Monday 22 April 2013

Evaluation


Saturday 20 April 2013

Audience Feedback

In order to effectively evaluate my products, I had to gain continual and final feedback on my media products. Throughout the construction stages I was able to obtain this through mini focus groups based on particular elements of my work, as this enabled me to make sure that I was creating a product that was targeted at my Indie audience.

Once I had completed all of my products I wanted to see some final feedback on how the overall combination of the three products worked well, whether they had achieved their purpose and if there were anything which did not work quite as well on them. The accurate way to get this information from my target audience was by placing a link to a questionnaire I had made relating to my products, on Survey Monkey, beneath my music video. I felt that this was the best way to get the specific opinions from my audience as it is targeted at them directly. Furthermore, by publishing my survey this way I am allowing a generalised representation of the views of my products as I am not limited to those within my college.

Wednesday 20 March 2013

Magazine Advert- Mock Up

Having looked at magazine adverts which were particular to the Indie genre I have found that in general they all follow the typical conventions which the inclusion of:

  • Album title
  • Artist name 
  • Company logo
  • Release Date
  • Reviews 
One of the key conventions which is usually found on a magazine advert is the album cover, however this was something which I have found to be challenged throughout those which I have studied in close detail. On the Mumford and Sons advert there was not any inclusion of the album cover just the use of the artists themselves in order to allow an audience to make a connection to them. Also on the Arcade Fire and The Vaccines advert despite The Vaccines one having the  album cover faded as the background of the advert they both had a smaller version of the album cover situated somewhere on the advert. 

This challenge of the typical convention is something which will work brilliantly for my magazine advert as I have decided to create a narrative enigma around the models on my digipak. I will be able to include this theme into the magazine advert by having the main image construct the identity the model. In addition to this as shown by my research in to adverts within my genre, the album cover isn't always used as the focal point on the advert but is still included in small elsewhere on it, I am going to use this convention within my magazine advert.

Magazine Advert Mock up-


My advert will be  taken in black and white that way the writing of the album title,  artist and release date will stand out as it will either be written on a white board  or chalk board.

Also the model will be in all black as again this will ensure that the board and the information is the focal point of the advertisement.
Lastly the photo is going to be taken in a high street that way it looks  like the image is part of a real advertisement campaign, making it more realistic for the audience.

Digipak Cover- Research

Friday 19 October 2012

Digipak- draft

Draft:


When shown to members of my target audience they all generally liked it, saying that the galaxy theme was something which they could relate to as being predominant in their style. Also that the contrast of the white text against the background allows it to stand out but not in an obvious way. By this they implied that the way in which the text has been superimposed onto the images isn't obvious and gives the digipak a simple but effective and professional look.

On receiving feedback I have learnt that I need to add in the spines in order to give the digipak a complete look, also by doing this I am sticking to the conventions of a digipak which is important as it allows an audience to identify the product. Also one member noted that the CD panel stood out with the change in colours, this was something which split my focus group as they weren't sure if it was effective or not. 

Wednesday 17 October 2012

Editing- process


Friday 12 October 2012

Video- draft




Feedback:

-need more variety of lip sync
-more cuts
-maybe consider using a different location
-"great potential with some super shots"
-"actor looks good when posing"



Friday 21 September 2012

Digipak- mock up







Magazine Advert- Arcade Fire

 
With this magazine advert the thing that I find most appealing is the simplicity of the idea behind it, as despite this its very striking and memorable. This is a key aspect that I must ensure that my magazine advert adheres to.

Moodboard


Audience

Audience research- Indie

The target audience for my music video is primarily people who fall into the 'indie' category, this is 'someone who's heart lies with indie, rock, alternative, music like that'.[1] The reason that I am targeting this audience is because this is the target audience for The Vaccines, who's track I'm doing.










 'Even though the sound of their music is more old-fashioned, the idea and shallowness of their lyrics tends to reach out to a younger audience, lyrics usually limited to subjects like teenage sex and relationships, for example in 'post break-up sex' and 'norgaard' which talk about a 17year old not being ready yet.'[2] In accordance with this the age range of my target audience is 17-early 20's, as they are most likely to be attracted to the style of music.

