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

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In the production of media project, I have used media technologies during the my A2 media coursework has been diverse throughout the whole process. I have made sure to incorporate a diverse range of media technologies in order to create a successful final media product and show progression between the AS to A2 media work. The stages of construction, research, planning and evaluation have been enabled me to gain the knowledge to advance my production of this particular media product, with more specific technologies than previously used. Research In regards to the media technologies have helped me to gain critical awareness of the music video industry which we had partially introduced by our media teacher Mr. Zaidi. initially we assessed secondary resources to understand the theoretical concepts that contribute to my creative success. Various internet search engines were used to access the Media Magazine’s online archive of articles such as the following.

Research

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In regards to the research, I made sure to use various media technologies have helped me to critically gain an awareness of the music video industry as well as assess secondary resources to understand the theoretical concepts that have contributed to the creative success of this project.  Utilizing various interent search engines I was able to access the Media Magazine Online Archive obtain the following articles.

List of Articles

• Secondary Research: Media Magazine (Editing Music Promo) – An Interview With Suzy Davis.
• Secondary Research: Sound & Vision – ‘A Music Video Reader’ By Simon Frith
• Secondary Research: Media Magazine – How To Study Music Videos By Pete Fraser
• Secondary Research: Dancing In The Distraction Factory – Andrew Goodwin

Through the use of media technologies, we had sure to engage with this the variety of online media articles proved to effective. The online articles allowed me to gain an insight into the varied conventions of music videos as a media product and art form. The articles enabled us to develop our perception of media conventions. The key idea’s which were highlighted through the online articles were the following.

Key Concept

• Synthasesia
• loose narrative
• Authenticity
• Star image

An example of Beyonce, representing the media convention of star image.

The following concepts which have been listed above, have been incorporated into my own media project, to ensure its conventionally authentic, while remaining creative and dynamic. In addition I was able to use the internet to my advantage throughout the media course especially in regards to researching about lip-syncing. However using sites as a media technology is questionable due limitations in its reliability. Reliability is defiantly something we had to consider, during the research and planing process.  Wikipedia is a example of a media technology which is questionable to reliability due to fact an individual can edit the content.  The accuracy of the information for my research for this media course can only verified with cross referencing from multiple sites to increase the accuracy of the content i am submitting.

Examples of contrasting media technologies, for cross references thus increasing accuracy:

In addition the use media technologies in the research stages can be seen throughout the blog, analysing Youtube Music videos from Robin Thicke- Blurred Lines to video clips from the ITV documentary ‘Mirrorball’ featuring iconic music video directors Spike Jonze, Chris Cunningham, Jonas Akerlund and Michel Gondry. Personally I believed that this proved to be effective use of media technologies and of continuing importance to my secondary research. This secondary research enabled me as a media student to explore how this group of directors have pushed the boundaries of music videos as media form and art form in their work.

Music Video’s of the directors include:

1. Fatboy Slim’s ‘Praise You’ (1998)
2. Prodigy’s ‘Smack My B*** Up’ (1997)
3. Madonna’s ‘Ray Of Light’ (1998)
4. Lady Gaga’s ‘Telephone’ (2010)
5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ ‘Y Control’ (2004)

Focusing on these particular music video’s, helped me to understand what makes a high quality music video. Youtube and Vimeo have both enabled me view, how successful music should look like and how I am able to develop me own skills produce the the same post production effects for my own project. Each director approached each music video with different creative direction throughout their careers, thus making the use of media technologies effective and rewarding.

The use media technologies in the my media project was further used to explore how the music convention of ‘lip syncing’ should be executed. Youtube and Internet search engines for example Google were utilised in order to discover previous examples of lip syncing tasks. In addition, existing examples of music videos to give myself an idea how this concept of lip syncing has been incorporated and implemented into music video’s. After I had done my research into lip-syncing, I made sure to use the convention myself in preliminary task. I filmed myself, lip-syncing to ‘Billie Jean’ By Michael Jackson and uploading to Youtube as well as my own media Blog. This combination of research and construction using media technologies has been extremely effective as it could constant referred to and evaluated with intention of improving substantially for my final music video.

Planning

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An example of an earlier mood board which I created, by arrange images on the compute screen to encourage my creative state of mind. Print Screening my idea’s as they develop as the way I created my mood boards.

In the planning stage of this media project, initially I used media technologies to collect and organs my thoughts into various visual representations. Through secondary research I learnt about ‘Synthesisa’ which is psychological process used to make visual associations in the mind with the lyrics which I have chosen for my soundtrack. Together using Rap Genius, Youtube and Google images helped me select appropriate imagery for the song “Diablo” with my initial conceptual ideas we transferred these ideas onto ‘mood boards’ using Adobe Photoshop. In the future we would be able to reference our ideas which further developed into storyboards,Digital Packaging and the visual aesthetics of the music video its self. Creating Mood Boards proved to effective use of media technologies, once they have had been uploaded to my blog, I was able to constantly refer to thus developing a sequence of idea’s from it. Without the use of photoshop to create multiple mood boards, I would not have been able to make visual connections between all three of the ancillary texts. Therefore limiting the creative potential in the development of the project.

An example of a storyboard I created on StoryBoardThat, on an online third party website. Another example of a mood board and media convention directors use for real media texts to develop the final Idea’s before filming.

Media technologies where also used to create a story board for the music. By so doing this our music video was able to have rough direction, through the story board create on vector software. The application name was “StoryBoardthat”. The application had a simple & fun Interface:The storyboard creator uses a familiar drag and drop interface that users of all ages pick up in seconds. Our creator allows you to fully customize numerous aspects of your storyboard; from coloring in your own character, to adding text, we have everything you need to get the story straight!This is an example of media technology being integrated into the planning process of the media project, offering foundation to build upon through experimentation.

A mood board I created during the planning process, to visualise each location which we could potential film the music video. Creating this mood board enabled me refer to it in the future, when it came to the actually filming process.

The use photoshop and the DSLR Camera is very prominent through out my blog. Using the mood board concept i visited various locations which I believed to be appropriate from the shooting of our music video. After visiting the places as well as accumulating all the images once again I used the mood board concept to represent my idea’s. Opening Adobe Photoshop, creating a large rectangular canvas size, I organised the images in a linear format, numbered so they were easy refer to after and during the planning process. I believe this was an effective way of integrating various media technologies to create visual representation of the the location which, easy to interpret by anyone. This was go great importance to the effectiveness of the planning stage,saving us as group time by being organised.

