Evaluation Question 1 Draft - Nat

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

Our music video uses, develops and challenges forms and conventions of real media products by both adapting and copying different styles, to make our music video fit within our chosen genre. 

Typical emotional pop videos contain a narrative of some sort, so by sticking with this convention we have recreated a video in a format, which is already in the market. However, by using contemporary dance within our narrative we have challenged a convention within our genre, as we haven't chosen dance music. An example of a pop video which incorporates a narrative similar to ours is Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift's Collaboration of Everything Has Changed. This narrative, along with the dance composition in Pink's Try video, is our video. 

The concept behind the story of the Ed Sheeran video was what we copied, however we used teenage actors rather than children, and we incorporated dance for the 'love story' rather than a day at school. Therefore when researching into particular dance music videos we copied elements from Pinks Try video. Due to having a wider knowledge on dance used in films, I thought by researching into dance footage from trailers and film scenes was important to ensure our choreography worked. 

From the films viewed both Step Up 1 and Step Up 4 mainly included establishing shots, close ups and long shots. The different style of dance expressed across both films made us aware that when filming dance, constant camera movement and change of angle was key. Therefore we have ensured our final video demonstrates these conventions in order for us to attain a professional aesthetic. 

We also needed to ensure we had many different shot types of our artist singing. This was because, with a white infinity curve studio being our location, it meant it was very plain. This meant that by changing the camera angles significantly, from high to low, left to right and close up to long shot it made the video a lot more interesting. The remaining Mise en Scene (lighting and costume) was what we focused our efforts on especially, as this was what would create the atmosphere for our video. Our inspiration from the shadows came from an America's Got Talent contestant called Blue Journey and the new Union J video, as this proves that shadows can be used with in the pop genre and meet a convention. 

The inspiration for our camera angles, movements of the camera, and styling of costume came from the indie-pop genre (same as Katie Jones). The video Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran which came out the week of our planning for the video gave us great inspiration for how dance can be presented through a slow, emotional song. With limited knowledge on how to style dancers, we found it greatly helpful to be able to copy the clothing ideas from this video, as it meant we didn't have to go into too much depth with regards to planning it. 

My digipak and advert both follow conventions of a basic pop / indie-pop genre. The one thing I decided to challenge with regards to the digipak and advert was the photograph I produced. In both images, Katie Jones looks away from the camera. With evidence of Taylor Swift's album cover 1989 not presenting eye contact I believed it was acceptable to do this on my. It however could be argued that due to Taylor Swift being extremely successful and well-known this was acceptable for an artist of her caliber. Therefore I believe I challenged this convention of both products. The colour palette has elements of bright colours and black and white. However, artist albums such as Adele and Jessie Ware prove that not all pop album covers have to include colour like Rihanna and Beyonce.

  

Evaluation Question 2 Draft - Nat

EVALUATION 2
How Effective is the Combination of Your Main Product and Ancillary Texts?

Pop which is defined as the 'popular' style of music from both past and current, is the genre I researched into, and created products for. However I have both followed and challenged conventions with regards to my music video in relation to the construction, narrative and overall aesthetic of my product. 

Firstly, my music video follows particular conventions in relation to narrative. Videos like Pink 'Try' and Gabrielle Aplin 'Panic Cord' gave myself inspiration regarding structure from shot to shot, and the ratio of narrative to performance of the artist. The common norm of a narrative which if used in pop videos tends, more than not, to be of the romance genre. Therefore, due to our song having a pragmatic meaning of a love narrative, as opposed to just a performance video, was the concept we decided to emerge with in our video. 
I believe however, I have challenged pop conventions with regards to the contemporary dance aspect. Due to our artist being of more an indie-pop alternative style, in my opinion I felt challenging conventions at this stage would be acceptable, to create the best aesthetic for our video. With examples of indie-pop videos incorporating dance such as Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud we felt that the more ballroom, classic style of dance was something we wanted to steer away from. This was because it was entirely a performance video, including the artist himself, which was something we wished to change. Therefore, our main inspiration of Dance from a music video came from Pink's 'Try', in which the style of dance was more contemporary. We believe by following conventions of this video, we have challenged the convention of indie-pop videos which include dance. On the other hand, we believed this was a risk, but one which has paid off, as the style of dance suits the chosen song, and relates to the lyrics. 

Furthermore, we both challenged and followed conventions with regards to the styling of our artists and dancers. The red lipstick worn by both females and the suit that Michael our male dancer wore followed typical pop conventions of smart but bright (in some cases - lipstick). The artists outfit however, after much research we decided to challenge the convention of the 'male gaze' theory by Laura Mulvey. This was because, for this particular video, the Beyonce and Rihanna style of 'no clothes' wasn't classy and sophisticated enough for the aesthetic we wanted to produce. 

Also, like many pop ballad videos such as California King Bed by Rihanna and Adele's Hometown Glory video, they both feature colour, Rihanna's video in particular. I challenged the norm by putting our video in black and white, because I believe that the emotion we wished to created through the narrative would have been easier to produce in a video with limited aspects to focus on. 

With regards to my ancillary texts, I followed many conventions of a pop digipak and advert. Evidence from my research and planning shows I took inspiration from Gabrielle Aplin's debut album English Rain, and Taylor Swifts newest album 1989. I followed the rule of thirds across both my pieces of work, as well as taking into account star image, font type, and colour. I believe I challenged the convention of colour for a 'normal' pop digipak. With a house style of orange and brown, it sits on its own in the industry against digipaks with more vibrant colours, such as Rihanna's Loud and Lana Del Ray's Born To Die. I decided to do this however, to fit with the theme of the album 'Autumn Leaves' just like Gabrielle Aplin incorporated a theme of the English countryside and umbrellas in her English Rain album. 

