Final Evaluation

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

In order to make sure that our video task (promotional music video for a song) looked professional and of a high standard we decided that it would be best to use mainly conventional features that we found appeared in music videos that we researched during the pre-production stage similar to the target audience that our own video would appeal to. We felt that the easiest way to display how we both used and challenged conventions was to select several videos to compare our own music video, these videos most importantly being of a similar genre of music & target audience (indie/grime/electronic rock & 16-25 year olds). The videos we chose to compare our video to are:

You Me at Six - Kiss and Tell
You Me at Six - Gossip
Travie McCoy - We'll Be Alright
Hadouken! - Liquid Lives

To compare our video with the above we selected clips from each video, focusing on camerawork/angles, mise en scene, lighting and editing to compare and contrast with clips from our own. These similarities and differences can be seen in the videos below.

Comparision of Camera Shots/Angles

Comparison of Mise en Scene

Comparison of Editing

Comparison of Lighting and Sound

As it was important to our group to challenge/use media conventions within the video aspect of our coursework, we took the same approach when it came to producing our printed tasks. Similar to our video, we decided to use and challenge media forms and conventions to ensure that our finished product would look professional and appealed to the correct target audience. However, due the fact we were producing a CD Digipak (album cover, inside sleeve, back cover) and a magazine advertisement we thought that this would also allow our products to maintain an element of consistency with each other. In order to effectively display how our printed tasks use and challenge media forms and conventions we have created presentations using website Prezi comparing our own products to professional ones.

CD Digipak Front Cover Conventions on Prezi

CD Digipak Inside Sleeve Conventions on Prezi

CD Digipak Back Cover Conventions on Prezi

Magazine Advertisement Conventions on Prezi

2 - How effective is the product of your main product and ancillary tasks?

One of the main things we hoped to gain from ensuring that both our ancillary tasks and main task looked professional was that the products would be able to be easily related to each other - meaning that the target audience would be able to tell that the magazine advertisement was from the same people that produced the album artwork etc. This meant that we had maintain an element of consistency throughout the products to make them look professional. We achieved this by using the same font/theme/features in our video, magazine advertisement and CD digipak.

Combination Of Main Product & Ancillary Texts on Prezi

3 - What have you learned from your audience feedback?

A key part in ensuring that our product appealed to the correct target audience, was collecting audience feedback and feedback from our lecturers. We decided that by collecting feedback throughout the production process, we would benefit more as simply getting feedback at the end of production may mean that a large number of changes would be needed to suit their tastes. Therefore, by collecting feedback after each draft it ensured that should any changes need to be made, they could be done in simple stages rather than in one big chunk at the end of production.

Feedback from our lecturer

                     Magazine Advertisement                                                  CD Cover (part of Digipak)

We also sought feedback from our peers once the music video had been produced which can be seen written on post-it notes below. Pink notes were used to indicate positive comments and things they liked about our video whilst yellow notes were used to indicate criticisms and things they thought we could have did better. From the feedback we found that one of the most common things they liked about the video was the reverse effect used - they considered it to be unique. We also found that they found the handheld camerawork added to the realism of the video and linked to the theme we hoped to portray through the video (a party similar to the likes of Skins tv drama). When we received this feedback we were pleased at it showed our music video appealed to the correct target audience and achieved the desired effects we were hoping for from the camerawork, music etc.  However, we also received some common criticisms. These were mostly regarding the end of the video - people thought that the dialogue was unclear and the editing was not to the highest standard. We also found some people did not understand the plot completely which may have been due to the fact we had not been clear on this before we introduced the video. We also found that people thought that some scenes lasted too long. This was something in particular we agreed with. As we shot hours of footage, most of it was unusable, therefore we had to pick the best footage to fill out the video and simply use that due to time constraints and being unable to re-film the main part of the video as people were unavailable. The feedback notes can be seen below.

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

In the production of our Media Coursework we have used a variety of new technology in order to complete it. These technologies take the form of both software and hardware. For example, one of the most important pieces of hardware was a computer. As we needed it to access Blogger for the written aspect of our coursework and also to use the software Adobe Photoshop to complete our print tasks. The Videos and Prezi Presentations explain our usage in greater detail.

Blogger - Process of the entire project

Equipment - Computer, Camera and Tripod.

Equipment - Computer/Camera/Tripod on Prezi

Construction of printed tasks and music video

Gaining Feedback on our work

Gaining Feedback on Prezi

Overall Final Package - Music Video, Magazine Advertisement and CD Digipak

After completing all of the necessary research and planning, as well as amended drafts upon feedback of our work we have finished the final drafts for each of our products. Each of these can be seen below.

Music Video

Magazine Advertisement

CD Digipak - Front Cover, Inside Sleeve & Back Cover

Overall, myself and my group members are delighted with the outcome of our final products. We feel that each product is consistent with the theme we decided to use and more importantly are consistent with each other which allows the products to look professional. We feel we have met the project brief to a high standard.

Peer Feedback - Music Video Final Draft

In order to ensure that our product was appealing to the correct target audience we decided to conduct feedback for our video. We did this by showing our classmates our music video and asking them to write comments of what they liked/disliked about our music video which I will be analysing in further detail in my final evaluation.
The images of the feedback can be seen below.

