Saturday, 2 May 2015
Friday, 1 May 2015
Wednesday, 29 April 2015
question 1
In which way does your media products use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of media products?
Our group and I spent much time researching similar music videos within the rock genre so that I could gain an understanding of the forms and conventions of the typical genre which would enable me to use, develop or challenge the forms and conventions. First of all i started off by researching what the actual conventions were for a pop music video and I found out many
- The artists are usually clothed in fashionable, stylish and up to date outfits
- Artists are portrayed as happy, enjoying and content with life
- The lyrics are normally based around love or relationships
- Often bands express the unity associated with teens which is the main target audience for pop music genre.
- The genre is normally conveyed through the video dressing and setting and lasts around 3-5 minutes long with a set structure and consistent beat.
- Our music video was performance narrative based like most pop videos. Our theme to our video is love.
The main research source that we used was YouTube and it was extremely incredible because it has a wide range of music videos. Some of the songs we looked at were:
Latch-Discolure feat. Sam smith https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93ASUImTedo
Chandeleir-SIA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vjPBrBU-TM
Money on my mind - Sam Smith https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0G9T5Bnjlc
Elastic Heart-SIA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWZGAExj-es
Maps-Maroon 5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmugSMBh_iI
Once we had looked at many music videos, we knew we wanted to base out music video on 'Latch' by Sam Smith as this was something which we would be good at when working in a group with non actors which would portray a similar narrative and we could film in many different locations where as some of the videos we watched did not have much of a story to them. We identified that many pop music videos are based around love and every day life so it was vital that we replicated this in our video. I then went on to watch many other students from over the years who had created their own music videos and we would then decide what were their strengths and weaknesses and things we could rein-act and put to good use for our video. We wanted to have a clear story line flowing right through for the audience to recognise what was going on.
We used the inspiration from the Sam Smith 'latch' for the locations of our performance aspect. We recognised that this video used a natural environment such as a bedroom, a house, a lift and a party room so we decided to set ours similar to this which are every day locations and had ours at places such as train stations, the roads and alleyways near by and the parks.
When we decided to create a music video for our A2 media coursework we knew we also had to create a magazine advertisement for a digipak and a digipak for the albums release. When we were making these things, we used, developed and challenged other media products to make this OUR OWN video. We changed up the camera angles and any close shots to far away ones. We used mis en scene, and the change of speed for different parts in our video helped up to understand each convention more and how they affected the audiences viewings. The Videos we looked at which I have listed above were based around romance and there is not much miming going on so we wanted to re-create this in our video to make it look as professional as the real things.
our camera angles:
Once we had researched various music videos, it was obvious how much camera angles were important when creating a video. The angles used create excitement and close up shots show the emotions of the actors as well as bringing attention to an object close up. An example of this is when Rhyce is on his phone in the train station and it's zoomed in on. When editing our video, we also purposely chose to have a slow transition fading in on clip to the other. Romance and love songs don't tend to be fastly paced so we created this affect in our music video. Mis-En-scene was challenged by us because we dressed our actors in natural casual clothing that suited their personality, the music and were the scene was set. T-shirts, jeans, trainers were worn by Rhyce and Jeans, a coat and flat shoes were worn by our female actor Lucy. These outfits are a representation for what teenagers wear to this day and felt that with this having happened, our target audience was around the 13+ year olds that like pop music and can relate to the music video through anything thats happened, maybe they are in a relationship, maybe they are looking for one, maybe they just like the reality of the video for it being a real life video.
Our video includes one of Sam Smiths major effect in his song 'Latch'. At 3 minutes 13 seconds in his video, the two girls are in a position and then the camera angle is spun around which is very similar with what we do in our music video when she spin the camera around Rhyce's face back and fourth.
Close ups: We have used these to focus on Lucy and Rhyce's face during the shoot. Doing this type of shot shows us their emotions and expressions through their face and body language. These type of shots also allow the audience to relate with the actor and the storyline by seeing up close and personal what's going on.
Tracking shots: I used this type of shot when I filmed Lucy walking and this type of shot is when the camera taker walks side by side with the actor to follow their movements across a certain location which was in the street for this shot. Not many of these type of shots were used in our video.
High angle shots: I used this shot a lot when it came to Rhyce sitting down at the train station. a High shot is when the camera is placed above the actor.
Low angle shots: This is when the camera is placed below the actor which looks up at them and creates a feeling of strength. This was probably one of the least type of shots we used throughout our video as we mainly aimed to use close ups and long body shots to show the story we were trying to tell, clearly.
Our video includes one of Sam Smiths major effect in his song 'Latch'. At 3 minutes 13 seconds in his video, the two girls are in a position and then the camera angle is spun around which is very similar with what we do in our music video when she spin the camera around Rhyce's face back and fourth.
