A2 Music Video Evaluation

Charlotte EnglishCheshunt School

8046

A2 Music Video Evaluation

Charlotte EnglishCheshunt School

8046

In what ways does your media use, develop or challenge forms of real media products?

Throughout the duration of planning my music video, I researched existing conventions and products and then decided what I would like to use or challenge within my final product.

Our original idea was to make a pop music video with occurring drug and alcohol scenes. However when we came to film the video, we realized that it wouldn’t be as easy as we thought to film in clubs. Also to be surrounded by lots of different tablets, which would be representing the drugs, would be difficult. Another idea was to also have lots of alcohol scenes, such as in shops surrounded by alcohol, but then we realized that shop owners may not be happy with people filming in their shop. This meant that we had to change a few ideas. We also wanted to make the love-hate relationship between the couple clear to the audience.

We researched many pop videos to see what occurred frequently to give us ideas to what we should include in our video. We found that pop videos have many scenes which flick from scene to scene with lots of shots being shown more than once.

We made sure that we included this in our video to make sure that our video fitted in with the forms and conventions of real media products.

Media institutions that we used:

This year was our first year of using blogger as a place to save and present our work. At first we were all a bit confused as to how to use it, but with the help of our teacher we all managed to pick it up and found it very easy to use. I did enjoy using blogger, as if I ever forgot to back up my work, it would always be safe on blogger. An advantage of it is how easy it is to use. It can also be used on an iphone as it has an app in the app store and therefore it can be accessed anytime, anywhere. Blogger has been a major help to us completing our coursework as it is all saved in one area and we don't have lots of different files which we constantly have to search for. Our posts can be found under labels in the side bar on our blogs which made it a lot simpler for us as students. Another problem that I came across whilst using blogger was the HTML codes. I have never had to work with these before and although at first it looked very confusing, I soon found that it was pretty easy to embed codes from YouTube and post videos to my blog. When we came to finishing the evaluation and planning stages, and starting our evaluations, we found that blogger decided to change their format and layout. This also meant that a few people in my class came across a few problems, such as posts changing into drafts, but luckily no ones work was deleted and i managed to figure out how to use the new layout very quickly.

We used Apple Mac computers with the program iMovie installed to edit our footage. We used iMovie at AS and therefore we knew very well how to use it. We were advised to use Final Cut Pro to edit our work, but none of my group had any idea how to use it and so we thought it was better to use iMovie instead of wasting valuable time figuring out how to use a new software.

Media institutions that we used, continued..

YouTube was an institution which we used over and over again. We used it first of all when we were analyzing existing music videos, again when we filmed our one minute clip and then when it came to filming coursework, it was a place where we could upload our footage to keep it safe and also to get feedback. YouTube has so much more to offer than I first realised and it was definitely a huge component in my research in the early stages of the coursework.

Facebook was another institution that we used regularly. We used it as a place in which we could upload our music video and see the responses in which we got from the viewing audience. It also helped us to test whether our target audience of 15-25 year olds, who liked pop music liked our final video and whether they thought it was a typical pop video. This helped us in the evaluation stages and it also gave us insight as to where we could improve.

As you can see here, we posted our video to Facebook to see the response we got. It was all very positive. We have got 10 likes so far and the comments we received were stating that they liked the video. This was a great way to get response from people in our target audience and we found it very helpful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Oj1Ov6flOYE

The website...We made the website using Macromedia Dreamweaver where we were able to design the website and insert content.

It also meant that we could edit the layout so that it looked professional and didn't look rushed. We used Photoshop to edit the pictures and Macromedia Fireworks to make the tour banner. We also edited the scripting and coding to make everything fit together. This was a very lengthy process but it was worth it in the end.

We analyzed many different pop websites before we began constructing ours to make sure that ours fitted in with the correct genre. Our website fits in with the same type of layout of the ones I researched. Our website has a colour scheme, which is black, white and red and this is also eye catching to the viewing audience. It is also used throughout the entire website. The artist herself is portrayed on the front page of the website with multiple pictures of herself. Another similarity to existing pop websites is that it is very simple and easy to access and use. It also includes the artists sponsors and charities that the artist sponsors herself. This was a common feature that we found when doing the research.

This is the home page of our website. It has a header at the top advertising our artists new album which is called 'Addictive'. We also included an advertisement, which shows where the audience can buy the artists albums from. We also added a link to the artists official YouTube account where you can view the video. We thought this was a good idea as people can listen to the song and also view the video before purchasing the album, and also it means that they can comment on the video and they can also like it. We thought this was good as it means that the fans can interact with the artist and can openly view and comment on the video. We made the background black as we thought it would make the red font and pictures stand out, and we wanted to make it as eye catching as possible. Also we used a simple font to make it easy for the viewer to read.

