they are peaking through something, generating the feeling of exclusiveness; as if they are seeing something not many people are privileged to see. The title of my digipak “In a perfect world” reinforces my theme of trying to be in a perfect world again after losing their lover. I downloaded a font called Subsumed, as I felt it was bold enough to grab a customer’s attention, without ruining the elegance and pictures unique manner of the product. I tried to create an air of mystery about the band, by taking a picture of the raindrops as I felt this would make the audience feel more empathy and engage more with their feelings towards the band. This will attract the younger target audience I am aiming for, as well as reflecting on the older generation.

Evaluation 1 - Essay Form

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

 The music video I created conforms to some of Andrew Goodwin's ideas on music videos, such as the fact that there is a link between the visuals and the lyrics. This is relevant to my product as I have created literal visual representations of the words in the song. For example, a close up of lyrics on a tree , which could be linked to the lyrics: “you took my soul”. The pace of my music video might also link to Goodwin’s theory that music and visuals also intertwine at times. The song I chose “All I Want” by Kodaline is of slow tempo which then gets much faster in the middle, therefore when editing my music video, I ensured to keep a slow pace, making sure the cuts of shots were on the beat, and didn’t contradict the melody of the song. The fact I edited my music video at times with a slow motion effect might also be what made the pace so well fitted with the song.

Additionally, Goodwin states that music videos might also be used to amplify emotions and moods, without completely illustrating the song. In terms of this suggestion, my music video conforms perfectly, due to how the sad mood and sense of loneliness is displayed by the character in my narrative, capturing the essence of the song, whilst creating a completely new storyline. This grasps the audience’s attention, keeping their interest the whole way through, until the part where the character steps on stage and starts doing a live performance at the end of the video; where it is revealed that the male has died as she is doing a tribute about him.

Moreover, in terms of the representation, I attempted to create a sense of innocence and freedom within my music video. I did this essentially using mise-en-scene. For instance, by filming the majority of the video in the woods, this created a feeling of carelessness, which was essential to be portrayed as it fit into the storyline which hints that the young girl has been very sad about her lover's death and she is not able to see him ever again. Another way this was portrayed would be in the costume and make up of my model. Dressing her in a black dress, with black boots, clear complexion gives an essence of the past, reinforcing the idea of the character cannot do anything about the past and may as well stop caring. This idea complements my song choice as within it are references to childhood memories that could make audiences feel nostalgic: “you took my soul and wiped it clean”.

My music video fits into the alternative rock music genre, due to the footage within my product echoing many shots used in music videos for artists such as Kodaline, Muse, and Example. An example of this is my focus on nature and the colour black. Wide angle long shots of the sun peering through the trees and bushes towards the camera are typical shots that are used in order to create a calm feel to the video which some may say may not be a convention of rock music, as the songs usually aim to make the listener feel excited, aggressive, and tense – in contrast to perhaps indie/folk music that aims to make the listener feel calm and peaceful.

My focus on locations is what makes my music video so visually pleasing. Finding a lot of trees and different logs in order to place lyrics to film my last scenes in helps to target my video at the right audience. Those who listen to Alternative Rock music will enjoy the outdoors and will also have an interest in soft rock music. Therefore, the locations within my video are easier for my audience to identify with. On the other hand, those who listen to alternative rock music who live in city areas might find great joy in enduring within footage outside of their normal environment, creating a sense of escapism. My video would essentially appeal to young girls and boys, those from 12-24. This is because the band 'Kodaline' is in fact aimed at that age group. Their lyrics clearly portray this – therefore largely appealing to those of a similar generation. In result, I carefully picked my main actress to appear as a young girl, small in size and petite. This is so I could ensure that my audience would feel a personal identification with my actress, helping them to feel more engaged with the narrative – which also means my video applies to Bulmer and Katz' Uses and Gratifications theory.

My video reinforces the concept of how the actions you make have an impact on other people’s lives as well as your own, in the form of a linear narrative. The story begins at the start of the young girl getting ready, in which we see her brushing her teeth, putting her clothes on, and putting some make up on– reinforcing the audience's concept of rock artists. However, the restrictive narrative ensure that occasional shots to a different location which in this case is at the woods; accompanied by shots of the main character walking through the trees with the sunlight directly on the cameras highlight some negative aspects of rock conventions.  This could make my story slightly abstract, as it is not until the end that it’s revealed that the man who is 'figuratively' singing those lyrics to her is actually dead.  The use of the sun reflecting through the trees and grass and onto her face gives the character a positive aura, making audiences feel sympathetic for her as she is facing relationship problems.

Magazine Advert

My magazine advert conforms to the conventions of real-media products in relation to the Alternative Rock genre. The artists name is written clearly at top, ensuring to grasp the attention of Kodaline fans. their name is written in the same way it is on the Digipak – this creates a Rock Style and a common theme – so the artists products are easily identified each time. The title of the album is simply placed on the page, so that it sticks in the readers memory. I featured five-star ratings and quote such as: “Our of the world” and “Their best album ever” by popular magazines and newspapers such as NME  and The Times, in order to give the album a feeling of success, which audience members will appreciate as they will know spending their money on this album will not be of waste. The language I used to describe the album fit into the genre, as Kodaline's target audience will enjoy soft  music, which I feel the words I have used represent. The image of the rain which is a part of pathatic fallacy also fit into the theme of my music video, as it is set in that type of emotion and also conforms to the ‘rocky -aggressive’  convention that my target audience will probably be used to. I created one in portrait and one in landscape; this is because I wanted to ensure the album could be advertised in various places, for example, a bus stop advert in portrait and also perhaps a billboard in landscape.

Digipack Cover

 My Digipak maintains this rock style with part of a pathatic fallacy demonstrated with the raindrops on the window which highlight an emotional, touching album.  The concept of identity and reflection is something I have used throughout my project, as in my music video my artist looks at her reflection on the mirror while brushing her teeth. This is because alternative rock music is often about identity and makes the audience feel self reflective and evaluative of their own impact on society; hence my continuation of this theme throughout.
 The CD holders and back page are all photos of trees/nature. This is because I am trying to convey the tone of the album, highlighting the soft type of music Kodaline sings. Target audience members of  rock music will instantly associate themselves with albums of this look. The filters on these photos make the leaves and scenery appear sunlit and warm, making the album more appealing and eye catching. I also included a record label logo of ‘Fame records’ so that industrially audience members will begin to recognise the record label and associate it with this genre, helping to advertise the artist and the company at once. The copyright details are also included as well as typical generic conventions such as a track list and a barcode. These all contribute to making my product look as professional and as close to real-life media texts as possible.

FINAL VIDEO from Lorida on Vimeo.

Print work

This is some print work I did in order to make my overall product look professional and see how realistic it would actually look if it was to be on a real billboard or underground train stations. I think this helped me use and show my Photoshop skills by using the Vanishing tool. Overall I believe I made a good effort in order to complete this successfully.