Final version

Final Magazine Advert

Final Digi Pack

Here is my completed digi pack with two new pages ('If It Kills me' and 'A Beautiful Mess'). I have also changed the first page, as Miss commented on how the title wasn't readable. Also on the first page I decided to make it darker, as it looked too washed out.

Final Evaluation Question 1

Final Evaluation Q2

Final Evaluation Question 3

Final Evaluation Question 4

Q4) How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Computers played an important role towards the construction and research of my product. Without the computer, things would have been difficult. Such as accessing the Internet would have been pretty much impossible. And without the Internet I wouldn't have been able to access YouTube to watch all the music videos. YouTube was extremely useful for this area of my research towards producing my music video. With YouTube I was not only able to watch as many music video’s to my hearts content, or watch music videos both old and new, I was allowed to view music videos from other countries. I took on this opportunity and watched music videos from South Korea (other than Gangnam Style). This was useful, as I was able to compare the styles of English speaking music videos to foreign ones, and frankly I find the Korean ones more skilful and brilliant. 

Without YouTube, I would of had to watch music videos on music channels via TV. This would of meant that I would have had to cope analysing the music videos without pausing it and re-watching it loads till I had every element noted down on paper. YouTube had other uses as well, including uploading your own videos and watching tutorials when you get stuck with things.

 For documenting all of my research and analysis from watching music videos, I created a blog using Blogger. It helps keep all my work in an orderly fashion without having to look after a whole load of paper work, which in my case wouldn’t of worked out well, as I would of lost everything (also saving trees). I was able to keep everything in an order by using labels and changing the schedule (dates things were posted). With Blogger I was able to embed my YouTube videos, allowing the music videos to be next to my analysis and thoughts. I was also able to embed Prezis and presentations. I was even able to post links of websites that would lead to articles, and upload images from my home computer and the school Apple Macs.

 On the Apple Macs I helped create a screencast for showing how to do split screen. I also made a lot of screen gabs, which I found really useful when it came to showing my progress on something to put on my blog, or when I need to visually show a certain shot from a music video. I mostly used my iPod to take pictures of my work that I did on paper, and then uploaded them onto the computer by using an usb cable. Or sometimes I would use the Blogger app on my iPod to upload images straight onto Blogger. I would also create updates using the app, as I find it easy and quick (plus there is autocorrect). I also used my iPod to write notes of sudden ideas of what I could do for my music video. I found this useful, as I didn't need to find a piece of paper that I’d probably lose or forget about.

 I created many presentations by using PowerPoint and Prezi. By using PowerPoint I was able to keep research and planning formal. I created presentations on PowerPoint for my shot lists, research on Andrew Goodwin, and showing lyrics to songs. I usually use Slide Share, as they let you embed the presentation onto the blog, but I also used a different one called Author Stream. I wasn't too keen on Author Stream, because it wanted you to buy the premium before you could embed it. So I had to link the presentation onto my blog. I weren't too keen on doing that, as it’s not the clear on my blog; it just blends in with the other posts and can be easily missed. I used Prezi loads. I found it so easy and simple. I was able to include videos, photos off Google images, show text in small chunks, and embed it onto my blog.

 I used Google pretty much all the time when producing my product. I used it to do research on history of music videos, music institutions, finding lyrics and even signing into my gmails and Blogger. My most used websites were Wikipedia and Metrolyrics from using Google. They are not the world’s most trustful websites, but I found them ok as they had the information I wanted.

 

I found Wikipedia most useful when I was creating a time line on the history of music videos using Timetoast. Timetoast was simple enough to use and had a clear layout. I believe I only got stuck when it came to try putting it on my blog – embedding wasn’t a simple task for Timetoast.
 I used a HD camera and tripod to film both my preliminary task and actual music video. It’s just the basics of filming and was very useful, for instance being able to record the footage in high quality and keep the filming smooth. I also used a green screen whilst filming so I could add on new backgrounds that would have been difficult to film.

