Evaluation: Media technologies in Construction and Research, Planning and Evaluation stages

The blog format that was used throughout this practical task helped me to extensively construct my ideas and keep my planning extremely organised through the constant updating and posting on the blog. I found the blog an extreme support when creating ideas as it was somewhere that was a permanent place to keep them. Also the fact that the blogs were online also really helped in the planning stages in research when using the internet. The internet played a massive part in my primary planning process as it helped me to start to build up ideas and themes for my music video and my ancillary texts.         

 I was mainly inspired my images, which by using Google I found various images which encouraged influential ideas which were expressed to my group when creating our music video and also when choosing locations for my digipak and advert photos. By using Google as my aid in research, it helped me to become more decisive and exact in my ideas and as a result I was able to make good decisions in the filming process of my group’s music video and again in my digipak and advert. The internet also became a huge researching success when finding out about other artist and their brand identities. I was able to find out about digipaks and examples of artists album covers and magazine adverts promoting their music. Conjoined with this research I also gained a lot of knowledge through analysis of these key features. Being able to analyse them on my blog helped my an extreme amount when creating my own brand identity for my digipak and advert as I knew what specific forms and conventions my ancillary texts had to have to be successful.

Another Internet based technology which became the exact reason why I and my group were actually able to create our music video was through Email. We had decided on using an artist we were friendly with and had easy contact with through phones but this artist ended up being extremely unreliable and not bothered so we went on a hunt for another artist, as a group we knew about an artist that hadn’t quite reached famous levels with her music but was well known through YouTube. We were able to get hold of her managers email and therefore I emailed him asking whether it was possible we were able to use on of the artist songs to base our Media music video around. He replied to us in a very reasonable amount of time saying it was absolutely fine. This was a great turning point in our planning process as we were then able to get on with creating ideas and themes. Another technology which I felt was also another huge aid in this project was YouTube. It gave me chance to research and look at all sorts of different music videos and how they had been put together. It was also useful when searching for specific artists of a specific genre.

Photoshop was also another media technology which was enormously significant in regards to my ancillary texts. Once again I was able to use the Internet to help me express specific details in my digipak and advert such as the record label of my artist and also specifically for the advertisement of my artists music on my advert the use of iTunes for audience buying credibility. Aside from the images used to help reinforce my ancillary texts, Photoshop gave me an opportunity to create interesting and eye catching products that would reflect my artist and her brand I identity. Although I had used Photoshop once before I still wasn’t familiarised with it so therefore being able to properly understand how to use it and learn about specific tools and effects I felt really boosted the outcome of my ancillary texts as I was able to understand what worked and what didn’t on Photoshoped products. I learnt a lot through photoshop from the different layers to the effects such as contrast, opacity and also bevel and embossing things. These were specific things I used to enhance my digipak and advert. I used the contrast, brightness and colour vibrancy to bring out the quirky blue’s and greens on the front and back cover of my digipak, which was also carried though onto my advert and these effects were also used on the inside of my digipak enhancing the yellow’s and orange’s creating an autumnal effect which is represented in our music video. The bevel and emboss effect was very significant as it was something I learned how to use to help make my text become more 3D looking and to stand out on the product.

And lastly the use of the media technology of Final Cut Express. I had already been extremely familiar with Final Cut Express from last year’s project. This year we learnt how to lip sync our videos with Final Cut Express. This specific task I firstly didn’t entirely get to grips with so therefore I felt I wasn’t able to complete editing of the lip syncing in massive parts. But speaking with my group we understood that one group member felt she was very comfortable with how to do this process and agreed with me and our other group member that she would do bigger parts and me and my other group member would watch over and complete smaller parts to this task. This was also slightly the same with the editing part, although I was able to remember a lot more from last years project using Final Cut Express and was able to complete some editing tasks when either one or both group members were not in to do so.  I was slightly more creative than last year using Final Cut Express and learnt how to put in different effects and fades and dissolves into our piece which really enhanced the shots. I and my group also had a huge amount of footage so being able to cut clips with just one button made the whole process much more efficient and speedy.

