EVALUATION
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
When developing ideas, for my end media product I researched various
forms of music videos. I did this to prepare myself for when I develop my
final music product. For example when identifying music genres and
how some convey generic conventions, which we expect to see as consumers:
for example when analysing the camera work in Tom Odell’s Another Love (which on my blog is the third case study.)
I was able to identify that many music videos, such as this one heavily
involve the artists in the video, through the use of close ups and mid-shots, with the artist sometimes looking into the
camera this is done so that audience feels a unique connection between them and
the artist which can be seen as a form of textual
schizophrenia.
I wanted my music video to challenge
these types of conventions where
the artist needs to be prominent in the video, and I looked into other avenues
where this was not case this lead me to music products of more niche production
values such as the video I analyse in my first case study of a music video I found
called Hello Brooklyn rapped by the artist Jay Z and Lil Wayne. What struck me when analysing the conventions of this video, is how
much it challenged other music products.
There were no artist/artists in
the video, this hugely challenged theorists such as Andrew Goodwin who states that an artist needs to appear in the
video. The music video is a rap, which are usually associated with derogatory
visual references to women; however this confronts that stereotype with no sexualised female references also
contrasting Laura Mulvey’s male gaze
theory.
The video displayed a series of moving images and typography, this is something
I have depicted in my video. By using typography and imagery to cooperate
together, as in the original Hello Brooklyn video; the images where actual
images that had movement implemented, using the software After Effects. I developed upon their media product, by
filming my scenes using the camera, instead of just capturing them by still image;
which would not fit in with my task outline. So my product used similar conventions
to the Brooklyn video by using similar movements such as pans, tilts and close-ups,
but developed upon them by using different
shooting methods and software’s as instead of using After Effects I used the software
Avid, which allowed me to add typography to my video clips.
Similar to the Brooklyn video I also wanted a mise en scene that did not involve the artist; so I selected a
series of nature and outdoor shots. Due to my my music genre being folk/indie the
imagery was more outdoor orientated unlike the Brooklyn video which was a
homage to the city.
Overall my music video has challenged mainstream music conventions by
not depicting generic semiology, such
as the artist being in the clips; however it has developed on and used more niche
media products, which challenge mainstream products.
How
effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
When forming the ancillary texts, I needed identify
how to make a design that matched my bands requirements; and fit the final
products genre. I researched various cd and album covers, to see how certain
artists communicate their brand through their ancillary texts. One of the album
covers I looked at, in my researching stages was Janet Jackson ’20 Yo’, this
album followed generic conventions of the artist being the centre focus of the
cover; this is very common on for RnB and Pop music artists to have themselves
as the focus, I wanted to challenge this form ancillary.
I wanted to confront popular music when I came to the
design of my ancillary texts. So I
looked into how more niche genres such as indie/rock and folk bands present
their ancillary texts bands such as The Kaiser Chiefs who do not show themselves
on their ancillary texts. This is in convergence to my main product where the
band is also not in the text. So when design my ancillary texts I wanted the
design to colligate with this and not show the artist, this provides the viewers
with hidden narrative and also gives out the message the artists are publishing
their music for the art and not the fame.
When talking to the band I asked what their requirements
where for the ancillary design; as in a lot of cases the artists have key roles
in the development of their brand. So I was a designer and they were the client.
They wanted a 20’s theme golden lavish looking design. This cover matched my main
product, in the sense that the key artists where absent. However did not completely
correspond to the video, which was more natural then lavish which is what the
band wanted the ancillary text to look.
What have you learned from your audience feedback?
After I completed my final media product,
I needed to identify what people’s opinions where on my final product. I
learnt that the reason for producing such surveys; was to establish whether
my message or concept had gotten across to the audience… This relates to
audience theory: where a product is read by an audience, this is Stuart Hall’s reception theory in which
me as the producer of the end product has encoded
a message or concept into the narrative; in the hope that that message is
then understood and decoded by the
reader. This therefore either creates a preferred reading, or for those who did
not understand the message that had been encoded forms an oppositional reading.