Construction

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During this process of the media project, my group had to use media technologies which were have healed based on technical work.

Camera Specification of the Two Media Technologies which were used in the construction stage of the music video. >The Go-Pro Hero 2 >The Nikon D90

One piece of media technology, I utilised in this stage was the Nikon D90 and the GO Pro in-order to effectively film the footage which would eventually be used in Mac Miller Music video. During the production of the project I was able to us both pieces of technologies to get various angles go Jack Wilson. The use of two camera’s simultaneously would all me to which from different angles. The Go-Pro that we where able to get our hands on had a fish eye lens. A fisheye lens is an ultra wide-angle lens that produces strong visual distortion intended to create a wide panoramic or hemispherical image. The distortion of the image of aloud the the shots being filmed for the music video to be more immersive and contribute to the Dynamic scenes. In addition the fish eye lens , proved to be incredibly suitable with male subject of the music video who was often constantly moving around performing in the urban environment.In contrast, along side using the Go-Pro the Nikon D90 aloud us crisp resolution with 12 megapixels, contributing to the clarity of the image when needed. Keeping up with the high quality production of the music video a Tripod was used to offer stability in the footage whilst in the filming process. Therefore this enabled use to strengthen the quality of the overall quality of the shots being taken , thus reducing the use the post production to resolve this potential issue. Overall there was no major limitation in the use of media technologies whilst in the construction process. The Go-Pro as well as the Nikon D90 were more than adequate to film the music video, allowing me to gain confidence in my footage before the footage was uploaded to the computer.

{The Nikon D90 – Vs – GO-PRO Hero 2} Comparing the standard sense available on the D90 in Contrast with Fish Eye Lens on the GO-PRO Camera.

Not surprisingly the most time consuming media technology within the construction stage was the use of the software at the laptops and at school on “Final Cut Pro” to edit and post produce our collected footage into a finalised music video. Some of the effects we used where the the black and White colour gradient, then adapting the exposure which was correct for each shot. By doing this it aloud the footage to look more professional thus correcting the quality of the overall music video so far. Mainly during the post production process editing played a vital part in the overall atmosphere which we attempted to push in order to increase the repeatability factor. Jump cut edits created juxtaposition in the overall continuity of the music video, implemented on the the Final Cut Software via multiple small cuts in the footage. In addition montage editing of the aloud us to arrange certain shots into distinctive positions to attract the audiences attentions. Finally toe reflect the conventions used in real media texts, we made sure to use the technique of ‘editing to the beat’ helping us to re-establish the important concept of ‘repeatability’ for the audience.

This is an example of how I have edited to the beat, whilst in the construction process of the music video for Mac Miller Diablo on Final Cut Pro.

The use of media technologies in the, through the use of Final Cut Pro proved to be extremely effective. Enabling myself and my group to really to put our own personal creative direction into practice. My creative influence transcended through setting, tools and effects on the software to establish a set of professional visuals to engage our target audience.

Evaluation

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Q3) What have you learned from audience feedback?

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During the production of media project it was important to gain constructive criticisms from our targeted audience, in this case we decided to construct various questionnaires to be filled by classmates whilst watching and critiquing our music video. We made sure to enable at least 30 people to answer the questionnaire from different backgrounds in order to make the feedback more reliable and realistic. Examining our music video and it ancillary texts, the feedback aloud us to improve as well as increase the quality of our work during its production. In addition I constructed the video interviews from our course teacher to add another dimension our feedback in regards to other peoples thoughts.

Firstly the initial forms of audience feedback that we made sure to undertake was question which was complied of 30 people, in and out ofschool in other word our target audience fro this project. Both female and male counterparts took part in the questionnaire. The questionnaires took place during and after the completion of my music video and the other two ancillary texts with a wide range of people from different backgrounds and social interests. The questionnaire was designed for audience feedback, which would later be collected and displayed on pie-charts and bar graphs as visual representation the data collected.

Overview of some of the Graphs constructed throughout this project.

Audeince feedback – A2 Media By Simon Dendere from sdendere

I did not only do my questionnaire, I made sure to record my target audience and course teacher answering feedback questions with intention of receiving real time data on my projects performance and constructive criticism in regards to my music video and Digital Packaging. This feedback would give me an insight into projects creative elements and conceptual elements from an outside perspective.It was very important to make sure my music video and Promotional Packaging was gratifying my target audiences need:

Questions asked during this interview: 

• Q:What you think of the Blog so far?
• Q:What do you think of our music video in the initial stages so far?

Questions asked during this interview: 

• Q:Can you give use an update on Simon Dendere’s work?
• Q:What are your thoughts on the Initial music video so far?

Questions asked during this interview: 

• Q: What do you think about Simon Dendere’s Blog?
• Q: What is Bad about Simon Dendere’s Blog?
• Q: What do you think about Simon Dendere’s Digi-Pak?
• Q: Is it Good the Design Feature’s with in the Digi-Pak will tremble those in the music video?

After complying information from my target audience, Below I have a done a few synoptic paragraphs on the most important questions which I asked in regards to my media promotional packaging including my 3 ancillary texts.

The first question I asked was the following, “What do you think about Simon Dendere’s Digi-Pak?” , the general continuos I received that most people were in favour that my Digi-Pak creative direction. Especially how I integrated task into a design project including how the design style has been integrated across the four panels of the Digi-Pak. Mr Zaidi agreed that they has been particular stylistic visual links which have been created between the Digi-Pak cover and the advert as well as the music video its self.  The target audience believed i carefully thought about the entire package.  Some members of the focus group also went on to say that the minimalistic design was a real success and how I have managed to successfully use my research to back up my ideas. In order to create the heavily focused style fir the Digi-Pak front cover.

In contrast I also received some points to improve on, in regards to my Digi-Pak and advert. Michael Carson believed in the initial stages of the production of my promotional packaging the following. “The iTunes/Soundcloud icons should be moved below away from the main image, combining with the other information provided, as well as the Dolby Surround Sound logo.” in addition “The review quote should belong in the top section of the poster – You want a good review from a reliable source to be one of the main things that draws the consumer to the product.”. Taking this information and advice into consideration, I will used it to adapt the promotional packaging in-order to make to better the product. In the following blog posts, I will be reviewed the adaptions which I have made to the promotional packaging by creating questionnaires for people to get further feedback. These results will allowed me to make my final decisions, to increase the quality of my work.

