Katie White

Media Studies

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Planning:

https://katiewhitemedia.tumblr.com/tagged/planning

  Research:

https://katiewhitemedia.tumblr.com/tagged/research

 Production:

https://katiewhitemedia.tumblr.com/tagged/production

 Evaluation:

https://katiewhitemedia.tumblr.com/tagged/evaluation

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Question 4

Question 4: How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages? from katie10000

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Question 3: What have you learned from your audience feedback?

In order to gain direct audience feedback, I used a focus group of individuals within the age of the target audience (17-18)—Target audience = (16-24) I have asked them numerous questions in relation to the James Bay ‘Move Together’ music video. Having audience feedback is a vital aspect to reflect on the media product and offers a guide for future improvements.

POSITIVE

In the focus group, everyone had a different positive about the music video. One positive was that they really liked about the music video was that it has an illustrative narrative and it linked the story to the lyrics. My group’s main aim was to construct an illustrative music video, as we wanted to emphasise real issues in relationships throughout the music video by following the lyric content so the audience could feel a connection to the song and music video. This comment taught me that the planning, production and editing of the music video deemed a success in allowing me to create the illustrative narrative I wanted, that would also connect with the audience. Another positive was how the mise-en-scene suited the genre very well. Again, my group filmed in numerous locations including a city location, beachside, quaint café and natural area to get an authentic theme that the indie genre entails. We also used naturalistic lighting to give the audience a sense of the music video portraying real-life incidents and carefully constructed the actors clothing so that they would look in trend but retro too. Therefore, I was very pleased with this positive feedback as the mise-en-scene played a huge role in the creation and atmosphere built in the music video. The last positive was the transitions between past and present were visible. As the main storyline in the music video focused around the past and present to tell the audience why the relationships were falling apart, we didn’t want to use the cliché idea of having black and white to illustrate the past. Thus, I made clear transitions such as a wide shot of the beach both couples went to, cutting to a close-up of the artist then to the apartment where I added a blue toned filter to connote the unhappy atmosphere. The positive comments have inspired me to work harder in future, as gaining positive feedback allows me to feel proud of the hard work I have done and push me to create even better content.

As well as the focus group, other positive feedback came from the YouTube comments below the music video:

Similarly, to the focus group, they touched on the mise-en-scene, but also mentioned the cutting on beats of the music videos. During editing, I made sure to cut certain aspects of the music video on the beat and on motion, which was done to allow the audience to follow through the story as if it was being told directly to them. The cuts to the beat allows the audience to feel the emotion of the song. Another positive in this comment was the interpretation of the music. From the start, Mollie and I decided on the idea of a breakup between two couples (homosexual and heterosexual) as when listening to the song we found it did not specifically identify a gender, it was neutral, so we wanted to convey this aspect as well as, challenge typical stereotypes. Having feedback on the platform the music video was published is beneficial as I could see the audiences view of the product and how they interpreted it.

NEGATIVE

In the focus group the negatives were very interesting and helpful to analyse as hearing feedback from other individuals from an audience perspective has been important in how I can improve in the future. One negative was they would have liked to have seen more artist performance in the music video. Although I wanted to focus on the story of the characters having more artist performance would allow the audience to engage more with the video and the artist, as such indie music videos generally centre around the performance. This has been helpful feedback as in future I can improve on planning the content of my music video to get a nice balance of artist and performance. Another negative was the length of the shots, some seemed slightly too long and some too short. As the song used was slow, a mix of long and short cuts most likely didn’t complement each other as much as having a consistent balance. Next, time I will be sure to make sure the shots complement each other and the pace of the song. The last negative of the focus group in terms of the music video was that the lighting looked slightly bright when it was supposed to be displaying a dark atmosphere. In certain parts of the music video my group wanted to display the sadness of scenes by using a blue filter that would darken down the clips. This feedback has enabled me to perhaps use my time management more effectively by playing around with the editing to ensure all the clips are displaying the atmosphere that I want.

