Tuesday 29 April 2014

Music Video Final Draft:


This is the final draft of my music video. With regards to further changes I flipped the clip of the female character calling the male talent onto the train tracks to show continuity in relation to the narrative as she was initially looking in the wrong direction. I also added a black screen to the end of the video to show the ultimate ending of the male character losing his life. In addition to this, I also added my candidate data to the beginning of the video ready for submission.

Technology used:

  • Standard Camera
  • Standard Tripod
  • IMovie
  • YouTube (www.youtube.com)

Final Ancillary Texts - Poster & Digipak






Here are the three completed products of my promotional package, they each conform to the colour scheme, maroon grey and black despite the fact that the colour appears to be a lot more prominently red as a result of the upload to Blogger itself - however it should be more maroon/deeper red.

Technology used:

  • Photoshop
  • Blogger (www.blogspot.com)
  • Microsoft Office - PowerPoint



Thursday 10 April 2014

Q1 -In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?



This Prezi has been adapted to address the conventions of Pop Rock music video and outline the ways in which my product has either challenged or accepted these.

Technology used:

  • Prezi (www.prezi.com)

Q2- How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?



I devised a slideshare to highlight the effectiveness of the combination of my music video and ancillary texts with regards to their relationship and how they act as a whole.




With regards to Jodies feedback and her opinion on the effectiveness of my products highlights particular factors similar to the ones stated above. This allows me to understand that the demographic i choose to appeal to are each interested in the same elements as myself.

Aspects Jodie identified that made my products effective:

  • Continuity with regards to colour scheme and artist within the video and amongst the ancillary texts.
  • Grungy effect
  • Emotional content, allowing the audience to empathise with the main character.
  • 'Love is blind' is used on each product - creating continuity once again
  • The material is similar so it is likely to be promoted in similar areas therefore making it recognisable to the audience and popularity is enhanced.
Technology used:
  • Microsoft Office - PowerPoint
  • SlideShare (www.slideshare.net)
  • Standard Camera 
  • Standard Tripod
  • YouTube (www.youtube.com)

Q3 - What have you learned from audience feedback?


I created a prezi to generalise the findings from my questionnaire and highlight the elements that I thought were most significant.



In addition to my questionnaire, I also created an audience feedback video with one of my peers, Jodie. Within the video I asked several question and the answers that were given were all her own opinion which helped me gain an insight into the way my chosen demographic perceive my video.

The first question I asked Jodie related to the message she took from my video.

What message did you take from my music video?
In her response she stated she took the message that 'love is blind'; one of the key concepts within my video and also a statement within my ancilliary text promotional package. The sheer fact that Jodie was able to make that link relates to the identity that my three products have made as a result of  their similarities and the continuity this has created. She also states that people are willing to go to a extreme extent to be with a person they love as demonstrated within my video. This is a good response due to the fact that Jodie appears to have understood the preferred reading of my video (Stuart Hall-Reception Theory) and accepted it.

Was any particular emotions triggered when you watched it?
She states that the main emotion she feels is sadness. This once again conforms to my preferred reading in relation to the fact that my intentions was to create a strong, sentimental narrative,therefore emotions such as this are to be expected when watching something with a powerfully emotional stimulus.

Did you feel empathy towards the main character?
Jodie admitted that she was emphatic towards the main character. However, she also used my music video as a way to gratify her needs (Bulmer & Katz - Uses & Gratifications) in relation to the fact that her life is not as bad as the main characters and therefore takes some sort of positive message from the video.

In conclusion, audience feedback is especially significant due to the fact that it gives me an insight into the overall success of my products. When used previously in the course it would also act as a constructive platform for me to make any changes in order to suit my audiences interest more accurately.

Technology used:

  • Prezi (www.prezi.com)
  • Standard Camera
  • Standard Tripod
  • YouTube (www.youtube.com)


Q4. How did you use media technologies in the research, planning, construction and evaluation stages?

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  This particular SlideShare highlights the key aspects of technology used throughout the process of the creation of my promotional package consisting of a promotional music video, digipak and promotional poster in combination with one another.

Technology used:

  • Microsoft Office - PowerPoint
  • Slideshare (www.slideshare.net)

Friday 4 April 2014

Poster Changes:



I created a slideshare to show the improvements made on my final poster as a result of the feedback gained. The SlideShare also outlines the process of production of changing my old product into new.

Technology used:

  • Microsoft Office - PowerPoint
  • SlideShare (www.slideshare.net)
  • PhotoShop 

Thursday 3 April 2014

Digipak Changes


This SlideShare highlights the changes I have made to my digipak as a result of the feedback gained from my peers.