The male gaze is an element of pop which many artists in the industry aspire for, to ensure they sell the most albums. However, I found evidence from Adele, Gabrielle Aplin, Jessie Ware and Birdy to suggest that I didn't need to follow the convention of the male gaze. I did however decide to style my model with voluminous hair, red lipstick and defined cheek bones to ensure she wasn't washed out on a white back drop. This method of styling was used across all three of my products, to make our artist Katie Jones look as professionally styled as possible. 

The photography that took place during production of my ancillary texts were, apart from the outside scenery images, all focused entirely on our star image. We attempted to re-create many photographs, with inspiration from previous digipaks and adverts created for Birdy, Taylor Swift and Rihanna. With past experience using the Nikon HD Camera, we were able to produce high quality images, which would replicate those used in the industry today. The photographs gave my ancillary texts a higher professional aesthetic, which in turn make them both look as if they belong within the industry, and that a student hasn't made it. 


We decided also to ensure that the our artist Katie Jones was styled the same in the photoshoots as the video to have a correlation between all three products. This would challenge a convention of the pop genre, as artists tend to wear different outfits in their videos to what is on their album covers and adverts. 

To conclude, I believe that my video and two ancillary texts are effective because I have followed mainstream conventions to ensure that my products looks as professional and as in date with regards to the pop genre as possible. I have provided evidence to exhibit my reasons for challenging conventions, and shown examples of those products I have copied, to justify each element of my video, digipak and advert. 

Evaluation Question 3 Draft - Nat

EVALUATION 3:

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

25 Word Pitch 

"This needs a stronger sense of story. What is the story of your video?" - Mr Smith

"Nat and Sanj, you have the basic details of where you want to take the video and how it will come together. There isn't as much given for the story line, but overall a really good pitch:-) Looking forwards to seeing the end product." - Lauren Roberts

"This is a good pitch, we want to know more about the story of the video and the song you are producing a music video for, besides that you are staring to show a clear idea and we are looking forward to seeing your final product." -Jack Green

"Nat and Sanjay, I feel you have really clear idea of what you ant your music video to consist of. I think you need to give us more info behind the story of your video so we have more to look forward to! All in all a brilliant idea and I look forward to seeing what you produce, The best of luck to you!" - Millie Leader

"Nat and Sanj , I feel as though you have told us a lot about what the video will include , but actually drifted away from the song and genre you have chosen. I maybe would have considered using a song that fits your genre to be the background music. But your ideas is excellent and has the potential to be very successful, exited to see the finished product , good luck !!" - Jack Wildbore

"I feel this is a good pitch and you have given a lot of detail about the overall video idea. I am interested in how the narrative will be expressed and what type of models you will use to portray this." - Molly Simpson

"The pitch is very detailed and it is clear that you have put a lot of attention into the idea and that you have actively developed it to make it better. Good Luck, I hope it all works out!" - Harry Abbott

"Nat and Sanj, I can tell that your video has lots of potential and can see it being successful however I don't think your pitch tells us the full story line of the music video"  - Ollie Dennis 

From the feedback given from my peers, it became clear that the first 25 word pitch we created was too brief and didn't touch onto the narrative as much as the audience wished it to. This therefore meant it was too vague and needed re-doing. I felt that it was necessary to start from scratch because we lost the majority of the audience after the pitch because we weren't concise enough.

As well as re-creating the 25 word pitch, as a team we decided it would be appropriate to also create a blog post, to express in our words the narrative to our story line. This would then outline to the audience clearly the exact idea we have in our heads, and what we wish to in a sense recreate.

Conversely, a comment was made remarking on the fact that we hadn't researched into the genre of the song, and in fact that we were drifting away from the genre. I feel that with the research we conducted previously it was made clear that our genre of video was pop/indie-pop, and that our video would challenge conventions in many ways.


Final Music Video Feedback

"Your final music video looks brilliant. your editing skills are very good, the slow motion effect on some of the dancing really suits the tone of music, all parts of the video fit the song perfectly. Your transactions between shots complete the music video and help make it all flow nicely together. I can really see how you have developed and improved from your draft, with much better quality of shots, singing and dancing. well done, this product is brilliant" - Chloe Phillips 

"Your final music video shows a various range of shots and effects (those being the slow motion elements and reversing the clips). I think that your editing skills are promising, the video flows alongside the music and the dancing from the actors works with the theme of your video. I think that you have improved to a great extent from your first draft." - Michelle Knight 

The feedback from my classmates with regards to the final video was very positive. This indicated that there was a significant improvement between our draft and our final video which both Sanj and I knew needed to happen to attain good marks. 

It has been made aware that the extra time and care we spent on filming a range of angled shots, and editing the video together more precisely was what improved the overall aesthetic of our product convincingly. This mad us aware of how delicate and precise videos in this genre must be to look professional, which is why we acted upon our draft feedback from our teachers. 

Final Digipak Feedback 

"The difference between draft and final Digipak is promising in regards to connecting more with your target audience. I like the change between colours - your Digipak looks more open and inviting. The placement of the images and text on the screen makes your Digipak look professional and simplistic. I think that maybe you should have chosen a photo of your 'lead girl' looking up rather down, I would like to see more of her facial features and make-up used to create her look. However, this doesn't shy away from the fact that overall you have clearly stuck to a house theme and have constructed detailed research into what conventions are needed in order to achieve the look you wanted." - Michelle Knight

It was made clear that my final digipak had more sense of understanding my genre. It was noticed by many that my draft version was very rushed, and planning was an issue. Therefore I conducted research and created a 'Digipak Journey' which provided evidence to my audience to prove that everything I have now done in my final design is backed up with evidence from previous products, as well as natural resources and crafts. 

