Evaluation Question 3

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

Before we began filming our music video , the internet was our main source of technology as during our research and construction stage it was used to help understand our target audience research about other artists and websites similar to ours and give us ideas on our music video and ancillary products.We used sites like Youtube to research artists and music videos and sites like Wikipedia and YouGov to get a better understanding of our audience.

After doing our research we put all our idea's together and created a pitch for the class. This pitch included all our reaserch and an animatic story board for our music video. 

During the process the main piece of technology we used was the DSLR camera which I provided . We saved all our videos on a memory card which  we transferred over to a group video drive so that we wouldn't be limited of space on the amount of video clips we could have. The quality of the camera was really sharp and in result of this we had crisp shots and not pixelated visuals. The DSLR Camera also had a setting allowing us to change how much light could go through the lens, this helped greatly with our lighting as most of our locations were dark.

When creating my ancillary products I used photoshop to produce my Digipak, 

When editing the music video we used  Adobe Premier Pro and Adobe After Effects to edit the green screen. In Premier Pro we cut, edited and allowed our video to be in sync with the song. On After Effects we edited a mini green screen so that it appeared that the photo was being zoomed into. We had to come in our spare time to learn how to edit the green screen. 

When creating my website I used Weebly to create my website, it provided FREE templates and a FREE personalised URL. 

LamieLDN had a instagram and twitter page to keep her audience up to date with her stay relevant with todays social media.

For my evaluation I have used Prezi , Word Document Camtasia 2, Emaze,and video interviews. These methods of technology make the evaluation more stimulating and interesting. 

Evaluation Question 4

What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

Feedback after the cinema.

Evaluation Question 1

Evaluation Question 2

FINISHED!

FINISHED!

Finally done with everything finished blogging and every task!

I have learnt over many different media related skill such

as how to use premiere pro and photoshop. I enjoyed

the year of A2 Media and have experience lots

of different skills.

Sign off

Sign off from blog

 

I have learnt a lot on the theory and practical side during the course of the last few months whilst working on this course work. I am proud of my final products and know that I will be using these skills again and will come in useful when I carry on my studies in university.

Evaluation question 4

Evaluation Question 4.

Looking at my past feedback i was able to identified few mistakes that had happen in the rough cut. It was good to have audience feedback as they could clearly see errors through a clear insight as i just wanted to get the work finished which meant i didn't have clear mind and was pretty much in denial. So allowing them to feed me information about what needed improvements to make the overall music video better.

What could make it better?

• "Your rolled up sleeves..." a bit off sync
• Turning the radio on needs to be a CU/ECU shot
• The cuts as the beginning are too quick
• Why did you put the heels clanking on the floor track at the beginning
• Should follow a kind of story (sighing, reminiscing about her relationship that's over)
• Flashback of relationship and cheating should be visibly different (different colour/black and white)
• Need more variety of angles in the beginning instead of repeating the same shots (different angles of the same base tracks)

I will go through every constructive criticism and explain how we had developed/implemented into our music video onwards progression to the final product.

First bullet point we had to find that track that we used for that section and re-sync it up with the soundtrack using the points on the premiere pro we listened at for the start of the first word were the artist sings. We then had to look at our own artist video and find the point where she's about to sing which then we sync up the sound to the visuals.

Second bullet point, looking through the video we decided to cut this section out as we tried multiple times to film it again and in every clip the shadow had been in the shot so it was replaced with another clip. In its place we put a strike of a match stick as the snap starts the song because overall it was a better shot as well as there was no lighting problems

Third bullet point initially it was too fast as we wanted it to match up with the clanking of the heels we then decided as well that it was too fast and you didn't even have time to look at the scenes. There was removal of some of the clips to allow more screen time for more powerful telling scenes.

Fourth bullet point the sounds of the heels were ready place inside the soundtrack by the original artist of the song we didn't put it there. We decided to keep in as it created a atmosphere of mysterious and it set the scene of being heartbroken without giving away the whole meaning of the song straight away. It also gave us the ability to give the music video a introduction before going right into song.

