Formal sign off.

May aswell make a 100th blog :p

Anyways this has been a long but very exceptional experience.

GOODBYE BLOGGER!

Last A2 Blog: Formal Sign-off!

Well, Blogger has been the most important tool throughout our A2 year (although not yet over). It's been our diary, we've posted everything we've researched and found, ideas, plans, videos, photos, literally everything! I have really enjoyed making the music video and all ancillary products, and I am quite pleased with the outcome too. As a group we worked hard to customize our blog and keep it up to date (especially during the filming and editing process). Overall, it has been a great experience and I am really happy with what we have achieved. I have quite enjoyed blogging and I will definitely be doing quite a lot of it in the near future as I'm going to be studying Media at Uni.

Anyway, Goodbye Blogger!

GOODBYE BLOGGER!

Well this is my final 102nd post and hopefully the last time i will ever blog again! Blogging is so stressful but i know that deep down i will miss it an awful lot and i might even begin blogging again if i miss it too much. i have thoroughly enjoyed this year making the music video and ancillary products and i loved my group. i think i enjoyed it so much because i was genuinely interested and passionate about it all and i am surprised by how quick it has all gone by,


so goodbye blogger, for now...

FORMAL SIGN OFF :)

So, we have come to the end of the coursework. Its been long and hard at times, but overall it has been a great experience. I have learnt a lot throughout this course and have really enjoyed myself. Now I can formally sign off to conclude this coursework. So.. byeee! :)

FINAL MUSIC VIDEO

EVALUATION: Q3 How did you use media technologies in the construction and reasearch, planning and evaluation stages?

We created an Animatic instead if a digital storyboard because we thought that as we at A2 level we could so our skills more using final cut pro.

Most importantly of all we used BLOGGER to vent all our findings and experiences throughout the year, making the fim and the ancillary products. 

Evaluation: (Q4) What have you learned from your audience feedback?

After the cinematic screening we were able to get some audience feedback for our music video (on the flip camera). Although we had already finished the video and we would not be able to change anything (with the feedback), it did help us understand the way others saw it and what they thought would have worked better (or what we did well on). Because our target audience was teenagers and young adults I think the audience feedback was particularly helpful, although we did get some feedback from our teachers who also had an interesting view on a couple of our ideas, one (of the teachers) even linking a shot to romantic poets and literature.   

“Right, your video. I think it’s lovely. And I’ll tell you why...It brings me back to my childhood (actually I was born in the 70’s; I think I should point that out). I think the filter looks amazing, it gives it such a professional feel and your performance in it is really excellent [the way you portray Ellie Goulding].  I think [Portobello] fits in so well with the filter, the bright colours from the doors and stalls, it all fits together perfectly” 

Rebecca Morris, Media Teacher

“... I loved especially the pink tint you added to it, I thought that made it really unique [because no one else did that]. I loved the costume changes, it looked really professional. I think it was just amazing, no improvements.” 

Valeza Bakolli, Student

There wasn't any negative feedback or anything we could improve on, only a couple of mentions that the actress at one point seemed uncomfortable in front of camera. 

In most videos of audience feedback (Posted on the blog. Find the link at the bottom of this post to view them) there was mention of the effect that we had used. Other positives included the picture frames and photograph that is removed (and you find the same building in front of camera), various costume changes, transitions, and locations. 

The colour differences

When I recently viewed the video on Vimeo I saw that the video hasn't had any comments or likes but has had 42 total views since it was uploaded. (It isn't as high as maybe other videos, but it isn't doing badly either). The issue is that it hasn't been exposed as much (and it is password protected) whereas if it was on YouTube it would, and should get a lot more views because of the amount of people that go onto the site daily and the fact that it is not password protected. I think what YouTube does is feed the music video to a wider number of people, allowing them to know Mia Knight and maybe leading them to buy her album. That is precisely the purpose of the music video, to promote the artist and establish an image. Had Mia Knight been an real artist, it would have been important to set up fan pages on social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace), create a website for her, and a YouTube page to post her new songs, music videos, etc. 

Many artists use YouTube as a starting platform; an example of the recognition it can give is Boyce Avenue. They are a group of brothers who started out making cover songs and posting them on YouTube, they began to establish a fan base and posting links to their songs (available on Itunes) on the description box for their videos. They now make their own songs (and videos for them), tour, and have albums. This just goes to show that it is now easier for an artist to gain recognition and have an established fan base. 


