Meg Thackray-Howard

A Level Media Studies Blog

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Blog Summary

Research - https://megthackrayhowardmedia.tumblr.com/tagged/research

Planning - https://megthackrayhowardmedia.tumblr.com/tagged/planning

Production - https://megthackrayhowardmedia.tumblr.com/tagged/production

Evaluation - https://megthackrayhowardmedia.tumblr.com/tagged/evaluation

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Question 4 // Evaluation

Evaluation - Question 4 from Meg Thackray-Howard

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

I decided to answer this question using a PowerPoint so I could categorise the different technologies I used and include images and describe my experience in a professional-looking way.

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Question 3 // Evaluation

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

For this question I decided to create a magazine and write an article about the feedback I have received. I chose to do this to showcase my Photoshop skills and answer the question in a more creative way. 

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Director’s Commentary

This is the director’s commentary that my group and I filmed and edited together. I am really happy we chose to do this because it was great to look back on our music video which I am so proud of and discuss all the thought that went into it. I hope you enjoy!

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Question 2 // Evaluation

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

I chose to answer this question using a Prezi presentation to show I created my different media products while keeping with the brand identity.

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Final Focus Group

This is our final focus group where we spoke to members of our target audience to find out what they thought of our music video to Lola by The Kinks.

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Learning New Skills // Editing Log

Editing is definitely one of my favourite parts of media studies. I really enjoyed editing our music video because I had never made one before and I was really proud of all the shots and techniques I managed to include. Due to last year’s work I have a lot of experience with Premiere Pro, but I still learnt lots of new things and built my confidence through this year’s project.

There were many things I had never tried before such as cutting to the beat of the song. This was something I featured a lot in this music video and found it relatively easy to do. There are some sections in this video that I am incredibly proud of, especially because they took so long to create. One of these in the jump cuts in the shot of Lola in the bedroom. I think this creates a really interesting effects because it speeds up quite a long shot and makes it more dynamic. This was something I had never done before and I think I executed it really well. I also experimented with intercutting different shots together when Lola is wiping her lipstick and removing her wig. I think this effect is perfect because it adds to the frantic, panicked atmosphere. It also builds the tension to a pivotal moment in the video when Lola ultimately reveals she is trans.

As our music video features lots of performance I wanted to make sure that the action perfectly matched up to the audio. This took a really long time to achieve with some shots, especially the close up of the guitar and the drums, however the finished shot is amazing and I’m so happy with it.

Another effect I had never experimented before was with the shot of Lola in Stokes Croft that emulates a timelapse. I thought this effect would work really well because it created the illusion that the whole world was going by and everyone was getting on with their days while Lola was left out and unmoving. I achieved this by slowing down the frame rate to the minimum, to create the impression of lots of still shots, and then speeding up the video so much so that it played almost like a timelapse. This took me a long time to achieve the perfect length and speed and I learnt how to do this through online tutorials.

Finally, for some shots I also had to use After Effects to access the Warp Stabiliser tool. This was because some shots were quite shaky. However, after using this effect they looked seamless and really professional. This was something I had never used before and will definitely take into account in the future because it really improved the quality of the video.

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Solving Problems // Shooting Log

Overall our filming experience was really enjoyable and successful. I love being productive in media studies and being able to make my ideas a reality, especially in this project because I am so passionate about it. 

The first of our three locations was one of the other member of our group’s brother’s bedroom. This location featured shots of both our main actor Josh playing Lola as well as the band, which included Toby, Callum and Tom. We had to reschedule these shoots many times because it was really difficult to find a time when all of the band members, Josh and our crew were available to film for a substantial amount of time. Also, as we were filming in the winter it made it incredibly difficult to film while it was still light, as the sun sometimes would start to set as early as 4 o’clock and we all still attend school. However, we managed to overcome this problem by filming on three separate occasions but for shorter periods of time. Fortunately, we managed to keep the continuity and not make it obvious that it was not all filmed at the same time.