 To upload my footage I used iMovie, and then exported it to Final Cut Express. I then imported music: For my preliminary task I had to find the file in the Student Resources folder on the school Macs, and for the Coyotes music video I used iTunes. Finding the soundtrack in the Student Resources folder was very easy with no hassle as it was ready there for us. Using iTunes was also easy to follow and it supported the artist. Editing on Final Cut Express meant that I could use techniques that are used in real music videos, but I found it difficult to begin with.  When adding layers and layers of footage on top of each other, they would move each other making everything out of order. However when it came to making my music video, I got the hang of it and managed to avoid the problem. 

An issue with Final Cut Express though, is that it constantly wants to render every time you change something. I found this extremely annoying, as it wouldn’t even allow you to quickly watch what you’ve just changed to see if it’s right. I also felt very conscious about using the program in case I’d accidently close one of the many windows. Overall I did find this program useful when editing, as I can be precise when it came to matching the footage to the beat and lip-syncing.

 For my ancillary tasks I used Photoshop. I found it to be a very complex programme and when I first started using it I kept making mistakes. Eventually however, I got use to the tools I needed to use and found it easy and quick to produce high quality work. But I still wouldn’t say I have mastered Photoshop, as there is still so much I don’t know.

 For question three of my evaluation, I recorded students watching my music video for feedback. To record them, I used the inbuilt webcam on the school Macs. It was an ok quality in both picture and sound, and was very useful to get reactions straight away; the viewers were being recorded at the same time of watching the music video.

 Overall, I’m extremely grateful for the technology we have, as it would have been difficult to gather the amount of research that I have collected for this project. It would of also been challenging editing the footage: I don’t think I would of coped sitting for hours cutting and sticking bits of film together, also seeing the amount of cuts there were in my music video.
  

Q1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

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

Question 2 draft and incomplete but I have a script and that's cool, and I have recorded it ready for it to be edited :)

I tried to create a brand for my product by following the styles of some of Jason Mraz’s real products. My brand style focuses around the song coyotes, therefore the coyote eyes are used constantly within the three products. I also wanted to follow some of the already existing styles of real Jason Mraz products: simple and sophisticated. For instance, his album cover for ‘Love is a Four Letter Word’ doesn’t include his name and uses block shapes to spell out the word love. From this, I decided not to include Jason Mraz’s name and use a white background. The album cover for ‘We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.’ (the album to coyotes) was also simple, and didn’t include the artists name, however the album title was clearer. Because of this design, I believed that I couldn’t be too simplistic like the ‘Love is a Four Letter Word’ design, as I felt that each album that came out was becoming more and more simple, and my album cover couldn’t be simplier than ‘Love is a Four Letter Word’ as ‘We. Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.’ was released first. So for a brand design, I found an inbetween and used coyote eyes and the album title across the centre.

My main product and the ancillary tasks are made to work with each other, showing synergy. My aim for using the same/similar images is to help the audience recognise it when they see it.  I did this by using the same coyote eyes for the advert and digi pack and by having the dogs eyes pop up in the video.

Another link is the colouring of the ancillary tasks and music video: black, white, yellows and browns. I chose to use these colours, as it is the colouring of coyotes. I believe making connections to the title of the song important, as it helps to get the audience into the pop/rock mood of the song and thinking about coyotes instead of using real coyotes as special effects.

For the ancillary tasks, I kept the design identical apart from the magazine advert included more information.  The Jessie J magazine advert and album cover that I looked at inspired me to do this, and many other magazine adverts and albums use this method of advertising. The magazine advert’s purpose was to advertise the album, therefore it was important that they looked similar (same font and image). This is so the audience could link the two together. For instance, if someone saw the advert and then saw the album in the shop, they would remember the advert they’ve previously saw and already know information about the album. It could also be used for when somebody takes an interest and wants to buy the album: they would go looking for it and easily spot it.

