Tuesday, 3 May 2011
Evaluation: Question 1
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media product?
I feel the location we filmed in (see pics below) had an effect on challenging the conventions of a typical music video.
We picked a run down, derelict location for the characters to go crazy and vent their fustration and pent up energy (It should be noted that we gained permission to destroy certain parts of the run down area, we took precaution and provided our old broken items to destroy as well as the junk we could find).
In a typical indie video you wouldn't usualy see this type of setting and location, I personally feel that the location suits the grunge/rock genre more then indie due to the run down, rebelious look. This does not mean that it does not suit our production as I feel we did an excellent job on picking the area.
The angry and fustrated emotions shown in the video are similar to that of "The Pigeon Detectives" who have a similar fustrated theme which shows we have stuck to some codes and conventions while challenging them with the location.
Our characters were kept in costume throughout the production, this created a sense of lost identity and anonymous persons.
Like many music videos we used a "protagonist" or the leader of the band who was shown in the majority of the clips either solo or within a group, this ment that the video had a "recognizable face" that would give a sense of familarity to the viewers and provided a direct association.
The mask above is seen throughout all of our work including our ancillary tasks.
The title we used was basic but gave the song an identity and gave the viewer the infomation they needed.
Here is a comparison with our title being in the bottom left hand corner:
As you can see we have followed the convention that all music videos follow regardeless of genre, keeping in the general lines that seems to add authenticity to our media production.
The editing including speedy transisitions and kept the pace of the song, keeping the clips and music in sync and making them appear parrell was key in sticking to a convention. We needed the video to have purpose and reason, having mis-matched audio and images was not our aim and would of broken a convention that only seems ok to break if the actual video has a purpose in the first place.
The idea of Fraud was carried out through the speed and energy depicting fustration thanks to loss of identity. Youth today seem to merged as one, and seem to have lost their individuality in the eyes of the media, indie music can depict this along with our video showcasing that the cast have no identity relating to youth culture. The masks keep identity sealed and the cast vented out their emotions by "trashing the place" and running around, the camera had to capture the energy in order send this message across. If we edited the video at a slow, uneven pace then the production would have failed.
Striaght away the listener will know the genre is indie, and as the protagonist moves on he gatheres followers which matches the lyrics. Matching the lyrics is also another convention I feel we have achieved. It should be noted that the lyrics show some form of 'angst' which is most typically paired with teenagers, which agian indie can relate to the youth crowd in todays society.
To conclude the answer, I would like to say I feel we have kept in the conventions of a typical indie music video while slightly challenging them, with a different outlook on the scenario and a unusal location that is not commonly used for indie videos.
I feel the location we filmed in (see pics below) had an effect on challenging the conventions of a typical music video.
We picked a run down, derelict location for the characters to go crazy and vent their fustration and pent up energy (It should be noted that we gained permission to destroy certain parts of the run down area, we took precaution and provided our old broken items to destroy as well as the junk we could find).
In a typical indie video you wouldn't usualy see this type of setting and location, I personally feel that the location suits the grunge/rock genre more then indie due to the run down, rebelious look. This does not mean that it does not suit our production as I feel we did an excellent job on picking the area.
The angry and fustrated emotions shown in the video are similar to that of "The Pigeon Detectives" who have a similar fustrated theme which shows we have stuck to some codes and conventions while challenging them with the location.
Our characters were kept in costume throughout the production, this created a sense of lost identity and anonymous persons.
Like many music videos we used a "protagonist" or the leader of the band who was shown in the majority of the clips either solo or within a group, this ment that the video had a "recognizable face" that would give a sense of familarity to the viewers and provided a direct association.
The mask above is seen throughout all of our work including our ancillary tasks.
The title we used was basic but gave the song an identity and gave the viewer the infomation they needed.
Here is a comparison with our title being in the bottom left hand corner:
As you can see we have followed the convention that all music videos follow regardeless of genre, keeping in the general lines that seems to add authenticity to our media production.
The editing including speedy transisitions and kept the pace of the song, keeping the clips and music in sync and making them appear parrell was key in sticking to a convention. We needed the video to have purpose and reason, having mis-matched audio and images was not our aim and would of broken a convention that only seems ok to break if the actual video has a purpose in the first place.
