Audience Feedback

Here is some of the feedback i got from my audience..

Person A: Well done, its good.

Person B: I really enjoyed watching your video, the only thing wrong was the syncing at the beginning of the music video and i didnt understand the girls miming but this was unusual.

Person C: I love how the character fits perfectly with the voice.

Person D: Everything flows and its been edited really well. Impressive.

Person E: ITS SO GOOD! THE SONG IS NOW STUCK IN MY HEAD!!

Anamatic

An anamatic can be used to put a storyboard into perspective. After coming up with a story board as a group, Joe and Zaq uploaded the cut outs onto Final Cut to put much along side it and produced this. We did use this as a guideline but we had to change a lot of things.

Preparing for Audience Feedback

There are many ways in which i allowed my target audience to view and leave feedback for our product. Not only did we do a showcase with our peers to improve our product, but i also used social networking to get people to give me feedback.

A Reflective Summary Of The Problems Faced In The Group

• Dis-organisation in the group - we were hardly ever free at the same times and the actors were hard to get hold off as this meant we had to have 6 people to be free at the same time. This causes us to have a lot of cancellations with filming and it took a very long time to get the filming done. We filmed 2 days as a group, one day where it was just two member and the battery died on the camera and then another day where we finished the filming. There was times were we went out of our lesson to film little parts but this was all individual as it was faster. 
• The group split towards the end as the editing was done by Mahida and myself and i felt that there was a lot to be done with just the two of us. 
• Lack of media equipment meant that we couldn't always book a camera when we wanted to.
• Christmas and Half Term breaks meant there was bit gaps where we weren't filming as we took holidays and had other commitments. 
• There was also work from other subjects and it was hard to handle all of it at once.

Evaluation - Q4

Evaluation 4 on Prezi

Evaluation - Q3

Evaluation 3 on Prezi

Evaluation - Q2

Evaluation 2 on Prezi

Evaluation - Q1

EVALUATION on Prezi

Final Media Product

Here it is :)

FINISHED!

So we planned out filming as i mentioned before. Mahida and i filmed myself and 2 other girls. One of the girls was a bit too shy and it wasn't successful. Zaq and Joe filmed another girl. However, i chose to use a setting in front of a bricked wall which i think represents entrapment ot feeling sad and suppressed. I did mention this to the boys for where they were meant to film but they didn't follow the right instructions and filmed in a different location which changed what we were trying to portray. When it came to the last bit of editing, the boys uploaded the footage, so i came to edit today and couldn't find the footage. After searching the mac i somehow found it, but they had only uploaded myself, the footage they shot, and the girl who was too shy, the other girls footage was missing. So we just left it and edited with what we had. In the end it worked but we had a lot of difficulties and problems. But it is all done now.

Test Footage

This is the test footage we used to practice filming. We ended up using some of this for our video.

Front Cover

This is the front cover to my digipack. It has kept with the screen and has an iconic image of him looking depressed which i like. Its simple and effective. I like the name around the edges and also the R is backwards b i like that too.

Last Min Touch Ups

With our editing fully done up to 3 minutes it looks fine, but the end footage is too long and needs to broken up and we also have a few gaps right at the end. The aim for tomorrow is to bring in the idea of voyeurism into our music video. I have seen in a few music videos where there is a male voice singing but the image you see is a woman. This is not just something in the Indie genre but also in others. This brings in Goodwins theory of the notion of looking. I think have clips of girls singing in between the long footage will not only break up long shots but also make our video a bit more interesting. After telling Mahida my idea we decided to go ahead with it as it was taking too long to wait for us all to be free to film or letting Zaq and Joe do it. So tomorrow Mahida and I have arranged for myself, and 3 other girls to be filmed during a free and will edit this in later on during the day. If we can find any more people then this will be great but at short notice I don't know who we can use.

Here are the videos I have seen with the same sort of ideas..

Poster

This is a poster i have made for my artist digipack on Photoshop Elements.

Questionnaire Results

Audience Research - Questionnaire

This questionnaire was sent to a random range of 10 people.

Please complete the following short questionnaire for my A Level media studies coursework regarding music videos. The information will be used to establish a target audience and their likes and dislikes.

1. Gender    MALE / FEMALE

2. Age    15-20/20-25/25-30

3. What is your favorite genre of  music? 

4. Do you prefer narrative or performance based videos?   PERFORMANCE/NARRATIVE

6. Do you think music videos should have a happy ending?     HAPPY/NOT HAPPY

7. How many settings do you expect to see in a video?       1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8. Other than audio, what attracts you to a music video?

Performance/Effects/Interesting shots

Inside the Album

This is the second page found inside the front cover. I kept it grey scale and saturated it so it looks mysterious. I really like how the contrast works and its not the main image so its used in the right place.