I was challenged in my feedback with regards to the way in which I framed the photograph. My target audience didn't seem to appreciate the fact Katie Jones looks down on the cover of my digipak. With close reference and inspiration I decided to copy Taylor Swift's 1989 cover, by ensuring my artist wasn't looking into the camera. This critique in my opinion is fair, because my artist isn't globally known like Taylor Swift, however I believed that by challenging the convention my product would look more professional. 

Final Advert Feedback

"This is a significant improvement from your Draft. You can see the theme running throughout the Advert and Digipak and it is evident that this is consistent, which shows a sense of professionalism. I like how the colour of Katie's top compliments the colour of the background. I feel that the font you've used for the 'Autumn Leaves' creates a sense of calligraphy, furthermore the 'A' and 'S' are in a different colour which attracts more attention to the Advert. 
I think that you have taken inspiration from other artists within your specified genre, which is evident through your Digipak."

The feedback for my advert was again very positive, with regards to the compilation and putting together of my product, as well as the aesthetic. My audience commented on how they felt I had researched into a lot of depth to ensure this product looked professional. I was also praised on how I have created a link with in both my advert and digipak, which would correspond well with artists work currently in the industry. 

The theme of calligraphy was something I carried across both the digipak and advert. My reasoning for this was to create a sense of relationship between the artist and her fans, due to her being a new addition to the market. I noticed previously that this was the approach Gabrielle Aplin took with her debut album English Rain. 

In conclusion it has came to my attention that the products I have made have been given positive feedback from my peers. They seem to believe I have conducted in depth research with regards to the planning and production of my product, and that it is appreciated by my consumer. 

Evaluation Question 4 Draft - Nat

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

Research and Planning:

• Tumblr
• Google
• UK Tribes
• YouTube
• Animoto

I used Tumblr and Google mainly for researching into images, styling of clothing and make up to inspire the production of my product, and how I would attempt the professional aesthetic through Mise en Scene. With the internet being accessible 24/7 with it having no limits of the art and designs I could find, it made the planning of my products convincingly easier than it would have 10 years ago, when technology such as this was limited.

I used UK Tribes as a website to research into my target audience. This allowed me to easily have access to a depth of information which introduced me more into what my consumer has interests for. This then allowed me to evaluate which elements were more important to incorporate. From this, my development of colour, design and narrative was produced.

I used YouTube in the production research and planning stage to gather together a portfolio of evidence to gain inspiration. This lead me to looking into: films which incorporated dance, music videos which had elements of dance, and choreography of different styles of dance, to aid the decision of which style of dance would be appropriate.

I used Animoto to present my 25 word pitch to my peers. This form of presentation is something I like to use for small 30 second presentations as it is a lot more interesting and professional. It captures the audiences attention, and it is quick and easy to create so it doesn't take too much time like a Prezi or PowerPoint would.

Construction:

• HD Panasonic Video Camera
• Nikon Camera
• Photoshop
• Final Cut Pro 
• YouTube Converter 
• iPhone
• Flickr 
• iMac

During the construction stages of my products I used many technological devices to ensure that the final product looked professional. During filming of the music video, and photography for the digipak and advert I used two different cameras: HD Panasonic Video Camera and a Nikon. I was familiar with using both beforehand which eased the stress and pressure of production. These technologies are more advanced than they would have been previously, which meant that my products would have a very good pix-elated image. 

I used Photoshop and Final Cut Pro on an iMac to create my three products. Due to having previous knowledge again with both softwares and the iMac itself it made production a lot easier than it would of with a lack of experience. Having access to these technologies at school made it possible for my work to be of a high standard providing my efforts were displayed. The developments of these softwares over the years has also increased, meaning there are different and more special effects which can be used to change and adapt my projects to ensure they look more aesthetically pleasing. 

My iPhone came into play during filming, where I had the song downloaded on my phone to aid the lip syncing technique, as well as the dance being in time to the music. This small aspect of technology made a great difference with regards to my final product. 

I used Flickr to upload my images that I photographed for the production stage of my digipak and advert. This online storage system in my opinion is a safer way of storing my images. This is because technology such as laptops and computers can sometimes go wrong and lose work, therefore I decided the internet was a better place to store it. This is an easier and effective method of storage and made the production stage better. 

I used YouTube converter to convert the countdown clock from the opening of my video into a MOV file. As well as this, it allowed me to download the song onto iTunes to use in the program Final Cut. This quick method of download made the editing process significantly easier, than if software wasn't as up to date or speed. 

Evaluation:

• YouTube
• Facebook
• Twitter

I used YouTube in my draft evaluation questions to present videos as examples of work I copied. I believed that rather than explaining each, it would be easier and more effective to embed each with in my blogger posts.

I also used two social networking sites to exhibit and distribute my work to friends and family. This then allowed me to gain positive and critical feedback, as well as ensuring my work is posted online for a wide audience to view. 

Evaluation Question 1 Draft - Sanj

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

The music video that we have created both challenges and follows the conventions of real media products through its formatting and musical genre.

The majority of the pop video's that we had researched, where heavily narrative based. The stories often contained a semantic field of break-ups, love and lust or trust issues etc. Combining elements of dance and singing meant that producing a video that would effectively share a effective meaning would be challenging, as this is a convention that is not followed in our music genre. However videos such as Try by P!nk helped support the initial idea.

