Final Magazine Advert

Final Digipak

It's Finished :D

WE FINISHED OUR MUSIC VIDEO!!
This video was a challenge at first, we found that we didn't have enough footage to start with and had to go back a do some more filming. Another problem that occurred was that the singers footage was too dark, looking at the Rough Cuts you can see that we have changed the lip syncing footage and change the location of the footage as well. This new location gave more natural lighting and really highlights the singers face and actions, it also makes the overall video look more professional and realistic.

While filming we found that the camera was left recording and this played to our advantage and we used this footage in high speed to match the rest of the video and gave a more realistic effect to the narrative of our music video. Another section that wasn't planned but a moment of pure silliness, was that of the swivel chair. Our actors thought it to be funny to play with a swivel chair they had found and finding this funny we thought it would be a good idea to film this and found the idea amusing. Personally i was very amused and felt it would be a good idea to put this in our video. So we did.

Tricky parts that had an effect on the timings of the video production was the lip sync and the stop motion. We had to make sure that it was precise and accurate to ensure the professionalism of the video. The lip sync was one of the last bits of footage we placed on the time line while editing as we had the trouble of having to re-film it. This created problems in parts as we found that there wasn't enough space in areas to add this footage in. This meant we had to cut other frames of footage on our time line to make it fit. As this took u most of our time we got ever stressed toward the end and struggled to finish the video in the time giving. However, saying this we managed to get it complete and finalised the video in time and we are very pleased with the final product.

Our Final Music Video Product - FAMOUS

Here you can see that we have finally finished our Music video.

Hayley Cook - Evaluation: Question 4

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

In the production of this video a combination of school equipment was used along with other items possessed by our production team. The borrowed equipment was found to lack a certain quality similar to the other cameras, which created an almost grainy effect on some of the footage. This then meant that other arrangements had to be set as to re-shoot the performance scenes on multiple occasions. These extra shoots then took up a great deal of our actors time and resulted in some level of annoyance felt on their part as the initial buzz of filming faded and felt like  never ending cycle of performances, especially for our singer.

Despite this, the only major technological issue faced was that with the lighting. Although the cameras were correctly white balanced because of the different cameras used the lighting on one was not the same for another, meaning that if we needed two cameras for one shot the lighting would most likely be off on one of the cameras. However, once these issues were addressed we then uncovered a slightly problematic tripod, which wouldn’t remain in its appointed settings. This then meant that some shots had to be repeated as to stop the drifting of the camera. This occurred during the attempt at an extreme close up on our singers lips which are not present within the video as they appear to give it a slightly eerie feel, and others are used instead to create a more diverse element within our video.

After this the editing process then arose, which was to be conducted on Apple’s Final Cut Express. Mastering these techniques and effects upon this programme appeared to be slightly less problematic that last year’s attempts, as we found the technology to be far less complex as we had been previously acquainted with it, allowing for familiarity and so a much smoother editing process. We found once knowledge was obtained of how to achieve certain effects, i.e. changing the speed and colour of certain clips, the retaining of such was an easy process. For example, once we learnt how to achieve increased speed on our music video we could repeat the effect. Even is an issue was encountered a solution was always simplistic and understandable.

Prior to the creation of our music video we composed our ideas and wants for the video into a pitch, highlighting the effects and reasoning behind certain aspects of our video. This was conducted on microsoft power point as it was a programme to which our production team was greatly acquainted. Within this we composed mood boards to denote our intended overall look of our video, highlighting comedy and humorous conventions. We also used wordal to compose terms as phrases which we found to be definitive aspects within our video. This allowed us to easily convey what we wished to our peers, to whom we pitched these ideas.


Similarly before composing these videos we set out to create a segment of a music video to which we applied lip sync for the first time. This arose as a means of practice and preparation for the editing of our video as to acquaint ourselves with conducting aspects such as lip syncs. We then used Tom Jones' "It's not unusual" in which ourselves and our peers participated. This exercise allowed for us to ensure that we could in fact create a music video and ensure that the audio matches well with the footage. We found this to be a highly useful and worthwhile exercise. 

Other technologies used such a blogger has allow our production team to exhibit our work. This was then found to be a rather simple task, despite our blog lacking regular postage. No drastic issues then arose as a result of this. Similarly we uploaded various rough cuts of our music video to youtube in order to gain feedback from peers as to compose our video in a more successful manner. We also used social networking sites such as facebook to carry out similar activities.


