Final music video

Evaluation Q1 (Edited for resubmission)

These are genre conventions compared.  For my music video I chose pop therefore I tried to use, develop and challenge the conventions of existing pop videos that I had analysed.  


For my A2 media coursework, by following conventions that I have researched from existing products, following my genre of pop, I’ve attempted to make my work along side my music video and the follow up work as creative, skilled and professional as possible.  In some ways I have devolved upon original forms and conventions in my own work but I have also challenged conventions by coming up with my own ideas that are as creative as possible while also fitting the genre.  As my genre is pop my music video will stereotypically follow major conventions of pop culture, for example, bright colour, outgoing costume and a certain creative edge that is bold and fresh for the audience. For my evaluation I will discuss how my music video, digipak and magazine advert use and/or challenge forms and conventions of real media products.       
For my music video I chose to create my own video to Lily Allen Sheezus.  There is a current music video to this track that i researched myself.  Even though the video influenced me to chose an abstract  concept I did not exactly follow this music video.  After researching current music videos I was able to apply my knowledge of the appropriate forms and conventions into my own work.  After producing my music video I then uploaded it to Youtube which made it to be viewable to the public and I could also receive audience feedback from this.   

Music video

I chose to have an abstract concept for my music video.  By using and developing on existing conventions of a pop music video I recognised that the style of my music video would have to be cool, colourful, vibrant and edgy.  Keeping up with pop culture I recognised that I would have to keep my video current and be creative with my editing techniques.

Colour - By analysing current music videos I recognised that the colours I used within my music video had to be bright and vibrant.  Therefore I used locations that featured brightly coloured graffiti, this gave the video a certain edge and used the conventions of colour which I developed on by also adding graffiti into the theme of the video.  To add to this I also used editing effects onto the video which included a negative effect which changes the colour within certain scenes of the video.

  

Costume - In terms of costume I also wanted to keep it fairly colourful by using a range of girly colours.  Typical costume for a pop music video which is produced by a popular female is cool and quite edgy, for example, ripped shorts, fishnet tights, crop top and boots.  Artists like Jessie J and Little Mix are prime examples of this particular style.  For my music video I decided to challenge these typical conventions.  I decided to keep my costume quite feminine and girly.  I chose floaty skirts and cute crop tops, in a range of colours including muted pinks and purple.  I decided to do this as the editing of my video and the locations within my video were quite edgy and more masculine.  The lyrics to the video are female focused therefore I wanted to keep a part of my music video feminine.  

Location - Location wise I chose to use the conventions of a pop  music video wisely.  I chose multiple urban settings within my local town.  I chose locations with plenty of colourful street art, this gave the video some street culture and a youthful, rebellious vibe, just like the lyrics connote.    

Editing - Finally when it came to editing my music video, I wanted the video to be edgy and to flow along with the music.  In terms of speed, I used slow motion and speed up editing, I did this to fit the pace of the song.  I also used creative editing techniques to create different illusions that would make a normal location shot more interesting and fit the vibe of the song.  During the lip sync of the video I also used effects on the models to fit the general conventions of an abstract pop video.  Looking at the current Sheezus music video, they too used simple effects to be creative in the visuals of the video, therefore I developed on this by using a different effects that would fit my music video, including the negative effect.  

 

Magazine advert

Looking at a current pop music magazine advert on the left, the main focal point of the advert is a powerful imagine of the artist.  Following this convention I also wanted a main image of my models at the top of my advert.  This is striking to the audience as they can see who the main artist is and get a bold image of the style of the artist and this may connote the style of the single.  Leading on from Jessie J, I also chose bold makeup.  This is another convention that adds tot the effectiveness of the image.  By using a dark lip this stands out to the audience and connotes a strong image in terms of the female.  Dark makeup can give the audience an idea of the message the artist is wanting to put across, for example, Sheezus is a cool, edgy song with powerful female driven lyrics, therefore needing bold makeup to reinforce this message.  Striking, 'out there' makeup is a huge convention in the female pop culture world as body image is a very large part of the industry.

Following on from the black colour scheme of the model I also have chosen a black backdrop to my advert, this makes the rest of the text on the page stand out, just like the current advert has.  Choosing white text and one other bold colour makes the main sell line stand out, for example, the neon green banner on my advert.  The font is also quite bold and structured, therefore standing out to the audience and the theme of the music video.    