The second question which I would like to focus on is the following: “What are your thoughts on the Initial music video?”  Collecting data from my focus group as well as my course teacher it became clear they believed the strongest part of my video was the post-production effects. Especially how visually stimulating the whole music video was in regards to the camera modes which were clearly represented using the Go-Pro Fish eye lens. Fast paced jump cut editing along with the montage editing, the focus group believed this made the viewer experience watching more dynamic as well as dynamic. Thus contributing to the overall reputability of the music video. This great feed back from my focus group including various stakeholders with a vested interest in the project; this made me feel my hard work in the post production techniques more worthwhile. The mention of the montage editing, fast paced editing as well as various camera modes reinforces the idea of ‘repeatability’ that I have tried to communicate throughout the project especially in the music video.

In contrast, throughout my interviews which have helped with the progression of the music video and Digi-Pak production there have been some criticisms. Criticism include the choice of the font which has been used in the beginning of my music video, as part of the title sequence. The font which was used was very basic, it can almost be said to be a juxtaposition to the rest of the music video. The focus group agreed this needed to be changed however my group and I went against the grain continued with our choice of font. We believed this made music more unique and authentic in regards to low production highly skilled music video.

In addition to the recorded interview and questionnaire , uploading my music video to video-sharing websites ‘YouTube’ and Vimeo established a further platform for audience members to critically comment on my video.  The structure of YouTube and Vimeo means that a wide range of viewers globally could have an access to my work with the option given to ‘share’ my video on social networks (Facebook, Twitter) , thus offering me a diverse selection of audience feedback.  One of the most prominent comments from YouTube of my finalised music video is displayed below :

From this pieces of the audience feedback, I have learnt that my research into conventions of music videos earlier out throughout my blog has been worthwhile and success to a degree.  ” I feel it is conventional to the genre of the music video”. My efforts in targeting the Hip-Hop genre by creating an aesthetically pleasing , low budget music video has been a success. I know this from the appraisal from my target audience through youtube and vimeo comments especially about the post production effects.. This very satisfying to hear, because , the concept of ‘ editing on the beat’ was integrated  into the work to firmly establish ‘repeatability’ and ‘ continuity’ throughout this media course. Looking at the constructive criticisms  given, I can appreciate that my music video can possibly be refined more , in regards to the lip syncing. By so doing this, the music video could be possible more fluent and fluid like a conventional music video.

This Feedback during and after the construction of my music video, has helped correct area’s od conceptual weakness. For example refining the editing, to allow the lip syncing to ab it accurate thus increasing authenticity to the visual experience. Or specific  examples where the conventions of music videos were not excuted successfully. Personally , I felt I would receive the best of feed back however I turned out to have positive overall response from the questionnaire and the video interview of the constructive criticism during the construction had not have added to the engaging visuals and repeatable qualities of my work.

Q2) How effective is the combination of your main media product and the 3 ancillary texts?

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Commodification

In my group we have attempted to generate a the artist image into a commodity or ‘product’. This has been made evident with the promotional advert which we have created for the “Diablo” Album particularly. The promotional advert has been constructed to promote the artist in certain image which include various features which allow the consumers of the media text or fan to want purchase the album as an attempt be part of the artificial image which is being represented in the promotional advert. Sean Dendere a individual featured in our music video is turned into commodity. This done through Mise-en-scene, lighting, location and post production effects. Dressed in all black this is cultural signifier of rebel some resemble this to Johnny Cash who refused to wear colour for personal reasons. Hence he was able to differentiate this self from the rest of the artist on the market, making his as a commodity more profitable. A bomber jacket both in the video and each of the promotional packaging in dominant stance in a well lit environment mainly on the promotional packing. Sean Dendere symbolises strength in many the forms describe before this sentence. The locations choose in the video sells Jack Wilson and Sean Dendere as the commodities of the streets of the deprived streets of Peterborough.

By purchasing this album , it allows fans to be part of a movement large than themselves as it may be considered to be ‘cool’. Fans from the website on the digi-pak and promotional packaging are able to purchase any merchandise that they wish to wear including a hard copy of the CD released by the artist or purchase tickets of the artist on tour and much more. This will provide potential to generate large amounts of revenue for the artist and their record label Columbia records. Thus turning the artist into a ‘product’ with such a context. When viewing the Digi-Pak and promotional packaging, an authentic approach can be witnessed upon the way they have both been designed, including the true to the hiphop genre music video helping to sell the artist to his/her fans. The reales date for the album has been provided on the today onwards. The price of the album has not been include on the promotional packaging, the fans are expected to be willing to purchase the album regardless of the cost to gain the influence the artist has exported on the so far which also in association with their lifestyle he promotional packaging.                                                         “DEBUT EP OUT DECEMBER 11TH 2014”   This has been included in which the artist is expected to go online to the website or local record shop to purchase this album from this the fan aim to emulate. This is usual business attitude for any type of context when products are sold at a particular target audience and this is no different in this context where an artist is involved. For example in All Saints the price tags are not shown, this stimulates the demand for the product and the consumer is expected to purchase the product at what ever price is required. Commodification is to blame for this abuse of power. Fro this perspective, my group could conclude that the effectiveness of the Digital Packaging, Music Video and Promotional Packaging gave us an excellent commodification towards the artist. All three of the ancillary texts were effective and in particular the primatial advert which gave us an excellent commodification towards the artist. The digipak we designer also gave off a profession edge, which would hopefully persuade the consumer/ our target audience / fans to buy the content.

Synergy

In the production of the 3 media ancillary texts, we made sure that the fans and this who want the music the most where able to access the album on all averrable platforms as possible. Undergoing some secondary research, planning the group and I where able to find methods and techniques to overcome potential barriers. Allowing us to promote the album on as many platforms as physically possible, in order to appeal the mass’s. The music video for example, it will be available for streaming upon social networking, video sharing and mailing services. The Internet is available on various devices allowing the Promotional packaging to be viewed on these devices.