The focus group gave us extended feedback including what their favourite part of the music video was, what image they thought we had given the artist and if they would buy the album as a result. On all of these questions the feedback was very encouraging and affirmative, as the feedback aligned with what we intended the audience to take away from the music video and the ancillary texts. Focus group feedback has been hugely beneficial for me in the construction of the music video, as I could pinpoint other people’s opinions and apply it to my music video. Moreover, in the final feedback stage, the focus group feedback has allowed me to feel complete in creating the music video and has been valuable in hearing direct thoughts that I otherwise couldn’t of heard.

DIGIPAK:

POSITIVE

One positive was that they liked the theme of nature presented through the digipak and advert. The key element I made sure was consistent through all the platforms was the theme of nature in relation to the artist, as it creates a consistent style for the artist. I am very enlightened with this feedback as the sole aim of the digipak and advert was to convey a theme of nature that would add realism to the artist and consistency to the products. Another positive was similar in that they liked how the digipak and advert related to each other as it created a brand identify for the artist. Having a brand identity is key in professional media products and having feedback in relation to this was pleasing. The last positive feedback was that the advert showed where you could get hold of the album. Again, I was very glad with this feedback as it reinforces how I followed typical genre conventions of real digipak adverts.

NEGATIVE

An aspect that could be improved in the digipak/advert was that the font of the artist name could have been clearer. I included a cream/grey tinge on the digipak/advert font of the artists’ name so it connoted the authenticity of the artist and album. However, I think using a bolder colour would have enabled it to be more eye-catching to the audience. In future during the editing process I will experiment with a few different colours of font to be able to compare and choose the one I think fits best with the product. Another negative was they would have liked to have seen more images of the artist across the digipak. As nature played a huge role in the digipak/advert I halved the image content between photos of the artist and close-ups of nature. This feedback was helpful as it has helped me reflect in terms of doing more initial drafts of the digipak to be able to have a wider range of ideas and how the different designs would have different effects on the audience. The last negative was that I could have used more protagonists from the music video on the digipak/advert. In future during producing and editing I will gain feedback during planning and production stages to be able to get a holistic insight.

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Question 2

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Question 1

Question 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? from katie10000

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Final Music Video

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Final Advert

This is my final advert, I have included the dominant theme of nature across the advert, as it is a setting the artist is familiar in both the music video and digipak. The natural lighting on the advert conveys conventions of the indie genre- including minimal editing and focus on the artist. I have made sure to involve contentions of a typical album advert, like a large title, album name, date, review, institution and where the audience can access the production. I feel I have been successful in creating a professional advert, that involves the codes and conventions expected.

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Construction of Digipak

During the construction of my digipak I have made sure to be very perceptive and intricate in the details I have decided to add, for this I have had to use further tools form he construction of my advert. I have used the text tool to create the terms and condition logo that provides all the copyright information. To do this I copy and pated the text I wanted onto a text book and minimised both the text and box so the writing is still visible. 

 As I wanted the same colour scheme and depth across the whole digipak, I have used the same contrasting tool used in the advert and applied it to all layers, the digipak was a very easy process to construct, as I had already edited aspects like the logo and colour scheme on the advert. 

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Final Digipak

This is my final digipak, I have decided to use a consistent there across both platforms of the artist, rather that the characters in the music video as the audience will be more likely to by the product due to the artist. I have decided on the theme of nature after consideration as this is the recurrent theme across the platforms. I believe my digipak relates the typical genre conventions because I have involved naturalistic lighting, focus on the artist and a naturalistic setting. As well as, included conventions a real digipak would incorporate, like a title, name of album, title, institution and terms and conditions. Overall, I feel my digipak has been very successful in reaching the typical conventions and promoting the artist and the genre.

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Construction Of Advert

During the construction of my digipak advert, I learnt various new skills that enabled to me create a professional looking product.  I have used the software Photoshop to edit my advert, as it has all the tools provided that will enable me to get my advert as professional as possible. I have used the quick selection tool to cut around the virgin logo, although this was one of the most difficult task I have encountered creating the advert, the outcome was just want I wanted. I used the tool via clicking on the parts I wanted to cut out, this was very difficult as I had to have a steady hand to ensure I did not cut out parts of the logo I didn’t intended to. Once I had selected all parts of the logo I wanted featured on my digipak, I used the select and mask adjustment, this eradicated the black background of the logo.

