From Preliminary to Now

Since creating my Prelim task at the beginning of the course My skills have advanced a lot and I have learnt so much, during every part of the process. But like most projects we still had our problems, finding actors, technical difficulties e.t.c however I think we overcame these well.

As the person responsible for filming, I was in charge of setting up the shot and making sure that when filming, the things in shot were framed well. This wasn't new to me as being a photography student I spend most of the time looking at things and framing them, however as most of our film is set outside and in a forest, it was more challenging finding different ways and interesting ways to frame it.

For example in this shot from the dream sequence it is part of a continuous sequence and when filming i mades rue that i got the two trees either side of him because it makes a bit of a frame inside the picture. Then when filming behind him you still have the trees next to him only further away.
When filming I made sure that when I was filming the singing parts, my actor being the singer was really moving his mouth. I did this because it made it easier to lip synch the video to music in the post production stage. This was difficult enough as it was, but by making my actor over emphasise his movements it was easier. As this was one of the most important aspects to get right, this took us the longest to get right. When filming we played the music so that our actor knew how fast to sing which made it easier when synching. However during the post-production stage it was a lot harder to get the lip synching perfect and to make the lips to the words exactly. However there are a few moments where it was impossible to get it exactly in time. I don't think this hindered the overall product as it still looks quite professional.

When we were creating our storyboard we had quite a clear idea of how we wanted it to look and the overall effect. However over time this changed dramatically. Once we had filmed all the footage we had planned we went to put it in the video but we discovered that for where we had planned to put clips they didn't fit and that we had too much footage. So in order to fit it all, we had to cut some of the clips and ended up changing some of the order of the clips, but not too much so it didn't make sense. We understood from our audience feedback that the narrative still made sense and that they understood what was going on.
This wasn't a problem that we had anticipated so doing this has made me more flexible in my ideas and  has made me trust in my own abilities because at the part that was different to our storyboard we were having to wing it slightly and edit it without any help.

During my AS coursework I didn't really comprehend how useful and essential audience feedback is, but now I can see that it is an essential part of the process. Having audience feedback was so important when creating a music video with a narrative because they were accepting that the narrative made sense and especially with ours, as it was quite a complex narrative, we needed to make sure that it definitely made sense. Luckily all our audience feedback was positive and they said it made sense.

Evaluation- Q4

How did you use new media in construction, research, planning and evaluation?

Through each part of the process I have ben using apple products. I used an apple mac to access the internet, the packages in which I made my products and for keeping up to date with my blog. When filming the video I used my ipod to play the music. This was incredibly important especially when filming the singing part of the video as it kept our singer in time with the track. I also used my ipod to film people's reaction to our video to get some vital audience feedback. Apple have been creating products for years and constantly amaze everyone with the technology they are coming up with.



Also throughout every stage I have used youtube at some point. At the start I used it to look for ideas for my own music video, to see what was already out there and what was popular. Then once i had my own idea and i was putting it together i was looking at videos on youtube to compare to my own to see any similarities or differences. Then towards the end i used to put my video on my blog and to put my evaluation on. Youtube has been evolving for years and has become more and more popular as a video sharing platform. It is now easier than ever to go online and watch whatever you want, from funny cat videos to the latest music video.


Next I have used blogger. This has basically been an online diary. I have used it to account everything I have done, the reasons that I have done it and what that has created. Before media studies I had never even heard of blogger, let alone used it, and now i know my way around so much better. Blogs allow people to express their creativity, write about something they love or are passionate about about and share it with the whole world.




Again Facebook is one that I have used repetitively throughout making my video and ancillary tasks. To start with I  create surveys about rock music of which i placed on Facebook. Whever I made some decisions i placed them on Facebook to see what other people think. Once I had created the video i placed the video on Facebook, as another way to gain audience feedback and to see what other people think. I then did the same  thing with my poster and my digipak as a way of gaining feedback.

Construction

When creating the music video, I used Adobe Premiere Pro. I used this rather than iMovie, because there is more you can do with and it will look better using Premiere. There are more effects you can use and make it look more professional. This was the first time that I had ever used this program and to start off with it was a pain to use because i didn't know how to use it and the procedure you have to go to when you go on it. However once i had learnt how to use the more simple effects like cutting clips and adding transitions it was a lot easier. We used a Sony HD AVCHD Camcorder which Janet already had, so it meant that we didn't have to borrow it from the school.