Within this research into the Indie subculture, I completed a feedback session with members of it, in order to find out what type of things they would expect to see in the both the video and the ancillary texts. The key point which I found which was reoccurring was the inclusion of appropriate fashions which would relate to their target group specifically, which they could relate to. Taking this feedback on board if I include these fashions and ideologies within my media products I am ensuring that my audience is identifying with the products and thus making them more likely to want to consume them.


 Sources:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=indie%20kid
http://www.slideshare.net/smcmediastudies/analysis-of-images-the-vaccines

Actor/performer

Actor

The person I have chosen to be in my music video is Matt Sharples, the reason that I have chosen him is that his style and attitude would work well for him when acting as my character.
Furthermore, I feel that he is a suitable choice because he is a confident person, with it means that he wont be rigid when filming and I will be able to get the best performance out of him. This was an essential characteristic I felt was needed when choosing an actor as it means that the character will be charismatic, thus allowing the audience to make a connection and identify themselves with the character.

Performer

As there will be musical performance elements within my music video I will be needing someone to act these parts. Thus far I haven't decided as to whether I am going to keep the same actor to do both sections of the video or whether I will get someone else to do the music performance. In order to overcome this I will film Matt doing the musical performance as well as another actor and depending on how they look when put together with Matt's concept parts I will choose which to include in my final music video.

Location Permission

As I will be filming in a public building I do not require any location permission.

Thursday 20 September 2012

Treatment

For my music video I want to make a concept based video with constant cuts to a performance of the song. 

The concept that I believe works best with my song choice, is the theme of a 'rebel without a cause', with this I am going to have my actor represent a rebellious teenage boy. This reflects both the genre and the message of the song well, firstly as the genre is indie rock it has the 'rock' element to it as rebellion is something that is stereotyped with that style of music. Furthermore, the style of the video will also illustrate conventions associated with genre, I am able to achieve this by researching into the conventions and representation typically shown and or associated with my genre.

Within the video, I'm going to have my character hanging around run down, derelict buildings   and then film them doing different things within the areas some of which are; smoke manipulation, spray painting etc. I will also have a performance to cut to, in addition to this I am going to cut to images that I have taken of my actor. In particular I am going to take these photos on a Polaroid camera as they create an old and vintage feeling which is in keeping with the illustration of 'indie', I will also try and create a stop motion sequence with these style of photographs.

Lastly one of my key ideas is for the end of the song, this is as the ending has a dominant and fast drums beat in it. With this I will be able to increase the tempo of my cuts and flick between extreme close ups of my actor, performance shots and things being smashed. I am including this latter element as it will show a relationship between the music and the image but also it again puts emphasis on the theme of rebellion.

Costume & Props

Costume

Skinny jeans, plain white t-shirt or one with a band on, black jacket and trainers. Below is an image similar to the costume that I want my character to be in.



By having my character in this costume I am able to represent the age group that the character is supposed to belong to as the costume is are what is something that is in fashion for boys of that age. Also the use of dark colours is in keeping with the theme of the video as its about the loss of youth, so by using black in creates the sense almost of mourning. In addition to this with me having done research into the audience who are considered to be of an 'indie' style I am able to ensure that I have taken this into consideration when choosing the costume. As by doing so I am able to incorporate fashion that they are wearing or aware into my music video, thus by doing this I allow them to identify with the character within it.


Props

  • drum- this is needed as I am going to film a slow motion shot of a drum being hit that is covered in dust.
  • spray paint can- my actor will need one to make it look as though he is spray painting, as by including this I am able to put emphasis on the theme of 'rebellion' within my video.
  • the other items that I'm going to be taking along with me are a variety of items to be smashed.

Risk Assessment

Risks

1.  As my location with be a run down building there is a potential that either myself or my actor could hurt themselves.

2.  Apart of my video is that the actor has to smash things- here he could potentially cut himself on the broken items.


Preventions/precautions:

1.  We shall be careful where about in the building we go, aiming to avoid any areas that don't appear to be safe.

2.  When breaking items ensure that he positions himself a safe distance away from any glass, sharp plastic etc. that it may produce. Also I will wear safety clothes when cleaning it up.

As an overall prevention of any serious harm coming to either of us an adult will be aware of our location and both of us will have our phones with us so we can contact someone in the case of an emergency. 