This is Rhiannas website and it is a website that I analyzed before we even began constructing ours. As you can see from this screen shot, her website is very plain and simple. the colour scheme is black and white. The black text and images stand out on the white background and this is eye catching to the audience. The image on the front page of the website is a giant image of the artist herself. This is to show to the audience that the website is about her and it also shows us that she is the centre of attention.

Links between lyrics and visuals

‘We found love in a hopeless place’ The lyrics and the visuals fit perfectly as the couple are in a field which is the ‘hopeless

place’ where they found love. These scenes capture and evoke a lot of emotion from the viewer as they can see how happy the couple are together.

The song we used don’t actually have many lyrics, and the main section of the lyrics used are repeated many times. Therefore, there is not many sections of our video where the lyrics link to the visuals. The scenes which do have links, fuel the emotion and energy of the video very well.

From previous research I found that many videos do link with lyrics and the visuals. I looked at Pixie Lotts video – all about tonight and found that there was a few shots where they both linked. For example:‘I got a new attitude when I walk’Links with the picture here:

Links between the music and visuals

The links between the music and visuals are much less obvious than the lyrics and visuals but they are also just as effective. In our video we show the artist with a spotlight flashing on her face, making it look as if she is in a club. This occurs when the music speeds up and it is the beat of the song playing with no lyrics.

Here is a scene where the couple are spinning round really fast in the field. This occurs at another time where the music speeds up and there are no lyrics being sung. There is a lot of emotion shown in this scene as we can see that the couple are very bonded here and it also shows the narrative clearly.

Genre Characteristics

Genres of music was a main factor in the planning processes which I done a lot of research into. I had to do a lot of brain storming and lots of different sub headings and blog posts concerning genre. I and my group had many different times where we had to discuss clothing and appearance of the artist, as well as the settings and location in which we would be filming our video. Our genre was pop and we watched many different music videos to make sure that we got a precise image for our artist.

The first thing we looked at was appearance. We planned our music video very similar to the videos that we analyzed. We made sure that our artist wore a lot of, and very seductive make up. This included dark smoky eyes and bright red lipstick. The artist in our video wore a number of different outfits, with most of them being a seductive look, including minimal or tight fitted clothing. This is because from analyzing music videos, we found that the genre of song in which we used, the artists seem to be dressed in a very similar way. We decided to use bright colors, as this is what interests the viewer and is also eye catching, which keeps the audience involved and motivated.

Genre Characteristics

Another thing which relates to the genre characteristics is the fact that we didn’t just choose one type of video. Our video is narrative and performance based, and therefore it makes it more interesting for the viewer. Many videos show just a narrative, but many like to add performance to emphasize the energy and entertainment of the band.

Special Effects...

In terms of the uses, developments and challenges of existing products we used a few different effects in our footage which we thought would be effective. We did want to use the split screen effect, however as we was using iMovie to edit our filming, it did not give us the opportunity to do this. Instead, we thought that if we made the footage entertaining, we thought it wouldn't be noticed.

We managed to do this by using a lighter and deodorant. We thought this looked interesting and was a good and different effect to add to our work.

Here, we have used a spotlight on the artist to show that she is the one who has ‘all eyes on her’. This is important as she is the main artist and we wanted to make this clear to the audience.

Another visual effect that I was interested in using was the effect of the double fade over. This is very aesthetically pleasing to the audience as two images are being shown at once. We found that we got a lot of positive feedback here from our target audience. We found it very effective, however it did take us some time figuring out how to edit it correctly. We saw this effect many times when researching pop videos and therefore, we were very keen to add it to ours.

Forms and conventions of real media products…

General conventions include things such as:- Lip syncing- Performance- Genre being reflected by the mise-en-scene- Digital effects- The fast cut montage, which is one of the most common forms of editing as it is a

way to enhance repetition- Close ups are regularly shown of the main artist

Lip Syncing: We used very minimal lip syncing in our video as we know that from research of previous A2 students, it is very rare that it works perfectly.

Performance: We added quite a few performance scenes as we knew that this would be the parts which would make the video interesting. We used a few scenes which were made to look as if the artist was in a club, we used a spotlight on the artist to make it clear that she is the one who has the main attention from the audience.