However, we did feel that this was a relatively small number of people to receive feedback from, and may not contain a completely accurate sample to help use determine how successful and appealing our music video was to our target audience. To help us get a larger and therefore better sample of our target audience we decided to upload the video to Youtube and blogging site Tumblr.

Video uploaded to group member Cally's Youtube channel

Video posted onto my own blog on blogging site Tumblr.

We chose these websites as they are extremely well known, and are also very popular with our target audience. This would allow us to get a bigger amount of feedback from the correct target audience. The slight problem we encountered was that as the video had only recently been produced and uploaded, there has not been a large number of feedback given as it can take a long time for things to be circulated around the internet. Therefore, we felt it would be better to view the comments we had received so far. From what we had received we found that people liked the reverse editing used in the video and a good use of camera angles and shot types.



Music Video Second (Final) Draft

After receiving feedback from our peers from the first draft of our video we found that they liked the way that the clips had been placed together and the editing used. They also liked the narrative aspect that we applied to the video, their only criticism was the absence of a soundtrack or dialogue. However, this was to be added in the draft we were in the process of producing so this was irrelevant.

After creating the first draft of our video, and thus the narrative element we needed to then alter the video to produce our final draft. The most important thing we needed to do was to reverse it. To do so we uploaded the video into Adobe Premiere Pro and selected reverse speed. This changed the whole video around, so that the video would begin at the aftermath of the party, and end before the start of it. However, as the end of the video needs to be in the correct time format we simply added the original clips of the scenes of Cally and Nikki before the party complete with dialogue at the end of the party. After placing the clips together, we then uploaded the chosen soundtrack to the video - We Are Rockstars by Does It Offend You, Yeah?. The song was placed over the clips editing out any noise from the original clips, the song is also lowered on the parts where the dialogue is featured. The final draft of our music video can be see below.

Music Video First Draft

We wanted to storyline and scenes of our video to be played in reverse, with only the ending being in the correct time format. This meant that the events would be played backwards - the aftermath of the party would be shown first, then the main party and ending with the previous night before the party. However, before we could do this we needed to place all the clips we had filmed together to create a montage. The video below displays the clips in the correct order without any dialogue or music added.

The software we used to place the clips together was Adobe Premiere Pro, we firstly placed the clips in the correct time order and format to display the order of events. The story starts with group member Cally, knocking on the door of group member Nikki's front door trying to persuade her to have a quiet evening. The video then jumps to a montage-like series of scenes displaying the party. We felt the rapidness and short clips would help emphasise the chaotic atmosphere of the video. The story then goes to the group members falling out of the derelict building and going into a woodland area attempting to get home. We are very pleased with how well the video has initially turned out as the editing seems particularly smooth and continuous making it look professional

Music Video Shoot Recordings

Music Video Props and Equipment.

As we have chosen the theme of a party, which will need to be extremely controversial we need a large variety and number of props. The images below are from photography site weheartit.com depicting various party-type situations that contain several props that we could use in our own music video.

After looking at several images and videos we found that there were are number of props that were commonly used:

• Balloons
• Streamers
• Food
• Drink (alcohol)
• Costumes (fancy dress)
• Cigarettes
• Water Guns
• Confetti/Glitter

We decided to try and efind as many of these props as possible to include in our music video by using as little money as possible and via friends/family to save on costs. By using the props above we hope to make our music video look professional and conventional within our genre and to heighten the atmosphere in our video.

Music Video Chosen Location.

To decide what locations we wished to feature in our music video we looked at locations which would fit in with our genre of music and most importantly be suitable for the theme of the video. As the video would revolve around a party we thought that it would be best to film in a disused or derelict building, with some scenes shot in woodland areas, due to the plot of the video. However, as we may have encountered some problems with permission when filming in a disused building we changed our minds and thought it easier to simply film in a location we could easily gain access to. Such as a room of a group/family member or friend that would enable us to still create the look of a derelict environment. Below is an image of the location we used to film the 'indoor/party' scenes of the video.

The location shown is group member Cally's garage/outhouse building, however. None of the items within the image are used in the video. We felt that this location was ideal as it gave the appearance we wanted due to the bare walls and cement flooring, adding an element of abandonment. Also, due to there being changes in the amount of people featuring in the video this meant it would look less like a big party. However, the size of the room played to our advantage as the relatively large number of people compared to the size of the room meant that it still looked like a busy atmosphere. Below is an image we used to film the opening sequence of the party, which actually depicts the end of the party as the video is shown in reverse.

The location is where we orginally planned to film the scenes of the party, however as we could not gain access to it we decided to film the opening scenes from an angle which would make it look like group members Nikki and Cally were leaving the party - so that it seemed the rest of the video had in fact been filmed in the same place. The image below is the final location that we used in our music video.

The location is a woodland area situated near to where the disused building is located. This meant that we could easily film both scenes at the same time and helps create the illusion that the area is desolate and isolated rather than where they were actually filmed. The location also allowed us to display the time scale of the video, as the sky enables the audience to see that it is the morning after the party when the ending scene of the video can be seen which is at night. Below is the location of the final scenes, showing group member Nikki's house, being persuaded by Cally to go to the 'party'.