Ensuring that there was an equal balance of shots between our dancer and singer would help to make sure that the video was the professional standard. Filming in a infinity curve studio, it meant that the there would need to be a constant focus for the audience and the balance of shots would provide this. We where able to experiment with close ups, establishing shots and long shots when filming both the dance and the singing aspects of the video. In addition, ensuring that the video had constant camera movement was a key indication to show how well our work had been.

In addition, when looking at the shadow effects created in the studio, we found that many exsiting songs had featued a simiaalr element, such an Union J's - You Got It All. This helped ensure that we where following the pop/ indie genre and allowed use to manipulate the shadows the create a unique ending to the video and narrative.

Ed Sheeran's - Thinking out Loud music video formed a basis for camera angles and mise en scene for the final music video. With limited previous knowledge of contemporary dance music videos, this video provided great aid. We were able to follow the costume of conventions of the video, dressing our dancers in formal attire. This meant that research was quick and we where able to remain on schedule for our filming times and dates.

My ancillary products followed both conventions of the pop and indie genre. When looking at the layout of the texts, much of my inspiration had derived from the work of Rihanna and Jessie Ware. I was able to gain inspiration from Say You Love Me, where it is clear that the black and white colour scheme was a sever impact to my design as well as the balance of white and black space, using a clear and readable font also helped to meet the needs of all audiences and created a sophisticated and edgy design, that would be more suited to my ideal target market.
When looking at Loud I was able to experiment with the pop genre and applied this idea to the appearance of my artist. Posing in a 'pop' manner I attempted to connote a 'diva' type of representation, that would be more suited to  the pop aspect of my market. In addition, posing in a male gaze way attracts a wide audience, encouraging a more alternative type of audience.

Evaluation Question 2 Draft - Sanj

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

The combination of my main and ancillary product, has proven effective for both the genre and artist that we have formed a representation for.

My main product is a combination of contempory dance and 'pop' with influences of 'alternative/ indie' performance, something that has been effective through the research that has been previously conducted.

When creating our video, I ensured that the mise en scene supported the research that was conducted. Looking at Katie Jones, it is evident that she and Birdy and Jessie Ware share multiple visual similarities. This meant that producing a realisitic video would be effective, as our creation would be similar to those existing within our chosen genre. Defining cheekbones and ensuring that eyes where more defined, helped to enhance these similarities and therefore attracted a audience that would listen to Birdy's music. In addition, the simple and minimalistic theme that we had created was simair to the indie pop genre that we had chosen, the natural/ bare-faced appearance supporting this. Wearing a simple black jumper and high waisted jeans, is not a pop convention,  helps to keep the 'edge' that both our researched artists and Katie Jones share as well as enhancing the flawless look found in 'pop' videos'.
When applying our video to our music genre, I feel that many convetions are both followed and challenged. Using existing Birdy, Emile Sande and Sam Smith songs for inspiration, the video is produced with a similar style in mind. To ensure that the video remains pop/indie pop we focused on using long and mid shots to ensure that Katie Jones and the dancers contained a equal mixture and power balance throughout, rather than a performance video where instruments would be enhanced, the video created did not have the option. This star image featuring prolonged mid/long shots would attract the audience as well as helping to keep the video in a 'indie pop' genre as the artist is main focus in these videos often followed by a narrative or performance.
The video has been challenged in several ways. First of all, not many 'indie [pop' videos contain a contempory dance similar to what is featured in Katie Jones work. This is something that can be argued to be 'indie pop' rather than souly pop, raising issues for some. The genre that we have chosen to replicate often takes a unique and induvidual twist from what appears in pop videos today, often relying on vocals to help progress in the industry. In addition, the type of dance that is used is more appropriate for a song that is different the one chosen. The routine we have used may work better for 'Thinking out Loud' where as we have used many moves from 'Try' by Pink. This adds to the edge that we have created, and also supports our narrative the is use throughout.

My ancillary has gained influences from a mixture of indie and pop influences. product featured a simple and minimalist house style that I attempted to reproduce throughout. Using a black and white colour scheme helped to create a relationship between the video and the products that I attempted to create and helped to connote a sense of class and sophistication that I wanted Katie Jones to have.
 The type of camera angle has derived for Rihanna's 'Loud'. This meant that I was able to heavily focus on the star image and was able to experiment with extreme close ups and close ups to ensure that I attracted the right audience that I needed. Posing my artist in a pop like image has meant that it can also attract a market  from a male gaze prospective. Furthermore, I have ensured that I use the same image in both of my products to ensure that the audience makes the connection between the video and the ancillary texts.
When looking at my digipak panels, I have created lyrics that are printed across several pages. These pages, include lyrics that are featured in the album 'Autum Leaves'. This helps to re-inforce the songs that are featured, making them think about what they are listening to and the message that maybe conveyed in some songs, this is significant in the music video Standing in the Way of the Light'. Artists such  as Nina Nesbitt and Birdy have songs that are similar to what I have created, this I feel is appropriate for my design.
The colours used throughout my main and ancillary products, remain clean and classic and have been used to attract a niche target audience. This is because the research that I had conducted featured settings that where simple and ensured that the artist remained the focus throughout. The area chosen also helped our dancers, as they were a heavy part of the video created, with the researched  conducted, such as Ed Sheeran's - Thinking out Loud, supporting this.
The typeface and text helps the continuity that has been created across the project, using a simple, easy to read font ensures that a house style remains and the contrast between image and text is positive and efficient. My inspiration for the typeface has derived from my AS coursework, as I felt that the magazine I had created would suitable for my texts now, however my overall ancillary products can be challenged as being more 'indie' than 'pop' because its unconventional visual design that many people would first think of when looking at a 'pop' artist.