The album would also be easily spotted because of its simple design of coyote eyes on a white background. Because of that, if it were on a CD stand it would probably stand out well against the others.

Then both of these products would advertise the music video, through the imagery used.

There is a sense of synergy between the magazine advert, digi pack and music video other than the coyote eyes. To begin with, the magazine advert includes quotes from reviews of the album, giving a positive response for the audience to watch some of the music videos and maybe buy the album. The magazine advert its self is push marketing (forcing people to see information), but suggests pull marketing (audience goes looking for information)to the audiences by including icons of social websites and the web address and a QR code to the official Jason Mraz website. These are also included on the back of the digi pack like the advert. It is important for the three products to promote each other and the other elements of the whole product to help sell the new album and make a profit for the artist and the institution he belongs to (Atlantic). By marketing well, it also helps the artist to earn a name, making it easier to sell the next album. This could also link to now the simple designs for the album covers were able to become even simpler.

The designs of the ancillary tasks and also the music video, appeals to it’s target audience by having that link in imagery and the simplicity of the advert and album cover. This is because my target audience is teenagers who are into pop/rock, blogs and modern styles, and therefore would admire a design that it similar to modern art and is clear. Appreciating a feature.

For the actual CD design, I used silhouette’s of one of the coyotes dancing from the music video, going around the disc like an animation wheel. This is to relate the digi pack to the music video, allowing fans to notice the link. I decided to use silhouettes of the dancer to refer to the theme of Jason Mraz’s music videos usually including silhouettes. It is also a good way to keep to the simple, sophisticated style of the overall digi pack.

I also created a booklet that includes similar images to the music videos, involving the sets and some scenes.

Overall, I believe I have managed to use synergy between my products well, and managed to keep to Jason Mraz’s typical style of keeping everything simple, clear and sophisticated with a modern flair. To maybe improve my designs, I could of made the eyes a bit more interesting like I intended by having a reflection, but thought it would be fiddly as in the picture I took the pupil was too small.

Question 1 draft and incomplete because this question is pure evil (I also tried putting it on Prezi, but it weren't having it)

To begin with, I researched in the basic types of music video styles that exist; this includes performance based, narrative based and concept based. Some real music videos use more than one of these conventions, such as Jason Mraz’s music video ‘I Won’t Give Up’, which is a performance and concept based video. Because I decided to create a music video of one of Jason Mraz’s songs, I choose to make my video performance and concept based. This means using singing, dancing and random shots linking to the lyrics. This style fits Mraz well as his song Coyotes is rather up beat and the lyrics don’t show clear meaning behind them. Also I decided against narrative because I believed it would have been difficult to fit the song with a story, even though I had twelve votes for narrative and ten for concept on my questionnaire.

Researching more into the forms and conventions of music videos, I read up on a theorist called Andrew Goodwin. He published a book in 1992 named ‘Dancing in the Distraction Factory’, which mentions his theories on what are usually included in music videos. There are seven in total, including: showing genre characteristics, links between lyrics and visuals, links between music and visuals, close ups of artist(s), motifs and iconography, ‘looking’ and voyeuristic treatment to the female body, and intertextual references. I followed four of these conventions in my product, and slightly challenge two. The ones I slightly challenged were motifs and iconography and voyeurism. I analysed quite a few of Mraz’s real music videos and noticed that there was always a scene or two where Mraz would be it the shadows with his figure or profile silhouetted. I challenged this by keeping my Mraz actor well lit up, but the coyotes in silhouettes instead. Originally I was going to follow the motif, but whilst filming I decided to just have him in the light. I felt there was too much darkness already with the other scenes, and also in the lyrics he openly says directly ‘We’re coming for you’, suggesting that there is no need for him to hide but there is for the coyotes. For challenging voyeurism, I included female dancers, but decided to keep them completely covered and act more childish: Blue coyote messing about, yellow coyote swinging on swing. 

Question 4 draft and incomplete because I was unable to meet all my deadlines for everything this month D': But I tried!!!