 I have also recoloured the photo of the advert, I have done this by using the brightness and contrast controls- adjusting the brightness to 19. This has given me the outcome of a brighter, vibrant picture. However, I wanted to deepen the colour of the advert to create a natural, cinematic Mood. I have adjusted the contrast, keeping the brightness the same, this has given me the outcome of a cinematic picture that shows all the intricate details.

 Another task I encountered was eradicating the sharp edges around the iTunes and Spotify logo. I found the sharp edges looked too harsh against the subtle colours on the digipak. To eradicate the edges, I have used the erase tool to soften and curve the point of each logo.

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Early Drafts Of Digipak

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Using Premier Pro To Create My Music Video

My technical skills have greatly advanced from AS media onward to A2. Paticularly, in terms of editing the colour of the clip. Here I have displayed how I solved the issue of yellow lighting and adding overtone to my clips to create a certain mood.

 In the present sections of the relationship, Mollie and I wanted to convey a distressed and upset atmosphere throughout that would keep the audience on edge. To achieve this, we wanted to add a blue overtone to the clips shown in the present that will connote sadness and misery. Premier Pro is very easy to navigate; therefore, I could quickly find the control effects I needed to create the filter. Firstly, I selected the controls called Colour Balance which allowed me to balance out the colours I wanted predominantly filtered over the clip. To do this I selected shadow red: -26.0, shadow green: -21.0, shadow blue:11.0, and midtone blue: 20.0. By selecting these different controls, I could create the blue filter I wanted. I have added the same effects to all the scenes in the present to show consistency of the atmosphere.

 To add a cinematic feel to the clip I adjusted the effects controls brightness and contrast. Leaving brightness: 5.0 to lighten up the clip but not overpower and contrast: 10.0 to add depth and shadow to the clip.

 To diminish the yellow lighting I selected the controls change colour: 15.0%

BEFORE

AFTER

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PRODUCTION: DAY 5

The last day of filming involved Mollie, Ed and myself, as we were filming the artists part of the music video at Chew Valley Lake. We could get to the lake easy as it is close to the sixth form, this resulted in us having plenty of time to film. The time we began production was at 11am, the day way cloudy, but we were glad as it added to the atmosphere of the music video.

 One of the only problems we encountered was making the lip-syncing look as realistic as possible, as in some parts it was hard to sing to the beat of the song. However, we overcame this by filming the song in sections with a script, therefore Ed could realistically lip sync to the lyrics.

 The equipment used today was the tripod, camera and shoulder mount.

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PRODUCTION: DAY 4

Today we went to Lakeview apartments in Hengrove to film scenes for the present section in the heterosexual relationship which will feature at the start if the music video. We started filming at 1, so we had plenty of time to take loads of shots. It was only Mollie, Flynn and myself filming today so it was easy to gather a day we could all do. Getting to Hengrove was easy as we all lived near it and Mollie drove us down. Luckily, Mollie’s family friend lived in the apartment complex, so we could easily access the apartments.

The only problem we had this day was that it was difficult to figure out where to go as the apartment complex was so vast. However, after help from the residents and security, we could navigate our way around to find the locations needed to film.

 The equipment used was the tripod, camera and shoulder mount.

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PRODUCTION DAY: 3

Today we went to the pier in Clevedon to film the past sections of the relationship. Although we arrived at 2, we still had enough time to film all the shots needed and ended production at 4. The drive there was quite a distance, but kindly Ben drove us down to the location. The actors used today were all crew apart from Ed. The weather was very sunny with some overcast, therefore we got really nice lighting.

 One problem we had during the production was that to be able to get on the pier you had to pay. As we didn’t want to spend extra money, we could not use the pier. However, we overcame this buy shooting in locations where the pier was visible- the beach was very ascetically pleasing so in the end it worked out better for everyone.