Evaluation Question 3 Draft - Sanj

What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

25 Word Pitch 

"Nat and Sanj, you have the basic details of where you want to take the video and how it will come together. There isn't as much given for the story line, but overall a really good pitch:-) Looking forwards to seeing the end product." - Lauren Roberts

This was yet again, the same problem. With a refined pitch we were able to chosen texts and image that helped represent that video that we wanted to create.

 "This is a good pitch, we want to know more about the story of the video and the song you are producing a music video for, besides that you are staring to show a clear idea and we are looking forward to seeing your final product." -Jack Green

This issue was again, having a unclear pitch; its ineffective way of displaying the narrative of the story. However, through the use of images it shows that the idea of the video can be seen by some. The narrative issue was solved by a separate blog post, explaining the meaning of the video.

 "Nat and Sanjay, I feel you have really clear idea of what you ant your music video to consist of. I think you need to give us more info behind the story of your video so we have more to look forward to! All in all a brilliant idea and I look forward to seeing what you produce, The best of luck to you!" - Millie Leader

With a new and refined twenty-five word pitch, our audience and market would now have a better understanding of the type of video that was being created. To support the narrative idea, having a blog post containing the narrative was appropriate and reduced confusion for some. It also provided a visual stimulus for how effective the main product would potentially be.

"Nat and Sanj , I feel as though you have told us a lot about what the video will include , but actually drifted away from the song and genre you have chosen. I maybe would have considered using a song that fits your genre to be the background music. But your ideas is excellent and has the potential to be very successful, exited to see the finished product , good luck !!" - Jack Wildbore

With this particular comment, I feel that the previous research that had been conducted gave the audience gave the audience the idea that my chosen genre was indie pop. The moodboads and target market research had shown that people of the desired audience would be interested and inclined the style of music that was being created.

"I feel this is a good pitch and you have given a lot of detail about the overall video idea. I am interested in how the narrative will be expressed and what type of models you will use to portray this." - Molly Simpson

From early on in the project, it was clear that we would have a dancing duo representing the narrative of the video. The people that we had chosen had a positive and professional representation, and were suitable for the video that we wanted to create. Giving the dancers our song and a deadline, we where able to create a routine that was suitable for the video and provided a strong narrative throughout.

"The pitch is very detailed and it is clear that you have put a lot of attention into the idea and that you have actively developed it to make it better. Good Luck, I hope it all works out!" - Harry Abbott

With this feedback, it suggests that the images and text that we had chosen was appropriate for some audience members. This shows the wide range of people that the video would attract and the various connotations that would be produced through the videos production. If there was any problems with our video the text narrative post would prove a meaning and the purpose of the video with the research backing up the choices and ideas made.

"Nat and Sanj, I can tell that your video has lots of potential and can see it being successful however I don't think your pitch tells us the full story line of the music video"  - Ollie Dennis 

Again a issue resolved, by a newly produced pitch. This contained refined images and words and helped to get the narrative of the video in a quick and effective way. Having a separate blog post containing the narrative also helped those that needed a text stimulus to see how effective the narrative would be in relation to our song and routine.

Anciallary Products

"I can see the change from your draft to final version of your digipak, i think changing the image you used was i good idea because your new image fits much better. Your style of your digipak i feel is more indie then pop, i don't think its a convention of a pop digipak, its too simplistic and clean cut to be pop styled. However you have used the forms and conventions of a digipak by placing and bar code and legal rights on the back panel. Overall i do really like the look of your digipak and poster, you can tell you have put a lot of thought into your design as seen in your research everything has been thought through. Its very stylish and i like that, the whole package works well nicely, well done. - Chloe Philips

My most significant improvement towards my anciallry products was the change of image, which was needed for many reasons. The new image has been taken well by audience members and shows the passion and pop genre that is being attempted to be represented. I would argue, that my design still follows the convetions of indie pop as much of my inspiration of design was drawn from Jessie Ware, with the style of the artist derived from Rihanna's Loud.

"There is a noticeable improvement made from your Draft to the Final. It shows within your Final that you have put a lot of hard work into this. I like the image that you've used for your Digipak and Advert. The fact that she is looking away gives a sense of mystery towards Katie. The fact that the Digipak is in black and white goes with your music video. Not many professional artists make links between their Ancillary products and Music Video. The font used is simple and readable, there is an equal balance between the space used and the blank space." -  Krishna Chauhan

My image has been again, approved by a audience member. This shows the changes I have made have been done for the better, with my design being accepted by more people in and out of my target audience. Linking the black and white ancillary products to my main product was done intentionally, as I wanted audience members to create a connection between the two texts. The overall design has been approved, and suggest that the effort and research has been effective.

"Very good improvements Sanjay. I like the way you have been consistent with both your advert and digipak, and it is easily noticeable that they are both related and by the same artist. I like the colour scheme as you haven't tried to over complicate things, you have kept a simple colour scheme but made it look very effective." - Alex Rhodes

Being consistent has provided a positive unity between the two texts, and has been approved my audience members. Having the image of the artist is a huge convention of pop as it helps to make sure that the products are memorable and successful. Keeping a simple colour scheme has again, linked my main and ancillary products together. It has also helped make the products 'edgy' and combines a indie influence to the texts and layout of both products.

"Wow, good." - Will Jones

Shows the good progress that I have made.

