Evaluation - Question 4

Research:
Having access to the internet meant it was fairly easy for me to carry out the research section of my coursework. I could search my intended genre of music on 'Google', which allowed me to come across different artists within this genre. I then searched these artists on 'Youtube' to get an idea of what their music videos. Youtube was fantastic for what I was doing, it allowed me pick and choose any videos that I wanted and it had everything that I wanted to search for. Once I had found they video I wanted. I had the options of pausing and re-watching the videos; which ensured I didn't miss anything and could take down notes while watching the video.

To get an understanding of what the target audience for my genre were expecting I used social networking sites such as 'Facebook', 'Twitter' and 'Tumblr'. Here I could ask people what they thought of certain elements, whether it was a video or print product. It was a very efficient way of interacting with people, especially as my target audience consisted of the younger generation who spend a lot of their free time on these sites. However it was difficult to find members of my intended target audience as I did not have many friends who listened to this type of music, which created a bit of a limit in the audience research.


Planning:
The planning process was essential if I wanted my video to be a success. With the use of time toast - an online resource that creates timelines, I managed to stick to a schedule which ensured everything was done on time. I could also access this time line from any computer and at any time which was very efficient. The use of Word allowed me to create different tables, for example tables of props and costumes that I need, I then used email to send this to the cast members.

Blogger was a very big part of the overall process, however it specifically helped during the planning stage. Every little thing that I did towards the planning of the video I put into my blog, this meant that I could go back and remind myself but it also allowed the other people involved in the video to know what was going on and stay up to date.


Similar to blogger my mobile phone (iphone 5s) played a massive role in the planning stage. Due to the introduction of this technological convergence I could take pictures of different locations, props etc and then upload them to my blog using the blogger app. I could also send these images via text message to everyone who was involved with the video.




Construction:
During the making of the print production I used my own camera to capture the images of the model for the advertisement and album cover. This camera was a Nikon d1300 DSLR, due to it being a DSLR I had much more control over how the images were captured. I used manual focus when taking the photographs as it allowed me to control the depth of field much more.

 I then used Photoshop to create the actual prints. The main tools I used within Photoshop were: The crop tool, this ensured I was only using the part of the image I wanted, creating an overall professional effect. I also used the spot healing brush tool which meant I could get rid of any blemishes or unusual colouring within the model's face. As the lighting in my picture was fairly dramatic in the images, I wanted to increase this further; therefore I used the dodge and burn tool to bring out the original shadows and highlights more. To create the reflection effect on the 'Gravity' text I duplicated it and then decreased the opacity. I chose to put a pink overlay on both of the print products, this ensured that they looked coherent. I chose to use the 'Fresco' filter on this overlay to create texture.


For the actual music video I used a Panasonic 1080i Full HD camera, this ensured that a good clear video would be captured. When filming I chose to use a tripod to make it steady, I also used the zoom tool of the video camera instead of manually moving the camera itself; this meant for a clear transition.


The video was edited and created on Adobe Premiere Pro. I chose to use fairly simple tools within this programme as I did not want to over do the video. The obvious tools I used were the cut tool and the drag tool to put each clip where I desired. I also used the cross dissolve and superimposition tools to create a smooth transition between each clip. However I think my knowledge of this programme limited my ability to fully experiment with different tools, I definitely believe that the idea of Technological determinism played a role in the making of my video as there were some techniques I wanted to include but wasn't aware how too.


Evaluation:
The increasing idea of Media 2.0 has allowed me to put my finished video on YouTube where other people can access it. This was great for my feedback during the evaluation. I asked some members of my intended audience to view the video on YouTube and then give me feedback via iMessage.

I chose to use a range of different programmes to present my evaluation as this would make it more interesting. Prezi and Powtoon are fairly similar programmes, they allowed me to attach images and a few sentences about each part of my evaluation. By using these programmes I could keep my evaluation brief so it didn't appear tedious but also ensure I was including all the important information.

Evaluation - Question 3

Audience Feedback

I chose to ask 4 members of my target audience to view my video and both of my print tasks. I then asked them individually 6 questions covering all three pieces of my finished work.

These 6 questions were:

1. Do you think that the video fits within its genre of music?
2. Does the performance appear convincing?
3. Would you buy the song based on the video? Why?
4. Would you buy the song/album based on the Print Productions? Why?
5. Does it remind you of any other videos/ media texts?
6. What would you change about the video or print products? Why?

http://prezi.com/tzqme2lep-ts/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

What I have learnt?

In a large amount of the feedback I received I noticed that my work had affected the target audience on an emotional level, this was more prominent in the performance question; many said that the acting bought out the emotions within the song. This was the feeling I was trying to connote when making the video therefore I expected the reaction of the audience to be similar to this, I included the close up shots of the singer for this reason (so that her emotions could be portrayed clearly).