The idea of Fraud was carried out through the speed and energy depicting fustration thanks to loss of identity. Youth today seem to merged as one, and seem to have lost their individuality in the eyes of the media, indie music can depict this along with our video showcasing that the cast have no identity relating to youth culture. The masks keep identity sealed and the cast vented out their emotions by "trashing the place" and running around, the camera had to capture the energy in order send this message across. If we edited the video at a slow, uneven pace then the production would have failed.
Striaght away the listener will know the genre is indie, and as the protagonist moves on he gatheres followers which matches the lyrics. Matching the lyrics is also another convention I feel we have achieved. It should be noted that the lyrics show some form of 'angst' which is most typically paired with teenagers, which agian indie can relate to the youth crowd in todays society.
To conclude the answer, I would like to say I feel we have kept in the conventions of a typical indie music video while slightly challenging them, with a different outlook on the scenario and a unusal location that is not commonly used for indie videos.
Evaluation: Question 2
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
Considering we kept the same theme and idea in both the main product and ancillary texts, I would say that they both combined reasonably well. Considering the fact that some things we did stuck to the code and conventions of what you would expect in a typical teenage, indie music video in some ways, we also challenged the codes and conventions by making our work original and new. Such as the packaging for the Digipack, although it was original it gave the impression of the indie genre as opposed to a hip-hop themed Digipack which could have contained the typical sterotypical conventions you would expect, for example money, expensive cars and items along with attractive women. The actors on the Digipack were very "indie looking" and the animal and paper theme hinted at an original feel.
In order to continue this original style and prevent a simple copy, we used photoshop to change the "Scarlot Harlot" title.
Here is the original title:
And here is our version:
Our version fits in well with our rustic and messy design and represents the main product as well as the Digipack and website. Our main aim was to become consistent throughout our entire coursework not just our main production, this would been that our work would be instantly recognizable if it was a real media production and our fanbase could easily see the difference between our work and somebody else's, which is important.
The masks became a symbol in which the band would be represented and keep our content consistent which was one of our ideal aims and I feel we carried it our well in both our ancillary tasks and main production.
Considering we kept the same theme and idea in both the main product and ancillary texts, I would say that they both combined reasonably well. Considering the fact that some things we did stuck to the code and conventions of what you would expect in a typical teenage, indie music video in some ways, we also challenged the codes and conventions by making our work original and new. Such as the packaging for the Digipack, although it was original it gave the impression of the indie genre as opposed to a hip-hop themed Digipack which could have contained the typical sterotypical conventions you would expect, for example money, expensive cars and items along with attractive women. The actors on the Digipack were very "indie looking" and the animal and paper theme hinted at an original feel.
In order to continue this original style and prevent a simple copy, we used photoshop to change the "Scarlot Harlot" title.
Here is the original title:
And here is our version:
Our version fits in well with our rustic and messy design and represents the main product as well as the Digipack and website. Our main aim was to become consistent throughout our entire coursework not just our main production, this would been that our work would be instantly recognizable if it was a real media production and our fanbase could easily see the difference between our work and somebody else's, which is important.
The masks became a symbol in which the band would be represented and keep our content consistent which was one of our ideal aims and I feel we carried it our well in both our ancillary tasks and main production.
Evaluation: Question 3
What have you learned from your audience feedback?
Above you can see the questionnaire we used to gather feedback in order to help us gain some perspective in where our production was heading and who it was aimed at and what we needed to do to achieve our aims.
In order to match the codes and conventions we used various methods to gather audience feedback besides using the questionnaire.
Facebook was used to collect opinions and help us view constructive criticism as well as praise, we also used one of the most basic ways of gathering feedback and that was to simply approach our friends, family and fellow students then show them our ideas and current work.
I have learned that feedback is a crucial guide in making a decent production as it helps stick to codes and conventions and of course roots out your target audience.
Using the feedback we decided to go ahead and attempt to appeal to the younger audience, and retain the same flavour that similar music videos contain.
