Evaluation - First Draft

Evaluation Questions 1 – 4

Media Studies

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

Throughout my video, there are numerous examples of the typical conventions and codes   used in existing indie-rock videos. One of these examples is the uses of extreme close-ups, close-ups, medium shots and point of view used on the protagonist throughout a large majority of the video. As the video begins, I have introduced the character through a point of view shot; portraying the characters use of a skateboard, linking the character to the theme of the digipak. Throughout the video, I have used various close-ups of the characters face to allow the viewers to become familiar with his appearance. Mediums shots are also used to observe the characters visual appearance and clothing style – vans shoes, skinny jeans, jacket, slick back hair...etc; all in which represent the genre of the track. These are both examples of the typical conventions used in existing videos within the indie-rock genre. In terms of the editing, each shot is cut or over-layered in sync with the beat of the track, creating a comfortable flow of continuity for the viewers to observe. This again is another example of a typical convention of any existing music video. One of the ways in which I have challenged the conventions and codes of typical indie rock videos is the lack of performance based shots shown used throughout the video. In almost every existing indie-based music video, there is a section throughout the video in which the band is shown to be performing. This is a feature I have left out during the production my video as I felt the narrative would be affected by this – Creating less of an impact on the viewers. I have used four main settings for the video; Staines, Wraysbury, Windsor and his home. I have used a wide variety of locations so that the video can deem realistic, and therefore portray the emotion and mood of the track more strongly to the viewers. Overall, I feel that I have used a large majority of typical Indie Rock video conventions, however I wanted my video to be unique, hence a lot of the ideas were not taken from other existing music videos. The demographic target audience of my media product for men is 30 – 54 years old and for women 13-25 years old. This is because I feel the audience for my music is quite broad, resulting in a wide variation of people having an interest in the genre. This is also because the rock/ indie genre is usually listened to by people of this age; appealing to both the younger and older generations – especially when it is hybridised with rock and roll. Everyone has experienced low points in their life, and this song expresses the emotions shown through depression and sadness. Through the use of Andrew Goodwin’s theory of music video analysis it is visible to see that my music video relates strongly to most of the conventions he identifies. One of these being that my video demonstrates clear genre characteristics that correlate directly with Jake Bugg’s genre of Indie Rock. I have also portrayed a strong relationship between the lyrics and visuals. In Jake Bugg’s previous video for the track “Two Fingers”, this has also been demonstrated clearly through the relationship between the narrative and lyrics.  – VIDEO.

In this video, I found that many of the lyrics were reflected through the images in the video. For example, “I go back to Clifton, to see my old friends”, “I drink to remember, I smoke to forget”, “He’s with my mama, they get into fighting”...etc. Throughout the video, the lyrics are continuously shown through the visuals and I felt that this was an important element for me to portray through my own music video.  I believe that the synchronization between the lyrics and the video is extremely important in that it will help the viewers understand the meaning of the track as well as creating a comfortable viewing.

2) How affective is the combination of your main products and ancillary texts?

I feel that I have portrayed a common theme throughout the process of both my media product and the development of my ancillary tasks. In terms of the poster and digipak, I feel that the genre and theme of the record has been portrayed successfully. It provides a relative perception of the character throughout all three sections of the ancillary tasks. To do this, I took various shots of the different filming locations, compared them and decided upon which shot was the most appealing and suited to the mood of the song. For example, on the cover of the album we have Fernando sitting on the curb with his feet on his skateboard. At the beginning of the video, we are introduced to the protagonist in this location, wearing the same clothing and skateboarding on the road; hence showing a strong relation to the video. This is shown throughout the rest of the digipak – a common them, helping the viewers familiarise themselves with the character portrayed in the song. I felt this worked well as it help the viewers identify the track through the images alone – a stong marketing technique that captures the viewers attention. The protagonist is portrayed in the same way throughout the digipak; depressed and alone, an emotion which links strongly to the track. The colour scheme used throughout both the advert and the digipak are the same, showing colours such as white, maroon and red. I felt these colours worked well with each other, whilst also creating a strong contrast against the chosen background - particularly on the back cover of the digipak. The genre of my music video is Indie Rock/ alternative/ acoustic, portraying many of the traditional stereotypes from the Rock & Roll genre. This is shown widely through the protagonist’s physical image - vans shoes, ear piercing, skinny jeans, dark clothing...etc. In terms of his appearance, I have tried to reflect Jake Bugg’s style through Fernando’s characteristic and clothing style - dressing in the same ways in which he does. I have tried to emulate this image through not only the video but the ancillary texts as well.  I feel I have accomplished this successfully, creating a constant theme/ pattern in terms of the characters appearance; both physically and lyrically.