Photoshop was used to complete our digi-pak, poster and magazine advertisement. The aim was set of creating and developing brightly coloured and bold pieces which would stand out in shop stores. This concept of these eye-catching ancillary texts then conforms both with the pop genre and those also targeting a youth market. In the creation of the digi-pak an initial idea arose for a silhouette of the band members to be present with the frames of brightly coloured sunglasses. However, we decided to put the title of the album "Famous" in the glasses as to lay focus upon this as well as the traditional pop genre elemental factors which are reflected in the bright and bold colours used. We also used a stamp tool to create the peace signs used, giving the band a more traditional feel.


THE LINK BELOW WILL TRANSPORT YOU TO MY WIX WEBSITE WHERE THIS IS DEPICTED:
http://editor.wix.com/editor/5793c360-fe0f-0e0e-6234-64e0648f7051/5793c360-fe0f-0e0e-6234-64e0648f7051?requesterAppOpGuid=9D415034-FCE1-4AF7-BE51-A140E8E82BD3

Hayley Cook - Evaluation: Question 3

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

For this music video, our target audience was centred on the pop music genre, and so would aim to appeal to the masses rather than specific sub-cultures. However, this was aimed also at teenagers and young adults as it was felt that such a segment of the market would find greater appeal in the ideas of which we were in possession of for this video. Such an audience was successfully recognised by our peers and is that which is typically possessed by artists in the pop genre. We then find that this element conforms to common conventions belonging to such a genre.

This then means that this is then rather product orientated, as the ideas and concepts used throughout were expressed, decided upon and created before the market in which it would be aimed was considered. This is an example of push media, despite being aimed at a modern audience. Our target market were both male and female and of all ethnicities, and so, once more, reflecting this notion of appealing to the masses. We decided upon this as to successfully appeal to those most likely to listen to music belonging to the pop genre, and so creating more opportunity for our music video to be seen and appreciated. This decision was also based upon the notion that this market is likely to possess more disposable income than older generations and so would be more likely to spend their time both purchasing and listening to similar music, thus meaning they would be more compatible with the “FAMOUS,” music video.

The stop motion used in this video is an example of that which was firstly composed as an idea before considering its appeal to a specific audience. However, it was found that it fitted well into the pop genre, creating a sense of diversification in regards the contents of the video. In our audience feedback it was found that this element of the music video was greatly liked and was something of which positivity was mostly gained.     

Elements of our video, however, were included as a means of appealing to such an audience, despite the ideas possessed being created before the search for a market. These ideas included the main segment of the auditions, to which the music video largely dwells upon.  The concept of this can be commonly related to panel television shows such Britain’s Got Talent and The XFactor, both of which feature both and audition process as well as a judging panel. The panel used in “Famous” incorporated a combination of various stereotypical characters – the “Chav” doing her makeup, the “Posh” drinking tea, the court judge being moody and sinister and the “Mad Scientist” and his questionable state of mind. We then found that these influences then provide ample knowledge as to how such a judging panel should be composed and with the notion of lingering on the judge’s feedback to the acts, it allows the audience to draw familiarities and find our video easily relatable. Similarly to this, the music video Moves Like Jagger highlighted certain audition aspects, the success of which then acted as inspiration as to produce good quality in a similar field. For this aspect of our video, when viewed by an audience, it was found that this aspect was one greatly like by our peers, however some suggested that there was perhaps too much going on in the video and advised that sometimes less is more.         

 

Specific aspects of the music video were targeted at specific segments of the generically large target market, i.e. different aspects of “Famous” appeal to different sub-groups. An example of this is then the use of the cheerleaders and the dance acts in the video are aimed to appeal to male viewers, whereas acts such as the army boys and the Michael Jackson impersonator are more likely to appeal to female viewers. These aspects were included as to create a sense of interest about the video and allow for the audience to focus upon the video, as they would be more likely to be drawn into it after such. The idea of then portraying these acts in high speed creates both notions of humour and appeal. This aspect also highlights a sense of energy about the video, and creates a sense of entertainment .

 

The dream sequence was another aspect of the video which held a large interest over our peer assessors, as it was found to be an interesting elemental factor within the video. This was also as it drew connections with visuals and audio, creating an ease in association between the two.