The music video received very good reviews, which would suggest that people are interested in the artist (Mia Knight) and subsequently buy the single (and the album). There wasn't any particular mention of anyone liking the song but they did like the music video which could mean that they would buy into the artist because they are interested in her rather than  the single itself. Although, it was a review about the video, and the song itself was not as important. But the feedback does suggest that their is room for an artist like Mia Knight in the market, although her music may target a niche market, it does appeal to an audience and it will sell (based on the feedback we got). 

I also got feedback for my ancillary work, most of which was very positive. A couple of points made about the link/connection between the photograph used for the outside and the photograph used for the inside. The feedback suggested that it was because of the color difference, the outside was light colors and the inside has a darker tone (because of the ivy leaves). It took me a while to pick out a font but that was one thing that people liked because it was not copied from another artist and it went well with Mia Knight's image,etc. 

To conclude, I'd say that what I learnt from our audience feedback is that would could have improved on the acting (although we are not actors, so it isn't of great importance) but that we did well with the pink-tint. Our teachers mentioned on various occasions during our lessons that it would be a better idea to remove the tint as it would not look as nice on the big screen and it would take away its natural, earthy colours. As I mentioned, our audience feedback, even from the teachers themselves (after the cinematic screening) is that we did well in keeping the tint. We obviously listen to what our teachers and fellow students had to say during the editing process but sometimes it is best to go with instinct, we were happy with it, and we felt that without the tint it lacked strength and was less attractive/appealing. We felt that the costume changes and locations were good and would be mentioned more in the feedback, but it was the tinted effect that captured peoples attention a lot more. With the digipak and advertisement, I learnt (from the feedback) that the font and outside cover went well together and the color scheme was appropriate, but the inside photograph let it down. I got good feedback on the advert too, mainly the fact that I used the outside cover of the digipak and not another image (and a screenshot of the album cover). From that I learnt that it was a good choice to make front cover the image for the digipak because it looked clean and effective (although I did have my doubts at the beginning, but the feedback helped me decide). 

Cinema Screening- Audience Feedback Videos!

EVALUATION: Q4 What have you learned from your feedback?

The whole group were so happy with the feedback we got from our fellow media students as literally everything was praise and many people struggled to find something we could improve on.  I made wordles for the feedback we got and as you can see we got much more positive aspects than negative.

When our video came on the audience was very surprised, possibly because the actor was very attractive, but probably because our video was one of the few that used colour correction in that way. At the end when they came together, the girls mostly, awwed at the shot because it was romantic and was exactly the reaction we were hoping for.

The general positive feedback we got was mostly about the colour correction and the idea of the photos in Portobello road and the ones on the trees which made me realise how much of a clever idea it actually was and was really quite original now that i think about it. 

Shannon said 'I liked the different effects that they used like the colouring it made it look like a kind of indie music video, its like it represents the genre'. He really hit the nail on the head with that as our artist is of the indie genre so clearly he has seen what we were aiming for, and seeing as he understood where we were coming from im sure many more realised it too. He also commented about the performance of the artist, and after looking at the rest of the feedback this is the only major problem we have had and i understand where they are coming from and if we had the chance to film again we would go back and encourage the actress to give a big more 'umph'. Then Then again i understand why the actress was a bit timid in the video because some days it was VERY COLD and some places were a bit busy as people would walk by and stare which would be intimidating for her. 

Then again we had a few people like Jessica, Charlene and Tomi, that complemented her on her performance so taking it all into account i think that it is down to personal taste and how that person interprets the video, some people like the shy look but some people feel its awkward, each to there own!

I am still immensely proud of our final product and i would not change anything major about it apart from maybe go back and film a few shots which could have been cleaner but apart from that i love it!

EVALUATION: QUESTION 4 - What have you learned from your audience feedback?

When I arrived at the cinema I was really excited as well as anxious. I couldn't wait to see everyone else's music videos, and see the reaction of ours. Everyones videos were absolutely amazing, everyone did a great job. Firstly, one of the things I was worried about was the colour correction. Mary and Louisa  had told us it may not look as good on the big screen however it turned out amazing and most of our positive feedback was regarding this aspect of our video. I was immensely pleased with my group and I, and I bet Mary and Louisa were happy too! We received such amazing feedback, everyone had nothing but good things to say about our music video with only little negative feedback. The feedback has helped to understand a variety of things. Not only have i learnt what I could improve on, but what the viewers/target audience expect and want.

Analysing feedback comments..

'The film was really good, i liked the different effects that they used. The colour correction, they made it look like a indie music video, it really represents the genre. That was one of the many good things however one of the very FEW negative things, was the some of the performance. The actress was a bit shy, throughout the rest of it, it was fine. Really good'.