"There is a lot of improvement from your draft to final Digipak. You have clearly stuck to a house theme and have put in a lot of work to make noticeable change. I like that the image on your Digipak and Poster are the same, this means that your intended audience can easily identify the artist. The colour choices made are consistent and match your final music video, this shows a lot of professionalism. The typography used is also clear and can be easily read from where it is placed on both products. I think that maybe if you had more time you could have put more images of the 'star girl' on the blank panels of your Digipak. But apart from that, it is very stylish and I would consider buying this if out in the shops/online." - Michelle Knight

As someone that would be similar to my target market, this feedback shows the my work was successful. The noticeable changes in image and text have been effective enough to attract the attention of the audience and display the time and dedication of the products made. It shows that the link between my main and ancillary products works well and it is a combination that audience members can make for themselves. The design is effective, and shows that the indie influence was best for the designs of my product.

Final Music Video Feedback

"Your final music video looks brilliant. your editing skills are very good, the slow motion effect on some of the dancing really suits the tone of music, all parts of the video fit the song perfectly. Your transactions between shots complete the music video and help make it all flow nicely together. I can really see how you have developed and improved from your draft, with much better quality of shots, singing and dancing. well done, this product is brilliant" - Chloe Phillips 

"Your final music video shows a various range of shots and effects (those being the slow motion elements and reversing the clips). I think that your editing skills are promising, the video flows alongside the music and the dancing from the actors works with the theme of your video. I think that you have improved to a great extent from your first draft." - Michelle Knight 

Positive feedback towards our main product  has shown that the video has been successful. This shows the many changes that were made and the feedback that was taken into account between the draft and final music video.

Evaluation Question 4 Draft - Sanj

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

Researching and Planning

Blogger:
Having used Blogger during my AS coursework and in my spare time, I have felt confident with its use and functions for updating and publishing my work.
It has allowed all stages of the project to be stored in a single place, with a navigation panel showing the work that has completed during the creation of the music video and ancillary products. This, in my opinion is the best way for our project to be presented  as the website is accessible via the internet, this has meant that there are constant opportunities for improvements, additional work and its history to be found be all users.
Blogger has put at ease the way that the work would be presented. The website supports images, videos, texts and embedded documents that have proved crucial for evidence of planning, thoughts and research across the process of the project, this gives both I and others looking at the work a clear understanding of what needs to be done and the overall image that is going to be created through the products.
In addition, the website can be shared via a range of communication methods; social networks have been a primary example. Having a simple URL means that it can be accessed by anyone ensuring that there is constant feedback to help make the work  the best possible standard, it also shows how well the project is going and any changes or problems that would potentially occur.

Animoto:
When producing the twenty-five word pitch, a short video featuring text and images was most suitable for those watching. Having a restricted time and frame limit, it meant that the words and images has to form a clear representation of what our main project was. With set templates, it meant that a large task could be done quickly and easily, ensuring that work was productive and time was managed effectively.

Twitter:
The use of social networks have been very important as a communication method for both peers and our target market.
Twitter, allowed me to communicate with teachers and peers for when advice was needed. This was used during the filming stage, where I was able to ask for guidance with the type of work and camera angles that would be efficient for the video's appearance. Its quick responses meant that the work at the time would be changed and it would be better suited after the changes had been made from the advice given.
Creating a twitter profile for our singer helped to create a fanbase for Billie White/ Katie Jones and the type of music that she was producing. Under a alias I was able to tweet and post pictures of photoshoots and filming locations in a hope to create a sense of realism of the people that 'followed' her. Having created it through the mobile app, responses that would be needed would be 24/7 and on the go, this helped to create a refine a fanbase to only those that would be interested to see or her the new music that was being released.

Flickr:
When conducting the first and second photoshoot, Flickr helped to ensure that they could be accessed in one single place. Having them uploaded on a photosharing website had meant that the photos taken where available to use for anyone looking in the album. This website came into primarily use during the ancillary products, where the difference in designs meant that different images of our singer had to be used.
The photo's uploaded on the website could be shared on the coursework blog and other websites, such as social media. This meant that there was enough people to suggest photos that could be used as well as approving the mise en scene of the artist. It allowed a small market to be created, providing a clear indication of what looked good on camera.

Scribd:
An alternative way of uploading word documents, it was a back up in case that some software was unavailable while allowing certain features not available on other programmes to be displayed ie. a table.

Photoshop:
An alternative way of publishing documents that may contain images and text. Photoshop was a programme that I had already mastered in the previous years coursework and proved easy to use. With the experience I had gained, I was able to create basic moodboards and visual journeys that showed the progress I made in a professional format.
The products I created on photoshop would often be posted on the coursework blog, adding to the work that had already been created.

Microsoft Office Word:
Microsoft word is has been a alternative way of producing work that could be published in a text post. Embedding the documents via Scribd, I was able to publish work that prove beneficial for the journey made during the music video processes.

Paint:
Paint was a piece of software that allowed me to print-screen comments, save them as a image and ultimately publish them on the coursework blog. This was effective when publishing the comments that I had made on other people's work and the comments that where made on my work. Showing the comments made proved to be useful when looking at the input that I was given and the way that I had acted on the response. This could be elements such as changing a image on a ancillary product or ensuring that the twenty-five word pitch was short and refined.
In addition, I was also able to publish the work that I had created on separate pieces of software and post them as images. Documents such as the 'visual digipak journey' where made on documents that where not restricted in their use, as a result the work of Paint allowed me to show others the progress that I had created in a image format.
The use of screenshots and Paint was useful for especially for blogger. It allowed me to add to the work that I had already created, providing aid and refinement for the work that I was producing.

