Finished Music Video

Finished Ancillary Texts

Evaluation Question 4: How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

I used several areas of media technologies, including:

• Blogger
• Pinterest
• Video Camera
• Tripod
• Final Cut
• Photoshop
• Youtube
• Prezi
• Emaze
• Slideshare
• Storyboard that
• Projector
• Microsoft

I used different media technologies to present my work in an efficient way and research endless relative things to help me in the creation of my product.  First of all, I used a variety of cameras – the best one being a Canon DSLR. The Canon camera was of great quality; however, I was unable to use it consistently throughout the creation of my product as it was often unavailable.  This left me having to use a camcorder, which did its job but didn’t pay out as well as the Canon in terms of quality. The cameras both had many different settings on them in case you were filming close ups, outdoor shots etc. which I took full advantage of when filming. There was also an option to have the rule of thirds grid on the screen of the cameras, which I used as it ensured that my product was more symmetrical, accurate and aesthetically pleasing. Getting used to the different options and effects available on the camera was fairly straight forwards and probably took about 10 minutes overall; which isn’t bad. I also used a tripod occasionally to stabilise my shots and create clips using a variety of cinematography techniques, such as pans, zooms and tilts. The tripod also helped with creating shots that last for a long period of time as the camera would stay still and film what I wanted while I prepare other things. A negative of the tripod would be how inefficient it was given my chosen filming locations; as I filmed on rocky beaches and unlevelled ground. This made it more difficult to get a straight shot and I often took up a lot of time trying to adjust the shot with only a few hours of sunlight left as it was Winter.  Tripods are a great necessity to have when filming as they can make a difference from your video looking unprofessional and looking professional. When I filmed my preliminary task I used a tripod on flat, solid ground and the end result looked like the already existing music video – which is what I was aiming for. I also filmed with the cameras as a handheld which created a very natural look and it was very easy. This was my preferred method as I felt the look brought more to my video than the still shots with the tripod; however, the tripod was a lot more useful when using it in the projector scenes.

When making my preliminary task I used Adobe Premier Pro to edit the clips together. I liked this programme, as it was much like Photoshop (which I’m already familiar with after using it a great amount for my AS Level coursework). It was very unreliable at times as the video had to process often and sometimes it wouldn’t process which created a problem and wasted time. The effects were also more difficult to create in comparison to the current programme we use, Final Cut. Final Cut is very complex and I found it very difficult to understand at first. I made a lot of early mistakes but when I got used to the software and its features I found it much easier and quicker than Adobe Premier. However, I did have many problems with the Mac computer which had the software on. The Macs would sometimes not save work properly or refuse to save work and on many occasions my internet wouldn’t work. This created a vast amount of delays for me in both research and construction of my products. When creating my preliminary task, I used a PC instead of a MAC and I had virtually no problems with this.

Photoshop was another programme used during research, planning and construction. Photoshop has been the most prominently used programme in this course. I got used to Photoshop fairly quick in my AS year as I was already familiar with the basics; although I still find new ways to use it every day. I used photoshop to edit images used for my ancillary text as well as create my ancillary text. I found this to be very similar to the magazine created in my first year; however, my skills have developed since then and I found a lot of different techniques to use; in particular the selective colour tool which I found very helpful when toning images. Google Mock ups of a digipak were also created on photoshop and I even used it to help me tweak the images used for my storyboard. Photoshop provides its user with endless possibilities and I think it is one of the most important and prevalent products used on my coursework.

YouTube was a commonly visited website during construction, research and planning. I used youtube a lot to watch tutorials on how to create special effects in final cut pro and even on how to do small techniques when I was completely new to the programme. I would also use it to watch clips from music videos, adverts, tv programmes and films to get inspiration in terms of cinematography and mise-en-scene. Youtube was important during research as I used it to view videos of the same genre as my chosen song. Documentaries about my favourite cinematographers and directors were also on there, which I watched for inspiration, tips and techniques. The images shot on the projector in my final video were also found on youtube.  I also used youtube to upload my work in video form.

