EVALUATION

Q1. IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?

Q2. HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE COMBINATION OF YOUR MAIN AND ANCILLARY TEXTS?

Q3. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT FROM YOUR AUDIENCE FEEDBACK?

Through audience feedback we have been able to evaluate the effectiveness of our music video by showing it to our potential target audience. The audience feedback that we received allowed us to see what we did well as well as also giving us an indication on where we could have improved it and what would have made it more effective. In our audience feedback the audience said that ‘the reflector gave a good effect’ as well as the use of ‘good lighting, as it gives a dynamic feel.’ We wanted to concentrate on lighting the subject so that it creates a ‘glamorous’ appearance as well as maintaining a ‘moody’ and mysterious atmosphere. 

 

The audience also commented on the jump cuts by saying that there were ‘good jump cuts, especially with the photographs.’ In doing this, we really wanted to maintain the fast pace of edit with the short shot duration so that we could create a relationship between the visuals and the song. 

 

However, we did receive some points that we could have improved on such as, ‘you can tell that Shqipdon wasn’t playing the guitar.’ This would have made our music video slightly more effective if Shqipdon was actually playing the guitar. Although, this wasn't entirely possible as Shqipdon didn't know the music to the song well enough so that he could play it. However, a slightly more realistic or believable performance may have just enhanced enough so that it looked slightly more effective. 

In the feedback we found that there was good use of camera movement; however, the rule of thirds doesn't always seem to work. This is something that we could have considered more in the filming process of our music video. If we could redo our project this is definitely something that we could consider as this would have given a more professional look as the rule of thirds are important within the stages of filming. 

Our audience feedback has made us think about what makes a music video effective and professional by just taking in to consideration different techniques within the filming and editing stages. Our main concern was trying to convey the narrative so that it was easy for the audience to follow and understand and this was key because it was both narrative and performance based as well as having a fragmented narrative and from the audience feedback we found that we have achieved this through the comments that we received.

 

  

Our main concern was trying to convey the narrative so that it was easy for the audience to follow and understand and this was key because it was both narrative and performance based as well as having a fragmented narrative and from the audience feedback we found that we have achieved this through the comments that we received. 

Q4. HOW DID YOU USE MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES IN THE RESEARCH AND PLANNING, CONSTRUCTION AND EVALUATION STAGES?

OUR DIGIPAK

For our digipak we wanted to create a digipak that focused on the idea of star image. We wanted to use images that created a more three dimensional artist, so it gives a slight insight into what our artist is like. We really like how we created our digipak as two of the black and white images are in a corner and so they are diagonal from each other. I think that these images slightly relate to the one found on Adele’s ‘21’ album as the images are quite subtle rather than being quite bold and in your face. They also appear quite ‘glamorous’ as well as having a slight ‘moody’ and mysterious atmosphere to them. We used the same font throughout our digipak and so we have maintained the continuity. This use of atmosphere makes Shqipdon look quite emotional and so there is a slight link with the music video.

 

OUR MUSIC VIDEO

OUR MAGAZINE ADVERTISEMENT

For our magazine advertisement we wanted to focus on the star image and so we decided to use an image of Shqipdon with a guitar. The use of a guitar also provides iconography and so it gives an indication on the genre and style of the music. For the star image we used soft lighting and also increased the saturation so that the image will appear ‘flawless’ and quite ‘glamorous’. For the text we decided on a font that was easy to read and similar to the one found on Ghostlight’s album and Ep. We also kept the font the same running through our ancillary texts so that there was a sense of continuity. On our advertisement we incorporated the band’s website so that we included methods of promotion. We also used logos for social networking sites such as ‘Twitter’, ‘Facebook’ and ‘MySpace’ so that it promoted the band as well as providing some methods of consumption for audiences. On the band’s website we found recommendations and quotes from critics about the band’s album and included them within our poster so that this provided us with another method of promotion for the band. In order to promote our digipak we put an image of it onto our magazine advertisement as the image we used was different from the one on our digipak. We did this so we created a different star image as well as incorporating the use of iconography.