Fifth bullet point our story was that the artist was reminiscing about their past relationship but in the end she's the one that is no good for the guy. Then left in pain she then decides to drink her pain away to relieve herself but in the end she decides its best for her just to get rid of all the memories of him by burning them.

Sixth bullet point we couldn't get any good shots so we decided to leave it out but then we rethought about it and knew that it was major contribution to the story telling. Instead we filmed a new scene of the relationship with a black and white filter on top to show its a flashback.

Seventh bullet point there wasn't many variety of angle shot in our rough cut so we then had remake the beginning this meant we went out film for more shots. Later on we replace the beginning with new clips that had more different angles which made it more interesting and kept the audience eyes locked on the introduction and throughout.

While that class analysis was happening for our music video the majority of people said the lighting was too dark in the scenes and you could barely see the artist. So we took action and start on a clean slate, filming the whole project again making sure that we had good lighting. I feel that listening to audience feedback is key because they're the people that you're trying to market your product to its made me look at criticism in non-negative way but a choice to improve your work to its maximum potential.

In the cinema screening our final production of the music video was a great success as there was consecutive screaming and cheering in the first sector of the introduction. Some scenes were more strongly made so those were the area where the crowd reacted most.

Below are two videos that demonstrate the changes we had done to the video based on the feedback we were given;

COMPARISON

ROUGH CUT

FINAL VERSION

I had also received feedback on my ancillary promotional product during the pitch which lead to me changing my idea. The criticism i received was that the album should feature the artist to create a strong star image. Another is that the there needs to be a unique selling point to your album so what does it represent. Since our early design didn't represent anything and little synergy to show that it was connected. The only representation was the 'LamieLDN' logo other than that it didn't have anything related.

Audience Interview/Critism

Synergy within products from MediaA2Student

                                                                              

Evaluation question 3

Evaluation Question 3.

The technology we used DSLR camera which was provided by group member Esther Makun. After deciding that we preferred it more than the camera the college had provided us. We stored all our videos on a memory card that were shot which then we transferred over to a group video drive so that we wouldn't be limited of space on the amount of video clips we could take. The camera quality was really crisp and precise that lead to good shots and not pixelated visuals. Camera also had a feature that allowed us how much light could go through the lens which helped with lighting a lot since most of our locations were dark.

Blogger was a major aspect throughout the year as helped us plan the project such as the location, shots, lighting and story planning. We used blogger to consistently update everyone on what we were up to but as well to keep organized so that when our shooting was happening it reduced the amount of mistake that could've happened as it was well planned.

There was many types of media platform that i used on blogger to keep my blogs interesting as they were posted so that it wasn't all text but also visual imagery to go with the text. Images allowed the audience to visualise what we imagine our end goal to look. Now that we have finally reached the point of finishing it has came out exactly how we wanted.

Twitter and instagram are social platform that all artist should have so we thought that we needed to keep up to date with social media with our artist too to update our teachers but also potential target audience. On twitter we tweeted our location and what was happening throughout the days we were shooting at our locations. This enable us to keep the teachers in with the progress of what's happening.

The internet was a major contribution towards the pre-planning section of our music video as it allowed us to research about the music industry and how they conduct when making a artist debut. I could find out what were the essential promotional items that all the artist need to create a strong reputation and star image. In pre-planning stage we could gather information about the artist's song choice that we chose which was 'You know i'm no good - Amy Winehouse'.

Photoshop was used to create my ancillary products such as the album and website design. I had to create a profile using the album cover and website. In the video above it shows you a demonstration of how i made and design my album for my artist 'LamieLDN'. I had to use many different techniques and tools to create the effects to make the album look more appealing and more eye-catching towards my target audience.

Since we didn't know how to code our own website we had to use an external provider such as 'Weebly' to make our site. I used a preset theme to create a layout for my images and designs. The theme colour of my artist was black and white so it reflected on my website. I tried to replicate a major artist in the music industry such as 'Adele' which was my inspiration and influence for my site. I made sure that my site has all the features and pages that all artist website consist of.