Prezi, Emaze and Slideshare were all used to present my work. I was already familiar with Prezi and slideshare from my first year of studies, however emaze was very new to me. At first I found it very confusing but I quickly got the hang of the layout and thought it was a very modern and aesthetically pleasing way to present my work. It was easier to get a larger amount of writing on the emaze slides than on prezi slides or powerpoint slides. Emaze also had easy options to add decals and images to the slides, which Prezi also has but it is much easier to add these effects on emaze. However, when embedded to my blog emaze doesn’t compare to the quality of prezi. Prezi’s look very professional and attractive on my blog, whereas emaze presentations are the wrong size (which I had to edit in the code as it was taking up the majority of my blog) and the writing was difficult to read unless zoomed right in.

This year I found storyboard that which is an online website for creating storyboards. I found the website to be okay as a platform as it didn’t have many effects I would’ve liked to present in my storyboard due to my narrative being abstract and quite hard to represent without the addition of special effects/editing techniques. I found the website to be very good and had everything anyone would need to create a basic storyboard without having to spend a long amount of time drawing it out by hand. I created a basic storyboard which I then saved as images and later tweaked in photoshop to get my desired effect.

Another helpful website I used was Pinterest. I used pinterest to create storyboards during my research whenever I found something that inspired me. When watching films and looking at art, if I ever saw anything that inspired me I would simply attach the image/video to pinterest and create a board to keep my inspiration on. I referred back to this board a lot when creating my storyboard and final product. This is probably one of the most important things I did during research and planning as it really helped my ideas come together without it being messy or confusing while keeping it all in the same place.

I also used a projector to project youtube videos over my actress.  The first projector I used was in the theatre and projected onto a much larger screen which initially sounded great but in reality wasn’t. My actress was too short for the screen and we only managed to get close ups. After this we switched to a much smaller screen and the projector turned out to be a great idea and the final product looked professional and aesthetically pleasing.

I used blogger to post my work onto a blog which kept it all in the same place in an organised, reliable and clean manner. I found blogger very straight foreward and effective as the posts are easy to edit in case you make a mistake and you can embed almost anything on to your blog which looks crisp and professional and also makes it easier to share your work from different websites/apps/software. It is also incredibly easy to upload your own images and videos.

I used Microsoft programmes such as powerpoint, word and publisher to write up my research in order to post it on my blog and make it more memorable. For example, I would put a collection of fonts I had found onto a powerpoint then post it on my blog. It also made it easy to analyse the fonts at the same time and see what they look like next to each other. I have used Microsoft software for as long as I can remember and it’s very simple, straight forward and easy to use.

Evaluation Question 3: What did you learn from your audience feedback?

From my early audience feedback I learnt what type of music people are into and where they’re most likely to consume music and music videos. I also created a number of polls on my blog to get an idea of this. However, I have not consumed any audience feedback due to the delay in creating my product. From early research I believe my product would be successful with its audience, with a few changes to be made to the video which I accept.

When asking a couple of classmates their opinion on my ancillary text they said it looked very authentic and that they could picture it as an existing product. Given this feedback and my own opinion on my ancillary text I don’t think many changes would need to be made. One of the main issues was time management which needed to be improved greatly.

If I was to have more time and better health in the future I would’ve conducted a survey after asking people to watch my video and look at my ancillary texts. After the survey was conducted I would’ve looked at the criticism and if I believed it to be true I would’ve considered editing my product to fit my audience’s needs – as they would be the people consuming it. 

Evaluation Question 2: How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

I think my main product and ancillary texts work well together in many ways to create a professional product.

When taking the main image for the front cover of my digipak I used the projector which was also used in the video. I wanted to ensure that the digipak and video create verisimilitude and look like they're by the same artist - which is why I used the same technique and projection also looks very effective in still images. I also used the same image on the poster. When researching already existing posters and digipaks I noticed a lot of already existing artists used the same image for their album front cover and poster.
The girl on my poster is also the same as the girl in my video, which undoubtedly connects the main product and ancillary texts together.