In terms of analysing current music adverts, I have challenged the conventions of the second image on my advert.  I have chosen to use a location shot at the bottom of my advert.  I did this as my music video is abstract therefore I wanted a different shot than just a portrait image as I wanted a focus of the theme of the shoot as well as just the models.  This type of image is more of an indie music advert convention as they focus on abstract images to create more of an art based shot, this links into my abstract concept of my video.      

By having social media at the bottom of my advert, this allows the audience to find the artist and any other information about the single on the internet, for example, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube.  By providing a website this all allows the artist to provide a wide range of information while being able to portray their own style through the theme of the website.  

Digipak

Looking at a current digipak, examples of conventions they have used are a wide range of colour, bold font, one main image, social media information and a barcode.  Using these convention I too have all of the above, although I have developed upon these conventions as I have used more than one main image.  I decided to do this as I chose multiple locations for my shoots.  By having multiple locations, different sides of the digipak can have different themes making the digipak more interesting for the audience.  From past experience of my own, an artist that has put in multiple shoot images into their digipak it becomes more of a memorable piece to keep from the artist, rather than just a case to keep the CD in.  Colour as a convention, I have challenged as I have used multiple styles within my shoots.  For example, quite a minimal shoot using just black with the models costume and makeup has an impact as black connotes quite a powerful image.  I then used more of a feminine costume choice and colour scheme in another one of my shoots as I used the colours pink and purple within my shoot. 

Another convention of the digipak is the track list.  By providing a track list the audience can view the songs on the back that are going to be on the CD.  Colour and font conventions of a pop digipak are bright colour and bold clear font, I have used both and the theme of this links into the style of the genre.  I picked neon green as this is a 'in you face', cool colour.  By the green being neon it keeps the style of the digipak young and current.    

General conventions such as social media information and a barcode allow the public to find out more about the artist and to be able to actually buy the product themselves, therefore these are vital and I am following typical conventions by providing them.              

My advertisement to the general public

These are how my advertisement would look if I advertised it in the general public.  The neon green banner is the most predominant to the eye as you first catch eye of it.  As it says 'FEATURING NUMBER 1 SINGLES' this is what should be popular to some of the public already therefore drawing them in.  The second most predominant feature is the sell line of 'DEBUTE ALBUM', this is what the whole advertisement is trying to promote therefore this is an advantage.

Evaluation Q2 (Edited for resubmission)

Peer Feedback

I decided to get feedback from my peers on these two questions:

1. What genre do you think my ancillary texts and music video are?
2. How do you think the ancillary texts and music video show continuity?

I thought it would be a good idea to get the opinions of others as I wanted to find out what others noticed that maybe I didn't.  I also wanted to see if what I thought showed continuity, for example costume and the font I have used, also had an impact on them.  

From the feedback I received they said the genre was pop, this is correct as they claimed they noticed this as the ancillary texts and music video were, vibrant, outgoing, upbeat, young and current.  They also noticed continuity between the ancillary texts and music video.  They said, the colour, font, costume, hair and makeup, the stance of the girls in the images and music video, similar composition, social media information and how simple they all were, caught their eye for the similarities to show continuity.  By keeping all these factors the same or similar this gives the audience a clear view that all of the products link together and are meant to be together as they are all for the song Sheezus by Lily Allen.   

While planning, researching and producing my music video and ancillary texts I had in mind that I wanted to aim to show continuity, which creates cohesion.  As the brief said, the ancillary texts had to compliment the music video and as these were promotional products.  When carrying out my research I found that continuity was a key convention between media texts, some aspects that help form continuity are colour scheme, font, shot location and costume.  
By my ancillary texts and music video complimenting each other, they have to have clear links between them.  Therefore doing photo shoots that are in the same locations as some of the shots in the music video show clear links.  A memorable location within my music video was the brightly coloured graffiti wall, therefore I chose this wall to also shoot photographs at, also keeping the costume the same.  As this background is memorable the audience would remember it when they see it in the digipak, therefore showing continuity and automatically linking the two together.   
      

Another memorable background within my music video was the only location that was indoors.  I chose this location of shot to also be in my magazine advert and digipak, once again showing continuity.  I also used this costume for the main image of my magazine advert, showing a link between the two again.      