The editing program we used was adobe premiere pro it's a professional software that allows us to edit our music video in conjunction i used adobe after effects for the green screen in our music video. We had to adjust the fix points onto the corner of the green screen paper so that it would track and follow the piece paper while playing a video. In premiere we used it synchronize the lip sync videos to the soundtrack then we cut out and remove sections to the beat of the song. We had to trim and shorten clips to speed up the video but we as well put visual effects to make some of the scenes black and white so represent past flashback.

There was also animatic storyboard which was created by drawing each shot we then put visual effects and animated it to bring it to life just as we imagine it in our minds. The shots were each hand drawn differing from camera shots and mise-en-scene.


Link to animatic: http://candipop15group14.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/31-pitch-animatic-monique-reynolds.html


Our pitch was a part of research and planning as it allowed us to discuss as group what was going to happen and each section before going into our idea straight away. Feedback from teacher gave us a yes or no if our idea was capable of reaching the end goal.




FINISHED!

Evaluation question 2

Evaluation Question 2.

Synergy within products from MediaA2Student

In the planning phase of our music video we had to decide what would be apart of a major synergy that would be featured in all piece of promotional content. After brainstorming few ideas with the group we decided that we all prefer the wine glass as a main prop across platforms. Another aspect that was synergy is the wing-eyeliner on the main artist we tried to highlight in the video as she is wearing the same type of make-up but as well on the ancillary work. We thought this would also create a signature look but it will slowly become recognised since it was really easy to maintain we could make sure it was in everything.

Wine glass with red wine was a strong prop in our music video. The audience can easily recognised that they're linked synergy as it shown across through all the promotional products also included in the music video. We tried to highlight the wine glass throughout the music video but it also is featured in my ancillary product especially the artist album cover. Since its in like every shot of the music video it becomes a noticeable prop making it easily to notice, links in with our synergy when its seen on other things than the music video. The wing eye-liner and the artist is in every ancillary product thus creating a strong star image for the artist it will eventually build a reputation but as well make their face well-known.

There is link between all my products but we can tell that they're connected because the theme of black and white is used in every sector of my promotional ancillary and my music video. Although it isn't prominent in the website it has contributed in every part of my promotion it may also be less in some areas than others. As previously said in other paragraphs i do think my synergy was dominant in all my progression to the final product and ancillary product they were also distinct so they did blend in.

Yes, i believe that my ancillary product does attract the target audience as i was making it i had keep my target audience in mind so the features that i added onto my design were appropriate for my age range. My design portrays the artist as a strong independent female that doesn't care how others think or society sees her. She stands are a role model to younger girls to show that they don't need to be insecure. This is how we envisioned our final product would make our target audience feel which i think it has as i have ask many others their opinion on my ancillary and video. The only reason i think it may not attract my target audience is she may come off a bit rude or sassy but i don't she would even though i have portrayed her a bit sassy.

Evaluation Question 1

Evaluation Question 1.

Looking at the Andrew Goodwin's theory i had notice that we followed through the five key aspects that makes up goodwin's theory.

Thought through beat the voice is very unique as it Amy Winehouse one of the most famous soul music artist who had died. Its different from every artist so its easily recognizable and can be identified by anyone. The way the song portrays my artist as a strong person that has went through the struggles of pain of breakup but got over it by burning the memories. This means that the audience can relate to my artist.

I would say that our music video is a strong representation of amplification as it illustrates some of the lyrics vaguely without giving the full story. Our story is told by our artist as she acts in every scene like she's heartbroken over a breakup. She drenches her sorrow and pain in wine to slowly lose her memories. We used multiple of the same clips repeatedly to embed the image and story into the audience's brain.

The artist kept in eye contact with the camera at all times in the music video. On top of this her facial expression and body language made the acting all more convincing. She illustrated the story really well with her depressed look in her eyes and posture.

The camera is kept on focused on the artist throughout the whole music video the only time where the camera is not just focus on the artist is the flashback scene with the artist and her boyfriend. However most of the time the cinematography is constantly on the artist using close-up, medium shots, long shots. The artist has most screen time thus creating a strong star image making her more recognisable and her reputation boost up.