Technology used:

  • Microsoft Office - PowerPoint
  • SlideShare (www.slideshare.net)

Tuesday 11 March 2014

Digipak Promotions:


I created a PowerPoint to demonstrate how my first draft digipak would look if it was to be made at industry standard and featured in the required areas. 

Technology used:

  • Microsoft Office (PowerPoint)
  • SlideShare (www.SlideShare.net)

Sunday 2 March 2014

Music Video Second Draft:




The second draft of my music video has had several slight changes to make the narrative more effective, I decided to shorten the 'kiss' part of the video to make the edits more effective. I also removed the black segment from the end of the video as it made it appear as though it was incomplete, this was replaced by lengthening the flickering candle to reinforce the death of the main character.

Technology used:

  • Standard Camera
  • Standard Tripod
  • iMovie
  • YouTube (www.youtube.com)

Saturday 1 March 2014

Friday 28 February 2014

Music Video Production





I decided to create my music video using iMovie software, to begin I simply opened up the programme and began creating my 'first project'. I decided to leave the default name due to it literally being my first project therefore i would not get confused if decided to name it 'music video 1' 'music video 2' etc.



To begin, I placed the memory card into the Mac and upload my content onto iPhoto, this was then imported onto iMovie allowing me to begin editing my footing and create the first draft of my music video.



My content appeared at the side of the Mac, making it easily accessible with regards to footage I needed at particular points in time. As I began creating my video, I highlighted each 'day' of my music video so all my content would be available to me at the same point in time, ensuring no footage was lost.



When the content was fully uploaded, I selected particular segments of each clip that I though would be relevant to include in my music video. This process was particularly time consuming in relation to the fact that I had hours of footage that needed to be sieved through to ensure I chose the best possible clip to incorporate into my music video. The fact that I had a lot of footage worked in my advantage with regards tot he fact that if I need to reshoot it is likely to be only small segments as opposed to whole scenes.

As the production of my video progressed I decided to watch it over and over to ensure the edits were perfectly timed and the clips didn't last too long. This was initially done with no music so I could concentrate more on the content within the video as opposed to how it flowed with the music. 



The footage from each day would then be added into the video to contribute to its narrative. As the footage accumulated I decided that it would be a good time to begin adding the music, so now I can concentrate on how the promotional piece will flow rhythmically. 



When adding the music to my video , i initially encountered an issue. The first song I downloaded appeared to have issues with regards to the fact that it did not seem to be compatible with iMovie so would not attach to my video. THis delayed my editing process to the extent that I gave up trying and re-downloaded it when i got home. Luckily this time it was successful therefore i could continue with the production of my video.



The song I chose to use was Coldplay - The Scientist, the reason behind this is due to the fact that I felt it fitted with the ethos of my music video effectively. Once I had uploaded it to my video I could then begin tweaking the clips to ensure they fitted perfectly with the song and also just to simply tell if i needed to change my song or find an alternative. However, I was pleased with how well it fitted so decided to keep it.


Once the first draft of my video was complete I decided to watch it through several more times simply to ensure I was pleased with it and potentially identify elements that can be changed for the next draft I create. Within my video I added extra sources of non-diegetic sound to resemble the horn of a train and the alarm tone of a phone. Despite the fact that this sound is non-diegetic, the way i chose to incorporate it into my video connotes the idea of diegetic sound in relation to the fact that the main character responds to the sounds included.

Once happy with the first draft of my video I uploaded it to YouTube to gain feedback, enabling me to feature it on my blog.


I added the YouTube video to my channel, I can now add and remove extra content to this channel to support the production of my promotional piece.


As a result of uploading my video it is now accessible to the public and can be featured on my blog using the embed code available.

Digipak 1st Draft Analysis:



I composed this Prezi to show my analysis of the first draft ancillary texts, in this Prezi I have outlined the pros and cons of each product and a brief overview of what each product entails, in my opinion. This will then be used to refer back to as I develop each text to ensure change are made to the valid areas I wish to adapt.

Technology used:

  • Prezi (www.prezi.com)


Friday 14 February 2014

Ancillary Texts:

Digipak & Promotional Poster:



I created a SlideShare to show the first draft of each element of the ancillary text both within the digipak and as separate elements. The promotional poster is also included.