This is another page inside the album cover. I also kept this grey-scale to stick with the whole theme of the album. I slightly blurred the image inwards do that the artist is blurred more than the rest of the image which i think is quite effective and you have to really concentrate to notice it. This subtle effect keeps everything simple as it is quite a nice picture and i don't really want to ruin that.

I really like this picture. It actually has nothing to do with our shoots, its a personal picture i have taken myself. I chose plimsoll trainers as this is very indie, the female and male shoes shadow the start of our music video. Again, it is grey-scale. The sun shining downwards has a happy feel but because it is in the corner this could mean it is in the past. The setting is also similar to the rest of the photos.

I think this is my least favorite out of all the pictures but i like the lighting in it. The fact that he is drinking in a pub sort of fits in with the theme of the music and the lyrics. Its still grey-scale and it works with the other pictures. However, the quality isn't that great as the light was shining in the wrong direction. Although this looks good in the picture, it impaired the quality of it.

Back Cover

This is the back cover for the album. I chose this picture because there is nothing there to distract you from seeing the track list. I think its more effective to have an interesting front cover instead. I have included a bar-code, the production logo, the production website and artist website at the bottom. The track list is in white so it stands out.

Poster Analysis

For my Digipack i have decided to produce an album cover with 2 pictures for inside the album and also back cover, and for my second choice i have chosen to produce a poster. Therefore i have decided to look at one of Paolo Nutini's posters to see what conventions are typically used in the music industry so i can use this information to help me produce my own.

• Name of Artist
• Location in background
• Date
• Location
• Contact details (ticket hotline)
• Website of venue
• Website for tickets
• Promotion of album
• Artist website
• Logos
• Production company
• Colour theme

Investigating how Paolo Nutini markets himself

Due to the changes in internet, the way a band markets itself has changed from the traditional way of just using posters and radio. There are many new ways to do this and the artist we chose is a great example.

1 - YouTube - Paolo Nutini has his own YouTube account like most of us do, he has his own channel Here he can promote his music freely. There is also a shout 'about me' action and you even have the opportunity to contact him. You can view all the songs he has uploaded and playlist's that he has created. The theme on his page is personalised in the same theme as his website so its easy to know its him.

2 - Twitter - On Twitter, he can also promote his music videos. But he can also talk to his fans and promote himself with his 'tweets'. You can view his followers, who he follows, and hes even written a bit about him, as well as posting regular pictures and regularly updating his twitter account. Like his YouTube, his Twitter is also personalised with his website theme.

3 - www.last.fm - LastFm is a website containing most bands, its a way in which an artist can promote themselves. It has videos, bio, pictures, events, albums, tracks and much more. Its a great way to connect with your favorite stars.

4 - MySpace - MySpace was probably one of the first places that came about when online promotion stated. Here you can see videos, get updates, contact the artist, see pictures, read about them and all sorts. There is even a player which lets you listen to the music while you view the website and even lets you download straight from the website. This also has a theme.

5 - Website - As i posted before, a website is a big way of promoting, especially when its a way to sell merchandise. Merchandise is a great tool to promote an artist because when people buy T-shirt ect, it creates another way of marketing through others seeing people wear it. On the website you can watch videos, listen to music, see lyrics, look at pictures, see news updates, and even be part of the forum. This uses his main theme, and its a really important form or promotion to an artist.

6 - Facebook - Paolo Nutini has over 700,000 followers on Facebook, therefore it is an important channel of promotion for him. You can see all his photos, videos, events and information. Its also a create way for him to post regular updates, and it also promotes his merchandise.

7 - Bebo - Although Bebo isn't used as much today, its still a way for an artist to promote themselves. You can see all the information about the artist, his pictures and his followers.







As you can see there are many ways for an artist to promote, they are all very similar and easy to access. The growth of the internet has made promotion so easy and i think this has had a great impact on the music industry.

Martin Solvieg - C'est La Vie

This is the French DJ Martin Solveig's album cover for his album C'est La Vie meaning This Is The Life. The first thing you notice is the egg, i'm not quite sure about the reason for it being on the cover, but the album was released during Easter time which i think is quite funny. The pink polka dots, the heart and the title are used to show connotations of nobility and luxury. This goes well with the greyish white background which is sleek and modern. The theme is kept in the artists name as the text is thin and sleek. I think this modern look is a contrast to the music on his album which is club anthems. Its used to represent his lifestyle and how he lives a 'Hollywood' type life. This explains the title as he is literally living the life and enjoying it. I think this album cover is weird but i really like its simplicity.

Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak

This is the album cover from Kanye West's fourth album. The first thing you notice are the colours. The red used here can be associated with fire and blood, which are both negative themes, therefore it can be linked to pain. Its against a lighter background which makes it stand up. The pale blue lacks emotion, it is dull and depressing. It symbolises faith and heaven. Because the red is quite a fierce colour, the blue is used to be calming and understanding. The album is called 808s & heartbreak, named after the death of his mother, the end of a bad relationship with his fiance, and generally the heart ache he was feeling at the time of it being written. Through the title of the album we know that it is not a happy one. Therefore we can understand that the balloon can represent his heart and what he is feeling. A heart constantly pumping, and this picture shows his heart has stopped pumping due to the ache he has been through, just like a blown up balloon being popped and broken, his heart has done the same. I think that this is a really effective way to explaining a lot just through one iconic image. There is nothing else to see on the cover as the writing in discrete to draw more attention to the image, and that is what makes it so effective. I really like the way this has been produce and i think its very clever.

Photos of Filming, Planning and Editing

Linking Lyrics to Music Video Plan

Picking up the pieces PICKING UP SOME SORT OF OBJECT

Of the wreck you went and left SOMETHING MESSY
And I'm dealing with dilemmas THERE WILL BE A 'DILEMMA'
In my now so stressful life
And I'm drinking stronger spirits IN A PUB
I made my home here on the floor
And I'm losing all ambition and goals LOOKING FED UP

I'm going all out EXITS ROOM
I'm thinking you're just as bad

No sleeping at night
But I'm going from bar to bar
Why can't we just rewind CLOCK?

Oh remember at 16
Oh the crazy drunken night we had ALCOHOL?
When i kissed you in the hallway
Then i took you straight to bed

Two years on
And I'm still that same boy i was

No sleeping at night
But I'm going from bar to bar CAMERA SWINGS LEFT TO RIGHT - BAR TO BAR
Why can't we just rewind oh

No sleeping at night
But I'm going from bar to bar
Why can't we just rewind oh

You might blame it on me
But you insisted that we fall CAMERA SWOOPS DOWN?
Wiped your hands of me
And said you needed more, more, more

I'm not sleeping at night
But I'm going from bar to bar
Why can't we just rewind oh

I'm not sleeping at night
But I'm going from bar to bar
Why can't we just rewind oh

Can't we just rewind PUT SOMETHING DOWN




Some of the lyrics are linked directly to the words, whether they are seen exactly when the words are said or maybe later on in the footage. Indie videos are more about narrative than the lyrics linking so we have tried to keep a mixture between the two.

Pictures for the Digipack

Today Mahida, Joe and myself were discussing pictures we could put on our digipack as this is the only thing left to do other than a few things to touch up on the video. A typical Indie album cover is either bright and colourful or depressing and gloomy. I think ours would be suitable to be dark and gloomy, but they are always unique and different

We would need to have a picture of him on the front cover and so we chose this picture which we shot on our first day of editing.

Inside we would have this picture as it sticks with the theme.

And then on the back cover we would have this as again it sticks with the theme but its simple and so you would still be able to read the track list etc.

How the planned music video fits in with research

Earlier on i did a post about the codes and conventions of a typical Indie music video. This post is to compare how out planning of the music video actually fits in with the codes and conventions.

•   Shows artist or band throughout the video - YES
• Some special effects – often quite arty and creative so the video is more symbolic to its lyrics - YES a little
• Calm setting- YES the park scene
• Sometimes black and white/grey scale or very bright depending on the tempo - YES calm colours with black backgrounds used
•  Has a narrative which is  always simple - YES 
•  Use of close ups - YES
•  Performance of the artist or band itself as it shows them to be different and talented - YES
•  High usage of crane shots but there is a variety of different shots also - YES
•  Dark and mystic locations  garages, warehouses and streets etc. - YES a gloomy park
•  Instruments are shown - YES a guitar 
• The actors or artists will wear dark casual clothes – skinny jeans, t-shirts, denim with longish hair - YES
• Has longer shots than rock music so the editing is not as fast paced - YES
• A lot of use of lighting – dark lit or dim or just focusing on the band or artist - YES

Changes in Software

As most the editing has now been done, i have noticed how much i have progressed from the preliminary task where i was using iMovie. I found it very simple and easy to use with basic editing skills involved. Now i have been using FinalCut which is so much more complex. I have found it hard to get hold of but it offers so much more in term of effects and you need a lot more skill to use it.