The cardboard flip, held positive feedback as it was found that both this idea as well as the incorporation of our production teams logo into it created a likeability about this aspect. This was an element which took a great deal of preparation, although only featuring briefly in the video.         

The use of certain shots such as the point of view shot in the first few seconds of the video provide the audience with the feeling that they are actually present in the scenes themselves, i.e. are playing witness to the auditions. This creates a larger enjoyment factor as the audience do not simply feel like viewers, but a part of the video.

Pop songs are usually short, catchy and stick in your head. This video is then aimed to encourage this and was felt it would do successfully by our peers, as their feedback consisted of mainly positive comments and the majority would not change many aspects, if any, in the video, and some helpfully expressed their concerns that there as too much present within the video, and fewer aspects could then be focussed on to a perhaps large deal of success.  

CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO VIEW THIS ON MY WIX WEBSITE:
http://editor.wix.com/editor/5793c360-fe0f-0e0e-6234-64e0648f7051/5793c360-fe0f-0e0e-6234-64e0648f7051?requesterAppOpGuid=9D415034-FCE1-4AF7-BE51-A140E8E82BD3

Hayley Cook - Evaluation: Question 2

Question 2: How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

An artist’s image is a large elemental factor of their branding. This then highlights the importance of branding within our main product, the music video, and the way in which Scouting For Girls are conveyed throughout.

The Band members are conveyed in a way which commonly appeals to the masses, and so conform to typical generic conventions of pop music. This aspect was reflected in their style of dress, as none delve into characteristics of specific stereotypes, and all act in a similar way to create sense of humour and appeal. This can then be seen as an element which allows for an ease of reach for viewers as they are not off put by overpowering characters, reflecting the idea of popular appeal.

Amusing and humorous aspects of our video, such as the band members entertaining themselves with a swivel chair, are used as a means of conveying our band in a positive light. Some aspects can perhaps be viewed as troublesome but to our target audience it allows for them to gain an almost refreshing views of others their age, contrasting with the vast negativity in the buzz around young people at present.  

These perhaps troublesome attributes are not, however, discarded as such due to the largely humorous aspects within the music video. The context of this then allows perhaps queried issues, the fighting elements and the constant need for fame, to become light hearted and then hold no real issue upon its target audience, nor its image.

Similarly to this, the notion that the band are of a similar age to the target market allows for them to easily relate to the video and the characters within. Amusing and entertaining qualities have then risen to greater levels and so would likely hold a larger appeal for teens and young adults.

The idea of band being applauded at the end of the video allows for the notion that they possess qualities of good musicians and can carry out the act on a good level. This then promotes an image of good music and a generically positive image for the band and so their skills and artistic talents can be noticed by viewers as well as the appeal of the music video. This is as the music video simply acts as a promotion for the audio selection.  


This image is then reflected throughout our ancillary texts, highlighting a sense of unity within the band and the positive image to which they possess. Within these products it was then found to convey the band members in a light which would allow for appeal for their intended audience as well as to create definitive links with our main music video product. The Digi Pak makes use of a combination of colouring and stylistic techniques to reflect elements present within our music video. For example the inclusion of the bold colouring in each pane creates a similar sense of energy to that depicted in the high speed elements of our music video. Such techniques then also create popular appeal for the mass market to which it is aimed at. Other elements of the Digi Pak such as the use of the TV to exhibit the song titles on the back cover mirrors the use of the cardboard flip in the music video, reflecting the notion of these links betwwen the texts. The use of the sunglasses present upon the front cover create a sense of appeal for young audiences as they convey a sense of trend about the band. This is reflected in the stop motion aspect of the video as the some of the band members are in sunglasses. 

The concept of branding also holds a strong role in the importance of our promotional methods. The images of the band used in these were then incorporated to conform to typical conventions commonly found upon other such pieces of the pop/boy band genre. By including pictures of the band it allows for audiences and fans to understand the dynamics of them, and so perhaps finding them more appealing. These images gave them a natural look

Once more the colouring of said promotional methods are used to be bright, bold and eye catching, thus indicating the want of audience and consumer attention in the hope of them gaining awareness of the band and their musical explorations. These were liked by a small audience to which we show cased our work. Eight of ten people also expressed that both the magazine advertisement and Digi Pak ideas worked well together and would likely be successful pormotional tools.