Software used:
  • SlideShare (www.slideshare.net)
  • PhotoShop (creation of each text)
  • Microsoft PowerPoint 
  • Google Images (www.google.com - for record label logo's and social media icons)



Fonts:

 I used dafont.com to experiment with a variety of fonts ranging from eroded to those with more of a fancy twist to them. I decided to experiment with such a broad range to make my decision easier. With this I can now look and decide which ones I feel will fit my product best, I am also able to swap and change the fonts between different drafts to ensure I have made the best choice. Due to my music video having a solemn atmosphere, I feel as though the 'eroded' style fits the ideology I am trying to portray. It represents the characters broken mentality, lifestyle and image.

I decided to use 'Press Feeling Eroded' as the font form my ancillary texts, the reason being is due to the fact that it reflects the persona of the character well and will create continuity between both my promotional video and ancillary texts. 

If I decide to change the font as the progression of my ancillary texts continue, I can refer back to my initial collection of fonts or even change the overall image to create a better, sheer, professional outcome for my ancillary product.

Technology used:

  • Dafont (www.dafont.com)
  • Microsoft Publisher


Tuesday 11 February 2014

Digipak Inspiration:


Digipak Inspiration from holbeau

I took a variety of images from Google of different Digipak's and analysed particular elements of each, stating how these would link to my product and influence its production.

Technology used:

  • Google Images (www.google.com)
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • SlideShare (www.SlideShare.net)

Monday 10 February 2014

Album Cover Inspiration:



I researched a wide variety of album covers to help me gain inspiration in relation to how I want to create my own. With regards to genre, i aimed to look specifically at artists within the Pop Rock genre, however, due to the fact that this is a very broad genre I chose to incorporate those from other genres to make my examples more varied.

Technology used:

  • Google Images (www.google.com)
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • SlideShare (www.SlideShare.net)


Thursday 6 February 2014

Typical Pop Rock DigiPak


This is a SlideShare created to show the conventions of a typical Pop Rock digipak. Despite the fact that this pack is based on a band as opposed to an individual artist, I still chose to analyse it due to the fact that it makes me more aware of conventions within this genre and i am able to adapt a particular element to suit my situation if something was to appeal to me.

Technology used:

  • Google Images (www.google.com)
  • SlideShare (www.slideshare.net)
  • Microsoft PowerPoint

Friday 31 January 2014

Official Shooting Schedule 3:

Shooting Schedule – Day 3

Today I arranged my third official day of shooting in an attempt to finalise all of the footage I need to create a first draft of my promotional music video.


WHEN: Sunday 5th January 2014 15.00 – 18.00
WHERE: Sandwell Park, Kingswood. (Talent’s house)

SHOTS COMPLETED: 13,14,15,16,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50

13 – 16:
These shots were those that followed on from the first day of shooting.

13: Showed a shot of both Andrew and I running down the stairs, laughing and joking, this will be used to show a flashback which contributes to the narrative and makes the audience a lot more aware of the main character’s situation.
14: A medium shot was used to show Andrew in his pyjamas, sat on a table with two chairs, one of them being empty. He drinks a cup of tea.
15: To shows that Andrew is reminiscing on past experiences, a flashback is used to show Andrew and I sat at the same table in the previous shot dressed up, drinking wine to celebrate some sort of occasion. We ‘ching’ glasses.
16: Once the glasses have ‘chinged’, this shot is similar to that in 13, which shows Andrew drinking his cup of tea in even more of a depressed manner, accentuating the harsh reality and these events he is experiencing are simply just memories.

ADDITIONAL SHOTS:
I chose to add extra shots to this sequence as I thought it was not yet complete, these consisted of:
·        An over the shoulder shot of Andrew to show burned toast popping, I chose to incorporate this as it adds more misery to the situation and shows that nothing goes right for this character.
·        A medium close up is used from behind to show Andrew pick up the toast, and realise it is burned
·        A POV shot is then used, showing my main character throw the toast into the bin and closes the lid.


39-50:
These shots link with the first day of shooting, showing the talent preparing to leave the house.

39: This shot shows Andrew grabbing his coat from the back of the door, we then see him put on the coat from behind.
40: A medium close up is used of my talent and I from the reflection in the bathroom mirror. It is used as a flashback to show me appearing however this is all in the characters imagination
41: An over the shoulder shot is used as the character feels his right shoulder and acknowledges the flashback, the camera then zooms on red flowers that are on the kitchen worktop.
42: A close up is used to show the main character grabbing the flowers, this shot then zooms out and pans towards the door to which we see the talent walk towards and begin to exit.
43: A close up of the bottom half of the door is used to show the main character leaving, slamming it behind him, a pan is then used in combination with a tilt to show the petals that have been left behind on the kitchen floor.
44: A close up of the talent inserting the key into the car door is used, we then see it being unlocked.
45: A shot from inside the car is then used at a high angle to show Andrew place the flowers on the passenger seat
46: we then see the main character enter the car, also from a high angle.
47: A two shot is then used, showing the main character and the flowers, Andrew strokes the seat that his partner would sit be sitting at and reminisces.
48: a close up of a seatbelt is then used to show Andrew securely attaching his seatbelt.
49: a low angle is then used to show the main character turning on the engine of the car.
50: A medium shot is used from the perspective of someone sat in the back seat of the car to show Andrew driving to the location.