Filming

HD Camera:
Primary recording equipment, on loan from the collage - the footage gathered from the video was filmed through it. Its HD display and wide range of uses helped to ensure that the best footage was caught in every clip that was made.

Lighting Equipment:
Provided by the filming studio, light boxes where provided. With access to three sets of lights the video was set with an equal balance of 'natural' lighting to help convey a sense of realism for the viewer. It also helped to create a visual link between the name of the song and what featured in the video, helping to create a hidden meaning - something that the target audience would be interested in.
The light ensured that everybody looked professional and enjoyable to watch, during the filming stage lights where used to manipulate shadows and help to ensure that the narrative of the story was effective throughout.

Speaker:
Through the Iphone the speaker amplified the pre-recorded song that our artist had lip-sync'd to. The music was loud enough to make sure that Katie did not feel embarrassed and was therefore able to carry out a confident performance. In addition, it helped others involved know the song in case they where needed (which happened to the female dancer) it made sure that people worked at the same time and the overall appearance appeared successful.

Iphone:
The Iphone was used to remain our singer the lyrics of Standing in the Way of The Light. Having downloaded a copy, the dancers where able to practise their routine with the song in mind, while our singer was able to match her voice to the pre-recorded song. This meant that editing the video was easy, as much of the song we needed was appropriate and suited the entrity of the song.
The phone as also used to access social networks sites, helping to make sure that the work we had been prepared to do was logged and approved by others.
The Iphone as also used to take photos of the model in the initial photoshoot, this was basic equipment and something that was sorted before the creation of ancillary products.

Post Production:

Mac's:
With the editing software only programmed to Mac's it meant that the music video would be edited from there. Being restricted to computer use only, I had little knowledge of the software of the computer itself. Through peer support and classroom activities I can say that my skills have advanced to a better stage. I have been able to successfully aid my group member in editing the video in a framed deadline as well as providing advice and opinions about its design. The software itself is not technical, but practise has allowed me to excel.

Final Cut Pro 10:
Software only available on Mac's and used by professional people within the media industry. Having little knowledge of experience of final cut I have advanced my knowledge during the music video project. Its ability to cut and add effects has been particularity effective for the video that we/I have created and has ensured that it stands out from others of the same genre. With pre-lim tasks I have been able to confidently use this software to much to a stage where I can produce a four minuet long song.

Youtube:
Posting the final music video on Youtube was a way to share the work to internet users. As a platform for music videos, people searching for music would likely to find the video and leave feedback, this will  help with evaluation processes as it will provide a clear indication of the target market, those that prefer the video and the changes that could have been made to ensure that it was at a higher standard. Posting on Youtube means that the video is accessible for  all constantly, encouraging the much needed criticism and response.

Social Networks:
Where used to broadcast the news of the completed  music video, both mine and my partner's Facebook and Twitter featured the URL to the website, encouraging people to watch it and to leave feedback and responses. This was a quick and efficent way to market both my main and anciallry product and social networks have become a depednacny and quick way of communcation for people today.

Nat's Final Digipak

Nat's Final Advert

Sanj's Final Digipak

Digipak Journey Sanj

1. Images (1-3) My idea initially started with a simple, clean and efficient house style/ theme. Using a black and white design ensured that a form of class and sophistication was being represented, a feature that I want the artist to present.
The simplicity was also supported through a alternative/ pop theme and music genre. Helping to ensure that the design of my digipak linked together with the video would ensure that both products where successful for their purpose. Conducting further research led me onto a vintage theme, this was through the images that I had found and the music video's that I watched, I felt that this theme would be appropriate for the song that we had chosen for our video providing a middle and balance ground for the indie and pop music genre. It also allowed me to create a unique design that I know would appeal to a wide range of audiences.

2. (Image 4) Our focus for the music video was the dancer that we had included. Switching between the dancer and the artist provided mixture and helped ensure that the audiences attention remained.
This was a heavy part of our research, as finding a song that would work for the routine that we had chosen was difficult, it also had meant that we become reliant upon others rather than ourselves.
My digipak design has contained elements of dance, mainly through its design. The connection between dance would most likely be found in the videos that are produced and the songs that the artist preforms.

3. (Images 5 - 7) Once finding a dancer, we had to find a singer. This was crucial - the artist would appear in both the video and any images that were taken. The model/ artist that we had found was photogenic, confident and had experience working in photoshoots before. As a  professional singer, the person that we had chosen would be prefect for our needs.
When looking at the appearance of our model, we had wanted somebody that looked as much like Birdy as possible. Katie, our model was the best for this.

4. (Image 8 - 9) - Once finding the right outfit, and producing a variety of photos that would work for both mine and Nat's digipak, I was able to base my work around it.
Using previous research from artists such as Jessie Ware, I felt that having a white boarder surrounding my design, would be something that would reflect the music genre and artist that I had created and wanted to represent.
The white boarder, achieved a Polaroid looking effect, something associated with people of my target market, this would therefore entice the buyers while keeping my simple, clean format that I intended to use at first.
Our chosen model, would also reflect the market and music that was being produced. We picked outfits ourselves, and researched clothing that would look professional on the cover of a digipak and presented on a poster. Using shops that our listeners would go to would give us a accurate reflection of what they need.

5. (Images 10 - 12) Wanting to show the representation between the video and the digipak, I feel that including dancers is a good way to show the progression I have made.

6. (Image 13) Here I was able to look at the type of shots that I would wish to use on the panels of my digipak. These where taken from previous research and feature angles that are unfollowed conventions, making it unique and stand out from others.
I quickly became interested in close up's and extreme close ups. I feel that it attracts the audience in a sexualised way, depending on the artists appearance. This is how I have chosen to feature the pop music genre to my design.