Rihanna - Talk That Talk

This is the album art from Rihanna's sixth album 'Talk that Talk'. It includes two completely different types of album art. The first shows the artist licking her lips and gripping her head. Her facial expression looks feisty and this is used to attract male teenage audience. This is a really a classic example of Mulveys's voyeurism theory as it shows her using her music as a sex appeal, the cameras view is seen as a males point of view. The title is tatted on her arm which is very unusual and unique but it is not very clear so it could be a bit bigger. You can tell whatever she is doing is bad. The close up shot works really well as you can see all the details of her rough makeup showing her femininity, and this attracts her female teenage audience. The R on the front cover shows her 'trademark'. It unusual as it is written in
 news paper text and hence goes with the
title of the album 'Talk That Talk' meaning
spreading news around.

The second album art is completely different, it is from her deluxe edition. She is blowing out a puff of smoke. She is actually 'french inhaling' the smoke which is unusual. She is staring right into the camera with piercing eyes which again is quite seductive linking back to voyeurism theories. It is also shown in grey scale showing her good and bad, her purity and her devil side. This is a more 'seductive' Rihanna than the other album art and i think this is because no clothes are being shown. So even though the white shows her purity and innocent, the falling black hair and the smoke make it quite confusing if shes trying to look innocent or seductive. It again has the R to show it is the same artist, but the title s shown at the bottom of the frame. I think this art work is more eye catching than the first and i would be more likely to buy it.

http://www.paolonutini.com

The website offers may ways in which the audience can interact within all the pages. it gives new, shows, gallery, video, audio, lyrics, forum, fan club and store. This is easy to attract the audience as these options are all given on the side so its easy to see and just click on it. All these options are the reasons people will visit the site and so their interest is maintained.

The codes and conventions of the indie pop genre are not only seen in the music video and album art but also on the website. The white/cream background shows connotations of purity and perfection with a positive feel to it. It can also suggest simplicity which signifies how his music is. The use of black writing makes it easy to read and stand out against the white. The pictures are very indie as they look like paintings and the writing itself is very free flowing.

The information given is for both entertainment and at the same time engage the audience. On the home screen you see a sales promotion, this is often seen on websites to engage and encourage the audience to buy something. The home page also has a lot of hyperlinks to lead to new pages which shows that the website uses technology efficiently and making the most of out IT skills.

One thing that website does not have is a search box which could be improved.

Drake - Take Care

This is the cover from Drake's second album. The first thing you notice is the colour scheme of gold and black. The colours have complete opposite connotations. Black can be associated with power, strength and authority, but its more common for being the symbol of grief. Gold represents prestige and wealth. Both these colours help us with the true meaning of the album itself. This gold theme we see here is also seen in Kanye's album 'The Throne' and Drake is known to be a big fan of his. Here we see Drake sat thoughtfully in a mansion of some sort with his head hung over a golden goblet with the rest of his gold objects looking sad. Due to his sudden rise in the music industry, this may be just to show his true feelings about it. instead of being overwhelmed, but he just looks depressed suggesting maybe the fame and money isn't really the life for him. The music in the album suggests this too.We also know he is unhappy through his position. Looking down suggests he is sad or depressed, if he was looking up it would suggest he is proud and happy. All the items shown suggest high status living like any other rapper in the music industry showing wealth through iconic images which you see a lot on album covers. Drake refers to himself as 'the underground king' in one of his songs, the image of him in front of a lavish painting with gold chains, goblet and candle sticks clearly suggests he wants the audience to see him as a king, the best of the music industry. This representation of a king is very old fashioned so the theme of heritage and contemporary style are not modern at all but rather quite traditional. This is not something you see on the front of a rap artists album cover. You would expect to see a man in a bandanna with his trousers low and graffiti in the background.

The main issue raised about this album art is the owl. There are a few arguments for the meaning of the owl the first is that the owl is the Moloch which represents the ideology of Bohemianism. According to the internet this is 'a person, as an artist or writer, who lives and acts free of regard for conventional rules'. Twice a year they have a ceremony called the cremation of care which takes place in front of a giant statue of an owl. This simply represents Drake's ideology and how he practices Bohemianism. The second argument is that owls are often considered to be a bad omen by some western cultures. Therefore we see Drake in a not so good place and therefore this symbolises that he is a bad omen. The third argument is that owls are nocturnal living creatures and have a stigma attached to it just like the underground rap music where Drake first started off so this shows him representing his music and what he really loves. The owl is a symbol from the Hebrew alphabet - Hebrew is the language of the Jews - Drake's mother is from a Jewish background, so this can just represent who he is and where he comes from. Some say this owl means none of these three arguments, instead, the letters OVO (October's very own) just look like an owl and have no real meaning to it.

I have to say this is probably my favorite album, by my favorite artist, with an amazing cover (which is why i have written in so much detail). It really is amazing, its just missing his name!

'He has it all, money, power, fame, but he doesn't have happiness'