3) What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

Before filming my media video, I had discussed with my media professional the idea of making the video completely narrative based, so that the audience would be able to capture the full emotion of the character. As my chosen track perceives a high level of emotion through the lyrics and visuals, I knew that the acting would be crucial towards the overall outcome. Thankfully, I managed to find someone with a strong understanding towards the character I wanted to portray.  Having shared my finished draft of my video with my class colleagues, their feedback provided me with an even balance of points which they felt went well, and areas that they felt needed to be improved. My class colleagues felt the character was portrayed strongly, and that the narrative on the whole was a success. They agreed that there was a good balance of shot variations, keeping them interested and intrigued to watch on towards the end. These are points which both my colleagues and media professionals agreed with; leaving very little room to improve in terms of the editing. One of the points in which I needed to improve on was the portrayal of the story. Towards the end of the video, a majority of my colleagues became confused as to the characters appearance throughout the video. Because I had used numerous over the shoulder shots on the protagonist at the beginning of the video, it created a false perception of another character. As the video progressed towards the end, the viewers were provided with a number of close-up and medium shots of the characters face and body, therefore leading to suggest that there was more than just the one character. To save confusion, I then needed to re-arrange a variety of the shots into a different order. This took time, however resulted in a much clearer narrative for the viewers. Another negative point that I felt needed to be adjusted was that some of the house interior shots appeared too dark. As a result of this, I adjusted the colour correction of the house shots, improving the visibility of the shots and ultimately making the video a lot better and of a much higher quality. On the whole, the feedback helped me greatly in producing the best possible outcome I could have achieved, alongside the motivation I needed to proceed and to do the best I could. In terms of the ancillary tasks, I found the digipak the hardest to perfect. Having produced a separate draft of my final digipak cover, I was able to get the feedback I needed from my class colleagues. For this, I was provided with a lot of positive feedback to help me push myself to finishing it to the highest quality I possibly could. I was told that I needed to make sure that the “Indie-Rock vibe” needed to be carried throughout all sections of the ancillary tasks – Digipak, advert. This was an extremely important feature that I needed to pursue with as it is the main element that relates the ancillary’s to the music video. I feel I have achieved this successfully, carrying out a common theme throughout the ancillary tasks in terms of its text, font style, colour and image content; showing a strong relation between the digipak and music video. In terms of the advert, I discussed with my media professional that I wanted to use the same image as I used for the cover of my digipak, showing Fernando sitting on the curb. I felt that this image deemed the strongest in terms of its visual context and proportions on the page, therefore being the most eye-catching. We agreed on moving forward with the idea, as long as I used different editing techniques on the advert. In the end, this decision deemed very successful; shown on the next slide. I am grateful for the comments and feedback given to me by my class colleagues and media professionals, allowing me to progress further with my ancillary tasks and media video and motivating me to push forward and dedicate myself to producing the best outcome I could possibly do.

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

For the construction of my media video, I used Apples “Final Cut Pro”; software which I am relatively familiar with, having used it for the previous year during my AS course. The sheer fact that I was already experience with the software made the development of the video more efficient in terms of speed and quality. I began by importing the audio file of my chosen track, and placing the track beneath the video “input” column. Having already filmed all the shots I needed for the video, all I needed to do was connect the camera to the computer so that it was ready for uploading. The camera I have used for filming my video is the HD Everio memory camcorder, by JVC. The camera films in 1080p output, providing me with a high quality picture for filming and ultimately a more aesthetically pleasing outcome. Also, because the camera is portable, this made it easier for me to travel to various locations; without the hassle of any large bags or cases. During the filming process, I was provided with a camera tri-pod to use for the more steady shots. This was also useful for the pan shots and tracking shots of Fernando on the skateboard. The use of a filming schedule made time management easier for me and Fernando. Any spare time was used for researching different artists on Youtube, Google...etc; providing me with more insight towards the ways in which other existing music videos within the same genre are filmed – through camera and editing. Although this wasn’t a reliable source of research, it provided me with the knowledge I needed to progress. After uploading the shots, I then needed to distinguish the shots I did not need. This process took several hours, through constant trial and error; arranging and re-arranging the shots in time with the beat of the track. I also adjusted the speed percentage of the shots to a lower level, resulting in the sequence to slow down. Once the shots were arranged into an order, I then began to add the editing transitions between various cuts between shots. Transitions such as cross dissolve, fade, wipe...etc were used at various points throughout the video. This was performed to create a continuous flow of continuity between shots. I felt that cross dissolving created a sense of ease whilst watching; much more subtle than a jump cut or hard cut. This transition was used on the more melodic sections of the track, helping to reflect the mood and emotion of the song. Having completed the transitions, I then went through each section. At the end of the video, I used a fad to black. This simply fades the shot to black; a great visual feature to conclude the video with. Editing was a priority for me, as my video was only narrative based. The editing was the key factor in determining whether or not my video would succeed or not; making it my number one priority. For my evaluation, I have used an online site, known as Prezi. This is an advanced online system where you are able to present your ideas creatively, using a more professional layout. This was the first time I had used the site, so I had to sign up in order to begin. For me, the biggest advantage of using this site was the levels of creativity I was able to bring to the presentation; using various images and videos to back up my points made in the previous questions. Prezi provides a clearer understanding to the viewer through its vast media effects, colours and features. For my ancillary tasks, I used the software Adobe Photoshop CS5; another editing programme I am vastly familiar with. The reason I enjoy using this programme is due to its large range of features and tools that come with the package. During the development of my ancillary tasks, I frequently used tools such as; the magic wand (eraser), pen, masking, layering/ layer options, blending...etc; all in which came to use for constructing the digipak covers and magazine cover. In terms of effects, I used the more advanced tools such as; dissolving, drop shadow, blurring tools...etc, all in which allowed me to experiment with the covers visual aspects – colour, contrast and balance. On the whole, I feel that my video and ancillary tasks were heavily based around various types of media technologies, and that without the uses of these technologies, it would simply be impossible for me to produce work at a professional level.