Music Video

Here it is - the completed first cut of my music video. Let me know what you think.

Digipak Ancillary Task

Here is the completed digipak for my ancillary task.

(Click the image for a larger size)



The bottom right image is the front cover of my digipak. This image is the same main image which I used for my magazine advertisement,  but I have changed the text positioning, putting the title of the artist and song on the letter instead.

The bottom left image is the back cover of my digipak, featuring the letter paper and the pencil used. I positioned the text of the two songs on the paper, slightly rotating them to give the impression that the text is written on the paper.

The top left image is the inside cover, where the CD is usually positioned. This road is the same road which the character walks along at the start of the music video.

The top right image is an out of focus photo of the countryside. I used this out of focus image so that text could be added without making it difficult to read.

Magazine Advertisement Ancillary Task

Here is my completed magazine advertisement, created for my ancillary task. Click the image for a larger version. This advert is a double page spread and would be featured in magazines such as the New Music Express (NME).

This photo was taken using my DSLR camera mounted on a tripod. I reduced the depth of field, which means that the figure and letter are in focus, whereas the background is out of focus. This puts emphasis on the figure and the letter, but also allows text to be added without making it difficult to read. The image has been edited using Photoshop, allowing me to add text and also a black fading border around the edge of the image for effect. Please feel free to comment on this post with possible improvements and suggestions for my advertisement.

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

For this year, I produced two ancillary products which supported my music video. These two products were a Digipak Album Cover, with four separate images and a magazine advertisement.


When I was creating my Ancillary Tasks, I tried to keep the same themes between the Ancillary Tasks and the music video, therefore creating an overall corporate product. Firstly I created a Digipak, which is a type of Album case, with four separate panels each containing a different image. The main front cover, which is shown below in the bottom right panel, was a photo taken using my DSLR camera. I set the camera up on a tripod and used a low depth of field, meaning that the figure and the letter are in focus, whereas the background and everything else is out of focus. I also used Adobe Photoshop to add text onto the letter itself. I think that this combines very well with my product, as it features the main character carrying the letter and a background including the countryside which features frequently in my music video and a bright blue sky, which is also featured in my music video. The image in the bottom left of the Digipak, is the reverse cover - which includes the track listing. Again for this panel, I tried to combine it with images associated with the music video itself. Therefore I took a photo during filming at the table which the main character writes the letter at the very beginning of the video. I also included a piece of paper and the pencil which was used, again to try and effectively combine my Ancillary Tasks and my final product. Once again I used Photoshop to add text onto the paper and rotating it, giving the effect that it is on the paper. I have used this font throughout my ancillary tasks because I think it's fun and laid back, combining with the feel of my music video. The top right image, is the inside cover of my Digipak and features the same image as the front cover but cropped differently. I experimented with a number of different images, but because I wanted to include text on this panel, I used an out of focus background in order for the text to be readable. Once again I think this effectively combines with my music video as it features the countryside which is seen in my music video. The top left panel, is the panel in which the CD goes. This is a photograph of the road in which the main character walks along at the start of the video. Therefore I think it combines with my music video and fits in with the main theme of my project. 

The second ancillary task which I undertook was the creation of a magazine advertisement. The main image which is shown below is the same image used for the front cover of the Digipak. This was a photo taken using my DSLR camera. I set the camera up on a tripod and used a low depth of field, meaning that the figure and the letter are in focus, whereas the background and everything else is out of focus. I think this makes the figure stand out from the background. I also added some text and a black border around the edge of the image. I think that this is an effective combination with my music video, because it includes all the main features of the music video itself, with the countryside and blue sky and the main character carrying the letter 

Overall, I think that the combination of my product and ancillary tasks is very effective. When I was creating my ancillary tasks I tried to reflect the main feel and theme of the music video in them.

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

I used a wide variety of differant media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages of my media project, which helped and benefited the final music video which I produced.

The main media technology I used during the research and planning stage of the project was the Internet. I used video sharing websites such as YouTube, which allow me to view and analyse potentially millions of similar products at the click of a mouse. I analysed a wide range of differant music videos, ranging from proffesional videos such as 'Bittersweet Symphony' by 'The Verve' to 'Talk' by 'Coldplay'. Aswell as looking at proffesional official music videos from the artists themselves, I also looked at other amateur videos, including previous A-Level work from students who had also uploaded their videos to YouTube and gained lots of views from global audiences. Personally I think that online music videos on-demand are the future of music videos, as they can be viewed on demand when and where you want, rather than waiting for your favourite music video. Using YouTube videos also allowed me to embed them into my blog and analyse them, meaning that I didn't have to link to external websites - so everything was kept on my blog. Using YouTube to research existing music videos was very beneficial and much more time efficient than other methods of researching similar products, such as using music channels. Overall, the internet has played a key role in my entire portfolio, as it allowed me to analyse potentially millions of similar products, simply by starting up a computer and clicking a few buttons.