The devices and platforms include the following:

Mobile Phone Device

SoundCloud Music Plateform

Vevo Online Demand Video Service

Macbook ( Representation of the Internet )

{images of Devices and Platforms}

Above they are a broad range when considering the ‘synergy’ that our artist will be placed under. From putting this into perspective, my group found that the development of all the three ancillary texts have become very effective in the potential that they have within the Internet where it sham be made available.

Branding

Logo

Throughout all three of our ancillary texts we produced for our artist, the aim was was to sell the artist through branding so the artist look more professional to the consumer of the text and the target audience. The logo we have created immediately identifies the artist brand. According to Al Ries (the original branding expert) “Logos should be designed to fit the eyes. Both eyes. For maximum visual impact, a logotype should have the same shape as windshield of an automobile, roughly two and one-fourth units wide by one unit high.” (2.25×1) Taking this piece information in, our group was able to create a logo which would be most appealing to our own target audience. Creating some initial logo designs for the artists we decided to keep the logo in a minimalistic Helvetica type face in bold font for the album advertisement and digi-pak. The two ancillary texts have minimalistic logo and to follow this through we have use a plain Helvetica font for the music video also.The worp effect on photoshop has been used to manipulate the logo on the digi-pak and advertisement to make to make it look ‘cool’ again this style of over substance perhaps.

Although the each each logo type which has been used for texts is slightly different, making the overall promotional packaging not coherent as it should be. The core characteristics still relate to one another we did not see this as a problem, however from a professional stance it could be seen as a minor flaw therefore it is necessary consider this aspect of the design of the logo across the three ancillary texts. The sizing of the logo depending on what text it is proportional we believe on the Digi-Pak it is centred in the middle of image filling 40% of the cover however on the Advertisement it consumes 90% of the cover. Again we did not see this a s a problem, collectively we believe this was a good economic decision to make ensuring the logo on the advertisement is able to entice people to purchase the album however album is the product which is being sold therefor the logo is centred on the cover clearly presenting the product. Through colour and using the a similar type face (Helvetica) the logo is recognisable on all three texts.

From using such designs for the logos being using such designs for the logo’s through out the three texts, we as a group could easily identify the effectiveness it bought to our work as it would normally be an easily marketable image for the artist if it were to exist with the real world of media.

{Official Metallica Band Logo and Album Logo, In comparison to Self produced Mac Miller Logo and Diablo Album Logo}

Branding

The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as a “name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers.” A good brand delivers the message/ genre/ ideology/ subculture clearly, and confirms your credibility as an artist

Included:
• Detailed analysis of your central images
• Clearly how the 3 texts are linked

Throughout the three ancillary texts that we produced, similarities can identified through the typography, colour schemes and composition of content on the promotional packaging. By so doing this it allows the audience to identify with audience with certain themes which they will have seen in on the the Digital packaging, advert or own music video.

Firstly the colour scheme of the three ancillary texts, help the audience identify with artist. The Digi-Pak has some consistency, with the red colour gradient fading into through out the rest of the album cover. Throughout the digital packing three colours are very prominent black,grey and red these colours have been implemented across on to all three ancillary texts. For example on the advertisement there central album cover and logo’s have enlarged to fill the cover then the font for the magazine review are red against a grey background. We have done this strategically in order to show consistency in the minimalistic scheme we are going for throughout the promotional packaging. By so doing this we are linking the two ancillary texts together through the use of colour. In the third ancillary texts we have taken a risk by using a yellow Helvetica Type face instead of red, black or grey. However entire music video is in a black and white colour gradient. Incorporating this feature allows all the three texts to be linked through the use of colour as part of the design features of the promotional packaging. Collectively as group we found this to be an effective approach into linking the three texts together.

Another way in which way which we have attempted to link the three ancillary is through composition. On the digital packaging we have made sure to centralise all of the images and place the logo behind the the subjects back for an artistic affect. The audience is still able read what the text says however Sean Dendere is the the main object of attraction. This is a gain clearly shown on the advertisement where the Digital packing has been enlarged and the same design concepts have been applied to show coherence between each media text. In retrospect the advertisement includes addition information i.e the the releases date at the bottom of the advert as well as the album review in bright red bold helvetica font at the top of the cover art to increase authenticity. The advertisement serves its purposes when it contains the information about the record label, release date and band website. Similarly the digital packaging contains legal information about the distribution and copy right information which is discreetly placed at the bottom of the cover art or the pack of the cover art in small font not distracting the view of the main design. Legal Information including the barcode have been incorporated in part of the design, to make cover art visually pleasing. On other hand in regards to the music video in terms of composition of the shots low angle shots just like the one used on the front cover help portray a dominant star image of the male protagonist. This is clear shown with repeated use of the same image of Sean Dendere who is in the music video, wearing all black. Composition of content has been another key to linking the three ancillary texts.

To conclude my group decided to take on board the us of typography, colour schemes and the composition of content in order to link the three ancillary texts together. Analysing how we have used these factors independently we can see happy with decisions we have made in order to produce a promotional packaging which can be compared to a real media text and possible worthy enough to promote the real artist Mac Miller album Diablo.

•    Explaining my creative choices and how audiences are targeted.

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In the production of our media promotional packaging as well as the music video, creative decisions have been made. These creative decisions have been taking into the consideration the target audience we aim to gratify.  Through questionnaires my group and I created and asked our piers, as a  group we were able to identify clearly what would be appropriate or what the audience was to expect from our media promotional packaging. By so doing this we were able to make creative decisions that would make our music video and promotional packaging successful. I will briefly give a synopsis of the prominent creative decisions which were made contributing to the success of the of the A2 media project.

One way we came to the conclusion to make the creative decision about choosing genre of the music video was through primary research. The data from the questionnaire aloud us to store the direction of the media project and what our music video, digi-pak and advert will be themed. The graph indicated that the age group between 15-19, were the biggest group to answer the questionnaire. Visually presenting this data on a pie chart is another way to illustrate the 20 out 30 people which were interview came from one particular age group. Young adults tend to follow music which is on trend, this can be considered to be a stereotype. Concluding this paragraph it is fact to say that my target audience, are young adults and teenagers between the ages of 15-19 years of age. Therefor the creative decision made from this point must reflect this age group and this showcased throughout this project.