ADDITIONAL SHOTS:
·        I decided to add another shot showing Andrew turn on the lights to the car, however I am not yet sure on whether I will include this, it all depends on the lighting of the other locations when it comes to editing.







Here is a sample of videos I collated and added to iMovie to give an insight into some of the clips I shot on the third day of filming. This video does not consist of every clip. The reason being is due to the fact that i thought this may be too time consuming and i feel as though enough insight into the days productivity is given within this short video.

Thursday 30 January 2014

Official Shooting Schedule 2:

Shooting Schedule – Day 2

Today the second day of filming commenced, this took place in the evening to portray the idea that the day had progressed and evening was fast approaching.

WHEN: Friday 3rd January 2014, 3.30 – 4.30
WHERE: Snuff Mill Lane train tracks, Hull
SHOTS COMPLETED: 51,52,53,54,56,57,58,59,60

Due to the change of location, these shots consisted mainly of the same scenery due to the fact that I wanted to complete all of these shots in one day, and not have to revisit the location due to it being train tracks and I felt that this was already a risky place to shoot.

51 – the previous shots filmed showed Andrew driving away from his house, shot 51 shows the character arriving at the location, a medium close up is used on the car, the car lights are then turned off.
52 – shows the talent turning of the engine and applying the handbrake to emphasise the fact that he will be exiting the vehicle to go elsewhere.
53 – a close up is used to show the main character walking towards the camera and laying red roses at the foot of the fence. Connoting the idea of a memorial for his lost loved one.
54 – this shot begins with a close up of the back of the main characters head, showing him walk away from it into the distance with the camera remaining still.
55 – this shot will be used in combination with the previous in relation to the fact that it shows a POV shot, showing the view that the main character would see from his eyes walking away from the camera in shot 54. These two shots will be cut between one another to give the illusion that someone is watching the main character; his soul mate.
56 – the main character reaches the destination that he is walking to; train tracks. A pan is used to show the length of the tracks and make it clear the location he has arrived at clear to the audience.
57 – another pan is used around the artists face, showing him in deep thought, almost reminiscing on a particular topic – the death of his partner.
58 – on reflection of this an extreme long shot of the sunset directly opposite of the main character will be panned to show what is fuelling his thought process.
59 – a close up of the floor was used to show the artist jumping off the fence he was sat on
60 – we then see the main character walk directly onto the live train tracks in an attempt to commit suicide and be reunited with his partner, and relieve his heartache.

ADDITIONAL SHOTS:
  •         One shot was created showing the female character (me) calling Andrew onto the train tracks. I haven’t yet decided on the use for this clip, as I will either use it as a flashback showing the cause of death. Or a shot that is used as temptation to provoke Andrew onto the tracks to be reunited with his partner.
  •         Another shot showed a train moving on the lines which I will speed up and use to add to the climax of my video.
  •         A long shot was also taken showing Andrew with his arms outstretched standing on the track, surrendering himself.
  •        To add to the intensity of the narrative I also took shots of a black screen so I can use this to suggest the death of the character, another shot also shows a candle flickering out, signifying the end of life and the main character is now at peace.


Here is a sample of videos I collated and added to iMovie to give an insight into some of the clips I shot on the second day of filming. This video does not consist of every clip. The reason being is due to the fact that i thought this may be too time consuming and i feel as though enough insight into the days productivity is given within this short video.

Thursday 16 January 2014

Official Shooting Schedule 1:

Shooting Schedule – Day 1


Today I arranged my first official day of shooting in an attempt to begin collecting sufficient footage that can be used to create a first draft of my promotional music video.