From this i have learnt that our decision to use colour corrector has paid off, he seemed to really enjoy it. He said that it looks like a music video from the Indie genre, he was spot on! He clearly knew the type of genre we aimed to represent. This has shown me that our efforts were successful inorder to meet the genre conventions and portray it sufficiently. I was extremely pleased with this all the hard work was worth it. The only negative thing he had, was regarding the actresses performance, he said she looked shy in few parts of the music video. So, now i know that the performance is just as vital as every other aspect of the music video such as camera work, editing and costumes ect as this is what pleases the viewers. So next time what I would improve on is the performance.

'Ok first of all, claps. Beautiful video. My highlights of the video were the picture thing and then it actually being there. The colour correction you put on there was beautiful, the red tint was amazing. The storyline at the end when the girl leaned her head on the guys shoulder. It was like poetry, fantastic video. Only criticism is that it should have lasted longer'

This comment made me 'awwwwww' we received such lovely feedback. I have learned that, the colour correction was a success, Jerome thought it was 'amazing'. He also, made a comment on the storyline, which we also received positive feedback from others. He really enjoyed that 'romance element' as did most people. From this I have learnt that if you work hard, it really pays off. Since he did not have any criticisms, I really would not know what to improve on from his point of view. Next time, I would maybe improve the performance for a better quality of a music video.

Target Audience..

'I loved especially the pink tint you added to it, I thought that made it really unique (because no one else did that). I loved the costume changes, it looked really professional. I think it was just amazing, no improvements.'

As much as the boys enjoyed our music video, primarily our target audience was young teenage girls, into music and romance. Valeza, fit perfectly into our target audience. Looking at her feedback, she LOVED the video. This shows me, that we appealed to our target audience effectively.

Overall the main positive feedback we received were based on the following aspects:

• Colour correction - Everyone enjoyed the pink/red tint. Some said it represented the indie genre others said it brought them back their childhood.
• Picture of a location, then the actual thing being there - Everyone said was really cool and effective. They seemed to really enjoy it.
• Storyline - Everyone enjoyed the element of romance. And how each clip linked with the other, there was a subtext behind it.
• The various locations.
• All the differect costumes.
• THE CUTE ACTOR! 

WHAT I WOULD DO NEXT TIME.. 

However we did receive negative feedback, although it was really not much. People have said the song could have been mimed better and the actress should have been less shy. So from all the feedback we have received, next time I will improve on the lip synching of the words and improve the performance for a better music video. I will definitely keep in mind the criticisms. 

Through Vimeo we were able to see how many people viewed our video. We received 42 views, not as many as the other videos, but not as little as some. I would say I am please we did get 42 as we could not expect that many, as it was password protected, so not everyone was able to access it. However, if it was on YouTube it would be publicly available for everyone. So next time I think I would market it properly, upload onto my youtube account and see the reaction on there.

Lastly teachers comments - was the icing on the cake for me really. The were really proud of us and immensely enjoyed watching our music video. Getting such amazing feedback from Mary, Rebecca, Louisa really meant a lot, not to mention they are marking our work so this may lead to a really good grade - POSSIBLY :p

“Right, your video. I think it’s lovely. And I’ll tell you why...It brings me back to my childhood (actually I was born in the 70’s; I think I should point that out). I think the filter looks amazing, it gives it such a professional feel and your performance in it is really excellent [the way you portray Ellie Goulding).  I think (Portobello) fits in so well with the filter, the bright colours from the doors and stalls, it all fits together perfectly” 

Rebecca Morris, Media Teacher

Mary Berrisford, Media Teacher

Digipak Feedback..

' I think it works really well with the video. I can clearly see the visual link between the 3 of the products as you have carried out the pink tint which I thought was really pretty and unique. I also liked the fact that you stuck to the conventions of ancillary products. And I really like the fact the artist had the same style of clothes and make up in the video and the digipak and advertisement. The font really goes well with the style however the picture could have been more clear.'

Salma Begum, Candi student

From this I have learnt that the colour a scheme was appropriate and extremely helped in linking all my media products.Also that my choice of fonts went well with the artist therefore I should also ways do efficient research of my genre. In addition to this, maintaining the same style of the artist from the music video to the ancillary products was indeed a good idea as the artist is not mainstream so it wouldn't be appropriate if she stepped out of the genre and challenged the genre conventions just by portraying her image in a different way. Therefore I have learnt that I should always go for the safe option in order to create successful media products. Lastly, I received negative feedback on the photo quality; it could have been clearer. For me, this was my major drawback whilst creating my digipak and advertisement so I saw this coming. So next time I would definitely make sure I take my pictures in the right focus.