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

Computers played an important role towards the construction and research of my product. Without the computer, things would have been difficult. Such as accessing the Internet would have been pretty much impossible. And without the Internet I wouldn’t have been able to access YouTube to watch all the music videos.

YouTube was extremely useful for this area of my research towards producing my music video. With YouTube I was not only able to watch as many music video’s to my hearts content, or watch music videos both old and new, I was allowed to view music videos from other countries. I took on this opportunity and watched music videos from South Korea (other than Gangnam Style). This was useful, as I was able to compare the styles of English speaking music videos to foreign ones, and frankly I find the Korean ones more skilful when it comes to editing.

Examples (I'm just proving a point, you don't have to watch it throughout - unless you want to)

Without YouTube, I would of had to watch music videos on music channels via TV. This would of meant that I would have had to cope analysing the music videos without pausing it and re-watching it loads till I had every element noted down on paper. YouTube had other uses as well, including uploading your own videos and watching tutorials when you get stuck with things. 

For documenting all of my research and analysis from watching music videos, I created a blog using Blogger. It helps keep all my work in an orderly fashion without having to look after a whole load of paper work, which in my case wouldn’t of worked out well, as I would of lost everything (also saving trees). I was able to keep everything in an order by using labels and changing the schedule (dates things were posted). With Blogger I was able to embed my YouTube videos, allowing the music videos to be next to my analysis and thoughts. I was also able to embed Prezis and presentations. I was even able to post links of websites that would lead to articles, and upload images from my home computer and the school Apple Macs. 

I created many presentations by using PowerPoint and Prezi. By using PowerPoint I was able to keep research and planning formal. I created presentations on PowerPoint for my shot lists, research on Andrew Goodwin, and showing lyrics to songs. I usually use Slide Share, as they let you embed the presentation onto the blog, but I also used a different one called Author Stream. I wasn’t too keen on Author Stream, because it wanted you to buy the premium before you could embed it. So I had to link the presentation onto my blog. I weren’t too keen on doing that, as it’s not the clear on my blog; it just blends in with the other posts and can be easily missed. I used Prezi loads. I found it so easy and simple. I was able to include videos, photos off Google images, show text in small chunks, and embed it onto my blog.

I used Google pretty much all the time when producing my product. I used it to do research on history of music videos, music institutions, finding lyrics and even signing into my gmails and Blogger. My most used websites were Wikipedia and Metrolyrics from using Google. They are not the world’s most trustful websites, but I found them ok as they had the information I wanted.

I found Wikipedia most useful when I was creating a time line on the history of music videos using Timetoast. It was simple enough to use and had a clear layout. I believe I only got stuck when it came to try putting it on my blog – embedding wasn’t a simple task for Timetoast.

I used a HD camera and tripod to film both my preliminary task and actual music video. It’s just the basics of filming and was very useful, for instance being able to record the footage in high quality and keep the filming smooth. I also used a green screen whilst filming so I could add on new backgrounds that would have been difficult to film.

To upload my footage I used iMovie, and then exported it to Final Cut Express. I then imported music: For my preliminary task I had to find the file in the Student Resources folder on the school Macs, and for the Coyotes music video I used iTunes. Finding the soundtrack in the Student Resources folder was very easy with no hassle as it was ready there for us. Using iTunes was also easy to follow and it supported the artist. Editing on Final Cut Express meant that I could use techniques that are used in real music videos, but I found it difficult to begin with.  When adding layers and layers of footage on top of each other, they would move each other making everything out of order. However when it came to making my music video, I got the hang of it and managed to avoid the problem. An issue with Final Cut Express though, is that it constantly wants to render every time you change something. I found this extremely annoying, as it wouldn’t even allow you to quickly watch what you’ve just changed to see if it’s right. I also felt very conscious about using the program in case I’d accidently close one of the many windows. Overall I did find this program useful when editing, as I can be precise when it came to matching the footage to the beat and lip-syncing.