Evaluation.

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

I don't think my product has challenged the forms and conventions of real media products. I wanted my music video to be simple and not push the boundies of the music scene as I wanted my music video to be like my chosen song, which isn't exciting or groundbreaking. It defiantly uses the conventions of the acoustic/folk music genre as I filmed it in a forest which is often the location of music videos of that genre. Bon Iver's music video for "The Wolves (act one and two) did influence me alot and helped me decide where I wanted to film it. My first idea of the location was going to be on a beach and the video would be similar to Coldplays "yellow" music video, But after visualising it I thought it would be boring so I Chose not to use that location. The other two locations I chose was a bed room because that's where relationships spend alot of time in and its a private place, and the other is a public park. I chose the public park as its a believable place where couples would meet up. My Music Video has both performance and narrative sequences which is conventional for music videos so I wasn't going against conventions in that way. The lyrics played a big part in what I chose for my narrative sequences. The song is about Relationships falling apart and breaking up, so I thought having the narrative scenes be about a relationship turning sour would be fitting as by listening to the lyrics the audience can almost make sense what the song is about and the narrative scenes which include the arguing between the couple, time apart from each other, and then the break up, enforces the lyrics which I like. I edited my music video knowing I didn't want any fast cuts or anything that would make the video confusing as they wouldn't fit with the tempo of the song. The song is slow and peaceful so if the music video had erratic cuts or anything that would go against the the tempo of the song wouldn't fit in the music video. The video is basically a story about a couple going through a rough time and then breaking up. Similar narratives have been used before but the couple would get back together and the video would end with happy ending, where as I used the lyrics as a strong relationship between the song and the video, so the lyrics caused what was going to happen in the narrative sequences. my music video was never going to end on a happy note, so in that way, my music video does challenge some conventions.
I don't think my music video would of developed any forms or conventions as everything in my music video isn't particularly original in the sense that something similar has been done before.

I think I made a Juxtaposition in my music video as the sequences where Simon is playing Guitar and Singing is peaceful, slow paced and slow cuts, where as in the sequences where Simon and His girlfriend are breaking up, its faster cuts, faster paced and due to the black and white filter I used, darker and harsher.I also used the black and white filter to reinforce the idea of it being a flashback, which is conventional of Music videos and Films.

I asked Simon to dress in a Checked shirt and jeans as I believe that in the acoustic/folk music genre, checked shirts and jeans have always been an image in that genre. Now, Checked shirts and jeans are very fashionable, so if my music video was a real, professional music video, the audience may want to look like the artist, or just simply like the look and imitate it that look.

For My CD artwork I had a brief idea of what I wanted but after taking the photos and putting them on to the CD layout, I decided that I didn't like the way it looked and wanted something else. When I found the photos I had taken on a 35MM colour film, I knew straight away that they would work. I think my album artwork is good and effective but I don't think It would of developed or challenged the conventions of the genre. I wanted to follow the conventions if anything as I wanted to make a music video that would appeal to the intended audience and people who may just stumble across it and then like it and then buy it. I didn't want the name of the artist to be massive and take up the whole front cover as I think the album artwork draws the customers in more then the artist sometimes. I think just having an interesting album cover can make people buy the album just because the may like the album artwork alot and want to see what the music is like, I myself have done that many of times. I purposely made the music magazine poster slightly ambiguous so that only the fans would recognise it and people who was liked the poster may take interest in the band and find them on Facebook or Myspace and listen to them, like them and then buy the CD from shops or online and then maybe go on to buy Merchandise.

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

I think the combination of my main product and ancillary texts work well as its like an on going theme from the Mise-en-scene of the music video being in a forest, on to the CD artwork and then onto the music magazine poster so its a motif. I think my CD album artwork and my Music magazine poster works together better as opposed to my music video.If I had planned my album artwork along side my music video, I would have maybe changed elements of my music video, for example I now think if I had edited the music perform ace scenes to look like an old withered effect like what you get on old, slightly expired film. I would of done this as I think that the CD, CD poster and the video would have more of a connection because of the "dirty stains" I edited onto the album artwork and poster.
I knew from the beginning I didn't want a photo of Simon in the album artwork or poster as I think when bands do that, they are trying to sell their image and appearance rather then their album. In Pop music, selling your image as well as your music is a convention and important where as I think in the Acoustic/Folk genre fashion isn't important.



