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Evaluation Question 1

Evaluation Question 2

Evaluation Question 3

Evaluation Question 4

Evaluation Question 1, 3 and 4 Preparation

I am currently in the editing process of Question 1, 3 and 4 of my Evaluation. Question 1 and 3 are going to be presented in the form of a Prezi whilst Question 4 is going to presented on Emaze. 

I have decided to present question 3 in the form of a Prezi with a voice over recording which will explain the overall effectiveness of the combination of my main product and ancillary texts. Below is an image of the short script that will be heard over my Prezi.

Evaluation Question 2 Preparation

I conducted a survey where I asked people their thoughts on the overall effectiveness of the combination of my main product and ancillary texts. I received 6 responses and this information will be included in Evaluation Question 2.

Evaluation Preparation Vlog

Showcase Evening

The showcase evening was last week and we finally showed off our final music video to a rather large audience. The evening was very successful and also useful as it allowed us to gather audience feedback which will ultimately be included in my Evaluation. Here is the audience feedback that we collected.



Adding to this audience feedback, I also carried out a survey online using 'SurveyGiszmo' which I then sent out to other people within our target audience. Overall, I received 11 responses and the information below will be used in Question 3 of my Evaluation.

Evaluation Preparation

I have began scripting and organising my evaluation questions. Below are brief answers to each of the questions with the style in which I will be presenting each question.

1) In what ways does your media product use, develop, or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
-Use- NoNoNo- Pumpin Blood, Two Door Cinema Club- Something Good Can Work, Crystal Fighters- LA Calling
-Develop- Coincides with our genre, all members of the band shown (lip-syncing), kaleidoscope (effects)
-Challenge- no narrative, all females are shown- strength of the female character

Style
-Vlog
-Blog: Costume, Inspiration, 
-Prezi

2) How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
-Use of kaleidoscope throughout all three media products
-Including the band in all three products
-Nature (used within the kaleidoscope/ subtle)

Style
-iMovie
-Survey
-Voice over

3) What have you learned from your audience feedback?
-What did you like about the music video?
-What do you think could have been improved?
-How well does the music video relate to the indie genre?
-Did you like the fact that there wasn't a narrative?
-What emotions did the music video evoke?
-Can you relate it to any other existing media products?

Style
-Interview
-Survey
-Prezi with voice over

4) How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
-Both software and hardware

Construction and Research
There were a range of media technologies that were vital when constructing and planning our music video.

-iMovie: our music video was solely edited and created on iMovie and it was here that our footage that we collected throughout the year was uploaded and edited on.

-Nikon D3100 DSLR camera: When constucting our music video we used this camera only once but we found that the footage produced was of a very high quality. We used the camera mainly to take a variety of shots of our location and some behind the scene pictures.

-iPhone: We used our iPhones to take photos on location and behind the scenes images to show updates of our progress. It was also a helpful device when listening to the song which ensured our lip-syncing matched perfectly and was used a few times to create vlogs again tracking our progress.

-Panasonic HD SC-90 camcorder: We filmed the majority of our footage on this camera as it was oh a high quality and we were also able to flip the screen over which was very helpful because at certain times when filming all four of us had to be in shot. Once we had finished our filming we then transferred all of our footage from the camcorder on to the iMacs using the SD card. We then uploaded it on to iMovie to begin editing.

-iMac: The iMacs plaed a key role in the constructing, researching and planning stages as it was on these desktop computers where we underwent our media journey.

-Itunes: allowed us listen to a vast range of songs which eventually inspired us to create a music video for a song within the indie genre.

-Youtube: was a strong source where we collected inspiration and useful information about the process of creating a music video. We used this website to upload vlogs which were created on both the iMacs, and also our iPhones and on the camcorder on location which we then uploaded on to our blogs which tracked our progress throughout the year. Our final Music video was also uploaded onto youtube.

-Google: here we collected a range f images for inspiration which was then uploaded on to our blogs. The web was also a useful tool when collecting information on other artists and genres

Planning
At the beginning of the year I signed up to multiple presentation software services and many Web2.0 services because I knew they were going to be vital throughout the year in terms of presenting and planning my findings and also for my final evaluation.