Close ups: We have used these to focus on Lucy and Rhyce's face during the shoot. Doing this type of shot shows us their emotions and expressions through their face and body language. These type of shots also allow the audience to relate with the actor and the storyline by seeing up close and personal what's going on.
Tracking shots: I used this type of shot when I filmed Lucy walking and this type of shot is when the camera taker walks side by side with the actor to follow their movements across a certain location which was in the street for this shot. Not many of these type of shots were used in our video.
High angle shots: I used this shot a lot when it came to Rhyce sitting down at the train station. a High shot is when the camera is placed above the actor.
Low angle shots: This is when the camera is placed below the actor which looks up at them and creates a feeling of strength. This was probably one of the least type of shots we used throughout our video as we mainly aimed to use close ups and long body shots to show the story we were trying to tell, clearly.
Our props:
We had two main props which we used throughout. The first was the use of a mobile phone which was used by our male actor, Rhyce. It was used in the train station when he was listening to music so we could zoom in to see what he was listening to which is similar to the official music video 'latch'. A mobile phone is a main prop which most teenagers walk around carrying with them to this day and again, as our target audience is teenagers, this works. The second prop we used were Dre beats headphones which is a well known type of headphone to all teenagers. The male actor Rhyce used these in the train station to put on when the start of the song kicked in. Another thing which was used was a stick in the park for Rhyce to throw into the water and lastly, I provided Lucy with her gloves as it was a cold day and went with what she was wearing.
Our locations:
First of all we went out to many places around Wallasey, Newbrighton and Birkenhead to have a look at different locations which we wanted to film in, we made sure that when we went, we knew where about in that particular place that we would film so if it was the park we were in, we planned to film at the boat house and the lake. We also looked at the weather and where about in them locations had nice lighting to go with the filming. The places we chose were every day places and well known so the park, alley ways, streets and a train stations. We thought the train station worked and was a good place for the two actors to meet and lose eachother. Once the train passes by, our female actor Lucy vanishes so she got on the train suddenly after Rhyce had spotted her which he may then never of seen her again. When this happens, he obviously wants to find her again but does not know where she has gone. Using diegetic noises such as the trains noise at the train station seen and the cars in the street seen show a sign of realism. The next location on the street is where they are walking down roads which meet together and they accidentally bump into each other because Rhyce is looking down at his phone. This street zone is where Rhyce finally meets Lucy again but Rhyce notices her more than anything, Lucy just gives a look as if to say 'watch where you are walking'. This next scene carrys on the stories narrative because they are constantly searching for each other but they keep meeting and not realising it. The last location is the park where the will meet again without realising it. We will still use diegetic noises coming from the surroundings such as the wildlife and people walking round the park. When we had a look at other music videos, we noticed that when the singer is not on the scene, the music video rely on diagetic sounds to carry the story line on.
First of all we went out to many places around Wallasey, Newbrighton and Birkenhead to have a look at different locations which we wanted to film in, we made sure that when we went, we knew where about in that particular place that we would film so if it was the park we were in, we planned to film at the boat house and the lake. We also looked at the weather and where about in them locations had nice lighting to go with the filming. The places we chose were every day places and well known so the park, alley ways, streets and a train stations. We thought the train station worked and was a good place for the two actors to meet and lose eachother. Once the train passes by, our female actor Lucy vanishes so she got on the train suddenly after Rhyce had spotted her which he may then never of seen her again. When this happens, he obviously wants to find her again but does not know where she has gone. Using diegetic noises such as the trains noise at the train station seen and the cars in the street seen show a sign of realism. The next location on the street is where they are walking down roads which meet together and they accidentally bump into each other because Rhyce is looking down at his phone. This street zone is where Rhyce finally meets Lucy again but Rhyce notices her more than anything, Lucy just gives a look as if to say 'watch where you are walking'. This next scene carrys on the stories narrative because they are constantly searching for each other but they keep meeting and not realising it. The last location is the park where the will meet again without realising it. We will still use diegetic noises coming from the surroundings such as the wildlife and people walking round the park. When we had a look at other music videos, we noticed that when the singer is not on the scene, the music video rely on diagetic sounds to carry the story line on.
Tuesday, 28 April 2015
question 2
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
The digipak, music video and magazine advert/poster must all link together so that the fans are able to link together all of these media formats when they are looking to buy the music. I tried to influence the audience as much as possible by including the same aspects of the video, digipak and magazine advert/poste creating a contrast between each media text. I done this by using things such as the same locations and actors which shows there is a strong link between them.
DIGIPAK
I feel that my digipak fulfils its purpose as I believe it holds all the conventions needing within and there are many different conventions which could of been used but I chose individual ones which were mostly the most important ones.