Evaluation: Audience Feedback

I decided to create a series of questionnaires and surveys for a focus group about my music video and my digipak and advert. Here are the results I gathered from this:

Firstly I asked my focus group what radio station they felt the song from our music video would be played on and why. I gave them a choice of 4 well known radio stations to choose from and this is what they chose:

A majority of my focus group chose Capital radio station that they thought the song from my music video would be played on. They said that Capital plays a variety of different songs and also different genres of songs and so therefore felt that this was the most appropriate and suitable station for the song. They explained to me that they felt the radio station Radio 1 took a more indie approach to the songs that they played and that Kiss 100 was more predominantly r&b and hip hop type of songs so they felt that my song wouldn’t fit into those genres very well. And lastly they told me that they felt heart expressed songs for people of an older age group and that the song reflects themes of young love and so it wouldn’t match with audiences listening to Heart radio station.

I then created another survey whereby I asked my focus group whether they gained the concept of the music video or whether it was not gained.

Mostly all of my focus group said that they immediately understood the concept of the music video and the couple relationship. They also realised the link between the artist and the couple explaining to me that it seemed as though the artist was reminiscing on her past relationships which was a comment I was extremely happy with is that is exactly what we were trying to accomplish. My focus group also told me that the genre of the song was linked and portrayed particularly well in the music video through the use of the slow paced editing with the fade’s and dissolves. They also mentioned that the location portrayed a very reflective theme and the nature and outdoors really complimented the artist actors and reinforced the genre of the music video. The people that did not gain the concept as well as the others said that they slightly confused by the narrative of the relationship of the couple and how it changed so fast from being negative to positive towards the end of the music video. But apart from that I felt positive about how many people gained the concept quickly and thoroughly.

Whilst doing other specific questionnaires and surveys for my audiences to feedback on, I also wanted to simply know what people thought was positive and negative about the music video. I asked them to watch it and write their comments down. Here is what some of them said:

Positive Comments:

Negative Comments: 

 It was obvious from the comments that i had more postive feedback than nagative which i was quite happy about as i felt i had succeeded in meeting audience expectations. Although i did get more postitve feedback it was extremely useful to recieve the negative feedback as i was able to understand what myself and my group may not have got completely right or made clear for the audience to understand.

Evaluation: Combination of main product and ancillary texts

Director's Commentary: 

Here i have created a director's commentary to explain to audiences the different idea portrayed through the music video. It establishes why i and my group made certain decisions and ideas during the music video and how we created and came upon our artists brand image and identity. 

And here i discuss how my ancillary texts are presented and linked with my music video:

My Ancillary texts linked with my music video-

In our music video we used the outdoors and the iconic images of nature and autumnal colours to portray the romance and also our artist being reminiscent of past relationships. I decided to use the colours of green and turquoise in my digipak and advert to portray the theme of the outdoors and nature that was iconicly reflected in our music video. I also wanted to bring in the warm autumnal colours into both my ancillary texts. I did so with the inside of my digipak using contrast and saturation effects to bring out these colours. These effects were also used on the photo used for my advert to enhance the theme of autumn.

 

The photos used in the digipak and advert reflect the artists reminiscent mood during the video. The images show her staring into the distance and out of a window which suggests she is thought provoking past relationships and situations. This is also reinforced through the inside covers of the digipak and the advert through the images of her playing the guitar and writing songs portraying her reflective attitude. 

Evaluation: Forms and Conventions

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

Forms and Conventions of a general Acoustic/Folk music video.

-Playing an instrument
-Simple- not too much make-up (subtle/natural)
-Subtle colours and pastoral settings
-Serious relationships- older actors
-Unique style of fashion/make-up
-Locations tend to be isolated places. Or a location that reminds the artist of who they're singing about.
-Slow paced camera movements/editing
-Naturalistic setting
-Close ups- establishes the artist and shows their importance in the video

Forms and Conventions used, challenged or developed in our music video.

Playing an instrument: This was a form and convention that myself and my group challenged during the music video. This is because throughout the music video the artist Jessica wasn't seen in the shots and locations with any instruments however we wanted to create a unique music video and not to portray the obvious. But we had trust in that the audience would understand through the music that an acoustic style instrument would have been used.

Simple- not too much make-up (subtle/natural): This is a convention we used in our music video. We wanted my artist Jessica to look very natural and not to have over the top,  extravagant make-up. I felt it was necessary that she had a natural look so that she could link in with the location of the music video which was heavily influenced by nature and natural settings.