Another way we came to the conclusion to make the creative decision about choosing the platform which we would showcase the music video to the masses. Comparing media platforms is very vital in the distribution of music videos and how music video’s can now be viewed with the development of the internet as well as various media services. YouTube is expectedly has got the majority vote, leading with fifteen votes. Other media platforms such as Vimeo are increasing their fan base, not only showing music video’s but professional short films. This research enabled us as a group to base our creative decisions on the feedback from our target audience potentially increasing the profitability of the media products.

Finally Another factor which came into the process of making creative decisions was the examiners report. Baring in mind the examiner is also part of the target audience in this aspect of our work so it is appropriate to consider the examiners reaction and response to our work.Part of being a progressive media student is learning from the peoples faults from last years coursework and taking that into consideration in the work we are doing now. The exam board report encourages the use of certain techniques and practices which allow us to achieve a higher grade in our music video and promotional  packaging through our creative decisions which we have chosen to make.  “Professional software must be used such as Final cut Pro and Adobe After Effects to edit music video footage. The resolution of the screen in each scene must be consistent in addition each scene must have a coherent colour gradient.” Taking this information into consideration and conducting some secondary research hip-hop music video such as ‘Empire State of Mind- Jay-Z’  use a black and white colour gradient this proved to be affective. My group and I decided to take the creative decision to use a black and white colour gradient for the Mac Miller music video.  The target audience of 15-19 where taken into consideration the process through questionnaires which have been made through out our A2 media blogs, in-order to make an effective decisions.

To conclude creative decisions which my group and I have made, have taken into consideration what the target audience is likely to be most gratified with. Primary Data and Secondary Data have been used as showcased through out the A2 media blog to make an effective creative decision, in regards to the content of the overall media product(s). However if we were to do the whole process again a green screen would be used to show another technical aspect to our media project as well as enhancing the viewer experience.

Q1) In what ways does your music video package use, develop or challenge the forms and conventions of existing music video / Promo packages?

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Music Video

During the production and the development of the Diablo music video, various conventions were used in the process. Research on Suzy Davis, Simon Firth , Pete Fraser and more helped my group and I to create a music video and Digi-Pak incorporating previous conventions used by the media professionals above in their successful existing music video’s or media promotional packaging. Initially by consuming various media texts , differentiating them genre, artists or era it become apparent in the early stages to accurately define what all of the particular media conventions are of a music video through research on Youtube and Vimeo. Conventions used in contrasting music video’s had a their own way of representing the subject (i.e protagonist, antagonist, location etc) in the music video in their own individual way. Auteur theory explains this theory of the different conventions used in these music video’s. It is the principle that the media text is a work of art: just like a novel or painting, it is essential a product of ones imaginations. Hence a Hype Williams music video, is the the way it is because thats how Hype Williams wanted to it to be. This is where genre and style come into play, in the production of media texts. Directors , artists and bands have different visions when producing music videos under the video format. Music videos may include narrative, were the artist will be part of the story acting as narrator and participating at the same time. On the other hand Star Image may be used as the main tool to represent a solo artist or a the main artist in a band ( i.e Destiny child). By so doing the main artist is portrayed to be important through close up shots and good lighting on the side of heir face enhancing certain facial features. Pete Fraser talks in detail about this in the Media magazine on “how to study a music video”.

 

Jack Wilson in the Mac Miller music video, Media Conventions have been used to contribute to his star image, similarly to solo artist in contmeporary music video’s.

Beyoncé in the music video “Mine” ft. Drake, A mid shot, lighting and mise-en scene contribute to Beyonce star-image. Parallels can be drawn from our A2 music video from this real media text.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Considering the conventions I have gathered through research on my A2 media Blog, my group and I had to make decision on the genre, style and how we will visual represent the subject (i.e. artist) and the direction of the music video. Conducting formal discussions outside of school hours, we came to a conclusion on who will be represented in the music video, How they will be represented in the music video and what song of a particular style or genre will the artist lip sync too. Hip-Hop was the chosen genre, Jack Wilson would be the protagonist and the conventions used int he media texts would communicate certain ideologies/ stereotypes associated with the genre. Viewing a collection of music videos on Youtube as part our secondary research, in relation to the genre of Hip-Hop ‘Daiblo- Mac Miller” included some conventions which particularly took to our fancy. From this music video and other music Video’s analysed and research on our blogs as part of the development process. Guidelines of what should be included in our music video started to take shape via story boards and in our blog posts. We began to draw up idea’s similar to those presented within music video’s of the Hip-Hop genre.

This is an example of technique which used during the research and planning of our music video in-order to formulate our idea’s , on what what we want to represent, how to represent in regards to the the genre Hip-hop. This would eventually help use in the process of filming the music video. Story boards are used in real media texts. i.e films and music videos.

 

On the other hand from what I have stated above there is no clear completer justification to the conventions of a standard music video. Music videos which focus on star image with primary most of the shots being of the subjects face (i.e Jack Wilson) are the type of music videos we aim to emulate. The production of our music video will use various convention promote a star image of the subject. Within our music video conventions of real media texts were used to portray a particular star image. Jack Wilson a masculine character through low angle shots was shown to be dominant. This technique can be identified in the A$AP Rocky – Goldie music video. In addition close ups which show Jack Wilsons face 80% of the time. Further enhancing his star image and making the subjects physical appearance rememberable. A feature which we identified from our research of existing media texts i.e Mac Miller – Donald Trump music video on youtube. The artist within the music video is seen to be “Lip Syncing” the lyrics of the song itself and through post production effects on Final Cut Pro. By so doing this the performance of Jack Wilson in our music video will be more authentic, thus increasing the authenticity and the realism of the music video through convention used in existing music videos. We attempted to reduce any possible diversion of attention through montage editing and fast cuts. By so doing this the audience is not able to interpret all the information on the screen in one sitting therefor have to watch it multiple times, increasing the repeatability of the music video. Repeatability is a convention mentioned by Pete Fraser in the Media Magazine. The editing post production software we used worked well in cutting the footage and creating a flow to the music video editing to the soundtrack. Using a high quality software such as Final Cut Pro on the schools Macintosh desktops allowed us to produce the highest possible quality product we could make from the limited resources obtainable with guidance from teachers like Mr. Zaidi.

Mac Miller A2 Music Video: Black and White Colour Gradient. Jump cuts with continuity editing increases repeatability this technique is used in real media texts to increase repeatability.

 

A$AP Rocky – Golide : Black and White Colour Gradient. Jump cuts with continuity editing increases repeatability this technique has been used in this real media text to increase repeatability.