For my back page, we all got together when coming up with the song names and titles which we thought would be included within a love music video's digipak. I feel that the song titles chosen actually work. When creating my digipak, I tried to make sure that my front and back covers were as much like professional ones as I could.
Would it be appropriate for my target audience?
I feel that yes it will be appropriate for my target audience as my audience is teenagers and I feel i have followed popular and well known artists such as Taylor swift who is well known by teenagers. This means that when they look at mine and notice similar features, they will be intrigued as to what its about. My digipak's target audience is appropriate for those that age from around 14 upwards. Quite a lot of people will be able to relate to my music video as it is about love and there are plenty of people out there that are constantly in and out of love so feel it would especially suite these type of people.
How do my ancillary tasks combine with my music video?
I feel that my music video was based specifically around Rhyce and Lucy who were the two artists therefore I knew my ancillary task had to include these to on and around it somewhere. My Digipak combines with my music video because the clothing worn by Rhyce and Lucy are both used in the music video itself also. My ancillary tasks link with the music video also because I have used some screen shots from the clips included in my video so the audience can therefore see those two actors on the front of a Digipak and then remember that these were the ones in the music video. I have made sure that all my products can be recognised together as a package and audiences will be able to see this when they look at my final products.
The digipak, music video and magazine advert/poster must all link together so that the fans are able to link together all of these media formats when they are looking to buy the music. I tried to influence the audience as much as possible by including the same aspects of the video, digipak and magazine advert/poste creating a contrast between each media text. I done this by using things such as the same locations and actors which shows there is a strong link between them.
DIGIPAK
I feel that my digipak fulfils its purpose as I believe it holds all the conventions needing within and there are many different conventions which could of been used but I chose individual ones which were mostly the most important ones.
Our album name was 'irrevocable' which we came up with based solely on the fact our music video was a love song and the word represents how they were irrevocably in love. This name matches the idea of our love story based music video and feel that the audience would understand this right away. After I had done my research on pop music digipak covers, it was made very clear that not many artists fill the front cover of their Digipak and only include main things such as a picture of them or something relating to the song, the single name and then the artist or bands name. I kept my front cover simple also with just adding main things, things that a lot of other artists use. I also decided not to add the albums name 'Irrevocable' but instead to add our band name 'NEW YESTERDAY'. Many more people would recognise our band name than our albums name and I did not want to cramp my front page and put the both of them on there.
I also kept with a consistent use of colours throughout my digipak which were red, white and black. Black and white work well together to make things stand out and then the use of red which is the representation of love. During feedback, many people said that the use of al ot of black made them feel that the music was going to be punk and rock based. This was not what I wanted to aim for yet still thought it was effective in some way or another. Then the image of the two on the front are the two main actors the whole way throughout. I have taken individual pictures of them and then edited them together using photoshop.
Would it be appropriate for my target audience?
I feel that yes it will be appropriate for my target audience as my audience is teenagers and I feel i have followed popular and well known artists such as Taylor swift who is well known by teenagers. This means that when they look at mine and notice similar features, they will be intrigued as to what its about. My digipak's target audience is appropriate for those that age from around 14 upwards. Quite a lot of people will be able to relate to my music video as it is about love and there are plenty of people out there that are constantly in and out of love so feel it would especially suite these type of people.
How do my ancillary tasks combine with my music video?
I feel that my music video was based specifically around Rhyce and Lucy who were the two artists therefore I knew my ancillary task had to include these to on and around it somewhere. My Digipak combines with my music video because the clothing worn by Rhyce and Lucy are both used in the music video itself also. My ancillary tasks link with the music video also because I have used some screen shots from the clips included in my video so the audience can therefore see those two actors on the front of a Digipak and then remember that these were the ones in the music video. I have made sure that all my products can be recognised together as a package and audiences will be able to see this when they look at my final products.
- My digipak cover picture and poster picture are the same and this was done so that the audience will recognise the album cover from that and therefore more sales will be made than if they were different to each other and the audience would not necessarily know that the two of them were related.
Monday, 27 April 2015
question 3
What have you learnt from audience feedback?
Audience feedback is important because it allows you to find ways in which you can improve. I shared my digipak and poster with the two most used social media websites which is Facebook and Twitter and then asked for our friends feedback and anyone else who wanted to give it. Our music video target audience is for the teenagers so felt this fitted perfectly when sharing it with all the teenagers online on Facebook and Twitter. Their feedback included both positives and negatives and the strengths and weaknesses of the video and what we could improve in the future.
Some positive feedback:
"The mise en scene was done well to give a good representation of the stereotypical life of the target audience". "I like how the filming was slightly hand held in parts as it gave the video a homemade feel which fits in with appealing to the target audience". "The locations used were very well known and your music video was based on a love story, I feel that these places are romantic when it comes to where boys would take girls on a date these days". "I like how you finished your music video at the train station which reminds the audience where the whole love at first sight started".
