Evaluation Question 4

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

Throughout my research and planning I used Blogger to organise my work. This was useful as it is on the internet so I could easily access my work on a computer or on my phone. I used multiple websites such as YouTube to access content to gather research from such as other music videos. I also created a preliminary task as part of my research for my project so that I could experience what’s involved in making a music video. In our group, we filmed using iPhones which we already knew how to use. We chose this as it was an easy way to film for a rough shoot and the quality is a good standard. We edited the preliminary task on iMacs using iMovie as we only needed to do basic editing, so we didn’t need very technical software.

During the pre-production of my music video I used a wide range of different technologies in which some I hadn’t used before. In terms of cameras, the main camera that I used was a Panasonic Lumix camera which is quite an advanced camera. I learnt how to use this quite quickly and found it very useful for collecting the footage I needed as it contained a lot of features for good quality footage and stabilisation. Other cameras I used included an iPhone camera and a drone. This was my first time using a drone and it was a good experience to learn how to use it. I collected some interesting shots which I used at the beginning of my music video. The drone was useful as it allowed me to collect different types of shots that were good for opening the scene of my music video. I also filmed using my iPhone camera for when I needed to add a few quick shots for improvement. In terms of camera accessories, I used a tripod for quite a few shots in the music video. Although the Panasonic Lumix camera has a built-in stabilizer, the tripod was useful for keeping the camera in a fixed position for shots like when they were performing. Other technologies I used consisted of props such as phones and lighting which were useful for story elements and setting the mood in a scene.

During the post-production I used an iMac to edit my music video. I used a software called Final Cut Pro because it is very advanced and allowed me to add more features to what I was editing such as split screens and the types of transitions I created. I hadn’t used this software before, so this experience taught me a lot on how its used and what I can create with it. I uploaded my cuts to YouTube so they could be easily accessed.

For my magazine advert and digipak, I used to Panasonic Lumix camera to take the shots after we filmed a section of a music video. I transferred these photos to my computer using one drive, and edited my products using Photoshop. I edited the photos individually first with the same settings so therefore they all looked the same. Then I created my products and added to text, information, etc. I had used Photoshop before so I knew most of the basics, however I did learn a lot more by experimenting with it features to create what I have now for my digipak and magazine advert.

For this project I believe I used a lot more multiple types of technologies throughout which all had a very good use for my final out comes of my products. I used many technologies that I hadn’t used before such as the drone which allowed me to experience and learn knew ways of creating media. 

Evaluation Question 3

Question 3: What have you learned from your audience feedback?

I believe gathering feedback was a vital part of this project because it gives us advice on what people like and dislike about what we have created allowing us to make improvements based on other people’s ideas and opinions. Getting feedback specifically from my target audience allowed me to learn how I could make my products better and more enjoyable for them which therefore my outcome would be professional and meet what’s expected from my audience. When gathering feedback from my audience, I asked them what they liked about my products so I can see what stands out in my music video and use it more often. I also asked them what they disliked so I knew what needed improving. My target audience is young adults and teens who enjoy pop music.

In my rough cut from my music video I asked around 10 people for feedback. A lot of people complimented my post production skills such as the split screens used, slow motion, and transitions. They liked the slow-paced editing I had at the bridge of the song which to them made the music video look dramatic as well as professional. They described this scene as one of the highlights of the music video. The viewers also mentioned about the various amount of camera angles used and the lighting. They liked the use of drone shots at the beginning as well as close ups on the actor’s lip syncing. A couple people said they liked the lighting used at the park location because it works well with the mood of the song. To improve, my target audience mentioned that most of what needed improving involved work in post-production. One of the points was that I needed to improve on matching up the lip syncing with the song to make the singing look like it was coming from them. Another point made was to do with the narrative. As I have included flashbacks, my audience mentioned that it wasn’t very clear when they occurred making the story hard to follow. To improve this, I needed to change the colour of the shots so they looked different, or added a flash transition to make it clear that it was a flashback.

When I made my final cut of my music video my target audience said that the story was a lot easier to understand now that I had made the flashback shots black and white. The viewers also said that the visuals were a lot clearer as they had been colour corrected and lightened. Everyone said that the lip syncing matched the song perfectly and it looked like they were really singing it. A common point of improvement that was mentioned from my target audience was about the location of the performance shots. They would have preferred it to be in a different location that wasn’t the studio because the surroundings didn’t work well with the theme of the song and the black curtains made the shots look really dark.

For my first draft of my digipak, most of my target audience really liked it. They said it looked very professional and instantly drew their attention which I was very pleased about. To improve, my target audience said that they wanted my company logo to be bigger so that it was clearer as well as my song title and artist names. When I made my final draft most of my target audience really liked how it looked. To improve a couple people said to add some more information to the digipak to add more detail and there for make it more professional like it was on the market.

