Evaluation Question 4

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

It is safe to say that new media technologies were absolutely vital to the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages for my A2 media products.

Research and Planning

I have used a wide range of new media technologies (NMT) throughout this course, and they have helped me in numerous ways. The NMT I have used for my research and planning stages are as follows:

Research

• YouTube - I watched existing products
• Google - For general research; e.g. song release dates, etc.
• Wikipedia - For general research; e.g. history behind certain music videos etc.
• iTunes - Useful for finding song release dates, genre info on the artist, record label info
• YouGov - Very helpful for in depth audience & artist research

Planning

• Blogger - A place to consolidate my research and progress, helping me formulate my next steps
• Facebook Messenger - How I communicated with my actress
• WhatsApp - How I communicated with my actor
• Email - How I communicated about organising use of a location
• Excel - Allowed me to make a shooting schedule 
• FinalCut Pro - Produced an Animatic, which helped me to visualise my concept

This project began with me learning about the codes and conventions of music videos in the simplest way possible; by watching them. For this, YouTube was an absolute goldmine, as it provides you with the music video to every song under the sun. There is no old media technology that could have done this for me, so the NMT YouTube was incredibly valuable. YouTube is an integral part of Web 2.0, as it also provided me with a platform on which to post my own content, (which at this stage of my progress was merely evaluation videos of pre-existing media products (e.g. "National Anthem" by Lana Del Rey)). 

I furthered my research into music videos, artists, and genres with the websites Google, Wikipedia, iTunes, and YouGov (among others), all of which helped me to deepen my knowledge and understanding of music videos and to gain important additional information (for example, the genre of certain artists or the release date of a song was always easy to find using iTunes.) 

For organisational and planning purposes, this very blog right here was an integral part of the process; it acted as a journal for me, giving me an easily accessible platform on which to keep track of all my ideas and research and to log my progression. While theoretically I could've used an actual journal to keep track of things, using the NMT blogger is far easier - after all, you can't hyperlink a YouTube video in a journal!

Blogger allowed me to add Link Lists, which made organising my work even easier

Communication is always key, even on a small project such as mine was. I used the social medias Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp to be able to communicate with my actors, which was appropriate as both are close friends of mine. For more professional based communication I chose to use email, which gave me an (all be it digital) paper trail for the organisation involved with gaining permission for the use of one of my chosen locations. (Evidence of professional formality in such situations can be very beneficial in the long run, but first and foremost, it just sets a good precedent and you're more likely to get what you want.)

I used FinalCut Pro at this stage as a way to bring my storyboard to life, helping me to visualise my music video. While my storyboard began with 'good old fashioned pen and paper', my use of the NMT FinalCut Pro helped me to visualise my concept in a way old media would just never be able to. 

To conclude this section, while I am undeniably a fan of the freedom that comes with being able to scribble down thoughts and ideas with pen on paper as they arise, new media technologies have been absolutely vital to my research and planning stages, as they just made it so easy to access information and keep track of everything. NMT's are wonderfully efficient resources; without them, it is safe to say that this project would've been far more difficult!

Construction & Exhibition

For the construction and exhibition of my main and ancillary products I used a number of NMT's, as listed below:

• Projections - Used in the 'projection room' sequence
• DSLR - Used to film the footage for my music video
• GoPro - Used to film the footage for my music video
• iPhone camera - Used to film the footage for my music video, and take the photo used in my DigiPak
• Sketches App - Used to design the Capricorn logo
• FinalCut Pro - Used in the editing process of my music video 
• Adobe Illustrator - Used to design my ancillary products; the DigiPak and the Magazine Advert
• *YouTube - Allowed me to display work in progress and gather audience feedback for improvement 
• Facebook (& Messenger) - Allowed me to display work in progress and gather audience feedback for improvement 
• *Blogger - Allowed me to display work in progress and gather audience feedback for improvements 
• WhatsApp - Allowed me to gather audience feedback for improvement 
• SurveyMonkey - Allowed me to gather audience feedback for improvement 

*(I also used these sites to exhibit my final products).

One of the biggest advantages to my production process was having a range of options on how to film; thanks to the affordable nature of NMT's, I had access to the school DSLR cameras, a GoPro belonging to my brother, and to the camera on my own iPhone. 

I used the DSLR camera for the intro and outro, the opening scene of the subject getting ready, and for the projection room scenes. I chose the DSLR because it allowed me to film at 25 FPS, making the appearance of my footage match that of standard film (I chose for my music video to match standard film FPS instead of standard music video FPS (which is 30 FPS) because my video has no lip syncing; other than the music, it is more similar to film. Shooting at a lower FPS makes it more pleasing to my audience.) 