 

SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

 

In our magazine advertisement we have included some social networking sites such as ‘Twitter’, ‘Facebook’ and ‘MySpace’. This promotes the artists as they are appearing more connected to their audiences. Social networking sites are good places for artists and institutions to distribute music so that consumers can listen to or download the artist’s music. So we have decided to include these in our magazine advertisement as we wanted to show other ways of how our artist was going to be marketed and promoted.

MAGAZINE ADVERTISEMENTS

GWEN STEFANI - LOVE. ANGEL. MUSIC. BABY

This magazine advertisement focuses on the star image as it gives a ‘glamorous’ appearance through high key lighting, this gives a ‘flawless’ look which is typical of the pop or R‘n’B genre. There is a form of continuity running through the magazine advertisement and the album cover as the poster uses the same image that is found on the album but it has been zoomed in on. The star image also helps to promote the artist’s iconography as the crown and blonde hair is what makes her recognisable to audiences. The album also looks closely at album promotion as the album covers the whole of the background as well as having a small image of the album in the bottom left hand corner. There is form of continuity which helps to promote the artist as the same font has been used in both the magazine advertisement and the album cover. The advertisement provides information such as the artist’s name, album title, songs included, record company and also the website. This promotes the album as it gives audiences lots of information about the album so that audience can recognise her by her songs and also the website. The image on the advertisement and also the album cover provides a glamorous appearance and also creates voyeuristic treatment as well as sexualisation through the positioning and also the camera. There is also the idea on focus on looking as only one of her eyes can be seen meanwhile the other is being hidden by the artist’s hair.

YOU ME AT SIX – HOLD ME DOWN

The magazine advertisement for You Me At Six’s album ‘Hold Me Down’ also has the album artwork for the image of the poster. There is a strong sense of continuity running through the album cover and magazine advertisement. As the album cover has been used in this poster it means that the fonts are the same as well as the image in the background. The bold font stands out and so it promotes the album and that the album is ‘out now’. The font of the band’s name differs from that of the album’s name and so this allows the audience to differentiate from one another and so the audience are most likely to remember the band their album. The poster is both colourful and eye catching and so this gives a suggestion to the genre and also what the style of music the band creates. This magazine article contrasts Gwen Stefani’s magazine advertisement as it doesn’t have a star image or a band signature and so this could give a suggestion to the genre of the band. Another indication to the genre is the graphic image which has a ‘grungy’ and ‘punk’ look.

By looking at these magazine advertisements I have found that promoting the album is the focus of a magazine advertisement. I think that for some genres such as pop and RnB focus a lot of the promotion of the artist and also the star image where genres such as rock and pop often look at either band signature or graphic images such as the one on the album of the You Me At Six’ album.

PHOTOS USED WITHIN OUR DIGIPAK

 

The photos that we have used in our digipak focus on the star image which slightly subverts the typical conventions of the indie genre. However, we wanted to closely relate it to our music video and so we thought that the best way to do this was to continue the idea of having the star image.

We have chosen this image as it provides iconography because the guitar gives a suggestion to the genre. It also gives an idea of what the style of music the artist plays. This helps to promote the artist as it provides a star image as well as an indication to the genre and style of music. We really liked this photo in colour as it adds to the ‘glamorous’ appearance.

We also wanted to give a star image that looked quite glamorous yet casual at the same time. So we decided on having Shqipdon sorting out his shirt so that it makes him appear three-dimensional and so audiences see a different side to the artist. We also thought that having it in colour would make him appear more ‘glamorous’.

 

During the photoshoot we wanted to experiment with different poses and so we thought that by having Shqipdon pushing his hair back it suggests a sad atmosphere because his facial expression is quite sad. The fact that the image is in black and white it adds to the sad mood and atmosphere.

 

We wanted to use a close up shot within our digpak and so we decided to use this photo as it shows the use of soft lighting which creates a ‘flawless’ and ‘glamorous’ appearance and so by having this image in black and white it adds to the ‘glamorous’ appearance. 






 

We thought that by using a shot of Polariods it would link with the title of the song and also the title of the album. It also creates a subtle star image as there is an image of Shqipdon on it

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We really liked this photo as there is lots of soft and light key lighting, however there are lots of shadows that cover the side of the face and so it creates quite a mysterious and sad atmosphere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I like how the subject doesn’t address the camera and so there is no eye contact. This suggests a mysterious and sad atmosphere as they appear quite secretive. I also really like how we have used star image as the focus of our digipak because we have been able to create a sad atmosphere that also runs through our music video.