For my first draft of my magazine advert, the people I asked feedback from really liked how it matched with the digipak and that you could see a clear link between the two products because of the shots and colour scheme used. They could see that there was a consistent theme which was one of my main goals for my products. The improvements mentioned were similar to my digipak improvements such as making the song title and artist names bigger. Once I made my improvements for my final draft I asked my target audience again for feedback. They really liked how it looked and said it really draws their attention and interests them to read what’s being advertised. Again, they said to improve, I could have added a bit more contextual information so the audience knew more about what was being advertised. They also said I could have made it a bit lighter as the visuals as a whole are very dark for advertising a pop song.

By gathering this feedback, I learnt how important it is to ask other people’s views and opinions, especially from who you are aiming your products at. This is because everyone will have different ideas on what works well and what doesn’t. Them giving me these suggestions will allow me to question whether to change anything to develop the idea which will hopefully make people like it more. Making a product to suit the audience’s views will make it more successful and more likely for people to interest, buy, and enjoy. Throughout this project, collecting feedback has been very useful for developing my rough cuts and drafts for my products as I feel that they have got a lot better because of this. 

Evaluation Question 2

Question 2: How effective is the combination of the main product and ancillary tasks?

The main purpose of creating these products is to help promote a song. By using different platforms, it means that the song is accessible to a variety of people for example people who like to buy physical copies of a song and people who like to buy online copies of a song. It is important for all my products to link together as they need to work alongside each other to promote the song. The use of different platforms will make it available to more people so having all the products link will make it clear to the audience that they are all advertising the same song. It is important for my digipak and magazine ad to work alongside my music video because it gives the viewer and insight of what to expect of it before watching it in terms of setting, mood and style. This is the first look they get of the song so it needs to be eye catching and draw their interest. I linked my products together by creating a reoccurring theme throughout them in terms of settings, colours, etc. I thought this would work well because the audience will then have a visual understanding of what to expect from the music video and see an instant like through the visuals. Some of the most important aspects I had to consider consisted of theme, shots, colour scheme, and how I was editing them.

I made sure all my products linked together by keeping the same theme and using similar imagery. I took the shots I used for the digipak and magazine advert on the same day I filmed at the park for my music video. Therefore, I had the same sunset, location, colour scheme, etc. This meant that all of the shots matched throughout my products creating similar visuals. I used a continuous style of bold colours but I edited my digipak and magazine advert more to make the colours bolder and silhouette the actors. A key feature of these products was to be prominent which was vital as the way they draw they get notice by a viewer is by looking attractive and standing out from what surrounds it. I also made sure I included the logo of the company, title of the song and the name of the artists on all of the products so that it the audience would be constantly reminded of the important information about the products.

In terms of my digipak there were a lot of features I included to make sure it linked to my music video. I mainly worked on keeping the visuals the same as it is the first part the audience notices of the products. For example, I used shots of the same setting and location. The shots you see on the digipack match the shots you see near the end of the music video. The positioning of the actors are the same too. The actors are also wearing the same costumes so you can tell they are the same people. Some other features that I kept consistent throughout were the white text and including both the artists names and title of the song in both products. I think my digipak turned out well as I believe you can tell what sort of song it is by looking at the visuals and the mood it’s representing. I believe that it matches the aspects of a pop song because throughout you can see connection between actors and it represents a realistic situation.

Evaluation Question 1

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

Throughout the research section of this project I decided to look into the different conventions that are used within music videos of my chosen genre which is pop. I did a lot of research on real media products to help inspire my ideas and et an insight of what is expected in a music video. Conducting this research is proven to be vital when it comes to planning a music video because it has given me guidance towards what it takes to create a music video and what works well and what doesn’t. An example of an idea that I developed from a real music video was for the motion tracking on the title of the song at the beginning. We used motion tracking for the title so it looked like it was in the frame of the shot as it moved which therefore makes the presenting of the title more interesting for the audience. The music video that inspired us with this idea was New Rules by Dua Lipa which is a pop song that uses motion tracking on the title at the beginning. 

In terms of narrative and performance, we used an equal amount of both as real music videos from the pop genre are hugely varied on how much of each they use. It is stereotypical for females to have more performance-based music videos in the pop genre which is didn’t follow as we had a male in our music video too. We challenged the conventions of performance as pop music videos contain a lot of dancing and singing to the camera where as we just used lip syncing and instruments. My target audience said they think my music video would be more intriguing and meet the standard of real media products more if I used this. One of the points in Goodwins theory talks about close ups and looking at the camera when performing which I will learn from. I used Goodwins theory of music videos as guidance on what to incorporate within my music video. So, I used a various amount of different points so that I was meeting the common conventions of real music videos.

Some of the important aspects I had to consider for my music video consisted of lighting, props, location, colour correcting, pace, etc. I learnt the importance of colour and lighting from Camila Cabello’s music video for her song Crying in the Club. The locations in the shots are very basic and don’t contain a lot of detail. However, the lighting and various colours used make the shots much more interesting and intriguing to watch. Learning from this I then considered how I would use lighting in my music video which I believed worked quite successfully. Near the end of my music video we filmed at sunset which was a perfect time for natural lighting as it really made the shots look magical and full of colour. Therefore, my shots were quite aesthetical and looked really high standard. Camila’s music video also inspired me to use black and white which I added to the flashback shots in post-production to make them clear to the audience. I believe including these conventions created a huge impact on how professional my music video turned out compared to real music videos.