Aswell as using media technology during the research stage of my portfolio, I also used it during the construction stage of my project, to edit my footage together from filming. This year compared to my previous AS year, I used some new video editing software to create my video. In my AS year I used an Apple Mac, running iMovie software to edit my footage. However this year i used Adobe Premiere Pro, to cut my footage together and export the video and Adobe After Effects to edit individual video clips. I think that the software used this year was more advanced than the software that I used last year - but I dont think I used it to it's full potential. However I did use Adobe After Effects for the map animation in my music video, which showed the letter moving across the country. I then edited all of my footage together using Adobe Premiere Pro. Unfortunatly, there were some problems encountered during the use of this software, because it often locked up and didn't allow playback - which meant that I couldn't preview my video before exporting it. However I was able to include some advanced transitions, such as the one seen at the start of the video. In the future, I would like to spend more time learning how to use all of the features of Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects, because I didn't really have time to learn most of the features and implement them into my music video. If I was to complete the coursework again, I would spend more of my free time learning how to use the software and encorporating it into my final music video. Overall, I enjoyed learning how to use the new software and I think it improved the overall quality of my final piece, even though I did encounter some problems with the programmes.

 

Finally, I also used differant media technologies in my evaluation. This year for the audience feedback question, I thought I would create a radio broadcast type evaluation, where I went through some of the feedback on my music video which I recieved from my peers after screening my video to the class. I used a simple voice recorder and uploaded the video to YouTube and embedded it into my blog. In my AS year, I only used text blog posts for my evaluation, wheras this year I thought I would try something differant and actually record a radio broadcast type evaluation.

Overall, I think I used a wide range of differant media technologies which all contributed to the success of my final music video. I was able to research many similar media products, both professional and amateur, use software to add effects and put my video together and record a radio broadcast to make my evaluation a bit more interesting.

What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

(Please note that this is a YouTube video and cannot be viewed from school)

As stated in the video above, I am going to post some of the responses which I recieved below.

Firstly, I am going to post some of the responses given on the map section of the video, 

"I liked how you used the map and made the letter follow a route to it's destination - very creative idea"

"I liked how the animation with the map, particularly when the map was layered with separate footage"

"I thought the use of timelapses and how you could still see the map behind the footage, but some shots did seem to go on for a while"

There was also some constuctive criticism given by my peers, stating that some of the shots went on a bit too long,

"The only criticism I had was that the delivering of the letter went on a bit too long"

"Use of timelapses very effective, maybe a little too much though?"

"Some shots like the second map part went on a bit too long, perhaps more shots could be cut between them?"

"Good compisition, but some of the shots drag on a little bit though"

I think that the comments above are fair, and if i was to do the project again I would probably film a wider variety of shots and fit them in with the timelapses.

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

Originally, for my A2 media coursework, I planned on creating a short film with the theme of a letter travelling across the country from one person to another. However, after researching and analysing some short films and music videos, I decided that the theme of my idea would fit more into the category of a music video, since many music videos I researched had the forms and conventions of short films, for example Lady Gaga's Telephone music video is almost ten minutes long and has the feel of a short film when your watching it.  

I researched many other similar music videos, to find out the forms and conventions of music videos today. Through my research of similar products, I found that the genre of the music video is one of the most influential factors on the style and narrative of the video itself. I found that Indie Rock type music videos usually featured footage of the band itself performing on stage etc. I chose Breakdown by Jack Johnson, a mainly acoustic song which I thought fitted with the theme of my music video perfectly. Through my analysis of similar products, I found the acoustic style music videos, had more of a short film feel to them - with very few references to the band or artist performing if at all. This was something which I included in my music video, which has more of a short film feel, rather than a convential music video with shots of the artist or band performing etc. In this field, I think that my music video challenged the forms and conventions of many music videos we see today as it doesn't include any shots of the band playing instruments etc. 

Another key convention of the music videos which I analysed was that some of them included a key narrative theme following a normal storyline featuring a beginning, middle and end. This was reflected in my music video, which featured a very basic narrative storyline of a letter travelling from one individual to another. However some other music videos which I researched and analysed, such as "The Scientist" by Coldplay featured a very differant narrative style. The Scientist music video is played backwards so that we see the end at the beginning and see how the ending developed through the rest of the video. So in this case, you could say that my music video challenged the forms and conventions of some music videos today such as "The Scientist" by Coldplay, but in other cases it uses the basic conventions of many music videos with a traditional beggining middle and end. I think my music video also challenged the traditional conventions of music videos we see today, by letting the audience decide

However, there are such a wide range of differant music video styles my final media production challenges, uses and develops conventions of real media products.