Unique style of fashion/make-up: This was also a convention that we again used in my video. Although we decided that our artist would have very subtle make-up we  wanted her style in clothing to be unique and quite quirky although nothing too extreme something that portrayed her everyday comfortable style. Therefore in the video Jessica wore black velvet leggins with doc martins and a karky jacket. I felt this give a slightly indie look to her and complimented well with the subtle/natural make-up. 

Subtle colours and pastoral settings: This was a convention that was developed. There was a lot of autumn colours in my musicvideo due to the fact filming was done during that season but gave the video an extremely nice effect. The colours suggest a soft and subtle feel to the video. This matches with what was trying to be aimed in the artists image as we wanted her to have a link with the location.

Serious Relationships- older actors?: This was a convention that was used during the video. Although the actors weren't an older couple in terms of people the age of around 20, they were still old enough to portray this serious relationship in the video. When choosing the actors i knew that these people were very mature and that from their image they look slightly older than they actually are. I felt this slightly younger age of the couple worked well with the song as the suggestion of uncertainty in the relationship hints a slightly younger vibe.

Locations tend to be isolated places. Or a location that reminds the artist of who they're singing about: This was a convention which was used during my music video. The locations were extremely representative of the artist signing about a specific person or for example relationship. In the music video there was an obvious location which the artist sung in but also the details of the couple and there relationship was aslo in this location. Some of the shots show Jessica the artist singing in a certain part in the location and then there is another shot with the actors in the exact same part of the location. This is representative of a reminisant feeling in the shots which also links with the lyrics of the music.

Naturalistic setting: This is a convention that is used in our music video. The setting and location in our music video provides the audience with a naturalistic setting that they could relate to being in. This also applies to our couple being in this setting and therefore it shows the naturalistic way the couple get on in their relationship in the setting and that this idea is something that is relatable for the audience. We decided to use this setting so that our audience could feel comfortable watching the music video with the surroundings we incorporated into the music video.

Slow paced camera movements and editing: During the music video this was a convention that was used. Whilst filming, alot of slow panning shots were used to create a soft movement from one image to another. We also used a slow sweeping shot to match with the flow of the music and lyrics. In the editing side of the music video we used slow, dissolving transitions to move the sotry along nicely for the audience. This so that they could get to grip with the story with enough time and pace. It also reinforced the relationship of the couple for example one shot was put into slow motion of the couple having fun and spinning around hugging. This showed a fun, loving part of their relationship in the story.

Close ups- establishes the artist and shows their importance in the video: This was also a convention that was used in our music video. We had a number of shots of our artist singing but a lot of them were close-ups of her so that the audience could establish her as the artist in the video and to understand the lyrics of the music. It also allows the audience to see the artists emotions towards the song and story that is being told within.

Ancillary Texts: Forms and Conventions used in my digipak and advert-

- Forms and conventions that are used in a digipak/advert of an acoustic/folk singer/band  typically use a rural, rustic outdoor setting. This is a form and convention i have used in my digipak but not as clearly used in my advert. On the front cover of my digipak i have used pictures of an urbanized outdoor setting with suggestive colours and light of a rural rustic setting. And this applies to my advert also. The picture in my advert in located inside but suggests my artist is looking out of the window at the rural outdoor settings. The light from the window which was enhanced through brightening effects also suggests these settings. 

- Forms and conventions of a general digipak of any genre include barcodes so that they are suitable for retail and they also display record labels to promote these labels to the public. These are two conventions i have used in my digipak and also in my advert. The barcode on the back of my digipak shows the buyer that it is being retailed properly and the use of the record label used on my advert is a way of identification for my artist and her album and also relates the audience back to the digipak as the record label is also visible on there as well. 

-Forms and conventions that are used in a digipak/advert of an acoustic/folk singer can also typically involve the use of instruments. This is convention of a form i have used in both my digipak and advert. Although in our music video no instruments were used or seen, we felt that we were able to trust our audience to understand that there was acoustic instruments used in the music. But to emphasise the use of these instruments i decided to include them in my digipak and advert. On the lyric book of my digipak i used a picture of my artist playing an acoustic guitar and my second inside cover was of written lyrics. I felt this portrayed and emphasised the acoustic instrument sounds used in the music video. I also used this convention in my digipak by involving the guitar in the background of the advert so that people could understand when seeing this advert that my artist played this instrument and that her music may take the form of an acoustic genre.

