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

Within our production process we made use of many new media technologies which all helped contribute to designing, producing and accessing audience feedback.

* The main programme we used to create our video was Final Cut Express, teaching ourselves fairly complex techniques such as stop motion and split screen in order to achieve the style of music video we planned – that being one following no particular narrative, but being ‘random’, nonsensical and simply visually entertaining.

(whilst speaking, video playing of us creating stop motion section on final cut, and maybe split screen bits)

* An important feature of our video is the overlaying animation – we achieved this effect through using Adobe Photoshop.

It was a lengthy, time consuming process but we are really impressed with the level of animation we managed to produce, seeing as we had never done it before and had to work out how to achieve the effect ourselves, teaching each other the technique as we went. (playing video of animation being made).

To create the animation we had to convert the video clip into Photoshop, where the programme splits the video file into 100’s of frames, that we then filtered through to find the appropriate sections of lyrics for example, then began drawing on the chosen image on every layer (100+) moving its position slightly each time, so when all the frames are played alongside one another, the pictures become a moving sequence.

* Social networking – In relation to audience feedback, we relied a lot on social networking media such as Youtube, facebook, myspace and Last.fm – we used each platform in varying ways to gain the specific feedback we needed.

- We used Facebook and myspace to upload sections of the edit as we went along, to ensure we were meeting the expectations of our target audience, and were keeping every section of the video on track to the best of our ability, to avoid any sections lacking full attention.

- We used last.fm when researching our band to gain information on the genre, their existing work, the demographic of their target audience and their overall style.

- we also used myspace to further this research, gaining knowledge on their audiences in relation to age, gender and social group.

- We used youtube to gain wider feedback other than just from our peers on facebook and myspace – by uploading early edits onto youtube we were able to see feedback from existing fans of the band who would’ve potentially been searching for videos of the Shout Out Louds songs, and would’ve come across ours in their searching – therefore we have a direct response from real fans of this genre and band that we don’t know, giving us real, honest opinions on the work so far.

*  Another fairly new media technology we made use of during out production was SD cameras – in previous years filming for A2 media would’ve been done on DV tape cameras, but we were able to use SD cards which provided us with a much simpler, quicker process when uploading and selecting successful clips.

- When filming straight onto SD the clips cannot go directly into Final Cut, but have to be converted into a different format beforehand. To achieve this we made use of a SHAREWARE programme called ‘MPEG Streamclip’ where you drag and drop a file into the window, select export to Quicktime, then chose the format ‘Apple DV Pal’ – this process is very quick and as soon as it’s done the files are ready for final cut. 

Evaluation Question Two

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

(top right) this is the image of the vinyl that we used to create our ancillary tasks. It was taken on a standard digital camera, although the quality is good i feel it could have been improved to make the overall macro effect a lot better. we removed the white background so that we could add images behind it. This took no time at all and we were able to use it for a variety of different aspects of our ancillary task.

When we were creating our music video the opening sequence of our filmed contained a shot of vinyl spinning round. On this vinyl was a paper cut out which i designed to cover the original design of the vinyl, which we had bought very cheaply from a charity shop. To continue this theme throughout our media product we used a still image of the record player which we then uploaded onto photoshop so we could edit around the vinyl to make it appear white.This made the appearance of this look more appropriate for an album cover and was suitable to fit our target audience and genre. I have included an image of what our album cover looks like when it is opened out. The top two squares are the front and back cover and is taken from the idea of the Kaiser Chiefs album cover. It is also heavily related to themes with in our media product and a line in the song 'you've seen things Ive only read in books' we felt that it was the best option to relate to this to make the connection between our music video and ancillary task noticeable. Another aspect of our album cover that relates heavily to our product are the images behind the vinyl. We used a variation of screen shots from memorable points in our music video. we then saved them all individually and made them look as if they were Polaroid pictures. we arranged them onto photoshop as if they had been scattered around. We also carried on this theme onto the lyrics page, which we decided to add after receiving audience feedback on our questionnaire. I feel that the continuity of the theme is excellent and the links between our ancillary ask and product are excellent.

(Shot of opening sequence)

This is the vinyl that we used throughout of video to include in our poster and album cover. We have used various shots throughout the video to ensure that we used intertextual reference though out.