In terms of conventions in my music video, my feedback from my target audience explains that aspects such as the narrative, lighting and locations meet the standard and professionalism of a real music video. A couple viewers mentioned that the lip-syncing matched the song really well which ment that the singing looked realistic. This is an example of use of hypodermic needle theory within my music video. However, the lack of some performance aspects such as singing to the camera and expression of emotion don’t meet the standard of a real music video as such. I believe the final outcome of my music video turned out professional as it meets a lot of the conventions of pop music videos, yet I agree with the pros and cons from my target audience. Challenging these conventions have allowed me to explore and understand what’s involved with making a music video so now that I have some experience, I now know what works well and what doesn’t for future projects.

Final Music Video - April Woolridge

Plans for Magazine Advert

I am going to create some plans for my magazine advert so I can visualise and compare my ideas. Here are two rough plans I created:

For the images in the magazine adverts, I came up with these ideas from shots planned for our music video. I wanted to use these to show links between the music video and the magazine advert to create a theme. This will allow the products to be clear to the audience that they are from the same song. I considered the positioning of the artists based on the story of the song. I wanted to create tension between them because they are sad about each other. I did this in the first plan by making them walk away from each other whilst looking back to show that they want to see each other but they can't as they are upset, and in the second plan I have the artists looking down away from each other to show they are feeling down and cant forgive.

 

Most of the text is written in capitals to make it bold and stand out and I included the title at the top of the page in bigger writing because its the most important information. This is because the audience cant buy, download or listen to the song if they don't know the name of it, therefore the title must be clear.

 

In terms of colour I haven't actually added any on my plans, but the colours would be quite vibrant because of the lighting I have considered. In the first plan I included a sunset which would probably silhouette the characters if I took it in real life. This type of lighting will give the surroundings quite a vibrant effect but also make the picture quite dark in the foreground. My purpose of using a sunset is because it will connote the ending between them like the end of a day. In the second plan I have included fairy lights which would create subtle lighting behind them making them and their surroundings quite dark which is also connoting this sad time. The lighting in these shots are important for setting the mood and showing the emotion in the song so the audience know what to expect when they listen to it.

 

This will suit my target audience of young adults because we have used young adults in the shots and they showing heartbreak between them which a lot of people often go through around this age. We also considered the target audience in the settings as well. In the first plan, a park is quite a common location that young adults and teens would go to in the summer or for a date. In the second plan, I included fairy lights which is quite girly and would be often seen in a girls bedroom or at Christmas.

 

The most important aspect of the magazine advert is that there is a consistent theme between it and the digipak and music video which I believe is clear because we have used the same settings and props throughout for the shots. The reason it must be clear is so that the audience will easily be able to recognise the song by seeing these visuals. This will allow synergy as each product will promote each other. 

 

In terms of music genre, the magazine suits pop because of our theme. I created the first plan based on the narrative to link to aspects of the pop genre because its showing a sad moment of break up and emotion in which lots of pop songs are about relationships. With the second plan I based it on the performance which links to pop because they are holding microphones but also still showing that emotion between them as they are looking away.

 

In terms of composition I don't think the layout of the writing works significantly well so I will need to consider this more when creating the final outcome. Previous research I have done has helped me a lot with knowing what is expected of a magazine advert and what to include. I noticed when looking at other magazine adverts the visuals all linked to the title so I need to make sure you can strongly see this in my final outcome. Creating these plans has helped me to see a visual interpretation of my ideas and has allowed me to compare and develop my ideas for when I create my final outcome.

Plans for Digipak

Now that I have done a lot of research on digipaks I need to use what I have learnt and my ideas to start piecing together and planning out what I am actually going to do for it. I want to create plans to help me visualise my ideas before I make the real thing and I will be able to compare and develop my ideas to see what's best.

These are two plans I came up with:

I came up with this idea with some of the shots we had planned to use for our music video. I did this because I wanted the digipak to match the theme of it. For font I considered having the words written in capitals so it stood out as was quite bold. I included the title of the song, the artists names, lyrics from the song, and the record label. I may add more context to it to improve for the real digipak. In terms of colour scheme I want the pictures to be from a similar environment so there is a consistent theme but I also want the colours to match what's used in the music video. I have considered target audience by having the artists on the front cover and using objects like fairy lights / photos to make the digipak aesthetically pleasing and quite girly. This will help to draw in an audience consisting of teenagers and young adults. I believe it suits our genre because of how much we have used the artist and how it matches this theme that common / pop artists use. We tried to make it a similar theme to the actual artists style on their albums to help us with understanding their target audience and what they use to direct their work at their type of audience specifically. Our main focus however was making sure it linked to our music video because we wanted there to be a theme so it was clear to our audience what the style of this music video is and so that the digipak and music video can help promote each other.

 

This work has helped me for creating my digipak because I know have a base to work and develop from for my final outcome. This has allowed me to create a visual interpretation of my ideas so I can compare my ideas and see what worked and what didn't. I now need to collect some images together to create my digipak with and also keep this theme consistent with my magazine advert too.