   

Finished magazine advert

Here is my final, finished magazine advert: 

I decided that for my advert i would choose a different picture to portray my artist in. Although it is different i chose it because of the small similarties it had with my digipak and also the music video. On the back cover of my digipak my artist is looking up and which also looks like she is looking at the names of the songs she has made which i felt represented her as being quite reflected of the songs she has made and written. I felt that this picture showed this same reflective emotion with her glancing out the window. Another similarity is the light coming in through the window, both in the front cover and back cover of the digipak and the music video the light really enhances the artist portraying a soft look and feel of her. I wanted to keep in theme with the digipak and therefore this is why i re-created themes of my digipak in my advert. For example, the front and back cover of my digipak took a colour scheme of blue's, green's and turquoises. Therefore i decided that the two banners on the bottom and side of the advert should take the form of one of these colours. Another thing that i used on my digipak that i used on my advert was the effects used on my picture. i brightened the picture and also enhanced the colours and contrast so that the colours would become eye-catching and stand out. I specifially wanted to use these effects to enhance the colours of my artists denim jacket and also her guitar as these two items are seen in the digipak and their colours are also enhanced through these effects so that they become more eye-catching. One last element that i felt was neccesary to include in my advert is the font of my artists name and the name of her album. This is the exact same font i used on my digipak. I felt that it was an important factor to use as it would be a way for audiences to identify the advert with the album cover and understand that it was Jess's album that is being sold.

I also decided to advertise the album through a star rating and a newspaper quote. I felt that having a catchy postive slogan creates a great way to intice people into buying the album as they can see the amount of stars the album has recieved and that they can see the quote is made by a well known reliable source, The Sun newspaper. And finally the reason i chose to advertise the itunes logo is because itunes is a global online phenomenon and therefore my artits album could be put on the new releases on itunes so that everyone would then start to notice and recognise her through this.

Magazine advert progress

Today i have made more progress on the beginning ideas i started playing with last lesson. For the font i used for Jess's brand name and name of her album i have now added a bevel and emboss effect to match the digipak. I also used a drop shadow on the font to add more definition and to give a 3D effect. I have also decided to make the L shaped outline of the advert more defined by using bevel and emboss and also a drop shadow to enhance the 3D effect and to help the writing stand out more. The picture i have used of Jess has been modified using vibrance, saturation, colour levels effects etc to make her more eye-catching and to incorporate her in with the colours of the advert and the digipak and digipak pictures.

Beginning ideas of my magazine advert

Today i have come up with a few ideas and styles i'd like to use in my magazine advert to promote my artist Jess. I have decided that i would like to use the same colours i have reflected in my digipak which is quite a bright turquoise colour. I feel this would stand out when flicking through a magazine. I have also decided to keep with the theme of my digipak and use the same font. (The Maple Origins.)

Examples of magazine adverts- inspiration

Here are some of the different magazine adverts i have found of artists releasing their albums. Each one contains typical conventions of a magazine advert promoting an artists album:

Conventions of a magazine advert

I have researched conventions of a magazine advert promoting an artist's new album release and found that the most common conventions are to promote and advertise the artist and their album. So for there to be clear pictures of the artist so that they can be recognised by the audience. And also for a clearly presentable album and album name so that audiences can also recognise this when buying the album. The advertisement must be attractive and and eye-catching to the artists specific audience and fan base.

Here is more of the conventions typical in a magazine album promoting the artists album:

. The brand name/artist name.

. Central point e.g a focal picture of the artist- Whereby the artist can be identified by the audience through a specific image or style ( Although the artist may be new to the industry and have a 'fresh and new look' for people to discover and appeal to.

. Reviews- Some advertisements display reviews from newspapers, other magazines, websites etc giving statements of their opinions on the artists music and album. (The Sun- ' Acoustic Miracle')

. The advert may also include a picture of the album package/CD pack itself so the audience know to recognise it in the shops or online.

. The advert would display a small amount of text with information regarding the artists record label, any website's they have or online reviews of their album, where people would purchase the album and also any release dates of the artists music/album.