Wednesday 19 September 2012

Shooting Schedule




Industry

Artist
 


The Vaccines are an Indie Rock band that were formed in 2010 and signed to Columbia Records. They have released 2 albums and appear to focus on their abilities to deliver a high quality live performance. This image that the band aim to portray can be linked to Negus' 'organic ideology' where there is a more 'naturalistic approach to artists'. In accordance with this they are known for there performances at festivals which they seem to have as their main gigs rather than a tour.

By looking closer into the band I am able to take into consideration their image and style and ensure that I reflect theses with my video.




Record Company

Founded in 1888, Columbia is the oldest surviving brand name in pre-recorded sound, being the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. Columbia Records went on to release records by an array of notable singers, instrumentalists and groups. From 1961 to 1990, its recordings were released outside the U.S. and Canada on the CBS Records label before adopting the Columbia name in most of the world. Today it is a premier subsidiary label of Sony Music Entertainment. Steve Barnett and Rick Rubin are the co-heads of Columbia Records. Mike Smith is MD of Columbia UK.

Similar artists to The Vaccines signed to Columbia:

  • Foster the People
  • The Fray
  • Kasabian
  • Kings of Leon
  • The Shins



Sources: http://www.columbia.co.uk

Genre

The main genres within the music are;
  • rock
  • pop
  • alternative
Indie Rock-

My chosen track from The Vaccines 'Family Friend' falls into the alternative category as it is considered as indie rock, which is a genre within alternative rock. The genre of indie rock first arised in the 1980's, the term 'indie' was originally used to describe the type of record label the term then became associated with the type of music they produced.

'Indie rock is free to explore sounds, emotions, and lyrical subjects that don't appeal to large, mainstream audiences'. With this ideology being attached to the genre there aren't many conventions that they typically follow within their music videos however there are some that are associated with the genre:

  • everyday location
  • normal people doing 'extraordinary' things
  • tends to be black and white
  • use of extreme close ups and long shots
  • fast paced
By knowing stylistic features of music videos within the genre of my chosen track I am able to ensure that I include and or develop some of ideas based around these as it will allow me to make a video that is coherent with the genre of my track. In addition to this by considering these elements when making my video it will mean that my video is targeting the correct audience and illustrating themes and representations that are relevant to them.


Sources:
http://www.webcitation.org/mainframe.php

Tuesday 18 September 2012

Location

My desired location/s for my video would be derelict buildings that look run down, in a large open spaces.




















This type of mise en scene will be present in th background of my music video as they illustarte the themes that I want to represent within my media product. As this will illustrate the idea that the character is rebellious as the mise en scene will create the impression to the audience that the character isn't allowed to be there. In addition to the connotations of neglect that, that location would show reflects the stereotype that rebellious teenagers feel neglected and misunderstood.







My chosen locations are similar to those shown above:



Track

My chosen track is The Vaccines- 'Family Friend', I was torn between this track and another song of theirs 'Wetsuit'. As the latter was more upbeat and I had lots of ideas that would work for the song. However, I chose 'Family Friend' as the ideas that I had for the video matched the style of the band and the track really well but also allowed me to create a music video in a style that I would most like to do.

When choosing the track and applying a concept that would fit the song I had to take into consideration the meaning of the song. Justin Young (The Vaccines front man) said "This song has two parts. The first is sweet. The second is bitter."[1] With this I feel that he is referring to the meaning of the song being about not being able to do things that you want anymore because you've got older and are supposed to be more 'mature'. Taking this into consideration I want to illustrate a the rebellious stage that a teenager stereotypically has, as with representation I am able to illustrate the meaning of the song as these are things that cant be done anymore. 




Lyrics

They've all got their opinions but then what do they know
If you can't go back, where the hell do you go?
Does everybody really feel as high as a kite?
Well I don't really know if they do but they might

You wanna get young but you're just getting older
And you had a fun summer but it's suddenly colder
If you want a bit of love put your head on my shoulder
It's cool

They've all got their opinions but then what do they know
If you can't go back, where the hell do you go?
Does everybody really feel as high as a kite?
Well I don't really know if they do but they might

You wanna get young but you're just getting older
And you had a fun summer but it's suddenly colder
If you want a bit of love put your head on my shoulder
It's cool
You wanna get young but you're just getting older
And you had a fun summer but it's suddenly colder
If you want a bit of love put your head on my shoulder
It's cool