I contrasted the static controlled shots of the DSLR footage with the free-hand work I did using the GoPro and iPhone. For example, the iPhone camera I used (which filmed 1080p at 30 FPS) allowed me to capture footage in a more raw style, reflective of how today's generation see the world through web 2.0's social medias; it was a decision that allowed me to relate to my audience (in a literal and metaphorical way.) The contrast was intended to show the difference between the story and the 'memories'. 

To edit all of my footage I used FinalCut Pro, which I was familiar with using from my AS coursework project. FinalCut Pro was key for allowing me to portray the 'home movie'/old footage style that I distinguished the memories, as I used two of the effects presets to create my style. My editing to the pace of the music was also aided by an effects preset, and the rewind tool.  In short, NMT's allow media creators to do things that are simply not possible without them.

This filter lightened the memory
footage and blurred the edges

This filter made the memory footage look projected,
keeping the link to the projection room scenes

The Quick Flash/Spin effect had a timing that very conveniently fit with the
pace of the song I used.

 







What was completely new to me however, was the Adobe Illustrator programme which I used for the production of my DigiPak and Magazine Advert. The use of NMT was vital to the production of my ancillary products; Illustrator allowed me to easily try out and experiment with various ideas in a way that would not have been if I was simply using pen and paper.
I have detailed the full creative process of designing a DigiPak and a Magazine Advert in previous posts (linked here: DP1, DP2, MA1, MA2), but below are some examples of parts of the process.

The Capricorn icon - which featured in my DigiPak and Magazine Advert - was created by myself, using the Sketches app on an iPad. Once I had perfected the design, I emailed it to myself so that I would be able to open the image in Illustrator, where I could turn the image into a vector, ready to be used in my products. 

I downloaded a 4Pan DigiPak template from a free source online and opened it in Illustrator. From here, I was able to use the template as a basis for my design. The template came in locked layers (although these could be unlocked if necessary); the layers panel - which controlled the layering of every thing added to the design - is featured on the right side of the above screenshot. 

I created the above montage with polaroids that I had taken and then scanned into the computer. I opened them in Illustrator, arranged them in the way seen above, then created a clipping mask the size of the panel they were intended for and, then grouped the photos together and flipped the whole thing upside down. 

For the exhibition of my media products I used YouTube for my video work, and uploaded everything to Blogger. I also used social medias to gain audience feedback (which I used to help direct my development at each stage of the process).

Overall, for the production and exhibition of my main and ancillary products, NMT's were incredibly helpful to my process, as they allowed me to bring my artistic visions to life and to share them on the interactive platforms provided by Web 2.0.

Evaluation 

For the evaluation of my media products the NMT's I used were as follows:

• Facebook (& Messenger) - To display my work to gather audience feedback for evaluation
• Whatsapp - To gather audience feedback for evaluation 
• SurveyMonkey - Created questionnaires to obtain constructive audience feedback
• FinalCut Pro - Created an evaluation video for Q.1
• YouTube - To display my work
• Blogger - Where I displayed my products, logged all my feedback, and evaluated everything

All of my evaluation was done using NMT; from creating emailable/embeddable questionnaires on survey monkey, to using WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger to directly engage in conversation with my audience.

Feedback I received for my music video from the messenger app WhatsApp and a comment from YouTube

Feedback I received for my music video on Facebook

I used FinalCut Pro to create an evaluation video for my answer to Q.1; this video required me to do a voiceover (for which I wrote the script using Microsoft Word) that I recorded in FinalCut Pro and layered over a silent version of my music video. Into this, I interlaced footage from a music video that had inspired me to help establish one of my points, and I also displayed my DigiPak and Magazine Advert.

The conclusion is simple; NMT's just cannot be beaten. 

While i know that throughout my answer some of the same NMT's have been mentioned multiple times, it is simply because they were so useful and in a number of ways; I feel that this is reflective of how NMT is far more effective than the older technologies, as it helps make the process of constructing media products that much easier and faster. 

Evaluation Question 3

3.) What have you learned from your audience feedback? 

Evaluation Question 2

2.) How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

Evaluation Question 1

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

Before I created my music video, it was important for me to research the standard formats and conventions of such products, so that I would be able to do the job properly. I found that the following things are what music videos typically include;

• Establishing shots
• Diegetic intros/outros 
• Enigma codes
• Fade transitions 
• Shot types & variation
• Continuity editing (e.g. following the 180 degree rule)
• Focus on a main character/(s)
• Mise-en-scene & Verisimilitude
• Possible mix of sound/music (diegetic & non-diegetic)
• Editing (e.g. to the beat)
• Narrative 

From this, I made my music video to include the majority of these aspects. For example, my video follows a narrative that focuses on a main character; I connote this with my use of establishing shots in the diegetic intro that sets up the video. The opening sequence uses enigma codes as the protagonist's face is obscured by a mask, a motif that creates continuity throughout the video as the girl in the mask is maintained as the focus through my use of varying shot-types (e.g. close-ups); she is present in both the story/'memories', and the contemplative projection scenes, making her the link to it all as the focus us on her. 