THE BELOW IS A LINK TO THIS SHOWCASED ON MY WIX WEBSITE. FEEL FREE TO CHECK IT OUT!

http://editor.wix.com/editor/5793c360-fe0f-0e0e-6234-64e0648f7051/5793c360-fe0f-0e0e-6234-64e0648f7051?requesterAppOpGuid=9D415034-FCE1-4AF7-BE51-A140E8E82BD3 

Hayley Cook - Evaluation: Question 1

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

Our adaptation of “Famous” by Scouting For Girls largely conforms to typical genre conventions of both comic ideals as well as music videos belonging to the pop genre. In our music video we have incorporated a combination of performance and narrative as a way in which we have conformed to typical pop genre conventions, as they are commonly in possession of some form of tale amongst scattered performances of the song. This then reflects Andrew Goodwin's six point theory in regards demonstrating genre characteristics. 


Pop videos are usually in possession of simplistic themes, such as love and hate. However, ours dwells upon the incorporation of comic aspects in which the notion of humour can be achieved. Aspects such as the increased speed are used largely in the video as a means of conformation to comic conventions. These largely involve humorously exaggerated situations as well as the parodying of other works. However, in this case the “works” are that of popular panellist shows such as “The X Factor” and “Britain’s Got Talent.” This was then used for creation of entertainment for the audience, once again highlighted in the high speed aspects of the video, designed to provoke amusement from the audience. Corresponding to these aspects then convey a sense of loyalty towards the genres and so our music video was aimed to successfully depict them.

Comic conventions can be reliant upon slapstick, gags or sharp-edged satire. This then means that in order to incorporate these, we made heavy reliance upon the high speed of clips, despite some of which possessing a natural ability to bring about senses of amusement without first being edited. These narrative aspects of the music video are largely what dwell upon this concept, as the inclusion of the audition sequences fills over half of the entire music video. Similarly the music video “Moves Like Jagger” by Maroon 5 conforms to the same basic concepts of performance and narrative, as well as possessing the aspect of the auditions for “Jagger”. The success of this video then inspired us with the creation of our music video as by viewing an accomplished video with similar aspects,  it allowed us to gain the realisation that the idea we had in hand held great potential.   
   

Another music video which acted as inspiration for us was Paradise by Coldplay. Similarly to ours, this video dwells upon the use of costumes, specifically that of animal costumes. This then means that the use of the elephants travelling to paradise is similar to the use of the gorilla and banana costumes in our video as they bring an animalist element to the video, and so deducing a sense of comedy through the use of the “chase”. Through the viewing of professional works which hold focus upon costume to such a degree, our production team were able to achieve a sense of inspiration. This video holds other similarities to ours as it doesn’t draw obvious links between audio and visuals and so we found that these types of music videos can be immensely successful, providing us with both hope and inspiration that we too could produce something of sorts.

The Lazy Song by Bruno Mars is another area to which our music video divulges: The use of the gorilla and monkey costumes. This music video was then found to have explicit similarities with ours as it also focussed largely on costumes, and although did not focus on acts, it had a great deal of reliance on this comic element, which was clearly and successfully used. Inspiration was then uncovered in the notion of this music video and it was found that by viewing others successes it motivated us to strive for a similar rate of success. 


The above aspects of the "Famous" music video then convey ideas of representation and intertextuality, a notion present within Andrew Goodwin's six point analysis. By incorporating these elements we then found that they held popular appeal and could be deemed successful applicable elements which reflected the pop genre. However, the lack of links between visuals and music and lyrics contrasts with this theory, highlighting a deviation from the generic marks of the pop genre.  

 

The term “pop song” basically means to have popular appeal, therefore pop targets the mass market rather than specific sub-cultures and reflects existing trends, and so providing us with our target audience: Mass market. This also meant that the elements included within our video needed to appeal to a wide audience, meaning that the aspects shown were in need of holding a great deal of humor. Our music video is also aimed at the youths and young adults, i.e. those who are more likely to find the pop genre appealing. 






THE BELOW IS A LINK TO THIS ON MY WIX WEBSITE. PLEASE TAKE A LOOK:
http://editor.wix.com/editor/5793c360-fe0f-0e0e-6234-64e0648f7051/5793c360-fe0f-0e0e-6234-64e0648f7051?requesterAppOpGuid=9D415034-FCE1-4AF7-BE51-A140E8E82BD3

Pictures for the evaluation

We uploaded the main images we would need for our evaluation so the whole group would have access to the essentials.