I took these two images in the theatre when filming for my video. I had planned to use them for my ancillary texts. I used a canon camera to take them. I also touched up the top image using photoshop. My reason for taking the two images seperately and not with the projector switched on was so I could edit the both images individually and create better effects. The same projection is also used in my video which creates verisimilitude. They are both the images used on my ancillary texts.

I also used flowers in my video when outdoors, which I chose to use in the ancillary texts too. This creates a subtle but appropriate link between my two products. Sharing the same image on my digipak and poster made my products look more realistic and professional.

The colour scheme is also the same as the colours featured in my video. When choosing colours during my research I decided on cool/bright blue tones with warm yellow/orange tones in order to make my work look relevant to the time period of the song (60s) as many films from this era or films set in this era used these colours. I also used liquid light shows which was commonly used by bands in the sixties (e.g. the velvet underground and pink floyd).

 liquid light show over syd barrett:

liquid light show in my main product and ancillary texts:

I wanted to catch the essence of what was relevant to the genre and culture at the time the song was released and the liquid light show and bright colours was an effective way to do this. 

The costume used in my ancillary text and main product is also the same which creates a clear and accurate link between ancillary text and video. 

On elements of my front cover I took pictures of different areas of nature and made them black and white. The nature links with my video as I used long shots, medium shots and close ups of nature throughout. On my front cover the shots used are long shots, however I have zoomed in quite a bit to enhance the beauty of the detail within the pictures. The same areas of nature are also featured in my video.

Throughout the video I use a lot of close ups on my actress, just like the closeups used in my ancillary text. I also use elements of black and white just like on my digipak. 

This also matches the monochrome aspect of my poster with the simple black text and white background; which allows the image to stand out even further. The use of a simple white background with black text was quite common on some albums and posters in the late 60s, for example:

The Beatles Revolver advertisement.

My advertisement:

I also used an off white background to make it look aged; as if it were from the late 60s.

The bright colours were also inspired by Richard Avedon's prints from 1967, which is the same time the song for my video was released.

George Harrison, Richard Avedon.

I also used bright colours in aspects of my video which creates a strong link between main product and ancillary texts.

Stills from my video.

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

My media product follows forms and conventions as well as challenging them slightly. During my planning and research I researched many videos of the same genre, such as  ‘Something’ by The Beatles and ‘Heart of the Country’ by Paul McCartney. This helped me understand the conventions of my chosen genre, which was rock (folk/psych/classic).

When analysing these videos I made a list of the conventions I spotted, which were:

• ·        Outdoor Locations
• ·        Long establishing Shots (to establish the location and show nature)
• ·        Some close ups of the person in the video
• ·        Low angles
• ·        Soft Focus
• ·        Flowy, Bohemian type clothing
• ·        Shots that last for a long time

I also noticed that none of the videos featured lip-syncing.

I followed conventions by doing the following;

I observed that the mise-en-scene in my chosen genre was very similar in all the videos I researched. They all featured an outdoorsy location which a lot of countryside-like vegetation and nature. A common editing technique used was the cross dissolves between clips, which I chose to feature throughout my video to create authenticity and stick to conventions - which creates a professional final product and verisimilitude.

There are also a lot of long shots in the videos I researched, which is to establish the location and highlight the beauty of the natural surroundings. I included a lot of long shots in the scenes I filmed outdoors. I also used a lot of handheld shots to compliment the organic, natural nature of the surroundings. Close ups were also used in my researched videos to romanticize the person in the video. As my chosen song is about an ethereal character I thought it was appropriate to include close ups, but not too many as to reserve the mystery in the character. Low angles were also common as they make the person in the video look less vulnerable and more empowered. In the lyrics for my chosen song, the writer explains how Julia is the ‘queen of his dreams’, which shows an element of power and control; because of this I used a lot of low angles throughout.