My intro and outro are diegetic as they feature the sound of the river in the scene. I even use the common convention of the fade transition to bridge between the intro, the music video, and the outro. 

All in all, my music video follows all the most common conventions and the format of typical music videos, making it appropriate and understandable to my audience. 

Transcript

For both my main and ancillary products, I have conformed to the codes and conventions of the ‘Dark Pop’ Alternative and Indie genres. From my research into these genres I was able to use my findings to influence the style in which I created my music video.

For example, the typical amalgamation of conventions that this hybrid of genres includes are as follows:

-Abandoned places, devoid of other people – empty buildings, forests, deserts etc.

-Unfocused style of filming

-Mix of performance and ‘story acting’

-Manipulation of light

-Colour themes – e.g. red to connote love, blood, pain etc.

-Unusual clothing, make-up – makes a statement

-Symbolic object – again, designed to make a statement

-Storylines involving love, fights, rebellion, ‘contemplative’ scenes, death, surreal scenes

I incorporated these conventions into my work through my choices regarding subject matter, locations, props and costume, and my post-production editing decisions.

·      Nature based settings

·      Symbolic Object (makes a statement) - Capricorn mask, the boat

·      Clothing styles

·      Shot types – Perspective, moving/stationary, close-ups, long shots

·      Unfocused style of filming

·      Projections – Manipulation of light

·      ‘Story acting’

·      Story line – love, contemplative & surreal scenes, friendship

·      ‘Old Home Movie’ style – ‘Projector’, ‘Romantic’

·      Editing to the beat

One of my most prominent decisions – to manipulate light and use projections – was inspired by the music video for Wild Belle’s song “Backslider”. This video features the band’s vocalist standing, singing and dancing in front of a screen onto which various artistic images (such as abandoned places, obscure objects etc.) are being projected.

The footage is further stylized by the ‘old film’ quality it has; this is an effect that seems to crop up fairly regularly within the alternative genre – specifically with female singers – for example, Lana Del Rey uses it frequently (it’s featured in her videos for ‘National Anthem’, ‘Young and Beautiful’ and ‘Summertime Sadness’.)

The reason that I chose to use this particular convention was because of the storyline and meanings of my video; I wanted to characterize the intimacy behind exploring one’s memories, and I felt that giving my video a ‘home video’/old footage look – through my choice of perspective and non-static shots, and my use of the FinalCut Pro effects ‘Projector’ (which makes the footage look projected) and ‘Romantic’ (which brightens the footage and makes it blurred around the edges) – conveys the footage as being the subject’s memories. The use of ‘old home video’ style footage is a common technique in film and television, often being used as a way to reveal the touching, personal memories of a character to the audience. Because of this, I knew that my audience would understand the significance of the footage from my choice to stylize it in this way.

The subject matter of the video – the story of a teenager, reminiscing in her memories of times with her friends, and the concert she went to with her partner – is very specific to this genre. The themes of love, youth and change are staples of the genre, and my video undeniably conforms to them. I also used the common practice of creating a link between the visuals and the narrative; for example, my opening of the subject standing at a river, and my continual use of water visuals, link to the song’s title “River” and the line “run me like a river.”

However, due to the rather abstract nature of the song itself, for the most part my visuals were unrelated. One convention that I developed in a non-typical way was the use of ‘looking’ (where the performer connects with the audience through looking into the camera.) While my subject does look into the camera, thus acknowledging the audience, she only does so in the ‘mind sequence’, where she is with the projections. This connotes to the audience that this is where we are seeing her considering her memories as she is ‘outside’ them, whereas the rest of the time we are seeing her view of the memories (hence the p.o.v. shots.)

I challenged the standard convention of having the singer perform in the music video, by omitting it altogether, as a performance by ‘Briggs’ (portrayed by my actress) would’ve detracted from the video as being an abstract story. While there is performance featured – a concert by the band Billy Talent – it is not presented as a performance for the audience; rather, it is simply part of a memory (specifically, the one with her partner.) 

My choice to use the distinctive costume piece – the Capricorn (goat) mask – was done to create a sense of narrative enigma about my character. The concept of dehumanizing the performers is one of the less common conventions of the genre, but when it is done, its purpose is generally to create audience intrigue by presenting the performers in this unusual way. I also used the Capricorn mask to act the iconography with which I defined Briggs; I went on to use the idea of the mask, presented in the form of a drawn Capricorn symbol, to create product synergy when I featured the design on both the DigiPak and the Magazine Advert.