By the genre of my music video and ancillary texts being pop, continuity of bright colour is a main convention.  I decided to use neon green throughout my two ancillary texts because it was bold and current.  Neon green also features in my music video on the main graffiti wall featured, therefore carrying the colour through to moving image.    

Overall the costume and location from my main product, which is my music video, I made sure was carried on through the use of photography to my ancillary texts.  Through moving image and still image the audience can clearly see links between the two therefore complimenting each other as the ancillary texts promote the music video. 







 

Evaluation Q3 (Edited for resubmission)

Research and planning 

Previously in my work I held a survey asking some simple questions about my audience to receive some simple knowledge before I started to produce my music video.  This was helpful to me as I could see information like the age range, gender, how often and where they stream music, favourite genre, if they like live performance, and examples of what makes them focus on a music video the most.  By having this knowledge I could produce my music video appropriately and know what attracts the audience to a video.  

Here are the results to the questions I asked:

Focus group

I also held a focus group as part of my research stage. I did this as I wanted direct feedback, and by getting the feedback this direct they were able to expand on their answers as there was no time scale.  By holding it as a group, the two were able to bounce and feed off each other with their answers, therefore I received a more thorough, detailed answer.  
Here is a screenshot of the answers I asked:

   
By asking them what they would expect, I was able to receive other peoples point of view so it would give me ideas on what the audience want and their previous experiences of how they felt with previous, existing music videos.  By asking them their opinion I found this useful and it gave me advice on what other people, exempt just myself, on what people like to see within a music video.    

Video feedback

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

I asked four questions to a seventeen year old female student.  She gave me her thoughts on my music video after watching it herself.  The questions were:

1. What genre is my music video?
2. Is my music video abstract or does it have a narrative?
3. What editing techniques have I used in my music video?
4. Is my video continuous with my digipak and advertisement? 

• Firstly, I asked what genre she thought my music video was, she answered pop, as this is correct certain convention will have stood out as being familiar to that genre as she has watched current pop videos herself.  I learnt from her that the conventions that are most predominant are the bold colours used within my mise en scene and the costume being current and young.  This shows me that these are key elements that the audience are drawn to and focus on.  The mise en scene included brightly coloured graffiti, as the graffiti had pink colouring this still has a feminine feel.  On the other hand, if the graffiti were to be dark and dingy this would connote a masculine feel which goes against the meaning of the lyrics of female dominance.  As the feedback points out the costume also took her eye as being current and of a young taste.  As the clothing is tight and of a feminine nature this will draw the attention of the viewer.  Pop culture is also about taking risks and being creative in terms of style and image to influence the audience.   
• From the second question the student thought my music video was abstract, which is correct.  Her thoughts were that lip sync and movement shots made my video more of an abstract piece than a structured narrative to the lyrics.  In terms of movement shots I experimented with the movement in and out of the camera.  For example, by analysing the lyrics "Give yourselves to me, I am your leader" I used the movement of the models walking out and in of shot in a line like 'follow my leader'.  Also by using by taking a normal panning shot and using a MAC computer to edit on Final Cut Pro I was able to manipulate and distort the footage to create an abstract effect, for example on the shot featured below.  In terms of lip sync, different location and edits using Final Cut Pro can add more interest.     

• From the feedback video, good editing techniques she mentioned were slow motion and speeding up of the video, this linked in with the pace of my music video.  As well as the matching of the lip sync the pace of the song to the editing is also important.  In my second year by learning how to use a timeline on Final Cut Pro, moving image is much more complex than a still image of a music magazine.  I learnt that the footage and the audio have to be precise for them to match alongside each other.  She also mentioned the use of overlaying edits that I put into the video using Final Cut Pro.  This linked into the pop genre conventions as they made the colours brighter and also contributed to abstract concepts as they distorted some of the footage.          
• For the final question I asked if my video was continuous with my digipak and advertisement she said it was as I had done my photo shoot the same day as filming my footage.  This meant that location, costume, hair and makeup were all same which therefore provided continuity throughout my media products.  As I did the photo shoot for my ancillary texts and filmed on the same day I was able to save time, this also ensured me that all of my models were available at the same time and the weather was acceptable.  She also mentioned that I had kept some of my font the same throughout, this gives the overall artist a style to their work and also provided continuity to my product which makes my product seem real, believable and fits the conventions of existing products.  