-Blogger- this was the key where I presented all of my findings and work throughout the year. Any presentation, vlog, footage, image was uploaded on to here. It displayed my progress throughout the year.

-Prezi: was a useful tool for presenting my ideas throughout the year and particularly when displaying my evaluation. The prezi I created was then uploaded onto blog.

Ancillary Task and Evaluation
-PicMonkey/ photoshop: This software enabled me to create my digipak. The software allowed me to edit my images using layering techniques, edit the exposure/saturation/brightness,  and finally add text on top to create my didgipak. I created all 4 panels of my digipak on picmonkey, and used a template found on google to ensure I had the correct dimensions.

-Microsoft/ Madmagz: was used to create my magazine advert. I initially used madmagz to look at several ideas for the layout of magazines and inspiration in creating my own magazine advert. Madmagz offered me the dimensions for my magazine advert and an array of designs and effects. I finalized my magazine advert on microsoft word.

-SurveyGizmo: One of my evaluation questions was ' what have you learned from your audience feedback'. For this question we collected audience feedback from those who were present at our showcase evening by capturing their responses on our flip camera, but I thought it was important to collect feedback from a larger sample so I created a survey on 'surveygizmo' which I then sent out to people on facebook and twitter.

-Quicktime: I used this when creating a few of my evaluation questions. The framework allowed me to layer audio over my evaluations to give more in depth responses to the questions.

-Emaze: I used this new online presentation tool for one of evaluations as I wanted to experiment with a variety of media technologies other than just Prezi.

All of this software allowed me to be more creative when it came to presenting any research or planning and my final evaluations. I was allowed to upload videos and images from Google and YouTube and i was also able to upload my own primary images.

I continuously used different methods and media technologies creating cross media convergence throughout the entire process.

Style
-Emaze
-iMovie
-Blog
-Quicktime
-Voice over

Outtakes

Final Music Video

So the deadline for our music video has come and gone and we managed to complete it with a couple of days to spare. The week leading up to the deadline was a busy one as we wanted to add the finishing touches which resulted in a few after school meetings and editing sessions. Overall we are all happy with our final product and believe that both our cinematography and editing skills are reflected in our final music video.

After months of hard work here it is, our final music video- 'Falling' by Constant Impression...

Filming

After showing the class our video, they pointed out that our lip-syncing -which we thought had improved, was not very lively and that we looked too static, so once again we spontaneously decided to grab the camera and go out to truly let go and do some lip-syncing shots. A few members of the class agreed to come out and jump around and sing with us, so we completely let go and managed to somewhat look like we were in a 'band' rather than just a group of people attempting to lip-sync.

Showcase Evening and Evaluation Prep

We have finalised the photo that will appear on the poster for our Showcase evening which is fast approaching. This is the photo that we all agreed on as it includes all four members of the group and it also incorporates the kaleidoscope which is a key element that features in our music video so it is recognisable for the audience.

The Showcase evening not only allows us to present our final products, but it also gives us the opportunity to ask the audience for feedback which is vital as we can then use this information for our evaluations. Now that we have almost finished our music videos the next step is to prepare for our evaluations and the questions are as follows:

• In what ways does your media product use, develop, or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
• How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
• What have you learned from your audience feedback?
• How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Filming and Editing

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, the group made the decision to go out and collect new footage for our lip-syncing parts. It was very successful as we were aware of what parts needed to be re shot so there was no time wasting when it came down to filming. All in all, it took about 30 minutes (not including the well deserved Starbucks break). We are much happier with the footage that we collected as in term of our performance there is much more character and it seems that overall the lip-syncing has also improved greatly.

Here are a few images of the group shooting the final footage.

       

       

After the filming session, we uploaded the footage we collected and continued editing and adding further effects. Here are a couple of images that feature in our music video which demonstrate some effects that we have added.