Above you can see the questionnaire we used to gather feedback in order to help us gain some perspective in where our production was heading and who it was aimed at and what we needed to do to achieve our aims.
In order to match the codes and conventions we used various methods to gather audience feedback besides using the questionnaire.
Facebook was used to collect opinions and help us view constructive criticism as well as praise, we also used one of the most basic ways of gathering feedback and that was to simply approach our friends, family and fellow students then show them our ideas and current work.
I have learned that feedback is a crucial guide in making a decent production as it helps stick to codes and conventions and of course roots out your target audience.
Using the feedback we decided to go ahead and attempt to appeal to the younger audience, and retain the same flavour that similar music videos contain.
Evalution: Question 4
How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
First off, we used the typical type of equipment that would be essential for any media production. That being the camera for the clips and photos, a tripod for clean balanced clips and of course a computer to edit and construct our production.
Here is a picture of us in the middle of filming:
And here is a picture of us using the computer to build our production:
We also used the camera to take pictures of the location and ongoing events, evidence of this is seen throughout my blog.
Premiere Pro was used to aid us in our task in creating the production and it was a fairly easy and enjoyable program to use once we got to grips with it and remembered some of the skills we learnt from last year. The internet was used for advice and research, as well as using facebook for feedback and using youtube to host our videos. Weebly was used to construct our website and of course photoshop came in handy.
Mobile phones were used to take quick snapshots and to keep in contact with the group. A lot of technology has been used to create our work and it's safe to say that media practically runs in technology. No technology means no media in today's world.
First off, we used the typical type of equipment that would be essential for any media production. That being the camera for the clips and photos, a tripod for clean balanced clips and of course a computer to edit and construct our production.
Here is a picture of us in the middle of filming:
And here is a picture of us using the computer to build our production:
We also used the camera to take pictures of the location and ongoing events, evidence of this is seen throughout my blog.
Premiere Pro was used to aid us in our task in creating the production and it was a fairly easy and enjoyable program to use once we got to grips with it and remembered some of the skills we learnt from last year. The internet was used for advice and research, as well as using facebook for feedback and using youtube to host our videos. Weebly was used to construct our website and of course photoshop came in handy.
Mobile phones were used to take quick snapshots and to keep in contact with the group. A lot of technology has been used to create our work and it's safe to say that media practically runs in technology. No technology means no media in today's world.
The videos (Rough cut and finished product)
Due to technical difficulties with the school's servers letting me upload our work. I have provided links to our videos instead. Enjoy.
Here is the rough cut: http://youtu.be/MrSsd0JxGbc
Here is the finished Product: http://youtu.be/4XoaJgXCWBo
Here is the rough cut: http://youtu.be/MrSsd0JxGbc
Here is the finished Product: http://youtu.be/4XoaJgXCWBo
Location and pictures showing the last of our filming
Here are some snapshots of the location we filmed in.
On the last day of our filming we gathered the clips we needed to construct the chorus and complete our product, thus ending the filming period which opened us up to editing. Here are some pictures of our final filming session.
Editing
Due to the many clips we captured, editing was a long process which involved the use of added special effects, speedy transitions, everything had to be in order to suit our narrative purposes.
Our clips had to match the music, so timing was very important getting the right parts of the song to fit certain images on screen.
Here are some snapshots of the editing process:
Friday, 4 March 2011
Pre-Production: Risk Assessment
- The Masks restrict Vision so it will be important that the 'actors' take caution at all times when moving around the location as there are many hazards in the area where we are filming.
- The Location is Old & Dangerous because we are filming in an abandoned airfield with many hazards such as broken glass, loose floor boards, burnt down rooms and decaying walls & ceilings. We must take caution when travelling around the site and filming, we should consider using protective clothing, thick boots and taking a small first aid kit just in case of any slight accidents.
- Debris from props can fiy into people so it's a good idea to keep a safe distance from the actors using a bat to destroy the prop and to place the broken items we have used into the skip at the end of our work.
- Holding the camera out of the car is dangerous, so the cameraman must hold a firm grip and keep limbs in the vehicle at all times.
FINISHED WEBSITE
Here is the link to our finished website to promote the band.