Genre: The genre of music videos tend to be given away by the mise-en-scene. This includes things such as the clothes in which they are wearing, their make up, personality etc. I think the genre is made very clear in our video from the simple thing such as her outfits. When doing our research we found that pop artists tended to have many different outfits on and all being very seductive, and minimal clothing. Also they wore a lot of make up, especially in the performance scenes.

The images above show that the artist wearing a lot of make up, and the ones below show how the artist wears a range of different outfits, with some being seductive.

The fast cut montage, which is one of the most common forms of editing as it is a way to enhance repetition: Our video includes many scenes which have fast cut montage. This is a common occurrence in existing media products and therefore we made sure that we added it to ours.

Here is one part of the footage where repetition and the fast cut montage is used. We cam see the artist in a field and it is made to look as if her boyfriend is filming her. We then see the couple together looking very ‘loved up’ and then it quickly flashes back to the artist in the field.

This is an image which is repeated many times throughout the video. It is made to look as if the artist is in a club and this is a main part which portrays the genre and conventions of our video.

Close ups are regularly shown of the main artist:

Here are just a few close up of the artist which are used throughout the entire video. Close up shots of the artist are effective as it shows a more personal side to the artist and also makes us feel closer to her and as if we know her. This was another common occurrence we found when analyzing existing pop videos. We also used a close up image of the artist on the front cover of the digipak. The close up shot is a very intimate shot and it almost takes us into the mind of the character. It shows the emotions and feelings of the artist very clearly and it can also make us feel as if we are in her shoes.

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

Our Digipak front and back

cover.

Our Music Video

The Website Front page

The combination of our main product and ancillary texts are very effective as we used the same color scheme throughout with the red lipstick as an occurring image…

As you can see, this is the image which we have used on the album cover. The final copy is this picture in black and white, with the lipstick in color.

The red is also used on the back cover of the digipak. This is because it is a very eye-catching colour.

It is also used on the website, in the text and in the pictures.

The combination of our main product and ancillary texts...

There are many relations with the themes and concepts of the ancillary tasks both using similar ideas to advertise the product. The first obvious similarity with the digipak, website and music promo is the fact that the artist is used in all three. We also used parts of the footage as a picture, such as when the artist is sitting on the wall with a daisy chain, breaking it apart. This is showing that she is unsure about her relationship, and the sad face beneath her which is spray painted on the wall, shows the audience that she is feeling unhappy. This picture includes a lot of emotion. Another way in which they tie together is the colour schemes throughout. The red is seen throughout the video which represents many different things. It is also kind of left to the audiences imagination as it can portray love, danger, seduction or also a kind of 'warning.

This sad face which is spray painted on the wall shows how the artist is feeling.

As we can see here, the artist is breaking up a daisy chain as a ‘he loves me, he loves me not’ image. She is unsure on her relationship and is relying on silly things to put her mind at rest.

The Website and Digipak...

This is the front page of the website and as you can see it includes a picture of the digipak and also some of the images used were ones which we have included inside the digipak, on the digipak, or the pictures were taken at scenes where we filmed the footage. I think it is effective to use the same images and color scheme throughout as it is a way of showing off the artists personality and we don’t want to give off a fake impression of what she is like.

This is the front and back cover of the digipak. The pictures that I used show the rebellion of the artist. I kept the text minimal as we found that this was common in existing music albums. This was also a theme we used throughout as we kept the website simple too. We thought this was effective as it keeps the audience interested.

What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

We asked many people to have a look at our work over the months and tell us what they thought of it. These included, teachers, friends, parents and fellow classmates. At the beginning we were told that we needed to film some more performance shots and also to make the narrative much clearer. Every draft that we had we made sure we asked especially our target audience what they thought of it, so we could make our video as successful as possible. We always listened to the feedback, whether it was negative or positive as we knew that we would get honest opinions from people outside of our group. Once we had completed, changed and edited many drafts, we finally had our final draft ready to showcase to friends and family. We made questionnaires to give out to get feedback for how we can improve our final draft. We got some very overwhelming and positive feedback with only a few negatives. Many people commented on the lip syncing, but when the video was watched on a MAC computer, it was completely in time. On the evening, the music was slightly behind the video, and therefore it made it look as if it didn’t fit in with the video. The main positive comment which we got was that we followed the narrative of the story very well.

Here is some of the feedback…

The narrative of the story was very

clear.

The lip-syncing was slightly too slow for

the music.

This video is 10 out of 10!