Finally for the my ancillary tasks I used Adobe photoshop. I have used photoshop in the past, for my AS coursework and for other subjects such as photography, so using this was a lot easier than premiere. Constructing my poster was very similar to the construction of my magazine for my AS portfolio, so I was able to fulfil this part of the course quicker.

The other main piece of equipment we used was a tripod. Luckily I had my own tripod, of which we used, because then we didn't need to rely on borrowing one from the school. A tripod was very useful for keeping the camera still and also making movements like panning really smooth

Evaluation- Q3

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Throughout the process of planning and creating my music video audience feedback has been a vital part of it. All the way through we have made sure that our audience are liking what we are doing. When conceiving our idea we pitched it to a group of 17-19 year olds male and female and all the feedback was positive. They did pick up on the complexity of the idea which we had already taken into consideration. However they thought it was a really exciting prospect and that it was really ambitious.

When in the construction stage we were constantly getting people to watch and comment on our video. Each time it was different people and every time it was positive. Every so often we asked people outside of our intended audience to view and their comments were incredibly positive as well. Although a lot of the time these were my peers and they had some knowledge of the media and what works well and what you need to create a good product

Then when it was completely finished we had lots of other people view including people who don't do media and didn't know what made a good video. Again the whole way through, the comments and feedback were positive. 

I mainly gained my feedback from face to face conversations however with my ancillary tasks i stuck an image of my poster on the wall of the media room and asked people to comment. 

One of my viewers in particular liked the video so much that after watching the video she said that we could create a couple of series music videos and she would watch them.

Evaluation- Q2

How effective is the combination of all three products?

Evaluation-Q1

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

Andrew Goodwins theory of codes and conventions consist of 4 things:

• Thought beats- Editing the video so that the clips change on the beat.
• The use of Narrative and performance during the video. Creating a narrative that can Aplify, illustrate or disjuncture the lyrics of the song.
• Creating a star image. This means that the whole video is based around the singer and is aimed at promoting the singer.
• Using technical codes. These consist of editing techniques, camera shots types of sounds and how the video generally holds together. 

The general definition of a convention is something that is recognized by an audience and is accepted.

video feedback

We managed to film some of our viewers whilst watching our music video and their reactions. Unfortunately only the female gender is covered with these reactions, but this was due to time constraints. This audience feedback is very important because it shows what people think of our video and what they think is good and bad. One things that someone mentions is the lip syncing at one point. We had one clip where it was in sync at the beginning but not at the end and vice versa and after a while we realised that we weren't going to be able to get the whole clip in sync.#

FINAL MUSIC VIDEO!

So we finally finished our music video and exported it. Here it is.

Digipak

Here is what I have created for my digipak:

The version on the left is the actual version with Nat's Face being the front cover and the trees being on the inside. I have then flipped it so that it is easier to see the images of the trees.

My front cover is very similar to my poster only Nat is looking at the camera rather than looking away. In a way I have adhered and subverted this convention. By nearly having it the same I have adhered to this convention but by not having it exactly the same I have subverted it.

The image on the back is taken from my actual video and has the track listings on. I have kept to conventions of cd backings by having the barcode, the record label and the web address on it. This web address lets the listeners access more of the bands information and music and it is another way for them to access them. I have included 14 tracks and I have used the songs I have because these are the songs on the original cd.

For the inside of my digipak I have decided to use one image and then flip it so that it is the same image, only symmetrical. At first the image wasn't this dark but by changing some of the vibrance and brightness settings I have made it look darker so it looks more creepy. I wanted to do this because our music video has an element of creepy and mysterious in it and i wanted this to come across in the Digipak. By using one image I have subverted this convention because there are aren't many digipak that only use one image.

Poster-Updated

I stuck my poster on the wall in our editing suite with a piece of paper taped next to it to get feedback from general people. All the feedback was constructive and helped me change a lot of smaller things. Here it is stuck on the wall.

A lot of the feedback was based around some of the fonts not looking right and not fitting with the genre, and that some of the titles needed to be bigger. They liked the image and said it liked to the video really well. I have taken on people's comments and have edited my poster. Here is the updated version.