Transitions are based on the beat of the song so every cut was made sure to be cut on the right beat. The lip sync visuals are connected to the soundtrack so that when the artist sings it looks as she was actually singing it.

Voyeurism isn't used in our video as we wanted to challenge this since we didn't want our artist to use sex appeal to gain reputation but from her strong personality. We hardly use any shots to accentuate the body for the male's fantasy.

In our music video we used base tracks to keep the video interesting and from different perspective and angles. In the editing process we used many different cuts such as jump cuts, cutaway and many more other shots.

I didn't try to challenge any conventions as i wanted to maintain the correct features on my ancillary products so it will keep in competition to those in the music market industry. I also want to keep the correct term and convention. As well parental advisory along with the copyright issues.

Conventions on my ancillary work had replicated others in the music industry market such as barcode, company logos, track list and many other things. The requirement on the website were store, contact, news, home and gallery. I designed my site and album cover off inspiration on other existing sites/album covers.

Evaluation question 4

QUESTION 4 - What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

Pitch Feedback:




Rough cut feedback:

One of the Video feedbacks from after the cinema:

 

 

 

 

Feedback for Ancillary products:

 

Evaluation question 3

QUESTION 3 - How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

-CONSTRUCTION AND RESEARCH-

Blogging has been the most consistent use of technology displaying all of my research, planning and now evaluation. Below is examples of how i used different media's and inserted them onto my blog.

During the construction and research stages of the blog the main use of technology was the internet. Research was such a vital part of the process so it was important to be looking at the right websites and videos. Youtube was one of the strongest source of research. As we was able to get ideas of a conventional music video for our genre. Another website that came in handy for audience research was YouGovProfiler.co.uk which allowed us to have further research into our audience's preferences. 

 

 

 

As part of our pitch we made an Animatic Storyboard:

 



 

-PLANNING/ PROCESS -

During the process the main piece of technology we used was the DSLR camera. We stored all our videos on a memory card that were shot which then we transferred over to a group video drive so that we wouldn't be limited of space on the amount of video clips we could take. The quality of the camera was really sharp and in result of this we had crisp shots and not pixelated visuals. The DSLR Camera also had a setting allowing us to change how much light could go through the lens, this helped greatly with our lighting as most of our locations were dark.

I used photoshop to produce my Digipak, In the video below the process of making some of my Digipak is displayed:

Below are screen grabs of me working in Adobe Premier Pro and Adobe After Effects where i edited my videos. In Premier Pro we cut, edited and allowed our video to be in sync with the song. On After Effects we edited a mini green screen so that it appeared that the photo was being zoomed into.

I used Weebly to create my website, it provided templates and a structure for me to create my website Creating a website was time consuming and required an eye for detail.

We used Instagram to keep up LamieLDN's brand image and promote her single.

- EVALUATION-

For my evaluation I have used Camtasia 2, Emaze, video blogging from my ipad and video interviews. These methods of technology make the evaluation more stimulating and interesting.

Evaluation Question 2

QUESTION 2 - How effective is the combination of your main product (video) and ancillary texts(digipak/website)?

Evaluation Question 1

 

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

 

 

 

Final feedback from an audience member on ancillary products

 

 

Feedback from Rochelle age 20 with her views on my ancillary products.

In-progress editing website

Nearly finished my website looks good and happy with it slowly coming to outcome i want.

In-progress editing album

In progress of editing my album nearly finished!

Final website design

Comnpleted Website

Complete Website

Home Page:

Tour page:

Contact page:

Store page:

Completed DigiPack

57 .DIGI PACK IN PROGRESS

Complete Digipak

Front and back of Digipak

Inside and CD of Digipak

social media icon not publishing.

i added social media icons to my website but it is refusing to publish into the site. below is proof.

52. Dos' and donts' of design

54. Costume that artist will wear

Costuming

The clothing LamieLDN, our artist will be wearing a similar costume that is related to music video however the make-up will be the same as the music video as it creates synergy between both the album cover and music video creating a noticeable pattern as the wing eyeliner is very distinct throughout both of these promotional outlets.

