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

We started off using Media technologies when we were doing a range of research into music videos and genre before the whole production of our video from using the internet and different web pages. Websites like YouTube came in very useful during our planning and research as it allowed us to search different music videos, and help us plan how to create ours. We used the internet a lot during our research and planning stage as it was very useful for us to gather information. We did a lot of research and planning, from which we uploaded and posted all our ideas onto our blog. For a lot of our research/ planning, we used Google images mainly when looking for images of the bands, different costumes/props, different locations, and especially during our planning for our CD cover and Magazine design.

During the construction stage of our music video, we used a digital camera along with the tripod for shooting our video. We used many different techniques with the camera including ‘Handheld’ for a more shaky and original effect, as well as using zooms, pans and tracking shots. The tripod came in very useful when we wanted to keep the camera steady to do a perfect straight shot, however we sometimes struggled with this as it was a windy day and kept blowing the tripod.
For some areas of our filming, we used the green screen sweet. We didn’t use the actual green screen; we only used the area and the lighting. We used the spot lights to shine on Doug during the filming process to create a more ‘studio effect’ to our music video, which overall worked nicely.

For the editing process of our music video, we used editing software called ‘Final cut pro’ which is an excellent programme for editing all kinds of videos and filming. We used this on the Apple Mac computers. After uploading all our different film clips to the computer hard drove, we had multiple hours of clips to watch through, and decided which ones to use and what not to. We added the Song that we are doing to the timeline on Final cut pro, along the background. After that we re-watched the clips we had chosen to use, and decided what order and how to place them into the timeline so that the lip syncing matched and the whole video made sense. We had to use a cut tool to ‘mark in and mark out’ on the video clips to select the section of the clip we wanted, then had to drag it onto the time line into the place we wanted it. We didn’t use a whole range of effects, only ones like ‘fades, filters. Fast motion, blur and different styles.

After we had finished our blog we had to design and do research into the making of the CD cover & Advert. We did a lot of our research using ‘Google Images’ to look at other CD covers and adverts, especially ones in the same music genre that we were doing, to gain more ideas. For the construction of the Digipak, we used ‘Photoshop’ particularly on the Apple Macs as it works better on these. Photoshop was an excellent Editing Programme to use to create the CD and advert as it allows you to do almost anything editing wise to help with effects and the look of them. We had to open new pages on Photoshop, then crop the size down for the CD cover as it had to be 12’ by 12’, and had to have 4 sides, for the back, front & then two for the inside. The magazine advert just had to be A4 size and look realistic. On the advert I didn’t use a lot of effects apart from ‘Black and white’ as it looks better then it being in colour. We had to copy images from the ‘Google images’ such as the logos for HMV and PLAY.COM, and create them onto our advert in different ways. We changed the Brightness and contrast over some of the images to make them look better and eye catching. The CD case has been designed and styled to match real CD cases. It includes 4 panels, the front, back and two inside panels, along with the song list on the back, a barcode, and the ‘special thanks to’ and all other items which are included on CD covers.

Throughout the whole process of research, planning, constructing and evaluating our music video and Digipak, we used one particular useful media technology, which was the ‘Blog’. We updated all our ideas and findings to the blog along with daily entries of the editing process and any changes we had to make with filming or editing. We uploaded pictures of the computers to show what final cut pro, and the editing pictures along with images from our planning into the CD cover and magazine advert. The blog has all our ideas and different details which act as evidence and proof to show that we have done plenty of research into our music video project.

If we hadn’t of had all this different Media technologies we wouldn’t have been able to complete the music video project, or it would have been extremely difficult to do. Along with the research and creation of our Digipak. Without the use of computers and internet we wouldn’t have got all this research done, or anything done with and on the blog. Without the use of the cameras we wouldn’t of been able to film our music video which is the main task. If we didn’t had the availability to use Final cut pro we wouldn’t have been able to edit and create our music video to an excellent standard, or make or the little changes we needed. Without Photoshop we wouldn’t of been able to create and design our CD cover or Magazine advert to a high standard and with all the different tools and sections that Photoshop provides.

What have you learned from your audience feedback? (Question 3)

For my audience feedback I created four questionnaires containing 8 questions on each one and then asked four people at random if they would watch our music video and fill in the questions. From the results I got back from the questionnaires they were excellent. The first question on the questionnaire is ‘Give me three points what you like about our video’ and ¾ of the answers contained lip syncing so that seems to of been our strongest point in our music video. Another strong point from what we got back from our 4 viewers was the locations where we filmed and the settings. All viewers said they really enjoyed the places where we filmed and that the filming locations suited the genre of music. The song we used is a very soft rock song that shows emotion so we filmed most of our music video near the hills and on grass land so it gave the video a countryside look.

For everybody who watched the music video and filled in a questionnaire they all had different views on what could be improved with our music video. These things are:

• 
  
  More People


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  More Location


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  effects should be removed


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  More natural characters

We have taken these improvements into account and have looked over our video. We didn’t really want to change a lot of it as the story line wouldn’t make sense and there’s not that many locations around the Failsworth area that are quiet but we could go to different locations that are secluded and do some filming. The way we filmed everything links to the location as they are all next to each other so the characters can follow a path instead of getting random shots in different locations. We have responded to this feedback as we have removed some effects from the video like some of the blurred outlines as it makes the actual footage not go with the style of music but we have kept most of it on as we as a group think it looks good and only one person had a negative thing to say about the effects.