The student I questioned was a reliable source as she was a media student herself.  My target audience is young adults and teenagers from the age of 16-25.  As she is also a female she understands the concepts of the lyrics and she can therefore relate this to the models herself, through costume and related connotations.  At the time of filming my feedback I could only get hold of one person to film, this was a disadvantage to me as my feedback is bias to the female gender and media students like herself.  As she is a media student she understands the conventions of my music video as she is doing one herself.  This can be an advantage to me as I have reliable feedback as she has background knowledge of the subject already.  As she is 17, this age group use and are influenced by the media daily, they have easy access to YouTube and music channels on the television.
After deciding that I needed further audience feedback that weren't media students, a variety of genders and a wider age range I produced a survey using Survey Monkey.  By having a range of gender and age this allows me to collect a wider point of view of my product so I can evaluate my weaker and stronger points. 

In terms of audience theory the audience is an active audience as the audience can chose what they watch themselves, whether it be on the internet or the television.  The audience can pick and chose what genre they want to listen to and what artists they prefer.  The audience watch music videos to be entertained.  Another reason is so that the audience can expand on their knowledge of the lyrics and also to get a feel of the style of the artist.  They may also watch them to be influenced and get ideas on how to be creative themselves.  

            

Survey Monkey

I made a survey of a variety of questions that I wanted feedback on from the audience.  I asked people from an age range varying from 16 to 50 year old males and females.  Here are the questions I asked:  

1. What genre do you think my music video is?
2. What abstract elements do you like about my music video?
3. Do you think the mise en scene is complimentary to the genre? 
4. Do you like the bright colour used in my music video?
5. What areas do you think I could improve on?      

Overall I wish that I had received some feedback at an earlier date.  I think this as I would have had more time to act upon the audience feedback of my Survey using Survey Monkey.  The feedback I got back was mostly to improve on the pace and accuracy of my work.  As in AS I was only dealing with still image, in A2 we have progressed onto moving image.  As I have been working with a timeline, I have found it harder to be precise to the second.  In terms of lip sync accuracy I could of gone back and filmed the footage again as the pace of the models was out. 

YouTube comments

By using new media like YouTube I can post my video, people are able to leave comments on my content, this gives me an idea if people liked the video or not and their exact thoughts on it.  Here is some examples of the comments I received: 

The comments I received were positive.  The comments say what they liked and what they thought I did well.  By people leaving these comments its helpful as I can see whats pleasing about the different conventions I've followed and what I've still done well with even by challenging conventions.  I've learnt that what I did well was my choice of location and costume, to fit the genre of pop and the editing techniques I used were creative and also fitted the genre of choice. 

iMessage feedback

Finally I asked two people, of the gender of male, over text if they would watch my music video again and what they would improve.  Here are the messages: 

  

From this feedback I learnt that to improve I would add more solo shots in different locations and I could use a bigger range of camera angles in more of my shots.  If I were to film my music video again these are some of the points I would consider when thinking about how I could improve it.  As this is directly from the public this advice is vital for me to take into account as this is my audience.  By having more solo shots this allows the audience to see the artists individually and the artist can put their own personality into each shot, making them interact with the audience more.  In terms of angles I could use more artistic shots and think about where I could place the camera other than on a tripod.  
Looking at the positives I received they mentioned the locations, costume, colour and the editing techniques I used to be looked at as successful, which I appreciate. 

Peer feedback

I filmed a video asking for feedback on two questions. 

1. What genre do you think my ancillary texts and music video are?
2. How do you think the ancillary texts and music video show continuity?

I asked these questions as I wanted to find out the opinions of others as to what they noticed about the conventions that make it what genre the ancillary texts and music video are (which is pop) and how they show continuity.  This would prove if the conventions I used fitted my genre well and if I used strong links between my products.  The feedback I received I thought was helpful as I found out what stood out to others and what impact my products had on them in terms of genre conventions and continuity. 
They claimed the music video was pop, they noticed this as the ancillary texts and music video were, vibrant, outgoing, upbeat, young and current.  They also noticed continuity between the ancillary texts and music video.  They said, the colour, font, costume, hair and makeup, the stance of the girls in the images and music video, similar composition, social media information and how simple they all were, caught their eye for the similarities to show continuity.