What have you learned from your audience feedback?

For my audience feedback I found out and spotted things that I hadn't spotted otherwise. For example I hadn't really noticed some of the shaky camera work, this might of been because I had an attachment to it as I had put alot of time an thought in to it. I learnt to look at my work in a way I had no attachment to my work and be able to criticise it like it was somebody else's work. After I had edited it and watched it, I couldn't really pick out many parts that I didn't like and thought were bad, but after showing it to a number of people and they spotted certain aspects that they didn't like, then I read through the feedback, I then realised that what they had said was correct and if they wasn't in the video, my music video could be better.
I didn't set any question out for the audience to answer, I just asked them to write down a list of good things and bad things in my music video. I think this worked better as I may of set out questions that wouldn't of covered certain areas and I just think I got a more effective response from the audience by just asking them what they liked and didn't like.

After I got my audience feedback back and read through it, I think the response was mainly positive but some negative as well. Some of the positive feedback was that the video fits well with the song, the use of flash backs and editing them into black and white, some of the cinematography, having both narrative and performance sequences, the use of the fading in and out tool, the 1/2 second filler shots I used during the bridges of the songs, the locations used and the synchronization between the song and the performance.
The negative feedback included the shaky camera work, the acting, the ending shot where I pan the camera round to show Simon walking away could be better and that the fence in the background "disrupts the area".

I received mainly positive feedback about my two ancillary texts also. The audience liked the font I used as it "looks handwritten", the use of the photos and the way they look like old Polaroid photographs and the layout was liked as it was "simple and easy to follow".
My music magazine received some negative feedback. A few people from the research said that the posters main colour is to similar as the CD albums artwork even with the boarder around it, and because of the same colours, it looked slightly boring.


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

I used a wide range of new Media Technology in producing my music video and two ancillary texts which I either knew alot about and how to use them effectively like Adobe photo shop CS3, or not know how to use the programme at all and learn how to use the tools. To record the footage, I used a mini DV tape, after I had filmed it, I used a fire wire to upload the footage on to the computer, which is plugged into the Computer USB and the camera, I used the programme Matrox to capture it and Adobe Premiere to edit the footage.
I used Adobe Photoshop CS3 to manipulate my chosen images for my CD artwork and Album release poster. I picked to use this programme over Paint as you can do alot more with the images using Photoshop and its also the closest programme to professional editing programmes at college. As I had used Adobe Photoshop CS3 For my AS Media project, I already knew alot of the programmes and was comfortable using it effectively as possible. The tools I used to produce my CD artwork and music magazine poster are Crop, Move, clone, blur/sharpen/smudge and burn/dodge/sponge. To get the 35MM photos I used a Scanner so scan them in and make JPEG versions of them.
To edit and produce the footage I shot for my music video, I used Adobe Premiere. As I had never used this programme before, when I first opened the programme I was incredibly confused and didn't know where to begin. After finding the basics, and many attempts of trail and error, I became confident using the programme. I had a few attempts at it though as I didn't want to to settle with my first attempt so I kept re-editing my footage until I was happy with it. It took me a while to be happy with the outcome of it and that's why I re-edited it many times so I knew it was as good as I good make it. Tools I used to edit my music video are the Black & White filter, the fading effects and the razor tool to cut down the footage until I wanted a certain part of it.

When we was given this task, I picked two artists, Bon Iver and P.O.S that was a possibility for me to use them, so I used the Internet and YouTube to gather more information about them and to watch other music videos that they have to help me decide. After I decided that I was going to do Bon Iver-Skinny Love, I looked at artwork and other music videos in the Acoustic/Folk genre to give me Ideas and to help me understand the conventions of the genre.
I also used the Internet to to pick what font I was going to use.


I think that over all I have produced a fairly strong promotional package that if it was the real thing and professional, it would attract the intended audience. They are elements that if I had the opportunity I would change or improve. I think out of the music video and ancillary texts, my CD cover artwork is the strongest and most successful and my audience feedback said the same. I feel that now I have done this, I would be able to produce something similar to this for my own or a friends band as long as I had the needed software, hardware and the time.