The only problem we came across that we could actually complain about is the fact that we could not include the song "Fraud" on the website because this was a feature in which the school would have to pay for. Below you will see a screenshot of what our site looks like. Thankfully Adam had good knowledge of how to use the site which came in handy when we came across uploading issues.
Below you will find the photo's we took for the website's "Photoshoot", we made paper cranes to suit the theme of our production along with the main character showing some sort of anguish in the picture to depict the emotions he feels throughout the main project.
FINISHED DIGIPAK
Here is our finished Digipak which we worked on together editing and sharing the file and adding to it as a group.
We wanted to achieve a simplistic look which wasn't to cluttered or serious, opting for a more casual look which captures the style of "The Scarlet Harlots".
This is the front cover which features the Band's name which is a very important title to have on a front cover as it informs the viewer what the name is of the group. We used different fonts for each letter to provide a more "rebelious" look to co-incide with the 'Fraud' song in the music video. The main character is also featured with a grizzly bear behind him.
Here is the back cover of the Digipak. Here you can see diamonds which is a running theme throughout our design, aswell as the decision to give each track name a different font in order for the song name to stand out and look different from each other, all while giving that abstract feel which matches the band's music.
Other characters from the Music Video are included on the inside covers, here you can see the themes such as animals and diamonds, as well as the crumpled up bit of paper which is the main background for our Digipak. This is in two sections and folds together to make a bigger picture.
This is the other section that goes with the top half, here you can see a cheetah chasing two characters that are from the Music Video. We are continuing with the abstract style that fits with this music style and "The Scarlet Harlets" general design.
We saw the Bombay bicycle clubs album cover and liked the idea of having someone falling, so we decided to have one of our characters fall into a pit of crocodiles in keeping with animal theme.
And finally we have the CD holder, we decided to go for a very simplistic look on this one and keep the CD itself the main feature on the page which will fit neatly where the large black disk has been placed.
We wanted to achieve a simplistic look which wasn't to cluttered or serious, opting for a more casual look which captures the style of "The Scarlet Harlots".
This is the front cover which features the Band's name which is a very important title to have on a front cover as it informs the viewer what the name is of the group. We used different fonts for each letter to provide a more "rebelious" look to co-incide with the 'Fraud' song in the music video. The main character is also featured with a grizzly bear behind him.
Here is the back cover of the Digipak. Here you can see diamonds which is a running theme throughout our design, aswell as the decision to give each track name a different font in order for the song name to stand out and look different from each other, all while giving that abstract feel which matches the band's music.
Other characters from the Music Video are included on the inside covers, here you can see the themes such as animals and diamonds, as well as the crumpled up bit of paper which is the main background for our Digipak. This is in two sections and folds together to make a bigger picture.
This is the other section that goes with the top half, here you can see a cheetah chasing two characters that are from the Music Video. We are continuing with the abstract style that fits with this music style and "The Scarlet Harlets" general design.
We saw the Bombay bicycle clubs album cover and liked the idea of having someone falling, so we decided to have one of our characters fall into a pit of crocodiles in keeping with animal theme.
And finally we have the CD holder, we decided to go for a very simplistic look on this one and keep the CD itself the main feature on the page which will fit neatly where the large black disk has been placed.
Pre-Production: Digipak sketch
We worked together on the Digipak sketch and included ideas as to how it would look and where we would place certain objects and characters. I have a basic knowledge of photoshop and this will prove useful to our Digipak production.
Pre-Production: Digipak Research
In order to create a digipak we had to do a bit of research and pre-production planing in order to see what would work best for our production and whether or not we would include an information booket or place the info inside the actual covers of the package.
4 Panel 1 Tray CD Digipak Template
4 Panel 1 Tray CD Digipak with Outer Mooncut Pocket Template
4 Panel 1 Tray CD Digipak with Outer Walled Pocket Template
6 Panel 1 Tray CD Digipak with Gatefold Template
6 Panel 1 Tray CD Digipak Rollfold Template (This is the design that we chose in the end due to it's abililty to showcase various designs and the masks we have created.)