                                                                           Symmetry

                                          Adding the 'Day and Night' effect

The image above of the sunset could potentially be our final shot in our music video as we feel this could be a good way to finish, due to the fact that we start our video with a sunrise. This shows the events that happen in a full day within the groups life which goes back to our narrative idea.

Final, final filming

We had hoped that our final filming day was last week but we have decided to go out and get further footage as, although we love the different shots we got, we feel that our performance is what is lacking in the footage. As the basis of our music video relies on this fun vibe that we want to create, our somewhat lifeless performances do not quite cut it and overall we think we can achieve better footage if we go out and re shoot to improve on this element whilst still using the same shots. Although this adds slightly more pressure when considering that our deadline is fast approaching, beginning our filming early has allowed us plenty of time to go out and collect more footage which is a relief and we feel we have left enough time to complete this final filming, edit and perfect anything in our music video.

Snippet

Here is a short snippet of each of the group lip-syncing

Editing

We began editing the footage we got from last weeks filming day. It is a very time consuming task as a lot of the editing involved us matching the lip-syncing with the music but most of which has now been completed with the exception of a few parts at the end of the song.

Last weeks filming day was very successful as we experimented with a variety camera angles and camera movements however, the group had a discussion and we felt that our performances in terms of lip-syncing are not as animated and upbeat as we had hoped. We are aware that our priority is the cinematography and editing but to ensure we can create the best final product we still feel that our performance is a vital factor and for this reason we may go out for one final filming day.

As we are nearing the end of editing, we have begun looking into different ways in which we can improve our video and to add finishing touches. This included us discussing and applying a variety of effects and techniques that we can use to improve the overall quality of our music video.

Here are a few images of our editing process and the variety of techniques that we have applied when editing.

                                                                            Layering

                                                           Flipping our footage

                           Experimenting with our framing in the shot

                                              Adding the hard light effect

Filming Day

We completed our final day of filming today, and it was a very successful filming day at that. We first decided to make a list of the different sections that we had not yet got footage for, as we wanted to ensure that we were not missing anything out, and for these parts we wanted to focus especially on lip-syncing. 

As we feel that lip-syncing is a vital part of a music video we decided to do both individual and group lip-syncing to show variety, however I think as a group we feel the individual shots are far better. We experimented with a range of shots including close ups and long shots which all incorporated lip-syncing. We also experimented with framing and we decided to include half of each of the groups faces as we felt this was a really interesting way of showing lip-syncing.

We had a change of costume and location for this filming day but the costume very much coincides with our original idea of a subtle 90s vibe, and our theme of nature is also included as we shot our footage outside. We decided to film on the school premises as it was a realistic filming place as well as the fact that the gardens look beautiful in the summer and although we did not film in the summer, luckily for us the sun decided to make an appearance. It was a brilliant day to film as the lighting was perfect and our choice of costume was also well selected as the colours all looked really good on film and altogether it adds to the bright, fun and feel good atmosphere we hope to create.

After filming we then uploaded about an hours worth of footage and all of which could potentially be used in our final film. We plan to start our final editing next week when we get back to school and our final music video should hopefully be complete in the next couple of weeks.

Here is a quick vlog on location explaining our plans for filming and lip-syncing.

Filming Plans

As a group, we decided from the outset to have a more narrative based music video, as we feel that it suits our choice of song and also the genre of our song. However, looking over what we have produced so far, we feel our music video in general is lacking lip-syncing. Because of this we have now planned for another filming day on Wednesday 19th to go out and collect more lip-syncing shots and possibly more footage in general. Our music video is almost complete, but we want to go out filming one last time to ensure we have the best footage possible, to enable us to create the best final product. 

Magazine advertisement and Digipak Vlog

Here are the hard copies of both my magazine advert and digipak and I have done a quick vlog on how they have met the functions of these products and also how I have followed the majority of conventions of both a digipak and magazine advert.

Final Digipak and Magazine Advert Images

After carrying out a quick survey asking people what magazine advert and digipak design they preferred out of my various options, it was a unanimous vote for the fourth option for my magazine advert and the third option for my digipak. I am glad that people chose these designs, as for myself I felt that it looked far more professional and identifiable, and I am delighted that people appreciated the simplicity of them. Here is my final magazine advert and all four panels of my digipak.