49. Analysis of similar genre's website

Analysis of websites from MediaA2Student

51. Wheres my idea come from?

I was inspired by many of these artistes album as they had a related genre of music to my artist which is "LamieLDN" mainly a soul and r&b artist. So i decided to look into albums that were created by these 3 artists. I have decided to take many different attributes from each album and influence into my design work.

Throughout looking at these albums they have somethings in common such as barcode, copyright law, portrait of artist, distributor company, production company, album name and artist name. I will need to ensure that my album has all these code and conventions or it will not be up to date with the music industry market.

After thinking of how i would layout my images and text i decided that the rule of three will come in handy to create a perfect composition between text and image. All albums center their artist in the middle of the album so i will replicate the same thing with a close-up of my artist on my album. Along with this the text usually just above the artist head or below so i will have decide on if i want it to be above the artist head or below ensuring that it doesn't cover the artist.

On the back cover it will have the full track list of each song within the album written on each will have a unique name. Barcode will be place on the back so it can be identified as a certain product using optical laser. Copyright to prevent anyone profiting from our album which helps the company grow and contain revenue. Company logos will be added as the production and distributor as they would want to be mentioned to build reputation.

For the site i was influence by "Lane Del Rey" and "Adele" from past blogs about analysis of website you could see that both sites have had some sort of relation of promoting the album before anything else. On top of this they tried to squeeze in the artist's name and album name but were usually bold and quite large. The real focal point was trying to sell the audience the newest album available which i would like my website to do as its a strong selling point to sell the album.

There was always a site that introduces you to the album before you can enter the official site which forces the audience to look at the album first which i will also be implementing in. As soon as you do enter the site you're hit with a preview of the newest music video or some sort of photo gallery or event.

Colours and font will be themed to match with my album cover so that it creates strong synergy making it become more recognized as a signature look to the target audience and public.

Final album design

53. Photos for ancillary work

48. Analysis of similar genre's digipak

Analysis digipak from MediaA2Student

56. Mock-up website

55. Mock up of digipak

50. Fonts, Colours, Layout and Design ideas, including flatplans.

Annalysis of similar Genre's digipaks

The album contains a black and white filter, this suggests that it contains slow ballads. This filter is classy and will attract an audience ranging from young to old.
The picture used is a close up of Adele looking down, this also adds to the slow song vibes. It also creates a sense of mystery to the artist.
The artists name pops out as it is white and light green font on a dark background. This contrast draws audience's attention as well as the capital letters and large font. 
The rule of thirds is applied here as the artists face is directly in the middle, making it one of the first things the audience looks like. This makes it easier for the audience to make a connection and recognise other products from the artist with the digipak.

Audience feedback on ancillary products

During the process of making my ancillary work I asked members of my target audience for feedback.
I received both positive and negative feedback. The positive was that so far I had been following the conventions of a music video and that the colour scheme really suited the soul genre of music.
Constructive criticism was to change the font to a more feminine thin font, to change the second colour from gold to red/maroon and the inside CD should include the production companies logo.
Website feedback was really positive, people thought it was professional and showed a strong synergy with the music video and digipak. Constructive criticism was to change the font so it was the same as the digipak.

I will take in consideration of peoples opinions of the ancillary products and make changes where necessary.  

Name choices for the album

I decided to name the album Lamie Ldn as it is Lamie Ldn's first album and in order to get her name as big and known as possible, I think naming her album with her name, combined with all the pictures of her on the CD will increase her brand name and image.

I decided to base all the song names on heart break as when I was researching I noticed that most soul artists sing about being heart broken. So I wanted Lamie Ldn's album to fit in with her genre and audience.

52. Photo's for ancillary

51. where my ideas have come from

I really liked the simplicity of the Adele websites first page. It was very straight to the point with information on how to get the album and what different platforms it was available on. Also it had direct links to tickets for her tour.

Like Adeles I also liked Sam Smiths website because as soon as you got to the website you were able to identify who's website it was and how to purchase their album.