AUDIENCE FEEDBACK FOR OUR MUSIC VIDEO

After creating our music video we began the evaluation stages. This allowed us to see whether or not we were able to create an effective music video that entertained our potential target audience.

‘Very Good’

‘Well edited’

‘You can see the story and so it tells the narrative’

‘The reflector gave a good effect’

‘Liked the change from black and white to colour’

‘Understood the story’

‘Good jump cuts, especially with the photographs’

‘Good lighting, it gives a dynamic feel’

‘You can tell he wasn’t playing the guitar’

‘Good use of camera movement; however, the rule of thirds doesn’t always work’

From our audience feedback I think that we have created quite an effective music video as the audience is able to follow the narrative throughout the music video. I hoped that our music video could provide a form of entertainment for the audience. We also really wanted to create an effective star image and so to find out that our audience spotted the techniques we used to try and convey the star image, it suggests that it could have provided them with an appealing and interesting star image. Our audience feedback also gives us an indication on how we could improve our music video if we were to do it again and so it would give us something to build on.

DIGIPAK FONT IDEAS

For the digipak and also the poster we decided that it would be a good idea to select a font that was bold and eye catching as well as easy to read. My inspiration and ideas for fonts came from looking at Ghostlight’s album and EP. I also wanted to have a font that related to the genre of the music.

 

 

 

For the font of the digipak I thought that it would be a good idea to have the same font for the digipak as well as the poster. This creates a sense of continuity and so this is also another promotional method for artists as audiences recognise the artist’s iconography. As our photos have a dark background we thought that having a white font would stand out better and so it would be easier for audiences to read.

 

PHOTOS FOR OUR DIGIPAK

To create a star image for our digipak we used the college photography studio as it has a black backdrop and we could also use the studio lighting. We tried to convey the same atmosphere and mood that we had running through our music video. We also used lots of key lighting so that we could create a ‘glamorous’ and more ‘flawless’ appearance and star image. This would create a link between the music video and the digipak and so there would be a sense of continuity. We also considered having the images in either colour or black and white. We edited the photographs using ‘Photoshop’ so that they were in colour and in black and white so that we could compare them to see which we preferred and if we wanted to edit them further so that we could achieve the effect and style that we wanted.

I also created Polariods so that we could create a star image and also create a link to our music video and album title.  As we wanted to use different images for the digipak and the poster it would be better to also have an image of the cover of the digipak to help promote the band and album

DIGIPAK IDEAS

After looking at different digipaks and album covers we discussed different ideas that could feature within our own digipak. As Shqipdon was the ‘artist’ within our music video we thought that we should continue the idea of creating a star image and looking at the build up of an artist’s iconography. So to do this we thought that having close ups of Shqipdon would be the best way to so this. We also thought that having Shqipdon playing or having a guitar would build up the iconography as well as giving a suggestion to the genre. We decided that we wanted to incorporate the sad and lonely atmosphere that was in our music video and translate that into our digipak and so we wanted to photograph Shqipdon in the photography studio with lots of key lighting so that not only could we create the moody atmosphere but also include soft and high key lighting that would allow us to create the star image. We also wanted create a shot similar to Phoenix Street’s album ‘Living in the Dark’ with the Polaroids as this would link with the title of the song and could also create a star image especially if we had Shqipdon one of the Polariods. We also liked the landscape shot in the album ‘Lonesome Songs’ that we looked at and so we have considered using something similar in our digipak.

SLOW MOTION

As the photographs are significant within our music video we thought that slow motion would work well. So as Shqipdon pushes the photos off the chest of drawers we wanted this to show the anger and frustration that he is feeling as well suggesting that he no longer wants anything to do with her and that he is pushing her out of mind because he has just found out that she has cheated on him. We thought that by putting it in slow motion it would draw attention to this as well as creating a relationship between the song and the visuals as the tempo of the music has slowed down. Also the clip where half of the photo with Ella falling to the floor is also significant as it shows their relationship and that it is in pieces. We also added a cross-fade; this creates juxtaposition between the ripped half of the photo of Ella and Shqipdon and Ella walking together hand in hand as it shows the distance in their relationship and them being together and then the idea of being alone.  