WHEN: Tuesday 31st December 2013, 12.00 – 3.00.
WHERE: Sandwell Park, Kingswood. (Talent’s house)
SHOTS COMPLETED: 1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,17,18,19,20,22,23,24,25,35,36,37,38

1 – A long shot is used to show Andrew lying asleep in the bed with sheets covering the majority of his face to portray the idea that he had been in a deep sleep for a long time and is at the verge of waking up as a result of his alarm clock, the light protruding through the window also reinforces the fact that it is time to wake up.
2 – A close up of a phone is used in shot 2 to support the fact that the main character is about to be woken up. A reminder is set on the main characters phone stating ‘one year’ the one year is used to remind the character of the anniversary of his partners death. The use of the colon and bracket next to the words creates a sad face, this is used to portray the characters emotions regarding the situation, and also used to appeal to the younger target market as it is likely they will use this sort of language and will be largely affiliated with mobile phones.
3 – The third shot shows the main character turning off the alarm and reaching for his partner, this suggests that this was a common thing that he would do when she was alive. The hard reality then hits him regarding the fact that she is no longer there, making this particular shot crucial as it helps establish the beginning of the narrative.
4 – This shows a close up of the main characters face, he is shown slamming the pillow onto his face after realising the importance of this day. The close up makes the relationship between audience and character a lot more real as they are able to emphasise with the talent due to the extent of the emotions being so real.
6 – This shot shows the main character sitting up from on the bed and viewing a photo as he does so, a long shot is used.
7 – As the shots progress the main character encounters continuous reminders of his partner, this is used to create continuity within the narrative. Shot 7 shows Andrew kissing the photo which reminds the audience of the close bond the two partners and the loss he is currently feeling.
8 - Similar to shot 6 a long shot is also used, this shows Andrew standing up and walking towards the window close to the bed, he looks at the view and reflects on his life and the situation he is currently in.
9 – Shot 9 is an over the shoulder shot used to view the outside through the window. This shot is particularly effective in relation to the fact that it creates a sense that the main character is being looked over. This connotes the idea that the audience are viewing the helpless  main character from the same position as his deceased partner.
10 – This POV shot shows the character coming across a note that appears to have been there for a long time and left unnoticed. Pans and tilts are also used in combination to create a realistic angle of replicating the movement of the main characters head.
11 – The importance of this paper is emphasised through the fact that the main character holds it close to his chest, allowing the audience to infer that this paper has high sentimental value and is to be cherished.
12 – The paper reads the words ‘I love you’ which was left behind from the main characters partner at some point in time which allows us to establish that this will be forever treasured from now on and brings raw emotions flooding back from the point that he lost his partner.
17 – Shows the main character walking to the other side of the bed and reaching for the mirror placed by the side of the cabinet, the side where his partner would often sleep, meaning she would use this mirror to dress, once again reinforcing the emotional value the Mise En Scene creates.
18 – This shot shows Andrew placing the mirror onto the bedside cabinet so he can use it to get ready for the day ahead, possibly resulting in the same fate as his partner.

ADDITIONAL SHOTS:
After shots 17 & 18 I added two additional shots which were not included in my storyboard. One to show Andrew picking up his clothes off the door handle and another showing them being thrown on the bed in an untidy manner, contributing to the creased costume throughout.
19 – We see Andrew buttoning his creased shirt, contributing to the depressed attitude he adopted since the loss of his partner.
20 – A close up is used to show Andrew stepping foot into his formal trousers.
21 – This shot follows the previous shot as we then see him zipping up the fly on the trousers to show him gradually dressing.
23 – Contributing to the formal dress code we see Andrew straighten up his tie as though he is attending a funeral.
24 – We then see Andrew using the mirror to straighten his tie further, a long shot is used show this and connotes the idea that he is reminiscing over the times he would see his wife get ready in the exact same place, before she was gone.
25 – Andrew is then shown pulling a lighter from near the candle on the bedside and lights it, prior to this he taps it on his head in annoyance regarding the fact that he feels as though his partners death is partly his fault and commonly suffers from guilt despite the fact he influenced it in no way.
35 – We see the main character grab his mobile phone and place it in his pocket, allowing the audience to infer that he is leaning the room, and house to an important location.
36 – The shoes are now being tied which is shown through a close up, reinforcing the fact that he is leaving.
37 – A medium shot follows this and shows Andrew putting on his coat.
38 – This particular shot will be created by using two shots combined into one as one will show Andrew waking down the stairs to his house, and the other shows both Andrew and his partner walking down these. I will edit these to create the illusion of a flashback in the main characters mind, showing him reminiscing fond memories between the two which is so powerfully brought on by simple elements around the house.



 


Here is a sample of videos I collated and added to iMovie to give an insight into some of the clips I shot on the first day of filming. This video does not consist of every clip. The reason being is due to the fact that i thought this may be too time consuming and i feel as though enough insight into the days productivity is given within this short video.\

Technology used:

  • Standard Camera
  • Standard Tripod
  • Apple Mac
  • iMovie
  • YouTube