EVALUATION: QUESTION 3 - How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

For planning and research we mainly used the internet. Ultimately, I used Google to search images, perfect to look for different artists' album covers for inspiration in the process of producing a promotional package for our artist 'Mia Knight'. YouTube was vital for researching music videos, this was extremely practical as I spent a lot of time seeking ideas and inspiration from these for our own one. Blogger extremely crucial, as we used it a lot to record all our planning, researching and evaluation for our music video and ancillary products. Ellie Gouldings website, helped immensely as from this we were able to fully capture Ellie Gouldings image and the genre and then incorporate it into our video. This was widely used for inspirational purposes. Lastly Vimeo was really useful to view and reflect on our video also check out the views and feedback.

For the production process we were fortunate enough to use state of the art equipment, such as JVC camera, Flip camera, Digital camera and Memory cards provided by our college. For the entire filming process, we used the JVC camera, JVC camera was very versatile and easy to use once you got the hang of, not to mention the quality was simply amazing! The main functions of the JVC camera we used were the auto zoom for different shot types ranging from close ups to long shots and birds eye views.
Whilst one of the group members where filming, a different person would capture the moments by using a Digital camera, which was very useful as were able to blog about our experiences and show our moments. We were also provided with a Flip camera, this was used to record audience feedback for our music video, recordings of each of us explaining an aspect of our video and used to film some of the editing process. Lastly we used Judith's DSLR camera to take the photos for our digipak, this was a pleasure to use as the quality of the photos were incredible.

Just a scrapbook of the photos taken during our filming session in PorteBello Road.

For the editing process of our music video and ancillary we were always on the MAC'S using various programs and software. To edit our music video we used Final Cut Pro, a very unique tool to create a music video exactly the way you want it. We were able to shorten clips, adjust the lighting and also tint the colour; which we did. We downloaded our song through Flyvto and put it into Final cut pro, ready to use. A new software which I have come across since the AS year. For my ancillary products, I used Photoshop to create the entire Digipak all four panels, where I was able to do almost anything to my photos to make it look the way I desired. I mostly used the crop tool, adjusted the lighting and some of the filters, like the glow and photo filter to adjust the colour. There was one drawback though, I did not really like the Photo filter on Photoshop as I felt I could not get the right colour, so before uploading on to Photoshop I used Picasa to edit my photo. I simply adjusted the lighting and added a pink tint. Lastly as there is not a variety of fonts on Photoshop, I was able to find ones that I liked on Font-case and then activated through Photoshop whereby I was able to use it.

One of the techniques we used for our video was the reverse function tool on final cut pro. The Video below is a Screen Casting of Eda and I trying to do the reverse clip we had come up with. This clip reflects  Instead of Alia breathing out, we wanted to reverse it so that she breathes in. This also goes perfectly well with the lyric 'I'll hold my breath'. It was terrific timing! 

The second technique we used for our music video, was colour correction. When testing out colours we found a near-to-sepia type colour that looks great with the shots of the artist on the hill in Richmond. The idea is to use that in various other shots, but without ruining the nice sunlight we have in some of the shots.

Screen shots of how we used colour correction to add a pink tint.

The third technique i used was on Photoshop, I used the photo filter to give my photos that pink tint in order to link it to my music video as my aim was to visually link the music

video to my ancillary products. 

The forth technique i used whilst creating my ancilliary product I have used the diffused glow filter to create a nice glow effect on my products.

OH I ALMOST FORGOT! Here is our Animatic! A cute little imitation of how our music video was imagined to be like :)

First we took pictures on a Digital camera, we then imported the pictures to Final cut pro, to make our quick Animatic. Really pleased with this infact! :D
This was also a little practice of how to use Final Cut Pro.

EVALUATION: QUESTION 2 - How effective is the combination of your main product (video) and ancillary texts (digipak and advertisement)?

In order for a music video to be successful it needs to create clear visual links between it and its ancillary products. For this reason I have created ancillary products that do exactly this, as I believe our music video was a success. I always knew that I wanted my Digipak and Advert to reflect the music video.

Throughout this whole journey Ellie Goulding and Rihanna have been our main inspirations. We implemented Rihannas 'Colour tint' from only girl in the world into our music video. 