As a group we have all learned that we should have explored more and researched into more locations instead of just filming most of the video around one area of Manchester which is Failsworth. By doing this, this could have improved our video and gave it more exploration and the viewers would of seen the effort we put into the video. We put a lot of effort into filming the video and editing it till we thought what was the best we could get it too. We had to film parts with lip syncing again as some of us was smirking whilst we was doing it so we used the green screen room and got some really good shots, better than we had planned actually. Overall we got an excellent response from everyone who has watched our video, even off friends who didn’t fill in questionnaires and just wanted to watch the video. Also the last question of the Questionnaire is ‘what would you rate our music video out of 10’ and all of the results are high. The lowest result we got was a 7 but that’s not that bad.

Pictures Showing the Audience Questionnaires.

These are pictures we have taken to show as evidence for our 'Evaluation Question 3'.
We asked 4 people to watch and answer questions about our music video.
These are the pictures showing the questionnaires that have been completed and answered anonymously.

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts? (Question 2)

Our music video and ancillary texts come together to make a useful and sellable product, through the use of combinations that go across from the music video to the album advert and CD digipak. The design of our digipak came from our research and also influences from our own work, as the images for our digipak are screenshots that are taken of our music video and made as a image so we were able to edit and use as a digipak design. This helps combine both products and emphasis the music video from the number one single, which is the music video we have made. They combine with each other in similar ways to some extent that the main media product being sold is the album and the band, which is emphasised through the video with constant close ups of the singer and the album and advert covers having the singer on them. This creates effective selling points for the band and the album as the constant look on the singer makes the product sell as the audiences of the band and fans of alternative rock will want to see the singer and his talents.

The use of all the media products we have used has been effective as the feedback we got was great in making an indivudal wanting to hear more songs by the band aswel, even though we have made it and not the actual band. Our intended idea was to create emotions of being happy and love to one another, thats why we chose this song. The use of images of burning and happiness helps the audience see this not just as song/album but connect to our media product through emotions of happiness and joy to the audience. In the CD digipak and advert I have kept it consitent to our music video as making changes and not relating to the video will make the album and song less able to sell, but when kept consitent the audience recognises the adverts and video to make them want to buy the album and easily find it instores. Doing this has made our products effective as one piece to able the audience to recognise an album through just as simple as a picture of the singer or a image of burning photos.

We have kept the font in both the adverts and digipak to Lucia calligraphy, as it will make it more noticable to the audience. For example seeing a font that is used constantly by an artist it becomes are realted font to the artist. So when the audiences see the Lucia calligraphy font they will see it as the Architects writing. Doing this makes it effective to be recognised by the audience and make them know what there looking to buy. Combinations of all of the media products create different effective ways to gain an audience to buying the album through the use of cross over similarites.

Overall the media products what we have created come together as one to attract the audience, from the use of noticable images that are related to the band and the fonts that are used across them. Having the singer as the main attraction of the band makes the audience want to buy their product as from our research we found that the singer is the most likeable one in the band and therefore makes most of the audience want to buy the album. Using all these is effective in creating a valuable and great way to attract an audience in selling the band and its products.

POSTED BY DOUG

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

In our music video of Heartburn by Architects there are similar developing/challenging ideas and conventions of real media products to be seen throughout the video. The developing ideas used in our music video is the use of splitting from two different scenes and shots throughout the video and made it into a short story. Through the video the two scenes collide with each other as the vocalist Douglas Sweeney (Sam Carter) passes and hits pass the protagonist of the short story (Thomas Walsh), with have done this to develop the research we found out in mainstream music videos of the same genre which cross between scenes throughout the video and we have made them collide together which is original and is never really seen in other media products, i.e music videos. We have used developing skills in the music video to develop the selling of the single/album and the band through the performance shots used in the video of the vocalist including shots such as close ups of lip syncing and long shots to show the style of the vocalist and his whole body to the audience.

The challenging ideas we have used that are seen in our music video is a various of risky ideas to appeal to the target audience on selling the media product of the band and the single. We shot our music video in an unusual setting to other music videos in the same genre. As songs from the alternative rock genre would set this type of rock ballad song in a setting more gritty such as an abandoned warehouse. We considered doing this but changed are idea to have it in a more nice and happier location, which is the wide open spaces of nature throughout our music video. Doing this has broadened our market to appeal to audiences much more than just the alternative rock fans, as many people like a rock ballad and setting it in a more joyful setting will appeal to more than just fans of Architects. Overall our challenge is still to promote to the fans of Architects and try to produce and wider audience, we still have stuck by the genre of alternative rock as the performance elements, camerawork and editing have been kept the same to how an alternative rock music video would look.

Our music video also takes upon conventions that are generally used in media products (Music videos), to become as great as it possibly can be given the amount of time we had to produce the music video. In the video we have made precise editing transitions and the pace of it fit to the beat of the song for example, when the beat is slow so is the pace. This is seen in mostly every music video and is a generic feature to our media product. The transitions used reflect the mood and upbeat feel to the song, as showing the visuals in relation to the lyrics of the song through editing transitions such as fade in/fade out. There are many cutaways in our music video and master shots to sell the band/Vocalist. The use of cutaways is to make the look of the music video look authentic and not boring with the same shot over and over again, with the use of the master shots of Douglas Sweeney (Sam Carter) is to keep coming back to him with close ups and him lip syncing to sell his image and he band. Overall we have used all the conventions and took them all aboard on are post-production to the viewing of the music video, to be able to make and promote the band through a regularly way of media which is the music videos seen today such as other alternative rock videos.

Posted By Doug

Our finished music video