RE-FILMING OUR NARRATIVE SCENE 2

For the final part of the filming process filmed what we did with Josh but with Shqipdon. We did this to avoid continuity errors and to also get lots of different angles of Shqipdon to create a star image and to keep the camera constantly moving on him. We filmed Shqipdon looking at and ripping up the photos from different angles so that we could maintain the fragmented narrative. It also creates a sense of confusion as Shqipdon would be feeling upset and shocked and so it can be used to signify his thoughts and memories that are flooding back to him, relating to their relationship. When we reviewed the footage we found that the clips were very grainy and so this was the result of filming in low lighting. If we were to re-film this scene we could add subtle diegetic lighting that could light the shots more effectively as non-diegetic artificial lighting could be quite harsh and may alter the atmosphere of the scene. From the first re-filming session we did we decided that we really liked the black and white effect as it complemented the sad and isolated atmosphere. Once we had used the three-way colour corrector we found that it slightly improved the quality as it didn't appear as grainy because we increased the contrast and so it defined the shadows and shapes.

BLACK AND WHITE EFFECT 2

For the scenes where Shqipdon is in the bedroom we wanted to maintain the sad and lonely atmosphere that we had running through the music video. I thought that it would also help with maintaining the continuity as the higher contrast helps you to lose some of the details and so you wouldn’t be able to notice that we used two different people. The black and white effect contrasts the saturated clips where Ella and Shqipdon are together and so this also adds to the dark and sad atmosphere. I think that the black and white effect also helps to make the music video seem slightly more professional as we a have used codes and conventions and techniques that are typical within music videos.

RE-FILMING NARRATIVE SCENES 1

During the filming process we found it harder than we expected as we had to rely on other people to be able to film and so we used josh within our music video so that we were still continuously working on our music video. We decided that we would film the shots where Shqipdon didn't necessarily need to be in the shot, for example, close ups of ‘Shqipdon’ ripping up the photographs. For this we just used Josh’s hands and filmed so that you couldn’t see any of Josh’s clothing and so that there would be no continuity errors.

In the filming process Josh was wearing a watch and so it is vital that in the next filming session that Shqipdon wears the watch so that we maintain continuity. We tried a variety of angles and close ups so that we avoided continuity errors for when we came to film with Shqipdon. When we come to film with Shqipdon we will need to film lots of close ups and extreme close ups so that we can see the emotion but also we wanted to maintain the star image running through the narrative.

POTENTIAL TARGET AUDIENCE QUESTIONNAIRE 2

Do you listen to a certain genre of music?    

 

No      

Where do you tend to listen to music?

 

Radio, TV, CD and iPod

Do the charts influence your music?

 

Yes    

If yes, why?

 

If something is in the charts then you might by the album

Do you tend to listen to whole albums?

 

Yes                

Do you watch the videos of the music you listen to?

 

Yes                

Do you like happy endings in music videos?

 

Don’t mind  

 

Do you prefer older or modern day music?

 

All                  

Where do you obtain your music?

 

ITunes and shops                                                                                       

Do you find music videos entertaining?

 

Yes    

What do you think that a good music video should do/ include?

 

The music video should relate to the song

Do you like to interpret music videos? 

          

No                  

Do you enjoy music videos that contain a clear narrative?

 

Yes                                        

Do you find music videos memorable?

 

Yes                

Why?

 

Because the video relates to the song and so if you think of the music video you think of the song

By completing this questionnaire on an older audience member than our first potential target audience it shows that the charts are not so dominant and influence in people’s choice in music but it also exposes them to a band/artist’s other songs that may feature on their album. It also suggests that indie music has a larger target audience than we originally thought as it is not specified to one particular sound or style and so people of a different age range may also appreciate the indie genre. It is also evident that audience members of an older age also like modern music as well as older music. From this questionnaire I have found that the indie genre is not targeted towards a niche audience and also that music videos are a form of entertainment that are used to complement the song as well as stimulating and entertaining the audience.