Half baked girl
Hey, I'm hardly surprised
Snake eyes disguise everybody's lies
Faded nail marks on pale thighs and an awkward secret that someone denies
And now you're trying to get yourself back in
Come on in


(this end section speeds up, so in accordance to this I am going to include most cuts and increase the speed between them)



You wanna get young but you're just getting older
And you had a fun summer but it's suddenly colder
If you want a bit of love put your head on my shoulder
It's cool
You wanna get young but you're just getting older
And you had a fun summer but it's suddenly colder
If you want a bit of love put your head on my shoulder
It's cool


Sources:
http://www.craveonline.com/music/articles/168591-advance-vaccines-full-album-stream




Permission Request

In order to ensure that I am not breaking any copyright laws, I have written a letter of request for permission to Columbia, this is as they are The Vaccines record label. I hope to gain their permission for the track but if for some reason they decline this just means that I wont be able to upload my finished media product on YouTube or publish it on my blog.

The contents of my letter is as follows;


Dear Sir/Madam:

My name is Ebony Anderson, and I am an A-level Media student studying at George Spencer Academy 6th Form. As a part of our A2 coursework we are asked to make a music video to a chosen track, that doesn't already have a commercial video. I am writing to you as I would like to make a music video for The Vaccines track 'Family Friend' off the album 'What did you expect from The Vaccines?'

The track will not be used to promote a product or to allow myself or the college to make money from it. If granted permission, I will make a video to accompany the track which will then be posted on my academic blog on Blogger, in order to allow the examiner to view it easily.

I would greatly appreciate to hear a response from yourselves, 

Thank you.

Yours faithfully,

Ebony Anderson

Monday 17 September 2012

30sec Storyboarding


Saturday 8 September 2012

Magazine Advert- The Vaccines



The element that I like the most within this magazine advert is the use of the album cover image in the background of the advert as its a subtle way of the promoting it and making it recognisable to the audience.

Friday 7 September 2012

Music Video


Wednesday 5 September 2012

Magazine Advert- Mumford & Sons



 
Of the magazine adverts that I have analysed this is closest to the style of the one that I would like to style my own to look like, this is as the way in which the theme is carried out throughout the advert but also how it relates to Mumford & Sons as a band and the style of music that they make is really effective.

Thursday 19 July 2012

Research: Stop Motion

In order to see what went into the process' of the making a stop motion video, I took a simple easy idea and with help in the filming process and made a practice piece.




By doing my practice piece I was able see how much works goes into making a stop motion video. I hardest part of making the video was the amount of photos that needed to be taken in order for the image to look like a fluent piece. This in its own raised problems as due to the size of files that the images would make it meant that we were limited to the amount of images that we could have on the camera at one time. Also in the editing process I found that I had to decrease the duration of the photographs in order to get them to cut fast through them but also that the image type had to be changed in order for them to work.

What works well about my video is the movement of the character as although it isn't always a smooth transition between its movements, it still appears as though it is moving by itself. This works best in the end section as the movements seem more real, this is as it was easier to move the character and we had more control over the movements.

Having done this I now know that to make any stop motion work within my music video it has to be a simple idea but executed to a high standard as by making it over complicated it will increase the chances of it looking detached from the video and unprofessional.

Monday 16 July 2012

Research Analysis: Stop Motion

Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on it own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence. Dolls with move-able joints or clay figures are often used in stop motion for their ease of re-positioning. 

Music videos:

  • Coldplay- Strawberry Swing
  • Oren Lavie- Her Morning Elegance

Stop motion can be used in more than one way, and as I don't have the ability to use many post production edits, stop motion can be used to give elements of the video an animated effect, for example, the video below is shot using only stop motion and the whole thing is created with post it notes. This simple idea is used to tremendous effect, and despite me not being able to produce something on this scale I am able to take inspiration from it and use the basis of the video within my own work.




The idea of using everyday household items or common objects is something which can be seen as an inspiration in The Prodigy video for 'Warrior's Dance'. This video is a clear of example of the use of intertextuality within the music video to cinema and also video games. This is as the video seems to mirror the key idea seen in the film Transformers (Michael Bay, 2007)  but also the nature of the video reflects something that may be associated with a video game. These conventions are outlined in Pete Fraser's theory, that the reason intertextuality is used is to give its audience who are able to make the link greater enjoyment and satisfaction when watching the video. In addition to this it makes the video memorable to those that identify the link as they are able to associate it with other forums.  Lastly the video also falls into 2 of the 6 of Fraser's main styles within a music video: animated and futuristic.