Another issue we came across in this location was the lighting. Not only was it usually quite dark outside anyway, but it was also really difficult to get enough light in the room due to a small window and lack of light sources. We overcame this by using a bright lamp in some shots which created really cold lighting which fitted well with the atmosphere and mood in these shots. This photo shows Roo holding a pillow over the camera while I film an extreme close up. This was to ensure there was the right amount of shadows and that the shot wasn’t overexposed.

Our next location was Stokes Croft. I really enjoyed this shoot because we managed to get some amazing shots that I’m really proud of. Unfortunately, right at the end of the day it did start to rain so we had to miss out a couple of shots, however we did make sure to prioritise the important ones so it wasn’t too much of an issue. Overall, the only problem we came across was trying to film without getting too many people or cars in shot. This meant we had to film several of the shots many times to make sure we got the best one. 

Our final location was Weston-Super-Mare beach. Again, we had to organise a time to film when the lighting would be the best in order to get the best possible shots. We also managed to pick a really cold day which meant our actor, Josh, was freezing most of the time! To overcome this we made sure he was wearing enough layers like trousers and boots when his legs weren’t in shot. It was really hard to film for long periods of time because it was difficult to operate the camera without gloves, but this wasn’t too much of an issue because most of the shots continued for a long time and didn’t have much movement.

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Question 1 // Evaluation

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

For this question I decided to create a Prezi to showcase my skills with this programme and my ability to present my ideas coherently.

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Lola by The Kinks // Magazine Advert

This is my magazine advert for the album Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround by The Kinks. I have used the iconography from the front cover of my digipak (the fonts and picture) in order to show a clear relationship between the two. However I have edited the picture differently and also added other features that are common in music posters. I think it is bold and clear and also intriguing to grab the audience’s attention. 

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Lola by The Kinks // Digipak

This is my finished digipak for the album Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround by The Kinks. I have included a version with the template so it is  clear which side is which. I worked really hard to incorporate elements from the music video we created as well as some elements that are more associated with the band itself and the general theme of the album. I also edited the photos to add a subtle faded blur and I made the colours more vibrant. I am really happy with the effect I created and I think it fits with the tone of the album and the song we chose.

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Arctic Monkeys // Advert Analysis

I chose this album advert because it is advertising a band rather than a single artist and it is also a similar genre of music to the video I have produced.

One thing that drew me in to this advert is the very large, bold text used for the name of the band. The white contrasts against the black very well so the audience can clearly see the artist’s name. I also found it interesting that there is more emphasis on the artist rather than the album title because this is what will draw attention as the audience is probably more familiar with the band itself rather than the album. This is something I will take into account when creating my own album advert.

I also really like the very simplistic nature of the advert because it means all the necessary information stands out and is very easy to understand. The background and the font is very simple but with a central image that features colour so it will attract the audience. I think this works well because it stands out but without looking over-complicated and confusing. The image itself is interesting because it is not explained what is happening, this is likely to intrigue the audience and perhaps persuade them to buy the album so they can find out more. 

There is very little text in this advert so as not to look overcrowded, however all the important information is still included such as the artist name, the album name and when the album is out. I also like how there are two reviews but in a very simple and eye-catching way. I want my advert to be very simple and understated to fit the tone of the music video, but if I do include some reviews I think this is a really good way of doing it. 

On the other hand, I don’t think the fonts themselves are very eye-catching or interesting and I don’t think they tell the audience much about the type of album or artist it is advertising. This is something I would like the convey in the fonts I will use in my advert.

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Green Day // Advert Analysis

This is a great album advert from a band that is from the same or similar genre as The Kinks.

I think the use of colours is really effective in this advert because they are consistent throughout the whole thing, including the fonts and the image in the background. The colours are bright and stand out against the dark shadows. The colours have connotations of danger and almost look like fire which is consistent with other posters advertising this album. This creates consistency across all of their advertising associated with the album so it will be more memorable for the audience. Additionally, the central image in this album is actually the front cover of the album itself. I think this is a really good idea because it creates a clear link between the two and is easily recognisable.