Magazine Advert

Digipak Panels

Magazine Advert Options

Below are the four options for my magazine advert along with a description of how I created them.

The first two options are similar as they have the kaleidoscope as the background with the bands information and ratings on top. I used a very light shade of pink for the font as I thought it contrasted with the dark colours used in the kaleidoscope. The second one I think is stronger as it has an image of the band and although this is not a convention of an indie/ rock magazine advert, it allows the audience to identify the band and I also believe it makes the advert look far more interesting and enticing as the first option looks a little bare.

1)             2) 

Three and four are far more like my initial idea. The third option includes a white background with a strip of kaleidoscope through the middle, with the name of the band on the top of the advert and the ratings, website and where it is available to buy at the bottom. The colours and font are far more simplistic with the purple colour scheme and Century Gothic font throughout.  The fourth one is the same as the third except for the slight alteration of the image. I layered a photo of the band over the kaleidoscope image and although it is subtle it allows the audience to identify the band.

3)       4)

Digipak Tracklist

Continuing work on my digipak, I decided to create an album tracklist. As I could not come up with any track names myself, I decided to use a page of random quotations and chose 12 words or phrases that I thought would coincide well with the vibe that I am trying to create for my album.

Here are the 12 I came up with and they will feature on the back of my digipak.

1. These Three Things
2. 1930
3. These Days
4. Suits
5. Mousetrap
6. Attained
7. Found a Truth
8. Falling
9. End of a Journey
10. When You Wake Up
11. Not Guilty
12. A Compromise

Conventions of a Music Video: The 1975- Girls

I thought this was a really interesting interview with the lead singer Matthew Healy from The 1975. He talks about the expectations and conventions of an indie/ alternative video and how he and his band decided to subvert the stereotypes and create a quirky and bold video. This music video for their latest song 'Girls' is very unlike their previous work such as 'Chocolate and 'Sex' as it uses very bold colouring throughout, whereas they fall into the conventional norms of an indie video with a very simplistic atmosphere and the use of black and white throughout. Healy makes an interesting point about how the audience react to the change and it suggests that we as an audience expect these conventions and it is perhaps more enticing if these conventions are subverted.

"When we released our last video (Sex), people really reacted to the fact that it was in colour. There was a lot of conjecture and talk surrounding it - due to the fact that it was an unexpected stylistic change. It was brought to our attention that certain people thought we were 'conforming to a record companies wishes' along with other expected and unexpected clichés. Obviously this couldn't be further from the truth, we are lucky enough to be surrounded by a group of individuals whose mantra centers on facilitating our creative wishes, we found the whole idea of us being told what to do fascinating. The story of the band who suffer at the hands of a record label shortly after a delirious rise is a tale as old as time. So we kinda wanted to make a tongue in cheek video about it. Twinned with our love of 80's pop, its innocence, grandiosity and conceptual ideas in music videos - we wanted to make a video about a record label’s attempt at enforced conformity. We got our mate Adam down to a studio in Los Angeles at the start of our USA tour, got 4 models and made a video about us not wanting to make a video." Matthew Healy – The 1975

Update Vlog

• Editing and completing filming
• Digipak ideas and planning
• Magazine Advert planning

Digipak Options

Here are three options for the front of my digipak. I have decided to use the kaleidoscope image on all three options as it is seen several times throughout our video and as previously mentioned, a key theme used within our video is nature and as the kaleidoscope was created from footage of trees I thought this was a subtle way of including nature on my digipak.

I edited an image of a kaleidoscope which is seen in our music video on 'picmonkey'. Changing the exposure and colour of the image has made my first option look quite eerie and dark and although this wasn't what I initially had in mind I do like how it has turned out. I later added the name that I created for the band, 'Constant Impression' and also the name of the album 'Falling.