DIGIPAK

Before I created my DigiPak, I researched the codes and conventions of DigiPaks and analysed pre-existing products in the genre, just as I had done for my music video, and like I went on to do for my Magazine Advert.

The codes and conventions of a standard DigiPak are as follows:

Front

-Main band/artist image

-Name of band/artist

-Title of album

-Logo

Back

-Track list

-Special features

-Another image (usually placed under the text)

Spine

-Name of artist

-Title of album

-Record label

-Reference number

Insert

-Institutional information

-Song lyrics

-Photographs of artist

-‘Thank You’s’

-Post cards

-Promotional/merchandise information

-Website information

Additional Institutional Information

-Price

-Barcode

-Record label

-Year of publishing

-Copyright

-Composers/Producers, credit, etc. …

(This information is usually located in small print on the back cover, or else as part of the inner sleeves or inserts.)

For my DigiPak I conformed to the majority of the typical conventions, such as using the artist’s iconography (the Capricorn symbol) on the front cover, having the name of the artist on the spine so that listeners would be able to identify the artist, track listings and legal jargon on the back, etc.   

To create synergy across my products, I used a water-colour edit of a photograph taken of the river featured in the opening and end scenes of my music video. I chose to use the water-colour effect as this links to the indie/alternative genre, especially as it features an isolated and natural located.

I did however challenge the convention of featuring the artist’s name and/or album title on the front cover; a decision I made as I intended for the lack of title to be intriguing to the audience, thus causing their natural curiosity to investigate the album further.

The complete lack of a title also means that the audience’s eye will be drawn towards the bold symbol – the Capricorn logo – which I created to be specifically simple, as the most memorable designs are always the most simple. Overall, by rejecting the convention of placing the artists’ name and album title on the front cover, I am establishing my artist in a different, more eye-catching way.

MAGAZINE ADVERT

As I mentioned earlier, before creating my magazine advert, I made sure to research and analyze pre-existing magazine adverts, so as to enhance my understanding of their codes and conventions.

My findings were as follows:

Images & Graphics

-Will relate to the album and artist/band

-Images, Graphics, or a mix – will be appropriate to the genre of the music and artist/band

-A photograph of the artist/band is usually included (sometimes with artistic editing)

-Will be appropriate to the colour theme

Typography

-Artist/Band name

-Album title

-Release date

-Reviews/Critical Acclaims

-Artist’s/Band’s website address

-Specific track names

-May include the names of the other artists featured on the album

Additional Features

-Record label logo

-Album rating

For my magazine advert I decided to conform to the majority of these conventions, because while a minimalist style is often indicative of the indie/alternative genre, I didn’t want my magazine advert to be minimalistic to the point where it is actually unclear in what it’s advertising. For this reason, it was important that I include features such as the artists name (which in this case doubled as the album’s title, as I’d chosen for it to be a self-titled album); a review, so that the people seeing the advert will be able to infer that it is for a musician (as the review that I chose mentions Briggs’ “vocal prowess”); and the iconography of the Capricorn symbol placed over the water-coloured background, which creates product synergy through its links to the DigiPak.

While for the most part I stuck with the conventions, I did challenge one with my decision to omit any photograph of my artist, a decision I made so as to be in keeping with the ancillary product of the DigiPak and to link back to how the artists’ face is never shown within the video.

Overall, I wanted to keep the style of the magazine advert to be as minimalistic as possible to match the style of the DigiPak, but not overly minimalistic as to be missing key information (which would likely confuse or frustrate the audience.)

In conclusion, I strongly feel that my media products conform, develop and challenge the conventions of real media products, in a way that makes them unique to my artist as defined through my research.

My Music Video - Final Cut Audience Feedback

Create your own user feedback survey

My Music Video - Final Cut

And so at last, I have finished the production of my A2 music video for Bishop Briggs' 2016 song "River".

There is only one difference between this version and the last, and that is a clip that takes place at 00:37. In the previous version, this clip didn't colour correct automatically like the others did; it was a particularly sharp eyed viewer who pointed this out to me.
To fix the error, I had to resort to using the colour correcting filter, and manually altering the RGB balance.

It's been quite the journey, and while I'm certainly in no rush to create another music video any time soon, I am proud with the result of this one.

(But if I ever hear the song "River" again I may just scream.)

Magazine Advert - Audience Feedback

Create your own user feedback survey

As my results show, 100% of people felt that the magazine advert was effective in drawing their attention; this proves that the advert is effective at being eye-catching. 

I spoke to the 2 people who answered "I'm not sure" and their reasoning was that they chose that answer because they were unfamiliar with the genre. It's also important to note that they are both outside of my primary and secondary audience. 

The reason for this result is the same as the above result.

Based on the audience feedback I have received, I can conclude that my magazine advert is successful in advertising Bishop Briggs' album to my target audiences.