As the song has a very natural, dreamy and misty feel to it I kept the lens softly focused, even using a stocking to put over the lens at times to soften the harsh lights outdoors. It was also common for videos/films in the late 60s/70s to use this technique in order to keep their product as soft as possible.  I researched the work of many directors and cinematographers whom I admire in order to gain inspiration. Sofia Coppola and Gus Van Sant were very inspiring as directors throughout my research, as was Harris Savides as a cinematographer.

Donovan’s video for ‘wear your love like heaven’ (1967) was also a huge inspiration for mise-en-scene, as it is set outside and uses creative props which was achievable for me to recreate because of my budget. I took his idea of using long sheets of mesh, simply for aesthetic purposes. It looked very pretty and brought a lot to the video.

I didn’t however follow conventions with costumes. I did slightly, but I developed it a fraction to make it appear more modern. I started this project with the intention of purchasing costumes that look like they’re from the late 60s/70s, however this proved difficult due to restrictions such as price and being unable to find the right size for my actress. One day when looking for costumes I came across a paisley dress in Zara which had elements of the late 60s to it; which is when I changed my mind. I thought it would be more effective and achievable if I used modern takes on clothing from the late 60s rather than purchasing actual clothing from that era, as it was proving too difficult. I used the paisley dress along with a band shirt to bring a modern feel to my video and attract a wider audience.

I also took inspiration from the french movie 'La Jetee'. I really liked the transparent image of the girl with the boat behind, which I thought would look great when the boat lyric is mentioned in my chosen song.

Overall, I think my video follows conventions enough to still give a late 60s-vibe to it while appealing to a younger audience by using special effects not used in the same genre to appeal to younger audience as technology and the ability to use effects etc., has established greatly since the late 60s when my research videos were created. My use of conventions has developed because of the change in technology.

For my ancillary text I researched existing advertisements and album covers/record sleeves from the same time my song was released. They varied greatly. I did however, notice that a lot of posters used a lot of blank white space with plain black bold text. I developed this convention by creating a contrast with the bright image.

I did challenge conventions in my digipak by using  font that would've been more commonly used on modern day album covers. I did this as I thought it made the cover look more interesting and modernized it in order to appeal to a wider audience.

I also used lots of close ups of the actress which is conventional and seen in the products I researched. I kept all conventional elements on my digipak, such as the tracklist being on the back cover as well as a barcode and memorable pictures of the artist as well as a simplistic spine including the record label's logo. I also included all expected conventions on the poster by making the most important text the largest and easy to read. I also included a QR code, which is a modern way for potential audience members to be able to look up the album on their smartphone. I included the record label's logo again as it makes the product look more realistic and professional as well as informing people who are in charge of the band as each record label is associated with certain ideologies which audience members may respect or appreciate. I also featured a website and social media logos to inform people who see the poster where to visit for more information on the band. In todays society the majority of young people are using social media and a lot of people have the internet. This information also shows the band as being professional as they already have a website set up for them where people can access further information.

The release date is large and central in order to be notice, however the band's name is bigger as that is who we're trying to sell. I also included memorable song names on the poster because someone may have heard one of the songs which would push them to buy the album.

This is also used on the kings of leon poster, as well as a closeup:

I followed conventions on my digipak by including a close up on the front cover and inside, which is typical of albums to promote the artist. here is my example and an already existing product:

Mine

Already existing product:

I also kept the track listing aligned in the centre on the back cover which is also commonly seen in existing products:

A barcode is also on my back cover, however I have put mine to the side when people usually put them in the corner. I did this as I thought it looked better aesthetically and didn't ruin the background image.

I kept my spine simple like the already existing product above. I featured my artists' name and album name on the spine which is conventional, along with the record label's logo to give them credit. 

Possible Places my ancillary texts would feature