Some negative feedback:
As a group we have all learned that we should have explored more and researched into more locations instead of just filming most of the video in 2 main places. By doing this, this could have improved our video and gave it more exploration and the viewers would of seen the effort we put into the video. We put a lot of effort into filming the video and editing it till we thought what was the best we could get it too. Overall we got an excellent response from everyone who has watched our video, even off friends who didn’t fill in questionnaires and just wanted to watch the video.
Overall, I am pleased with the feed back I have had as I'd only spent a few hours creating my digipak and people still really liked it. The majority of the comments were positive which was also a nice thing to hear. The few negative comments, i feel were due to the timing I had to create this which was short which was what resulted in these errors.
I asked 12 people who they thought the music videos was focused more to whether that be males, females or both. It came back that near enough everyone chose 'both' which is exactly what I was aiming and hoping for.
Some positive feedback:
Some negative feedback:
As a group we have all learned that we should have explored more and researched into more locations instead of just filming most of the video in 2 main places. By doing this, this could have improved our video and gave it more exploration and the viewers would of seen the effort we put into the video. We put a lot of effort into filming the video and editing it till we thought what was the best we could get it too. Overall we got an excellent response from everyone who has watched our video, even off friends who didn’t fill in questionnaires and just wanted to watch the video.
Overall, I am pleased with the feed back I have had as I'd only spent a few hours creating my digipak and people still really liked it. The majority of the comments were positive which was also a nice thing to hear. The few negative comments, i feel were due to the timing I had to create this which was short which was what resulted in these errors.
Sunday, 26 April 2015
Question 4 put on slideshare
How did you use media technologies in construction planning and evaluation stages?
Blogger: This is an online platform which helped us to publish all of our coursework on to an online presence. By doing this, it allowed us to keep a back log of all our research and planning in the run up to creating our music video. This was useful because we could edit any planning as well as information about our band that we had writ previously. Using blogger as well as other students using it allows them to make comments on what i post meaning i will get peer feedback as well as teacher feedback.
Youtube videos: I watched many video clips of music videos on Youtube as it's full of them. I found this very useful because you can pause and replay whenever you want to break it down. I watched it on my ipad as i could screen shot parts quickly to use as examples when it came to creating our music video but also watched videos on the apple MAC computer because it's got a wider screen and louder sound allowing us to understand how we wanted our music video similar to. I also watched the music channels on tele because these were the most recent music videos out now and it gave us an idea of costumes, lighting, the different angles used and the colours used.
Editing our images: Imovie
When it came to editing our music clip, we used the programme Imovie. it was a simple programme to use because once you uploaded parts of your music clips, you could edit them together and it was layout in a timeline baased way so it was up to you to move the filming clips around and put them in order. We also uploaded our music sound note onto this programme also. All we had to do was drag the movie note under the clips and it would play throughout all of the filming.
Here is an example of what the Imovie programme looks like. In the box at the bottom half of the screen are all the shots you have taken. You are able to crop each part and drag it to the top left hand corner of the screen. The top left hand corner is the real things, the music video. Then once you have inserted the sound clip of the song, this is the green bar under the images at the top left hand corner. This shows that the song is playing all the way through the music video.
This is not the clearest image but I took the shot in action when things were being edited. The programme we used was I-movie. I have never edited any clips on this programme before or even on the computer but found that this was a very simple programme to use when it came to our music video. Every time we went out and shot for the video, we would upload it to this programme and then edit it on here. We added things such as transitions which was how one clip would run into the next clip whether it would be running into it etc. There was many different things to choose from such as part of the clip spinning out and then it fading into the next one. 
This is one of the tools used when we were editing on IMovie. This tool allowed us to adjust how long the clip was which we inserted and how fast we wanted it to be. We could change this by using the slider and by doing this, it allowed us to speed up a slowly recorded clip to fit in with the speed of the music 'Latch'
Photoshop:
Photoshop is a programme which I am very fond with using and came in very handy when creating my Digipak. This toolbar is the key thing used within this programme. It allows me to easily access different tools and there are many to choose from. When I wanted to insert a back ground colour, I would go down to the twelfth icon down which is a pain bucket. I also inserted text by Using the big 'T' icon. Once on this you can then change the size, font an colour of the text to suit your Digipak style.
My mobile phone: Throughout the planning stage of the music video, I used my phone to keep in touch with my team members so we knew what we needed to do next. Although we made a time table of when we were free, it was easier to remind each other via phones and text. This meant texting or irnging them was the best form of communication with them due to me having unlimited texts and phone calls which was low in cost for me. This piece of technology helped when organising dates to shoot and where to shoot for the music video.
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