Directors Research


James Copeman


After several years as motion graphics designer and animator for clients such as E4, MTV, 4music and The Box he began directing music videos and his first video was for the critically acclaimed UK band Noah and The Whale. His style is noticeably distinct; his work consistently delivers charming and warm performances and strong colour palettes. He often uses his background to embellish and heighten the visuals.




Noah and The Whale- 5 Years Time


What I find impressive about James' work is the way in which he manipulates the perception of an image. I particularly like his use of making the 'Noah and The Whale - 5 years time' video look old fashioned and dated, within this I like the way in which he has used stop-motion to create a disjointed feel to the video. Throughout his work there is clear continous use of major post production techniques being used which is most evident in Diana Vicker's- 'Boy who murdered love'


Toby Lockerbie

" I don't particularly like crazy, nonsensical music videos, I do however love clever, creative videos and engaging cinematic and that's what I aspire to in my projects."

Toby is known for his work that he has done with Rizzle Kicks, with him making their first video 'Down with the Trumpets' which uses the technique of 'screens within screens' to great effect to make the shots and the movement within them more dynamic.  Furthermore, within this I like the use of graphic matches to change the mise en scene as although the camera shot isn't moving it allows the image to cut in a different and interesting way.




Since then he has continued to work with the band making several other music videos with them, one of which is 'When I was a Youngster'. With this video I like the which he plays upon the title of the song to continually cut between what is portrayed to be the singers in the past and the now present. By doing this he is clearly able to illustrate the theme of reflection/reminiscing. 





My favourite of his work, is the 'Prophet' video, which can be seen above, as his use of stop motion, and light manipulation to add animations to the video is a stunning combination of techniques.







Sources:
http://www.tobylockerbie.com/
http://www.loveandhate.co.uk/HOME.html









Monday 9 July 2012

Preliminary task


 

Feedback

Good elements;
  • variety of camera angles
  • good use of movement
  • good lighting
  • very good use of the stop motion as it gives the video coherence
  • edited together well
Improvements;
  • lip syncing
  • not enough close ups
  • cut more

Analysis

By doing a preliminary task, I was able to see what went into the process of making a music video. One of the hardest element of which, I found was lip syncing, which is evident within the video as although generally we managed to sync the lips up in time with the music in some areas if was more difficult. This was as the rate at which the person sang/ spoke the words may not have been the correct tempo of the song. In addition to this when filming, all those on screen had to sing their lyrics out loud to ensure that they sang them properly, here we encountered another problem as some weren't as confident when doing so.


Elements that work well within the video is the use of stop-motion, particularly for the chorus as although there isn't camera movement the pace in which the shots cut make them interesting. Also, the way in which we were able to represent the 'youth' that is spoken about in the songs work wells through our costume choice and location. As the costume of 'childish' tops and light clothing imitates that which is stereotyped with young people, the setting helps to portray 'youth' as again a park is something that is associated with that age group. Another good point of the video is one of the final shot of myself and Charlotte spinning around as the shot creates the impression of a point of view shot, which makes the audience feel as though they are involved.

Sunday 8 July 2012

Shot Count Analysis

Shot Count Analysis

 



Track: Lost In the World
Artist: Kanye West & Bon Iver
Director: Ruth Hogben
Release Date: May 23rd 2012
Length: 4:19
Number of shots: 71
Average shot length: 3.6secs


Segment- '1.30-2.00'


Number of shots:11
Number of CU: 1
Number of ECU: 0
Number of LS: 8
Number of MS: 1
Number of panning shots: 0
Number of tilts: 1
Other shots: 






From doing this I have learnt that music videos don't have to include a wide variety of shots to be interesting, as they may depend on the movement within the shot and the transition between shots. As although only straight cuts are used in the edits to each shot it is very effective as they have made these fast and included an effect that looks like a flash. This works to great effect for the video as it disorientates and confuses the viewer which is in keeping with the context and themes of the song. However, the high usage of special effects without the video is something that I wont be able to do for my video as I do not have the facilities to do so, but I will able to ensure that the effects I use in the transitions between shot make my video fast paced and interesting.