What I was able to determine was that: questionnaires/surveys
like this are key in establishing feedback; which helped me understand, what
had been understood in my final media product and what had not. Which if I
where a real producer, I would need to work upon improving; as if the audience
did have an oppositional reading of my
final media product; and therefore did not satisfy the audience needs, I would
have failed in providing pleasure for the audience, creating an unsuccessful
product.
Theses are some of the questions asked in my survey
bellow;
1 – How well does the music video
follow the codes and conventions or effectively subvert or break the
conventions of the genre it belongs to?
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People liked how the music video
flowed country style conventions, in that the shots where of quite natural and
most where shot outdoors; but some also said it broke certain conventions as
the narrative did not involve any actors of artist members. Which, all mostly
all of the audience members liked and found refreshing to see from the norm.
2 – How well does the music video use
or subvert narrative structure?
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3 – How well does the music video
represent the characters using technical codes such as cameras, editing, sound
and mise en scene?
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4 – How effectively are camera shots,
angles, movement and composition utilised to establish genre, create narrative
enigmas and effectively represent the main characters?
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What I was able to gather from this
survey, was that my camera work was effective; as people thought that it balanced
the typography out well; as the pans would move in pace with the lyrics that
have been emplaced in the edit, which the audience also liked. The problem there
was one spelling mistake which I learnt about, and without the feedback I would
have missed.
5 – How effectively has editing been
used do that meaning is apparent to the viewer whether adhering to continuity
system or not?
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6 – How effectively has editing been
used to make selective and appropriate use of shot transitions and other
effects?
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7 – How effectively has the video been
edited to the music?
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8 – How effectively has mise en scene
been constructed to create meaning?
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9 – How effectively do you think the
audience for this music video have been targeted and engaged?
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People understood the concept that,
I was communicating and the video was well received by the audience.
10 – How effectively has branding
across the main task and the ancillary tasks been achieved?
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11- How effectively have font, colour
and position of text been used in the CD inlay on all four panes and the
magazine advert?
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12 – How effectively have text and
image been combined on the CD inlay and the advert?
NOT AT
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WELL VERY WELL FULLYPeople really took a liking to my ancillary
texts, people commented saying that they where ‘professionally developed’ that
they ‘looked very well designed’; and some said that they would purchase the CD
if they had seen it in a store; as the golden metallic retro look entices them
when they first look at it.
I have learnt that there are many complex and technological layers in film making. Considering that media’s technology is advancing and that a consumer expects high quality and diversity in technical codes when viewing a film. Additionally how more than one piece of equipment is needed to construct a high quality piece of work.
How did you
use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and
evaluation stages?
Throughout
my A2 media course, I have been developing and presenting my work on a blog. This
has truly been an effective way for me to demonstrate my own progress;
through my music video’s production. Allowing me to gain knowledge in new forms
of multi media publishing platforms; as I am constantly uploading my
textual assignments, the imagery, videos, music and ancillary texts and even
power points using ‘slide share’ I have gained more developed and accomplished
skills such as master the editing software’s such as Avid, Photoshop and
In-design.
·
In
contrast to writing up all assignments, in a basic word document format, which
I would find more challenging; as for me using a blog is more pragmatic. Due to the fact
I can edit my work not only at home; but where ever, as technology allows me to
work at home, on my phone on a lap top … ect and I am glad that OCR have reached the same
conclusion; and allowed us to use media as a form of re-representing our work. I
also learnt the importance of pre production paperwork, and how this benefits me
hugely in thinking more like a film maker when planning my end media
product.
Production
·
When filming my media project I used a Canon SLR, this piece of
technology allowed me to form high quality videos. I learnt the correct methods
of focusing the camera, how automatically and manually focus a camera which
was useful. What I had learnt this year was how to combine the use of the camera work with my narrative as when I
was filming I needed to make sure that it was in correlation the narrative that
my music video would flow. I also implemented essential methods like the 180 degree rule and the Rule of Thirds; which was vital in forming more
diverse shots, and I began to realise, the importance of this.