 Another problem we had was capturing low angle shots of Joe and Ben on the beach, as the tripod’s lowest section was too high to how we wanted it. However, to solve this issue I led down on the pavement and balanced the camera on the floor to be allow a steady shot that captured the low angle we desired.

 On this day, I particularly loved how the lighting in the shots turned out, especially the ones where each couple were throwing stones into the sea; as we captured a sunset which came out amazing on the camera.

 The equipment used today was the camera, tripod and shoulder mount.

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PRODUCTION: DAY 2

We started shooting at around 1pm as we were filming inside we didn’t want the lighting to be too dark and result in grainy footage. First we filmed the present section of the heterosexual couples’ relationship, to get the correct mise-en-scene Mollie and I made sure we had the bedroom looking as modern as possible. We achieved this by keeping it minimalistic to convey an atmosphere of emptiness just as the couple are feeling, but also to keep it trendy and sheik.

 One of the problems we had whilst filming Flynn’s and my part was the yellow tone of the lighting, we made all efforts to minimise the yellow lighting my drawing up all the blinds and opening the doors to let as much light in as possible. As a result, the lighting-still slightly yellow- was much better- However, we did solve this issue during editing. Another problem that occurred was during the mirror sequence, we had to ensure the camera was not visible in the mirror, but still get the shot we wanted. We solved this problem by taking various shots from different angles, so we had enough to edit.

 Secondly, we filmed Joe and Bens parts (the homosexual relationship). Here we had to do a great move around of furniture to be able to create a homely bedroom. Though this was quite time consuming, in the end the mise-en-scene turned out amazing- it looked exactly how we wanted it. It took us a while longer to film Joe and Ben’s sections, due to the complex shots involved. An example was a POV shot where I had to hold the camera and Ben had to argue as if I was Joe. Despite having to reshoot many takes in the end we had enough edit.

 We were very organised this day as everyone knew what costumes they had to bring and what scenes were being filmed.

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PRODUCTION: DAY 1

This day we went to town to film the past section of the relationship involving the coffee scene and the future section of the relationship involving the harbour side. We shot in Bristol as it is a very close location for all the crew. All crew apart from Ed, who is the artist for our music video were shooting in Bristol. The equipment used today was the camera and tripod.

We started shooting at around 2 in the evening and continued until around 4:30, we shot at these times as it was the golden hour of filming which enabled us to get the best natural lighting. The first location we started production was outside a pub in St Nicolas Market, a very romantic and quaint area. To be sure that we could film outside the pub, Mollie and myself personally asked the manager for permission to film outside- kindly he granted us permission. To be able to get both couples in frame, we had to move two tables outside the pub near enough to each other that it wouldn’t look overcrowded. Overall, Mollie and I were pleased with how the shots at the table turned out, as the mise-en-scene of St Nicolas market greatly complimented the atmosphere of the scenes. One issue we had filming was that the pavement outside the pub was very cobbled, therefore the tripod was at a slant. However, to solve this issue we put books on the slanted parts of the tripod and this straightened it up nicely.

After filming outside the pub for an hour we walked down to the harbour side. Having locations so close together was extremely helpful as we could get a lot done without having to work out our bearings. Firstly, we filmed a time lapse of the harbour side which went well as the lighting was perfect. The main challenge we had was filming the matching action sequences, as it was a busy area we didn’t want people to appear in a shot they weren’t in previously. However, we overcame this by ensuring that before we filmed people were at a distance.

 Another problem we had shooting at the harbour is because it was winter it got dark very quickly and nearer the end of the shoot we had to hurry with some of the shots to be able to capture all footage we aimed to get in that day.  However, we overcame this and got all the footage we needed, that looked professional and good quality. Another problem we had shooting was deciding on the finale shot at the end of the music video which involved Molly (who was operating the camera) having to stand at the other side of the harbour. We were concerned that the camera would not be able to pick up everything on the other side. However, we overcame this by calling Mollie on my phone from the other side of the harbour so we could communicate if there were any issues. Overall, production day was a success.