4 Panel 1 Tray CD Digipak Template
4 Panel 1 Tray CD Digipak with Outer Mooncut Pocket Template
4 Panel 1 Tray CD Digipak with Outer Walled Pocket Template
6 Panel 1 Tray CD Digipak with Gatefold Template
6 Panel 1 Tray CD Digipak Rollfold Template (This is the design that we chose in the end due to it's abililty to showcase various designs and the masks we have created.)Pre-Production: Filming = Rough cut
Here are some shots of the crew filming a rough cut in order to give us a main idea of how we want things to look, we do have a new rough cut featuring an entirely new loaction but this is important to include as this was part of our pre-porduction.
This rough cut is missing parts of the original storyboard, but this does not really matter due to us having a new rough cut and a whole new board with a shot list and location.
Pre-Production: Filming = Rough cut
Here are some shots of the crew filming a rough cut in order to give us a main idea of how we want things to look, we do have a new rough cut featuring an entirely new loaction but this is important to include as this was part of our pre-porduction.
Research: Location Scout
Here are serveral pictures which include me and my group looking for appropriate places to film.
It should be noted that we have changed our location setting and I will upload that post in the near future, as for now I will evaluate the following pictures as follows.
Here is me in the toilets lol, our idea was to have the main character find the mask in the toilet which would enable use of the mirror as he picks it up and wears it. This would give a couple shots of the character from behind as well as facing the camera.
Another shot of me near the lockers, this would mean we could have our character walking alone down this corridor and use an edit effect of multiple people flashing by him, similar to what you see in those movies where the character walks through a busy street and the camera only focuses on the main character while everyone else is moving incredibly fast and flashy, emphasizing the importance of that one character at that moment in time.
Yours truly staring deep into the camera.
This is a very important location as this is the entrance area that will introduce the character. We would be able to capture shots of the character entering and leaving the toilet as well as leaving the school. The size of the area is very useful and would provide us with room to get the best shots possible.
This shot includes a mirror in which you can see Adam and Kiel, we prerfer this shot over the stairs due to the mirror and the potential of this shot in terms of showcasing the actual character.
We don't really like this shot as much as we like the lift. Although it has it's uses such as doing something similar like the flashy corridor shot and having the shots of the character moving up and down the stairs including more engery then just sitting in the lift, we still like the fact that the lift has the mirror for us to use. We don't want the video to be all the same and lose the viewers interest.
Research: Early Storyboard
While I was away Adam and Kiel drew up a storyboard.
This was a fairly detailed representation of how our main idea would work, containg such notes as location, film techniques and characters.
Since this board we have all worked on a bigger and better storyboard with more details and a shot list to acompany it.
This was a fairly detailed representation of how our main idea would work, containg such notes as location, film techniques and characters.
Since this board we have all worked on a bigger and better storyboard with more details and a shot list to acompany it.
Research: Main Idea
The main idea has been centred around the song, we picked the song first then decided how we would build around the music and create a video. Much like real producers who first have a song then find a way to create an interesting music video .
The song is called "fraud" so we decided that we would have a main character who uses a mask he finds to conceal his identity and take on another persona in the form of a rebelious being who spreads his choas to others my giving them similar masks.
There has to be energy in the shot depicting the pent up emotions and rebelios feel that should emit from the people wearing the masks. In order to achieve this, the actors must show speed and energy in their movements which will match the song.
Our old idea, which sounded good at the time, was to use a flip book and draw the animations but we decided that this would be a tedious and time consuming project which had many editing and production problems.
I had an idea of using toys to animate it but much like the idea mentioned above it harboured the same problems, such as requiring around 30 frames per second in order to make a smooth animation.
The song is called "fraud" so we decided that we would have a main character who uses a mask he finds to conceal his identity and take on another persona in the form of a rebelious being who spreads his choas to others my giving them similar masks.
There has to be energy in the shot depicting the pent up emotions and rebelios feel that should emit from the people wearing the masks. In order to achieve this, the actors must show speed and energy in their movements which will match the song.
Our old idea, which sounded good at the time, was to use a flip book and draw the animations but we decided that this would be a tedious and time consuming project which had many editing and production problems.