I didn't edit the second option as much as the first, as it is a copy of the kaleidoscope found in the video, which will make it more recognisable for the audience and perhaps for that reason may be a stronger option. I have kept the kaleidoscope as the background as it is a very striking image.

Although I do really like the fact that the kaleidoscope is the prominent part of the digipak on the first and second options, I did want something quite simplistic and the third option is similar to what I initially had in mind. The white background and strip of kaleidoscope I think looks very professional and I like the simplicity of it.

1. 
2. 
3. 

Magazine Adverts

As I have begun the process of creating my digipak as a part of the ancillary task, I thought it would be appropriate to also begin work on creating my own magazine advert. I first wanted to look at other artists magazine adverts to see the conventions and it may also be able to offer me some inspiration.

Functions of a magazine advert

• to promote the artist
• to sell the song
• to be eye catching

Conventions

• release date
• place of purchase
• artists name- crucial as it helps to promote the artist
• record label
• reviews
• genre of band reflected in text/font/image
• tour info

Magazine Analysis'

1) From Ellie Goulding's advert which promotes her album 'Lights' it appears that it is appealing to a young audience through the use of glitter and also the large photo of the young artist. The gold perhaps suggests the youthfulness of the album and an element of fun with the glitter. The album and artists name is clear as it is in bold lettering in the centre of the advert. The advert also includes reviews of the album and star ratings from well known magazines. This convention of an advert is a way of highlighting the interest in the album and the artist from large and reliable magazines, which perhaps enhances the popularity of the album. The artist herself takes up the majority of the advert which instantly highlights to the audience who and what is being advertised. Rating this advert out of 10 for its overall effectiveness for its target audience I would give it a 7, as the younger audience can relate to the artist as she is seen on the advert in large and the colours and bold writing also give it a youthful feel again targeting a younger audience. From the advert the genre of the artist is some what ambiguous but this perhaps makes it more interesting to the audience.

2) Katy Perry's advert also adheres to the conventions of a magazine advert as it displays the name of the artist and the album name, along with an image of the artist which is quite a focal part of the advert. 'Including the number 1 smash hit "I Kissed a Girl"' also advertises the album to those who are interested in the specific song which could ultimately enhance the popularity and the sales of the album. This advert seemingly appeals to both women and men as the artist is dressed in some what girly clothing, but perhaps also suggestively with an element of desire for the male audience. From the bold colours and props this advert also suggest youthfulness and similarly to Ellie Goulding's advert quite a playful atmosphere. I would rate this advert a 6 out of 10 for its overall effectiveness for its target audience as I think although it can be targeted to both men a women its lacks reviews of the album and star ratings which doesn't give an insight into the album for the audience.

3) This advert for The Black Keys album 'Brothers' doesn't include distinct logos or bright colours to attract a younger audience so it perhaps targets a more mature audience who are aware of their music. This very unusual way of advertising their album I think is very effective and original as they do not use any logos or pictures of the band to be identifiable to the audience, instead they just use words to explain who the band are, what the album is called and where and when it will be available. This advert also coincides with their album cover as it also just uses text on the front. Although this advert follows few of the conventions of a magazine advert I would rate the advert an 8 out of 10 for it's overall effectiveness for it's target audience as I feel it has quite a comedic element which perhaps entices the target audience and, although there are no pictures or recognisable logos it gives you all the necessary information needed and quite literally tells the audience what they want to know.

Digipak Images

Today I began the search for images to use for my digipak. I want the digipak to be closely related to our music video and I believe the best way to do this is to use images from our video. I was inspired by 30 Seconds to Mars' album cover 'Love, Lust, Faith + Dreams', as I found that the art work that is used on the front of the cover is seen multiple times throughout the music video and also appears on the CD itself. This is something which is instantly recognisable for the audience and can then be related to the band which is a vital part of marketing.

For my music video, I think the kaleidoscope predominantly stands out and could be a very strong image to interrelate the music video and digipak. Today I began to look at the kaleidoscope which we created and I took a few screenshots of the interesting shapes and colours which are found in the kaleidoscope. Here are some of the images