I have changed the fonts at the bottom so that they are the same and link more to the genre; I have increased the size of the words 'Bleeding out'; I have added a drop shadow on 'Imagine Dragons' in a light green colour so that it stands out more; and finally I created a new layer under neath the image and made it darker, then erased the top layer on the sky and bushes, just so it wasn't as bright. By changing my poster according to my feedback I am making it more appealing to my audience. I have also added the web address for the band at the bottom and the amazon logo. This is to show that this cd will be valuable to buy on amazon and it is another platform that people can get hold of their music. The web address allows access into their world where fans can get more information, usually about things like tour dates, merchandise and information about the band members.

Audience reception theory

Audience reception theory is based on the way audiences interpret different texts. Some say that it is a newer version of the reader response literary theory.
Audience reception theory came about around the 1970's/80's and was on the work done by sociologist Stuart Hall. It was a way of characterising the wave of audience research and it went away from the idea that media had the power to directly cause a certain behaviour in an individual. It was also to show that audiences aren't passive. They engage when viewing a text and like to think about what they are watching.
This theory stated that texts are encoded with a meaning or with messages put in by the producers, which are then decoded by the audience. There are three types of readings which the audience will pick up on:

• Dominant/ Preferred
• Negotiated
• Oppositional

A dominant reading is where the audience decodes the text as the producer wants them to and then generally agrees with it. For example watching a political speech and agreeing with it.

A negotiated reading is where the audience accepts, rejects or refines elements of the text. This is like neither agreeing or disagreeing with a political speech

Then finally a oppositional reading is where the dominant meaning is recognised but then rejected due to social or cultural context. This is like completely rejecting what one of the political candidates is saying.

What I have done...

During this process of filming a music video I have been doing this as part of a pair. We decided between us that I would be responsible for the filming part of this project, and Janet, my co-producer, would be mainly responsible for the editing side. We felt this would be the right way round as I do a lot of other visual arts based courses like photography, I look at things in a different way. I know how to frame things well and what looks good in a shot, a bit more than Janet does. However Janet is a lot better at editing and using the editing software so we decided that she should do the editing.

Digipak back cover

Secondly i created the back cover. At first there were two images that i really liked and i couldn't decided which one was better. These are the images:

They are both shots from the video and involve him and the flower so i thought they fitted in really well. I decided to go ahead with both of them and see which one ended up looking the best. Like the other products i made the images darker and then altered the contrast to make them look dramatic

Then I entered the names of Imagine Dragons' other tracks to the side of the him. I chose 14 tracks because this is around the number that other cd's have. I chose a very simple font so that when reading it you can understand what it says. Choosing the colour was actually the hardest part. In both images there are a variety of colours from top to bottom, so finding a shade of a colour that could be seen in the whole things was quite hard. 

The image on the right i used white but I had to move the writing over slightly as there was a spot where it was quite hard to see some of the writing, but once moved over to the right slightly they could all be seen. The image on the left was a lot harder because i couldn't find a colour that matched the rest of the product but could also be seen at the top and the bottom. I finally found a shade of red that could be seen all over. Here are the two designs I came up with:

After creating both I can clearly see that the one on the left is a lot clearer and one of my target audience said it was a lot more dramatic. I also like how the names of the songs curve around the rose. I feel this emphasises the important of the rose within the video more.

Digipak front cover

I have started to create the design work for my digipak. First of all i decided to work on the front cover. Originally i was going to make the front cover the same as the poster but then i thought that would just be boring so then i decided to make it very similar but not the same. This is the image i have used for the front cover:

The first thing i did to this was crop it so that it was only his head and shoulders. I thought this would make my product stand out from others in a shop or on the shelf.

Like my poster i changed the offset, brightness and contrast levels to make it bolder and to get rid of the slight white wash look that the image had.

I then added the writing. I kept with the same font that i had used for the poster so that they would match. Originally I had just used the name of the band and i really like how it fitted on the bottom of the image and that the wooden pendant on his necklace fitted between the space in 'Imagine dragons'.

Then i realised that i should put the name of the album on the front so that people would know what they were buying. I put it directly above the band name because it was the most aesthetically pleasing and because 'Bleeding out' is shorter than 'Imagine dragons' it goes out nicely in a diagonal line.

This is my first draft for my front cover:

Poster.