I had an idea of using toys to animate it but much like the idea mentioned above it harboured the same problems, such as requiring around 30 frames per second in order to make a smooth animation.
Research: Target Audience
In order to grasp an idea of our target audience, I created a Questionaire out to 20 students at my school and 15 people outside my school.
The school questionare had 10 males and 10 females aged 16-19 and had several questions asking things such as what genres people listened to, whether they watched Music Videos and if so what channels, if they owned an iPod or any MP3 devices and how long the music should be and the like.
The questionare handed to 15 people outside the school involved 8 females and 7 males, aged 20-27. The questions were the same as the school version.
This type of research enabled me to gather the type of data I needed to determine my target audience and who we would need to 'sell' the music to. The main question that proved most useful to me and my group was the "Do you prefer highly edited flashy material for a music video, or a more natural raw version with less special effects?" It turns out the most favoured type was the one with the higher production values, it should be noted that people aged 16-19 preffered this whereas older participants didn't mind and often opted for the more simpler production.
People aged 16-19 seemed to want a music video tailored to their current generation and styles, they preffered it when the people in the video wore similar clothes to them and were representing a genre that they enjoyed.
People aged 20-27 voted for the same thing as the younger participants, and that includes an artist who they can relate to.
To conclude, the question was a valuble piece of data that has improved my research and given us the insight to decide how we will construct our production and most importantly who to distribute it to.
The school questionare had 10 males and 10 females aged 16-19 and had several questions asking things such as what genres people listened to, whether they watched Music Videos and if so what channels, if they owned an iPod or any MP3 devices and how long the music should be and the like.
The questionare handed to 15 people outside the school involved 8 females and 7 males, aged 20-27. The questions were the same as the school version.
This type of research enabled me to gather the type of data I needed to determine my target audience and who we would need to 'sell' the music to. The main question that proved most useful to me and my group was the "Do you prefer highly edited flashy material for a music video, or a more natural raw version with less special effects?" It turns out the most favoured type was the one with the higher production values, it should be noted that people aged 16-19 preffered this whereas older participants didn't mind and often opted for the more simpler production.
People aged 16-19 seemed to want a music video tailored to their current generation and styles, they preffered it when the people in the video wore similar clothes to them and were representing a genre that they enjoyed.
People aged 20-27 voted for the same thing as the younger participants, and that includes an artist who they can relate to.
To conclude, the question was a valuble piece of data that has improved my research and given us the insight to decide how we will construct our production and most importantly who to distribute it to.
Research: Music Promo and choice of Music
We have chosen to use a song by "The Scarlet Harlets" who's main genre consists of 'Indie' and are an unsigned band. It's important to note that the type of song we have chosen is very upbeat and the images on screen in our production will have to mirror the pace of the song.
A Music promo is virtually the same concept as a music video and aims to 'promote' the band and their music. Ultimately the idea is to draw in an audience and produce sales in order to make a profit as media is a business.
A Music promo is virtually the same concept as a music video and aims to 'promote' the band and their music. Ultimately the idea is to draw in an audience and produce sales in order to make a profit as media is a business.
Thursday, 6 January 2011
Research: Andrew Goodwin Theory
Here is the Andrew Goodwin theory we did in class a few months ago.
- There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, with the visuals illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the lyrics.
- There is a relationship between the music and the visuals, with the visuals illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the music.
- Genres are complex and diverse in terms of music videos style and iconography.
- Record companies will demand alot of close-ups of the main artist or vocalist.
- Voyeurism is present in many music videos, especially with the treatment of females but also in terms of systems of looking e.g. a screen within a screen, mirrors or cameras.
- There are likely to be intersexual references, either to other music videos or to films and TV texts, these provide further gratification and pleasure for the viewers/fans.
Research: Plans!
First off we will include an Album cover for our CD which will showcase the artist and their name, style, genre and image to promote the music i.e. our Digipak. Once we have decided on our ideas we will construct a website in order to promote the music video and advertise the band. Our research on music genre's, videos and conventions will enable us to meet our objectives thanks to all our planning. Our production should capture what we are aiming to achieve and the only way we can achieve our aim is through careful planning and taking our time to ensure we end up with a quality music video.
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