  

Evaluation Q4 (Edited for resubmission)

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

Throughout my work I used a variety of new media technologies to help along with my planning and research, the construction of my final music video, my digipak and advertisement, and to display my evaluation.  By using new media like Facebook and Youtube I can expand my work onto a wider audience to get feedback and display my work.  I can reach out to a range of ages, gender and locations around the world by using social media, this gives me a better range of feedback.  For this question I am going to explain what media technologies I specifically used for each sector of my work process.  

New media technologies 

WEBSITES

• Google/Google images 
  
• Twitter
  
• Facebook
  
• Tumblr
  
• YouTube
  
• Blogger
  
• Prezi
  
• SlideShare
  
• SurveyMonkey
  
• Dafont.com
  
• Radio 1 Top 40 Charts
  
• YouTube Top 40 Charts
  

COMPUTER SOFTWARE/iPhone technology

• Final Cut Pro (non linear editing)
  
• Microsoft Programmes - Word and PowerPoint
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Adobe PhotoShop
  
• iMessage
  
• iPhoto
  
   
• Facebook Messenger
  
   

HARDWARE (EQUIPMENT)

• SONY HDR-CX190E DIGITAL HD VIDEO CAMERA RECORDER
• Tripod
• 32GB SD card
• iPhone camera
• 32GB Memory stick
• Macbook Air
• MAC computer 

Research and planning

To start off my research and planning I firstly used web 2.0 to browse YouTube for existing music videos.  By doing this I found it useful as I was able to look at and analyse the different convections that were typically seen for each genre of music video.  I was specifically looking at pop music videos, I found these by browsing the top current hot 40, this lead me to all the top charts of popular music at this current time.  As it was the top 40 I had a variety of artists to look at.
As well as using Youtube for current music videos I also used YouTube to display my own videos.  For example, to upload my audience research, my draft edits and final music video.  
To display my research of current music videos and conventions analyse I used software such as Powerpoint, SlideShare and Prezi.  I used these software options to display my work because the sites are easy to use and have different creative ways of presentation, for example colour and different font types.  For research such as costume, hair  and makeup I used Powerpoint to display images, mood boards and discuss my ideas.    I typically used Blogger as well to display simple key points and visual images along side this.  
For audience research I used SurveyMonkey which is a free online questionnaire and survey programme.  Once I had decided the questions I wanted to ask I created the online survey which I then emailed to the rest of the students at college via the college email system.  From students that did take time to fill out the survey I then could collect the data.  SurveyMonkey themselves organise the data into easily readable charts which I could then print screen and display onto my blog. 
Organisation is key when working with multiple people.  To organise my cast I used Facebook Messenger to communicate with them and organise times when all three of the cast were free.  I also used Facebook Messenger to discuss costume, hair and makeup.  
When I was on location, to expand on my filming diary I took photos on my iPhone 5 to show behind the scene action. 

Construction 

For the construction of my music video I used Final Cut Pro, which is non linear editing, on a MAC  computer.  To upload my music to go along side my video I used YouTube converter.  I used Final Cut Pro to import my footage from a SONY HDR-CX190E DIGITAL HD VIDEO CAMERA RECORDER.  The camera was easy to use at it had a side flip out screen so that I could check my framing of the shot at all times.  I could also flip the screen around so that my models could see themselves therefore could position themselves well in the camera and it gave them confidence to see what they were doing.  I used a tripod the stabilise my camera and to use for angling and different shot types.    
Throughout my work process I used a 32GB memory card and 32GB memory stick to hold all of my work.  I used 32GB so that I didn't have the issue of having not enough memory to store my footage.
For my two ancillary texts, my digipak and advertisement, I used Adobe PhotoShop to construct and edit.  To take the images for my ancillary texts I used a Canon EOS 600D camera.  This gave me good quality images and was easy to use.  
The use of Photoshop was straight forward as my skills have developed from my first year in media.  For example, I had more knowledge of the tools I could use, therefore this made it quicker for me to construct my ancillary texts.
I used Dafont.com for the artist name and the album name for both of my ancillary texts. 

Evaluation  

For my evaluation work to display it I used software such as, PowerPoint, YouTube, SlideShare, Prezi and Blogger.  I used these sites as they gave me a creative way to display my work using text, videos footage and images.  For my audience feedback I used the SONY HDR-CX190E DIGITAL HD VIDEO CAMERA RECORDER to film, as well as a tripod.  I used YouTube once again to upload this footage.  I also used YouTube to screenshot the Rihanna, Rude Boy and Bloodshake by Peace music videos to analyse conventions.   

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