I have started to create my poster for my ancillary task. At the weekend i took some photos of our singer and this is the photo I have decided to use for my poster:

I feel it is a strong image because it relates back to the video with his outfit and the scenery behind him. Although i am subverting the conventions of a usual poster by not having him look at the camera, you can still see that it is him and you can still see his face. Once uploading my image I changed the offset on the image to bring out some of the colours a bit more and to make the whole thing stand out more. I also altered the brightness and contrast levels so that it was a bit darker but then really contrasted.

I then added the name of the band 'Imagine dragons' at the top in black writing in a font called 'AmazObitaemOstrovBold'. Although it gave the poster a slight video game look i think this font fits with my genre. Finding the right font was very tricky because i wanted it to look just right and to connote my genre of music.

I then had to decide where the rest of the writing would go. I decided the put the words 'Bleeding out' in the same font but in white instead so you could see it. I placed it just across his chest because it is below the band name and also just below the centre of the image so your eyes will naturally progress downwards and see the title. 

Again following the natural progression downwards i put the words 'Out: April 2015' across his arms in a different font from the band name and title. The font used is a lot simpler than the band name and therefore isn't as in your face as the others. 

Finally i put some of the songs included in the album. This was one of the only problems i came to whilst creating the poster because i originally wanted these words to be in the same design as 'Out: april 2015'. However nether way looked right so i decided to keep them as two different fonts.

Here is my first draft of my poster design:

Poster designs

We have been looking through existing album posters and have been trying to come up with some designs for the poster and parts of the digipak. Here are some of our ideas.

We have aimed to use existing frames from the video or those that are similar. This will make it less complicated to produce and will make the product relatively simple as well.

Filming the final scenes

We were finally able to meet up with some people to film the final section of our music video. Although we had less people than we would have hoped for we still went ahead with it otherwise we felt like we wouldn't have another chance to do it. We decided to film this part in the woods next to the old tip in Sidmouth. It is a very dense forest so there were lots of options of where we could film. We decided to use an old train track and involve that in our filming as a place for our protagonist to hide. It was also a good chance to use chiaroscuro in our video. The whole place gave off an old, abandoned atmosphere to the chase.

When putting the clips of him walking through the forest we decided to make the first shot slow-motion to give a bit more tension to this part . We also had quite a few shots to use, so as to not make it boring we used lots of short clips flashing to different points in the forest.

Evidence

Our filming has finally come to an end. It has been a very stressful journey trying to get people together but overall I feel we have been very organised. Throughout this process I have learnt how important organisation, research and communication have been.

These images are from the days when we were filming at the protagonists house. This was our first day of filming and i feel we were quite organised. We managed to get all our actors together in the right place. It took a bit longer to get started than we had anticipated but we managed to get it sorted.









These images are from the days we were filming the dream/ nightmare sequence. From our point of view as directors this was our best day because everyone turned up on time in the right stuff, we had everything with us and everything happened on time and we even finished early.

From a filming direction our biggest problem was filming the amazons. From the beginning we knew this was going to be our biggest problem out of the whole video but we didn't think it would be that much of a problem getting 10 people together. However it was. After about 4 different times attempting to meet people, we got 4 turn up so we decided to film it then rather than put it off again. It isn't quite the look we had planned but at least we got some people.

Ancillary task- Advertising poster.

These are some examples of advertising posters for current artists. There are some things that they both have in common. They are  both very simple. It is the artist on a basic background with the writing in front of them. This is the type of style that I would like to follow for our poster. I think the simplicity makes the information stand out more and you are more likely to remember what it looks like and then look out for that poster or the album. They both have the artist's name in a bold font so that it stands out; the name of the album underneath it; when the album is out, either a date or the word NOW; then one or two of their hits. The image is incredibly bold and you can that the poster is about them. This is what i think makes a successful poster.

Ancillary tasks-Digipak

As part of our ancillary tasks we have to create a Digipak. A Digipak is an album cover, backdrop and the inside design work, for a CD. Often on the back part of the CD cover it involves what tracks are on the CD, who has sung them, when it was created/released and all the technical details like who their record label are and who produces them. CD digipaks are made out of card stock. The most common CD digipaks are the 4 panel digipak. With being made out of card stock, the number of panels that you have can very. This has made the CD digipak a very popular CD packaging solution.