Another common feature which proved to be prominent in various music videos is the repeating of the chorus. Music videos not just Hip-Hop music videos use the same shots during the chorus in red to the enhance the continuity of the performance , creating a repeatable piece

Throughout successful music video’s theme can be communicated through the colour gradient and this ma also relate to the lyrics as well as the tone of the soundtrack. Taking this into consideration a Black and White film gradient was used in production our music video, this was joint decision between me and my media counterparts. The mood that is communicated the use of the colour gradient and faced paced editing is a dark eerie atmosphere resembling of horror film or cold night in the streets of peterborough is a more fitting metaphor. After applying this effect, the group decided that altering the colour gradient, was more effective for the entire building. Above I have taken created two GIFS to show the comparison between an existing music video using a black and white colour gradient against our own music video.

In the development of our music video, we used another conventions used in existing music video’s. Featuring in beginning of most Hip-Hop music video the title of the soundtrack is disabled along with the artist name occasionally to introduce the media text. Through secondary research via our blogs and youtube it became clear in Big Sean’s music video “My Last” and “Do it”  the use of graphic design and typography was a prominent feature. Understanding how this convention has been used to increase the production value of music videos of this genre, it was made sense to include this in our music video. We considered and discussed this decision whether or not to use this convention to include to begin in the beginning of our music video. Choosing to carry on with this particular choice. By so doing we able to create a media product that could be in comparison to videos that are presented within the media its heavily competitive industry. Below I have shown a side by side comparison of a real media text in against my own reproduction of a music video. Only by doing this I am able to see the successful use of this convention.

Comparing and contrasting a real media text i.e Big Sean- My Last music video with our own music Video Mac Miller- Diablo . Graphic Design and Typography are both prominent features in both of these media texts.

Linking between editing and soundtrack timing was another convention that we needed considered in the development of our own music video. Multiple music videos with a particularly fast tempo have a fast paced video to company it. i.e Montage editing and Jump Cuts. By incorporating the convention of time in our music video, we matched the songs tempo to the visual aspects of the music video making the viewing experience more coherent. Mac Miller- Diablo is the soundtrack which we chose to base our music video on. The song my group chose was of 87 BPM (Beats Per Minute). Acknowledging this information, Jack Wilson a member of my group decided to change the frame at the strong beats in every bar where impossible. We found that the most successful hip-hop music video’s had a strong beat behind it. Below I have included the frame sequence from Final Cut Pro with an illustration of editing to the beat of the music, creating a rhythmic link that enhances repeatability. The frames constantly change in time with the music.

{Editing print screen}

Different parts of existing music videos introduced a change in scene or setting upon the new structure of the song. for example Intro, verse, chorus , verse , bridge, chorus ,outro. The chorus in our music video was the main feature which leading into the verse. Through montage editing random selection of narrative are introduced to add a different dimension to the music video through fast faced paced editing there eventually leading into the main verse. In the main verse the artist is shown in another setting performing the another part of the song to show time has based and the music video is progressing in relation to the lyrics. Most music videos usually present the artist within the chorus of a song due to this being the most memorable part of the song in common cases. The chorus being the most memorable feature of he music video, the targeted audience will pay the most attention to this section of the music video and often where the music video looks more creative. attractive and effective. This being taken into consideration, my group decided to show the artist mainly through out the chorus and use various conventions for example montage editing and continuity to keep peoples attention at present watching our music video. Particularly within music videos that present a song based under the genre of hip-hop the derelict streets, high end fashion and the male characters are going to be the main focus to communicate the ideologies of the hip-hop genre. This can be clearly seen in the screen shot below of Jack Wilson in the Mac Miller Diablo Music Video.

Jack Wilson is wearing a snap back and walking through a tunnel. Therefor he is representing a targeting a particular demographic. This short shot shows how music video’s can be directed in such a way to showcase a particular lifestyle and make it appear cool. In other words “Style over Substance”

“As long as it looks cool, the video will work”

The quote shown above, illustrates the development and planning process of our own music video. In other words “Style over Substance”. Although we understand there are various concepts for a director to put in mind when developing and producing a music video, however many of the the best music video’s feature content either the director or artist originally think look visually stimulating or in simple terms “cool”. Music video’s being primarily being creative advertisements for the artist the more “cool”, interesting and weird it is becomes the more likely the audience will want to replay the content hence increase the repeatability of the media text. My group and I aim to to increase the repeatability through the use of conventions in the development of our music video.

DigiPack

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My group and I ensured that we designed the digital packaging for our media product promotion as a joint effort. The quality as well as the execution of the media product is what me and my group can say is what we were most proud of. The images used in on the packaging where taken in the production of the music video on location, this can be backed up by the extensive evidence shown on my planning and research blogs posts. The location of the photoshoot was in the peterborough city centre area. The male character Sean Dendere who is feature in the Diablo music video is on the front cover of the promotional packaging . Although Sean Dendere is not the main object of attraction, we from a creative point of view as group to have Sean Dendere on the front cover and promotional cover. A lower angle shot was used to show the dominance of the character Sean Dendere is in the centre of cover with his mouth wide open, almost as if he is possessed by demon of some nature. The typography represents the power or sound resonating from deep inside him. Helvetica has been the font of choice and using Photoshop we was able to worp the text. This made the text more significant, different textures have been incorporated in the text as well as experimenting with size of the font. We have created a minimalistic album cover. However this time round, we have used a red colour gradients which is cohserent throughout the Digi-Pack. Grey Helvetica font and black small print centred at the bottom of the Back-cover stating all the legal information in regards to the manufacturing of this CD.

The Digital packaging reflects the content of the music video through use of photography and graphic design. My and group and I were happy with the end result. Secondary research of the album cover artist helped use develop the digital packaging. Thorgerson all began with a specific six segment planning process. Researching further into depth and applying this process into the production of our Digipak, produced great results for us.