I believe that my target audience read into the narrative of the video extremely well which again added to the emotion within the feedback. They all understood the concept that I was trying to portray through the narrative. I think that my video falls into the 'preferred reading' section of David Morley's Cultural Studies approach because of this, the lyrics in the song connote a love story therefore that is what I chose to include within my narrative. However I did leave room for the audience to be active in what they thought the video was trying to connote because throughout the video there is no solid story line about what the girl is thinking/doing; it isn't until the very end that we are introduced to the male role.

Also through the use of my advertisement I have allowed for the audience to be active and acknowledge a hidden meaning behind it, Although there is still an element of power from a media point of view within my advertisement; this is because the target audience (girls 13-20) feel they need to connect and buy these types of albums because they contain a typical love story and relate to them on a personal level.

Evaluation - Question 2

Evaluation - Question 1

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

Use:

Lip Sync:

Lip syncing is a major element in any music video and it can either make or break a video. After doing much research on music videos within my genre, I found that there were a large amount of mid close up/ close up shots of the performer lip syncing. Therefore I knew that this element needed to be executed well within my video to fit to its genre.

I chose to make a large amount of screen time dedicated to the performer lip syncing as this was what I had seen in a number of other videos.

 The use of lip sync is a redundant feature of the text, this is because it portrays the emotions felt within the song and also shows the performers musical talent (as if they are actually singing).






Combining Narrative & Performance:


According to theorist Andrew Goodwin, narrative is important to portray meaning behind any music video. However narrative and performance come hand in hand, it allows the viewer to take more of an interest in the video and also makes it more realistic. In all of the videos I have researched previously there has been some form of narrative that contributes to the meaning of the song.









Musical Performance being Filmed:
There are always actors in music videos if a narrative is involved. We have chosen to use an actor to show a realistic interpretation of the music; an illusion is created to the audience, that the actor is really part of this emotional story. We wanted to ensure that the audience would connect with the actor on a personal level due to the illusion they have created.

Lighting & Proxemics:

When considering lighting and proxemics during the research phase, I found that overall there was a large amount of mid close up/ close up shots of the singer within my genre of music videos. Therefore I used these shots within my video.

The lighting appears quite minimal in a large majority of the videos I had researched, which is why I chose to maintain this theme throughout my video. In the performance parts of the video I used a plain white background which allowed all of the focus to be on the singer rather than the background.

These images are fairly similar in terms of proxemics and lighting. They both include mid close up shots of the singers and plain backgrounds. Also lighting is fairly minimal, illuminating mainly the singer's face.

After researching a number of album covers within my genre I found that many of them included a close up of the artists face. In addition to that I found that some album covers had included to artist looking away from the camera and I was intrigued by the effect this had so I used it in my own work

Graphics:

The graphics I chose to use within my advertisement are fairly similar to what I had seen in my research. I chose to create a bar of text layered over the top of the image as I had seen this on one of Rihanna's advertisements and liked the effect it created, also by adding the small image of the album cover it showed how they fit together.

Develop

Performance & Narrative:

In many videos I looked at previously they had used separate actors for the narrative and performance. However we chose to use the same actor for both, this was because I felt the narrative would appear more realistic if the singer was involved in it as well as the singer.i

Use of Zoom:

It's fairly unusual to see zoom used in a music video in the way I chose to use it in my video. However I am extremely pleased with the entropic feel it has created, as we have included a good focus pull which immediately catches the attention of the audience. In many music videos I found that when wanting to zoom they instead cut to another shot that was considerably closer up, however I think my approach was much smoother and interesting.

Digipak:

I noticed that in many Digipak's a  number of different images of the artist were included of different mis en scenes, however I chose to include two images of the performer within my digipak that were fairly similar as the complimented eachother well. I think due to the overall minimalistic feel of album I wanted to show a straight forward theme throughout.

Challenge

Exposed Lighting:

In many music videos of this genre I found that minimal lighting was used to contribute to the overall feel and atmosphere portrayed by the song. I chose however to use slightly overexposed lighting for the performance sections of my video because the harshness of it bought out the emotion within the singer's face much more. I think this entropic use of lighting showed a big difference between the performance and narrative parts of the video.

50 cuts per minute:

According to theorist Andrew Goodwin, the idea of 50 cuts per minute in every music video allows for an overall professional outcome and also ensures that the cuts are in cohesion with the beats within the music. Due to the song I used for my music video being rather slow, I chose to not stick to this 50 cuts per minute rule. I am pleased with how my video looks due to this as I think it fits the feel behind the song much more.

Filming update

We went to the location and did our first filming, however after looking at the footage afterwards we found that the lighting was very bad. Therefore we have decided to return to the location for our next filming shoots once it has gotten dark. This allows us to control all lighting and hopefully we will have a more professional quality to our finished video.

Print Production - 4 panel digipak

Print Production - Album Advertisement