 Rihanna also uses the 'Colour tint' for her Digipak. Therefore I would say my Digipak is really similar to hers. In addition Rihanna uses a close up for her Album cover, I too have done the same in order to create intimacy between the audience and artist and enable them to recognise her.

This is Rihannas Digipak, If you notice the front of the album is a close up
which creates intimacy with the target audience.
Secondly within the inside panels Rihanna is lying on a bed of  Roses. 

Firstly we notice from both of the Ancillary products the colour red is quite vivid, this reflects her personality also makes it look visually pleasing.

It is evident there is a link between the Digipak and Advert, she has the same hairstyle in both, hair is still red and she is not directly looking at the audience. Just by looking at it the two clearly visually link together. 

Now below I have screen shots from Rihannas music video 'Only girl in the world'. 

 It is clear from this screen shot that this links to the advertisement as the
loaction looks the same, the grass is the same. Also she has the same red hair in the same hairstyle.

Also I can make the same comments about the hairstyle in this screen shot this directly links to the digipak and advertisement. Secondly, the flowers also link back to the inside panels of the digipak where Rihanna is laying.

 Also in this screen shot the flowers and the red colour tint immediately relate back to the Digipak.

I believe that this is a really really successful music video. And I personally love the way it all links together which is why this inspired me to do the same for mine.

The first thing you can notice, is the colour effect. The pink colour tint runs throughout the screen shots of the video (made into a GIF) and into the ancillary products. As you can see the background of my advert is rural background same as some of the scenes from out music video shown in this GIF.
We took our digipak photos in the same location we
filmed; in Richmond park.

 We made sure our artist did not look drastically different in the digipak than in the video, so we ensured that she still had natural make with the same hairstyles and style of clothing.

 From the inside panels, compared to these screen shots (made into a GIF) it is evident that both the filming and photo has been talking in the same 'grassy' place in Richmond.

Overall, all these similar features such as;
- Keeping the pink colour tint throughout music video and ancillary products.
- Same hairstyle and natural make up (so audience can identify the artist)
- Filming and photography in the same location for all three of our media products.

All these features creates a clear visual link between our music video and my ancillary products.
Also, As I kept to the conventions such as the three colour rule, right sized images ect means that the ancillary products will be more effective.

Evaluation: (Q3) How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Evaluation: (Q3) How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning, and evaluation stages? on Prezi

EVALUATION: Q2 How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

After creating what i believe is a successful video, i wanted to create a digipak that reflected the video and an advert that reflected the digipak. we researched artists like Calvin Harris' 'Ready For The Weekend' who had a very clear link between his video and the single's cover.

There are clear links between the video and the single with the circles, primary colours and the brunette dancer. with the album the link is that there is another woman and her glasses, which are the key feature, but the glasses have CIRCLE bulbs on them.

Here Calvin Harris was going for and exact link as the video references the single cover. However i think that even though our video isn't as obvious, it is still very effective. 

 

i wanted to maintain the same pink tint throughout all the media products. In the video Mia wears a lot of autumn/winter clothes like scarves and jumpers. So to keep the warm cosy theme i put here in a furry body warmer and quirky patterned shirt (like the patterned jumper that appears at the beginning of the video) which emphasises the autumn theme and also her original style. The audience can see the connection between the styles but most importantly of all the location, as both products were shot in the same location. We all fell so in love with Richmond that we thought there wouldnt be a better place to do it but there.

On the inside of the album i wanted to create a juxtaposition with the front, making it elegant. its a way to show the sophisticated side to Mia Knight. One of the main outfits in the videos was the shirt with the floaty skirt and i thought it would be a good idea to bring up the evening wear to the album as well. Our target audience of girls aged 16 to 24 can relate to her because this is the sort of evening-wear they would wear as it it is simple yet elegant. 

Behind the CD for the profile shot i used the same flowery head band that appears various times thought the video. I can see our target audience really relating to this as it is something they would wear at a festival with some wellies as they watch our artist on stage and it keeps in theme with the indie genre where things are natural and at one with nature. 

Again like the album and the video, the magazine advert has the same pink tint. In the image you can see that Mia is wearing the same shirt. As the photo is a close up you can see the make up she is wear is very natural and simple, the same kind of make up she wear in the video. She has a middle parting throughout everything so it would only be normal to continue that through to the advertisement as well to help construe her image and brand. 

Evaluation: (Q2) How effective is the combination of your main product (video) and ancillary texts (digipak and advertisement)?

Front Cover

Inside Cover

Advert

Screenshot from video

Screenshot from video