4 panel DigiPak

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The necessary information which is undoubtable required on a Digital Packaging is the track listing, bar code, recored company monogram and information regarding the legality of the media content to convey a professional image for the artist. Thus increasing the authenticity of of the digital packaging. Coming to the decision to include such attributes were considered for the following reasons:

1. Media content of any sort bought with in a shop in the United Kingdom and most places around the world include a bar code for the shop to authorise the sale by the use of scanners attached to tills.
2. Under “Columbia Records” the digital packaging will be distributed by this company as well as released to the UK publics and Worldwide. The popular record company tends to reales similar content to ours, this is why we find the monogram on our Digital Packaging so fitting.
3. On the back cover the Track listings is simple there as a reference for those who are looking at the CD to see what content is made available within a CD release, the more the consumer feel they have received theirs money worth with the consumption of the media text the more profitable the artist and label will be
4. The information on the back cover in regards to the legal rights upon purchasing such content was included to educate any person who wishes to purchase the CD. This includes their rights within the listening of, distribution of and selling of the content. Failure to a abide by legislation after purchase my result in a fine or conviction.

This is the front cover of the Mac Miller Diablo album. “Diablo” means devil in Spanish, this concept has helped propel the ideology of this Digi-Pack. The typography represents the power or sound resonating from deep inside him. Helvetica has been the font of choice and using Photoshop I was able to worp the text. This made the text more significant, different textures have been incorporated in the text as well as experimenting with size of the font. Throughout this Digi-Pack a red colour gradient is descending from the top of the of the album cover fading gently into the rest of the album cover. We believed that this was enough content to include for the Digital packaging to include. During the process we considered the conventions above and how they have been used in existing media promotion products similar to ours . We used Photoshop throughout production of the Digital Packaging development . The piece of software available on the Mac’s in the media department is quiet similar to what many designers whom specialise in CD artwork use. We decided to use this software is it presented us with man y possibilities of being able to produce content that would be comparable to the likes of many top-charting album designs, yet another convention that we decide to engage upon.

Below I have included an example of an an existing Digi-pack cover alongside my groups design to show as comparison. This will be make it easier to identify whether the we have produce a successful and authentic cover art or not.

Comparison

Comparing and Contrasting, the album cover of the Digi-Pak produced by our media grouped compared to official Mac Miller music video.

 

We felt that the existing cover is comparable to ours, from the content that is being shown within the image being shown, alongside the artist name and album title being quiet similar in their characteristics.

Media Promotional Poster

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In the production of our media promotional poster, my group and I ensure to design the poster as joint effort. Through collaboration we would be increasing the quality of of the media promotional poster by incorporating conventions which we have learnt throughout the course had how they can be applied to our own Mac Miller Diablo album promotional advert (poster). Through research, looking at posters of Rock Artists and Hip-hop Artist tour posters I was able to get vision of how I want a our poster to look visually. Mr Zaidi given some creative direction into what our poster must look include, design wise. Switching from Franck Ocean – Pink Matter to Mac Miller Diablo I was able to incorporate fresh idea’s into the project. Again the design is heavily based on graphic design and incorporates prominent colours such as red to represent the devil. In the centre of the image Sean Dendere has his mouth wide open looking upwards, he does not look humans and slightly mysterious. This Ideology fits into the themes represented in our music and music video Mac Miller porting him self to be the devil. Obvious information has been listed what the advertisement is for, who it is aimed at, where the album is available and a magazine review. These techniques are done to persuade the customer to purchase the product. We are looking forward to getting feed back on this new design. This made the advert for the album more authentic, incorporating these various techniques and conventions in the the production of the art work. We have created a minimalistic promotional advert yet bold at the same time. Essential information such as the reales dat of the album, band/artist website and record label have include in the design to increase the authenticity of advert. Therefor we have made sure to incorporate the conventions from real media texts in the development of this advert to promote the album. Mac Miller Diablo.

This Digital packaging reflects the content in the music video and the Digital packaging containing the CD. Through the use of photography and graphic design, my group and I have been able create an authentic advert to promote our media product using real media conventions from real media texts. A media text which we looked at was the Fall Out Boy Tour poster for inspiration. In addition Research into Strom Thorgerson in regards to he used a specific six segment planning process to produce his cover arts proved to be helpful. Researching further into depth and applying this process into the production of our Digipack, produced great results for us.

The necessary information which is undoubtable required on a an Album Advert Packaging is the release date, record company logo, recored company, artist or band website and information regarding the legality of the media content to convey a professional image for the artist. Possibly a image of the artist or a relevant image. Thus increasing the authenticity of of the album artwork packaging. Coming to the decision to include such attributes were considered for the following reasons:

• The release date of the album notify the consumer when he or she will be able to download or purchase the album from their local record store. i.e HMV, Virgin Music.
• Under “Columbia Records” the media advert packaging will be distributed by this company as well as released to the UK publics and Worldwide. The popular record company tends to release similar content to ours, this is why we find the monogram on our Digital Packaging so fitting.
• The artist or the bands website is located at he bottom of the promotional advert, this will be a point of entry which people can purchase the album work from the artist.
• The image of the artist or the band members is essential part of the advert. The consumer can visually associate the artist or band member with the soundtrack contributing the ideology the soundtrack is trying sell. Photography and imagery can link to star image which further promotes the album whether its a positive star image or a negative star image.
• A quote reviewing the album from a magazine, gives the consumer a incentive to purchase the upon its release.

We used Photoshop throughout the production of the Media Advert Packaging development . This particular piece of software was freely available on the Mac’s in the media department is quiet similar to what many designers whom specialise in visual arts use. We decided to use this software as it presented us with man possibilities of being able to produce content that would be comparable to the likes of many top-charting Media Promotional Package designs. Using these conventions aloud use produce a worthy advert to promote the real artist album we believe this collectively.

Below I have included an example of an an existing Advertisement alongside my groups design to show as a comparison. This will be make it easier to identify whether the we have produced a successful and authentic cover art or not.

Comparing and Contrasting a real Advertisement Poster from a real media text with one we have self produced for our media work.

 

We felt that the existing cover is comparable to ours, from the content that is being shown within the image being shown, alongside the artist name and album title being quiet similar with their characteristics.

Mac Miller – Diablo {A2 Media Coursework}

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Behind the scenes : Further Filming

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After our first initial day the previous week, we decided more footage was necessary in order to make a music video more dynamic. Jack Wilson suggested using the school grounds as a flaming location to get some work done. Fortunately, the school site has some character in the back alleys and in the car which ideal for our music video. The derelict environment contributed to the eerie atmosphere we aimed to recreate for the music video, we made sure take into consideration third party remembers in the filming process. Third part member include students learning in classrooms, teachers, facility members and car owners making sure we didn’t distribute anyone whilst in the process of filming.