(Poster design)

Here is an image of the poster that we designed for the ancillary task. We have continued the theme of vinyl throughout of products to ensure it shoes thought of continuity and theme. As a group we thought it would be better to include the Polaroid images behind the vinyl so that it links strongly with our album cover. As a poster i feel the over outcome is excellent because it is clear, informative and fits out target audience perfectly. Also creating it on photoshop allowed us to have more options when designing it. Another bonus was the fact that as a group we gained many skills adding animation to our video.

Here is the overall outcome of our album cover. Once the book has been put together it looks very realistic and links strongly with the representation on books with in our video. The vinyl throughout our ancillary task adds continuity and theme to the finish product. As an overall piece i am very happy with the outcome and i feel that it looks professional and meets the needs of our consumer. As a group i am happy with the amount of time and effort that we put into this as i feel the management of the time was dealt with very well to ensure that we met the deadline this time. It also helped that i was able to use scanners, printers and photoshop in other classrooms so that we could get it done quicker in the lessons we had.

Evaluation question 3: What did you learn from your audience feedback?

 

SCRIPT FOR VIDEO. 

Evie

In order to establish our target audience, after deciding which song to use we thoroughly researched the ‘Shout Out Louds’ as a band, through their MySpace site, their Last.fm profile and website. Through looking through the comments posted onto these sites, and also the comments posted on their videos on YouTube we were able to see that the majority of those commenting were both male and female in the age range 18-24 years.

Anna

This discovery was supported by our research into indie music as a genre in general, through which we discovered that it is mostly aimed at and attracts young people in the 18-24 age range due to it’s ‘alternative’ style and colourful and diverse content. We therefore came to the conclusion that our target audience was made up of males and females aged 18-24 years.

Ellie

We collected opinions from our target audience throughout the production and postproduction processes of our video, so as to ensure that we were creating a product that attracted and fulfilled our consumer’s needs and expectations.

Originally our concept involved dividing the narrative between a male and female character – following the idea that the female character was releasing new life and showing the male character “something new”.

Evie

When we had created our first rough edit we asked for opinions from our audience based on this concept and realised after analysing the feedback we received, the relationship between the two characters was unclear and therefore we recognised we needed to make changes in order to improve this as it was such a central part of our product.

Anna

Based on this constructive criticism we received we decided to replace the sections of the film that contained the female character with shots of the male protagonist so as to create an improved sense of continuity and a clearer narrative within the piece.

Ellie

The other main piece of criticism we received was that the shots of the male protagonist lip-syncing in front of the white wall were too plain, especially for the typically colourful indie genre to which the piece of music belongs.  In the feedback we received it was suggested that we could add an element of animation to some of the shots in order to introduce some colour and variation to the overall text.

After discussion we decided that this would be an appropriate element to include due to it being present in other similar texts and also suggested by a member of the target audience meaning that it was likely to attract our target audience in general.

Evie

We also carried out audience research when discussing ideas for our magazine advert and digipack designs. This was in the form of a questionnaire, in which we focused on asking members of our target audience which features they would be most attracted to within the digipack design; for example if they would prefer it in black and white, colour, or a mix of both, or if images from the music video itself should be include in order for the product to be wholly successful.

Anna

We also asked for audience opinions on the content of the promotional products, for example whether the bands website should be included, or if the lyrics of the song should be present within the digipack design.

Evie

We then analysed these results in the form of graphs and tables, and concluded that in order to attract our audience to buy the product, the magazine advert and digipack cover designs should incorporate a selection of colour and black and white elements, and images from the video should be present. The lyrics of the song and the bands website should also be included within the design.

Overall we feel our audience research was effective as it helped us shape a product that attracted the target audience, as well as the promotional texts to support this.  When questioned, 80% of our sample group concluded that they were more likely to purchase the music video on disk rather than download it, if the digipack and magazine advert attracted them. We took into account constructive criticism in order to achieve this, as well as forming promotional products based on suggestions from members of the target audience themselves, in order for us to ensure that the product would sell. 

 

Evaluation Question One

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

To start off our investigation into our music video we firstly looked into suitable songs that were not signed to a well established record label, this would make it easier for us as a small group to gain consent from the organisation and band to use their song. After looking into this and receiving a fast response from ‘bud fox management’ we then decided as a group to look at other music videos and music video products to gain knowledge of the market and to give us the opportunity to develop our ideas.