7. (Images 14 - 15) Here, I was taking particular interest in the panels that would be featuring for my design. I felt that in order to create a sophiscated impression, the font style would have to be chosen accordingly. This meant I would be considering a sans-serif font that conveyed a more classic and timeless appearance. It also made the font I used easier to read, along with extra spacing making the overall design unified and ahereing to my simple house style.
Creating panels featuring lyrics, is something that is often found - usually in inserts. Having it printed within the case, helps to make my product diffentt from others and lowers the chance of the audience being dismissive of it. It will allow them to gain a greater respect  and understanding of the artist via the songs that are featured.

8. (See Image 8)

9. (Image 17) The research and many steps that I have shown so far have led to the creation of my draft digipak. This was submitted upon the basis that changes would be made in order for to achieve a better looking, and realistic digipak that would be linked together with the artist and the video.

10. Images (18 - 20) Upon receiving feedback from my work, I investigated into more depth about the type of music and digipak that I would be reproducing. Using books and the internet, I was able to find examples of existing work that could be applied to my design. Many included close ups/ and featured a pop music genre, something that drew my interest straight away.

11. (Image 21) Looking at the coursework that I produced last year was a key factor for my new design. The double page spread that I had created during AS contained the simple theme that I wanted to achieve in this new design. Boarders, and a white background was something that I realised I used and saw it easy to reproduce in my own work.
Many of the representations that I had made for my magazine, could now be applied to my digipak, suggesting that I had successfully created the plan that I wanted.

12. (Images 22 - 25) These are the mains steps used that were key for my final design. I ensured that there was a key focus on the pop genre for the artist, and ensured that the design of  the digipak and advert appealed to a indie/ alternative nature.
Using examples of music such as Loud helped me to achieve the look that I was attempting, my final digipak being the result of this.

13. (Image 26) Final digipak.

Digipak Journey Nat

1. My idea started with the hand written signature from Gabrielle Aplin's album

2. This lead me on to looking at particular artist's image I could replicate for my cover, which resulted in me researching into Birdy

3. A black and white theme was something I decided to incorporate into my design a I came across this theme significantly when on Tumblr

4. I researched into lyric booklets and panels to see if they would look good in my design, however I used the idea of having text and tiled this across my three inside panels instead

5. The idea of femenising this digipak played to mind which is why I researched into flower patterns (I ditched this idea after creating my below average draft version)

6. The Jessie Ware album began to make me think about the graphology features of the digipak and where I was going to place everything

7. The idea of an old styled record came into mind when planning my final digipak,as the vintage aesthetic was something which played on my mind from the beginning

8. The piano was something I debated on photographing with my artist for my cover, however I believed it would be too complex for the simplistic edge I wanted

9. Originally we had one female dancer in our video, and I tried to incorporate this in the album, as our single was the major song, however this idea wouldn't have created the correct image

10. After changing from one female dancer to a male and a female, I thought due to the album being emotional filled I could try to use this image to symbolise love. Unfortunately I didn't feel in the end this was necessary

11. I grabbed inspiration for lipstick from this image, as I believed this look would work for my artist, and make her more bold.

12. I used the large back combed hair look from this photo on my artist in the photoshoot, as the pop genre usually contains either big focal points of the eyes or hair to attract the male gaze

13. From this album it inspired me into looking at experimenting with fonts to create a smart aesthetic

14. This image from tumblr inspired me to have a white thick border on my cover, as it creates a neat simple aesthetic

15. The Taylor Swift album cover gave me the idea to thicken the bottom white blocked border to have the artist name. The image used also inspired me, as it was different to normal pop photo conventions

16. The photoshoot allowed me to play around with different camera angles and artist poses to see which worked. I decided to incorporate the Taylor Swift idea, and challenge the conventions of the male gaze

17. I finalised my font to Perpetua Titling which I also happened to use in my music magazine coursework at AS. This was because of its tidy aesthetic

18. I settled on a colour scheme of orange and brown because it was different, but I decided to focus on using colour for my final design as pop albums are mainly vibrantly marketed

19. I researched into autumn leaves as I decided to change my album name to this. It also made me think of how Gabrielle Aplin used the English countryside in her 'English Rain' album

20. I then decided to look into camera angle of leaves (e.g close ups) which would be effective to pan across my three inside panels, as this still created a simple aesthetic

21. My final digipak challenged conventions and met many conventions. I found it a long process of research to come up with my final design, because in my opinion the pop genre is difficult to replicate with a limited budget as it solely revolves around 'the perfect image', because how an artist looks will sell their music

Evaluation Of Final Filming

During out final filming session for out music video both Nat and I found that there where many issues that needed to be resolved before the video could be filmed.

• Before filming we had issues of costume for our female dancer. Our male dancer was asked to bring a leotard to ensure that there where no limitations in terms of the routine; with a heavy focus on lifts and turns that helped the music video stand out. The main issue was having the having the bottom half of the female dancer covered modestly. With no leotard we had to improvise, shorts where made by cutting full length leggings (with car keys) to make sure that the appearance of the dancer appeared professional without limiting the routine.

• Our second issue, was that the connecting part of our tripod was not attached. This means that we where unable to film using the piece of equipment. Initially the filming quality for the music video was poor as both Nat and I had experience with only a tripod to use. Unsteady angles and shadows meant that we were unable to get the professional aesthetic that we needed. However, this was resolved via experimentation and the image on camera. From this we where able to gather sufficient footage and ensured that what we had created a good video.

Found Footage