Filming Equipment and Apparatus:

• Go-Pro with fish eye lens
• Tri-pod with Go-pro attachment and DSLR Camera attachment
• DSLR Camera: Nikon D90
• Attire ( Nike Free Runs, Glasses, Watch, Black Bomber Jacker )
• Iphones x 1

Again we have made sure to include a filming equipment and apparatus list to make sure we have everything we need in the process of filming. During the process of filming we came up with an idea, which we thought would enhance the quality of our media work fitting with the context the genre we are trying to represent in our music video. In the humanities block beneath the stairs, theres is large canvas a student from Arthur Mellows Village College produced which consists of graffiti art. Jack Wilson a member of my group stood in front of image and we made sure the camera angle was a midshot just from beneath his shoulders and upwards. Focusing on this part of his body against the wall, whilst lip syncing with the graffiti art as the back drop gives the illusion of Jack Wilson being a young rapper in a urban environment. However little to the audience know that Jack Wilson is in middle-class school in the humanities block miming. The beauty of incorporating media conventions with our groups imagination is phenomenal right.

Behind the scenes: Diablo Music Video

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Jack Wilson, Sean Dendere and I filmed most of our footage in the urban area’s of peterborough. i.e Queensgate Car Park and Underpasses. Using the area’s which we had initially planned to shot out the music video in proved to be valuable in terms of representation  of hip-hop the genre we have chosen to specifically focus on fro this project. We made sure to full utilise the landscape and the time inorder to shoot the main parts of the music video in one day. Any additional filming, which would need to be done would be minimal if need so. A bag full of equipment was carried by each one of use in turns, to make sure we had a dynamic range of shots from various angles which have illustrated in the story board showed earlier through out the blog.

Filming Equipment and Apparatus:

• Go-Pro with fish eye lens
• Tri-pod with Go-pro attachment and DSLR Camera attachment
• DSLR Camera: Nikon D90
• Attire (Supreme Snapback, Elongated grey sweater, Nike Free Runs, Glasses, Watch, Black Bomber Jacker )
• Iphones x 3
• Umbrella

During the Process of filming, it began to rain which effected how productive we could be although we had an umbrella. Fortunately it made film footage more dynamic and increase the authenticity of the music video shoot, as a result some of the equipment become drenched in water. Soaked equipment was not an issue, the day went as planned and a lot of film footage obtained from this film day. Pedestrians kept getting in the process of the shoots this particularly because Peterborough was playing that Saturday we did not take this into consideration whilst planning the day to shoot our music video.

Above is GIF which has been generated on photoshop from film footage which we obtained, on the day we shot the music video. The GIF is brilliant idea utilising multimedia in order to communicate our idea visually, it is clear that a handheld camera is being used in this scene along side a close up of the main subject of attraction. In combination with the camera zooming out and tracking Jack Wilson walking through out the underground tunnel. Physically filming this scene was difficult however once the scene is edited via post production on Final Cut Pro. The Group and I look forward to editing the footage we have gathered on this day.

Based on Feedback from Mr Zaidi: Digi-Pak

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Based on the feedback received from Mr Zaidi. I have been able to reconstruct my promotional packaging, in order to make it more aesthetically pleasing and meet the requirements of the course. In addition I have superposed images of Sean Dendere on the inside cover and back cover of the Digi-Pack to add another dimension to Digi-pak base feedback.

Although, our media teacher Mr Zaidi has admitted he would like the the inside panel and back cover of the Digi-Pakc to incorporate a faded superimposed image of Sean Dendere to add a different dimension to the Digi-Pak. We took this feedback into consideration and opted not to continue with this adaption. This is a personal preference and we much prefer the Digi-Pak to stay true to its minimalistic design theme.

A2 Media Music Video Story Board: Mac Miller Diablo

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• In the first scene Jack Wilson’s character is wearing some casual clothing, in an urban neighbourhood. This contributes to the ideology of most raw low budget rap videos sometime even high budget hip-hop video. For example ASAp Rocky- Angles which was the first video I analysed on this course. The character is well presented and the audience is able to see his face clearly we try to focus on star image throughout the music video. In the speech bubble are lyrics he will perform on set. In terms of the location, we will using sites we have already analysed and chosen.

• Another urban location, Jack Wilson is rapping whilst sitting at bus stop. Ideally in the music video, Jack Wilson will be under neath a bridge or in a tunnel rapping to lyrics of Mac Miller as shown in the speech Bubble. The Red Shirt he is wearing is there to represent expensive clothing which rappers tend to wear in their music videos. In the real music video jack will be wearing a some street were to fit into his environment or deliberately wear clothes to stand out in his environment.

• In the middle of the street Jack Wilson is spitting bars, like most rappers. In our music video Jack Wilson will be in similar location to the one represented in the illustration. Again, I have made sure to include the speech bubble is located in each individual frame to ensure we have a flexible time frame to refer too, during the process of filming. RED, RED, RED Jack Wilson is the Diablo.

A2 Media Music Video Story Board: Mac Miller Diablo Part 2

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• Azelia Banks- 212 is contemporary Hip-Hop video which appears to be a low budget music video. Throughout that particular music video, Azelia Banks raps against a brick wall along with various camera angles. Star Image is vital in rap video’s, there is a lot of close ups or a strong emphasis on material possessions. In our music we will portray these values using various post production techniques, miss en scene and lighting.

 

 

• Jack Sitting on train is bit dramatic, however it is relevant because during the filming process we filmed near the Peterborough train station. J.Cole’s music video “Who Dat” incorporates an rail way track which he walk on top of whilst rapping. This we got the Idea of filming near this particular location.

 

 

 

• Experimenting with different poses Jack can do in the music video, I have got him doing something different with his legs, as well as placing him in the middle of locker area. This almost resembles the school lockers at Arthur Mellow Village College. Near the completion of our music video this is something to consider, whether to use the school as a location in our music video or not.

 

 

Representing our idea’s in a story board is good way to communicate our idea’s more effectively rather than drawing them ourselves but using illustrator and photoshop to construct this mood board. Part of being a good media student is being able to utilise all the resources available to you and if you can’t you can always learn. Post like this one hear are here to illustrate our Journey through this course and making links between each post with no gap showing the me and Jack Wilsons train of thought.