The advert features all of the important information such as the title, the artist and where and when the album is available. In my poster I think I will make the date stand out more so it is one of the first things the audience reads. I also think it would be important to include exactly where the audience can buy or download the album, especially because current audiences are more likely to stream music. 

This advert also features the name of the single and also a website. These are features which I think are really important however it can make the poster seem a bit overcrowded. I think having the name of the single is a really good idea because it is probably very well known among the audience and this will persuade them to want to buy the rest of the album.

Interestingly, there is no image of the band itself. I think this works well because the band’s name is still in very bold, colourful font. This font is also very commonly used by Green Day so it will be familiar to their audience and fans. The fact that there is no image of the band means that there is still a focus on the album and the artistic picture draws attention.

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Alt-J // Digipak Analysis

I chose this digipak because I really liked the consistency throughout it and the clear theme. Additionally, Alt-J are an indie-rock band which means they are quite creative and experimental which I think fits with The Kinks and the time period when their music was released.

The dark colour scheme, contrasted with accents of orange and purple, is very effective and catches the eye. The images emulate the stars or the galaxy and this interesting imagery would attract the audience because it stands out. 

This digipak doesn’t give very much away about the album. I think this can be viewed as a positive as well as a negative. I think it could intrigue the audience as they want to find out more about the theme of the album and if the stars are symbolism for something. However, I think it would be better to include some images that serve as clearer references to the band or the songs.

I thought it was really interesting that one of the panels features the lyrics of the titular song ‘Matilda’. I thought this worked really well especially as the lyrics are very intriguing. This would definitely make me want to find out more about the album or the song. I think this is a really good way of making a subtle link from the digipak to the song, however it may be a link that only fans would understand.

This digipak is a good example of the conventions I should include in my own as it features the title, band name, track list, barcode, record label and copyright. It is definitely important that I include all of these things because it makes the digipak look much more professional and realistic.

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Lola - The Kinks // Final Music Video

After hours of filming on a freezing cold beach in Weston-Super-Mare and seemingly never-ending editing, we have finished our music video for the song Lola by The Kinks. I am so proud of this piece of work, I think it represents a really important, overlooked part of society and brings a new meaning to a classic song. I learned so many new skills and got to put my love of editing to good use. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I loved working on it!

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Linkin Park // Digipak Analysis

I think this digipak very effectively attracts the target audience through the use of colours and images. I also really like how it includes all the necessary features such as a barcode but in a very subtle way so they don’t distract from the artwork.

I think the target audience for this album would be mature teenagers to young adults due to the parental advisory warning. I think the audience is most likely to be predominantly male due to the stereotypical masculine colours such as blue, black and orange. The digipak is also quite aggressive due to the harsh fonts and bold colours which I think fits well with the rock/rap/R&B genre and would appeal more to males. The language used such as the name of the album ‘Collision Course’ also goes well with this because it has connotations of violence or conflict. 

The typography is in a graffiti style font which I think would appeal to the target audience as it fits with the genre. It is also fits with the street or urban theme which is shown through the drawings and paint splatters as well as the brown background which creates quite a grungy atmosphere.

The drawings of a drum kit and speakers will appeal to the target audience who are fans of this genre of music. It also clearly shows the audience the genre of music and the style of the artists, this gives them more of an idea of what the album will be like. The fact that they look hand-drawn also fits with the theme of the rest of the digipak so it adds continuity. 

The names of the artists are very large and central to draw attention. They are written in white but with a black border to make them stand out even more. This is very important because it is the collaboration of these two artists that would be a major selling point for this album. They are also very well-known names and this would attract their fans and people who are familiar with this genre of music.

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Animatic // Music Video Planning

This is our completed animatic for our music video to Lola by The Kinks. This was a really useful way of visualising our ideas and getting a better idea of how our finished video would look.