When looking at other real media products we picked up a few techniques that we thought would look effective within the genre of our music video – ‘Indie rock’. 

Example – Kickstarts                                                   

When viewing this media product we were interested with the idea of feet tapping to the beat of the music. We felt that it would both fit in with the genre of the music and our target audience. To challenge this convention as a group we decided to only have one pair of feet tapping to the music (so there is no split screen). I feel that the outcome of this technique is very effective as we could use it through out the open sequence of our music video. We were able to split the opening sequence so that it alternated bewtween shots of the protagonists' face and shots of the feet. We wanted to inclded fast edits thorugh out the music video so that it linked and resembled edits with in the 'Kickstart' video. Unforunatly due to the bad quailty of the SD camera it is not as good quality as we first thought. Another factor was the dark lighting in the room. It would have been more suitable if we had lights to light the area. I have included a screen shot on the left from out music video to show how the shot challenges that of Examples.

.

Another technique that we recognised with in the music video was the split screen just after the foot tap. Again we felt that this technique was very effective and would fit into almost everything in our music video. We particularly liked how the frames multiplied as the music progressed. To challenge this convention we chose to start with a black screen (bottom right) we then took clips from different sections of our music video that were significant with in the video and separated the verses. We made each clip gradually come onto the screen to that in time it would create a 9 way split. We then selected the frame we wanted and it would come out to reveal a full screen. The music video would then carry on. We did this in ever interlude.  Although the concept of the technique is the same we have modified it so much to fit the needs and opinions of our target audience that the link between the technique isnt that reconisable which is disapointing. However i feel that the outcome of this technique is excellent and adds aesthetic values to the overall macro effect of our video.

In terms of our digipack we looked at various colours, techniques and layouts that could be used. However we felt that it would be best to create a digipack that had strong relations between our music video. The strongest aspect to use was books - opens out, and we could design our own front cover. I had seen the 'Kaiser Chiefs' album cover before and remembered the distinct album cover of a book. As a group we felt that it would be an excellent idea to design and create our own book cover to fit in with the genre of our music video.

To challenge and develop this we decided to change the colour of the digipack to reflect the genre of the music, and also so consumers would buy our product due to the eyecatching colour. We also decided that it would be best for the title to be hand written so that it linked with the vynil at the beginning of our video. In comparison to the 'Kaiser chiefs' who have used black as the background colour and yellow as the label, also this stands out very well we felt that it would make the band look more like a rock band instead of indie rock. As a final outcome i feel that or digipack is the most successful aspect of our ancilary task as it has been well thought about and shows in our final outcome.

In terms of our poster we didnt look at specific existing media products when desinging it. Originally we had planned to look at music magazines etc but unforunatly due to issues eguarding our music video we didnt get round to doing this. I already had a few magazines but none of them included the type of content we were looking for to create our poster. As a group we decided to go forward and create our poster on photoshop and i feel the over all outcome of it is very effective.

Focus group

We have put together a small focus group in which we put quetions to them to them to get positive feedback. They have also watched our music video and we recieved very positive feedback from them. They felt that the animation was a really professional aspect of the video and works very well with our genre and music video. They felt that a few of the clips looked a bit basic and could have done with being a lot more imaginative, however on the whole the quality of the video was good and we recived the feedback we wanted to. In relation to our ancillary tasks they felt that it looked very professional and that it suited the genre well. They particularly liked how we had used the vynil through out our project. They felt it related well and created intertextual reference.

Changes in the industry

Today I found another news article documenting the changing music industry, this time focusing on the record label 'Mercury's decision to abandon the production of music singles on CD and vinyl. This is due to a huge drop in both CD and vinyl sales, with music download continuing to be the most popular consumer choice in regard to purchasing both singles and albums.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/12850186

DISASTER!!!!!

today i wasnt able to be in the lesson as i was helping another group out with thiers filming, however i heard from a very worried and upset group that when they had gone to open the timeline that all of our video was gone.....As i wasnt actually there i dont know the whole story but Mr Canning managed to sort it out and get all of it back, thank god because i dont know what we would have done as when they last marked the video it wasnt actually done so that would effected our grade alot. Mr Canning has now backed it up incase it happens again.