Well done! This is a great video for the

song, and fits in with the narrative

perfectly!

The mini performance shots

made this convincing as a pop

video.

The editing was very good with a good variety of

shots.

Feedback about the digipak…

I chose to design the front cover of the digipak as I had lots of different ideas as to how I could create it. I had also researched many different pop digipaks, so I knew what kind of images I needed to take of the artist, and also what kind of information I needed to include. I decided to make a few different designs and then I asked the target audience to tell me which one looked the best and most life like. The feedback I got was very constructive, and most of it I agreed with.

The audience liked the fact that the album cover didn’t include too much and that it was very plain and simple. They liked the fact that the picture was in black and white and the writing was in red. They thought that it was very eye-catching. They also liked the idea that the artists name looked as if it was her own signature. They felt that it made it personal, and as if it was a gift from the artist.

This first copy didn’t include the artists name as a signature.

Drafting Analysis

Drafting Analysis continued..

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

evaluation stages?We used media technologies to show how the power of social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, have shaped artists careers. We also looked at official music websites to gain an idea of how our website should look. To construct our video we used final cut pro and iMovie on the Apple Mac computers . We also used Sony Bloggie video cameras to film our footage for the music video. We used YouTube to share our video to the public and also for a chance to get audience feedback. We used Photoshop pro and Fireworks to edit the photos that we had taken of the artist, which we needed for the digipak and website.

The internet was the main source which we used to carry out our research. We used websites such as Google to search information about pop groups, digipaks and also how pop websites are laid out. We used YouTube throughout the planning stages as we could play and pause videos which meant that we could analyze videos thoroughly. We used Blogger to record all our research and planning as it is a safe place to store all our work and it also means that we can comment on fellow classmates work and by looking at our teachers blog, we knew what work we had to catch up on.

Here is the link to my blog: http://charlottesblogformedia.blogspot.co.uk/

During the making of the music video…

During the making of the music video, we used a Sony Bloggie video camera to film the video and also to take pictures. We then uploaded the photos to Photoshop and or Fireworks so that we could edit them. We uploaded the footage to iMovie to edit all the scenes together and also to add effects and music in the background. We also used Fireworks to make the digipak as it meant that we could edit the images and add different texts and change colors, all on one program. I managed to get the font for the artists name from an website online called dafont. By looking online, it meant that I could find a font, different from any on a normal computer, and also different to what everyone else would be using. We wanted the album title to look as if it was a signature, as the title was the artists name. This was because it made the album look a lot more personal and as if it was from the artist herself. We used a close up image of the artist herself on the album cover as we when had researched other pop digipaks, this is what occurred frequently.

Here are two album covers from the same genre as our music video. As you can see they both include a close up image of the artist, and also very minimal writing. One picture is in color and one in black and white. We chose to use both color and black and white in ours.

This is the original picture edited, without the artists name and album name on the cover.

To the right is the completed digipak front cover.

The final digipak front cover portrays the artists name as her own signature and ‘addictive’ which is the albums song name is made to look as if it is a tattoo on her chest, saying that she herself is addictive. The red is to show the seduction of the artist.

To ConcludeTo conclude, i thoroughly enjoyed the coursework assignment and it gave us a lot of freedom of

choice as to how we wanted to construct our music video and the ancillary tasks. Music plays a big part in many young people’s lives and therefore, being given to construct our own video was very enjoyable and also it meant that we could really use our imagination. Once all the footage was filmed, our group had a lot of motivation to get the video put together and edited, to make it look as good as possible. We wanted to make sure it looked professional as we had put a lot of our spare time into creating and shooting the video. At many times we found that the coursework was difficult and we struggled in a few areas, but with the help of our teacher, classmates and the internet, we were able to overcome the issues. Also, as we had never used a blog before, it took us some time getting used to using it and remembering to update it and add our work to it. However, over the past few months it came a big part of our media studies and we were soon updating posts and adding posts which our teacher was able to comment on. This was useful as any feedback pushes you in the right direction and this is what we need for us to succeed. If I was to use a blog in any other area of study in the future, I would make it a lot more appealing and exciting for the viewers to use, and maybe a bit more interactive. This was useful as any feedback pushes you in the right direction and this is what we need for us to succeed. If I was to go back and re do the coursework, there wouldn’t be much that I would change apart from making sure we all kept up to date with the coursework and that no one got left behind as it meant that sometimes I was waiting for others to update their work for me to analyze. Overall, I am happy and proud with my coursework and I am also pleased that my group worked very well as a team.