Music Video

Website

URL:
http://www.all-saints.bardaglea.org.uk/media_cw/the_script2/Welcome.html

CD Cover

Radio Spot

Evaluation: TV Show

Evaluation: Elliott's Essay

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

Our music video is very similar to those which are real as it uses similiar motifs. These motifs were decided on when we created a questionnaire before we made the music video, in the questionnaire we asked what motifs people would like to see. The motifs we ended up including in the video were flashbacks, some concert footage and fragmentation of the body in some scenes. These are all very commonly used in real music videos. Also music videos include a beginning, middle and an end, showing a narrative and a story which the audience can follow. The story would be the music video then at the chorus it would break to concert footage showing the audience the story isn't real. The music video also challenges the convention of a normal boy band which may be sex, drugs and violence but we didn't want to give them this 'rockstar' image so we decided to go for a more pleasant image to do with love and heartbreak.

2) How effective is the combination of your main product and ancilliary texts?

I believe the combination of our main product which is the music video and the ancilliary texts which are the CD cover, radio spot and website work well together. The radio spot and website are used to promote the main product the music video, with the CD cover aiming to sell the product. All 3 ancilliary products were created using industry standard technology which adds to the realism of the product and giving us a website we could actually display on the internet promoting the video and giving information about the band members and a CD cover which could be seen in the shops. The combination works well because i believe all are needed in order to create a successful main product.

3) What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Once we completed our video we got some teenagers in our target audience range to watch the video and then give their opinion after. This feedback was very important as to whether the product was a success or not because if our target audience didn't like it then it would be unsuccessful. Te feedback showed us that the narrative of the video was clear and they followed it well which was important as we wanted the audience to know what was going on in the video. They also said they enjoyed the video which is the main part of any media. Apart from interviewing teenagers who has watched our video we also created a survey which we put on to our facebook pages and people were able to fill the survey out after watching our video. The results showed that over 85% of people who took the survey said the video was successful and fulfilled its aim. However it also showed what people thought was a weakness in the video which was the lip-synching as it wasn't in time throughout the whole video. But the video was still a success despite this weakness.

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


We used several different media technologies throughtout the whole process of the project. But the main technologies we used were the Mac computer which stored all of our work and was also used to film podcasts, put posts on to the blog, create our survey and publicise our music video on facebook, then there was the camera which was used to film the music video and also film interviews with our target audience, and adobe premiere which was used to edit the music video, interviews and anything else we filmed, it allowed us to cut out parts which were not correct and edit in stuff which was filmed at a later date. These three technologies were vital and without them we would of been unable to complete the project. There were other technologies including Celtx, Prezi presentation, blogger and garage band to name a few.

Evaluation: Sid's Essay

1.) in what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?


The media project that we created as a group was a music video of The Script's hit 'The Man who can't be moved'. Throughout the project we looked to incorporate and use conventions of real media projects as we felt it would give the video a certain professional look to it which may not have been easy to obtain if we hadn't.


 A few examples of products of the media that we incorporated into our video are certain things such as the use of common motifs and a basic set narrative throughout the video production. We felt as a group that it was fundamental to use both of the aforementioned things as from research we had discovered that the majority of successful music videos have a set narrative that tells a story. These successful videos include hits such as 5 O'Clock by the artist T-Pain  in which a a narrative is told from start to finish, as demonstrated in the first image below. As well as this we took influence from The Libertines' hit video to their chart hit 'Can't Stand Me Now' in which the video uses a successful common motif of using concert footage (shown below).

Furthermore our music video develops a
common motif found in a number of music videos. The motif we develop is the ability to connect to the target audience of the video. I feel we are able to do that with our video, as not only is our video made by teenagers for teenagers, it is made not by a well known artist, but a quartet of A-Level students. Sometimes it can be argued that a music artist who is famous worldwide finds it difficult to connect with a majority of he/she/their fans due to he/she/their being unaware of how day to day life is for the common person. As a group we have more of an idea, so the audience will find it easier to relate to us.


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


In my opinion i feel that on the whole, the combination of our groups main product and our other ancillary texts was a success. The reasoning behind me thinking it was a success is that i felt each ancillary text; the Radio spot, the CD cover and the Artist's website complimented each other and acted as a great foil for the main part of the project, the music video. The music video itself was a success as being a video it meant that the song could not only be played on various radio stations, but could be marketed on numerous music channels as well as being used in adverts on the television and cinemas worldwide.


Furthermore each ancillary text can be easily marketed and advertised in different parts of the media and day to day communal life. The CD cover is effective for example as it can be advertised with the CD in high street megastores such as Tesco, HMV est. thus giving it valuable marketing space. The radio spot is a very effective part of marketing the song and video as it can be advertised to people who may not listen to that genre of music normally and thus broadening the target audience. The radio spot will also advertise to the people who do like that genre and will increase their endearment towards the song. Lastly the artist's website is effective and fundamental to the success to the product as the other two ancillary texts. The reason i  believe this is because it means the music video and background information about the artist can be advertised to millions of people worldwide.


So therefore on a whole, i think only a positive effect came out of combining the main product of the music video with the three ancillary texts; The CD cover (the inserts of which are shown below, & as you can see, there is a black and white theme, which is also reflected in the website), The radio spot (shown below being played) and the artist's website.

3.) What have you learned from your audience feedback ?


Our music video took about three months in total to film and edit to a standard that we felt was sufficient for the grade we hoped to obtain for our coursework. After we had finished however part of the evaluation we had to complete was to find a considerable amount of audience feedback so that we could see where all the positives and negatives of our video were found. We looked to find audience feedback two main ways. Firstly we created an audience survey for viewers of the video in which we asked them to be brutally honest and tell us what they liked and disliked about our video production. Secondly we conducted a video survey in which a small number of the public were filmed watching the video and we looked to decipher their positive or negative reaction from viewing.


After a number of people had viewed the video and taken the survey we had asked them to, we observed that in a positive manner 87.5% of the people thought that the video connected with the target audience of the track. This was positive for us as that was the fundamental plan of the video before its fruition. If we hadn't have got a majority positive feedback it would have been a disaster as in essence we would have failed the overall aim of the music video in the first place.


Lastly as a group we sat down and watched the reactions from the video survey and overall once a gain a positive reaction on a whole was given off. The only negative feedback we gathered from both types of audience feedback was the slightly out of sync lip syncing from the artists mouth to the timing of the music. Apart from that however is the product was an overall success.


4. how did you use media technologies in the construction, research, planning and evaluation stages of the product?


Media technologies were used from start to finish as a fundamental part of our project. Without the media technology the project would have been impossible to complete successfully. Throughout the project we had to use media such as a digital camera, an apple mac and numerous software such as Adobe Premiere and photobooth est. The apple mac was essential as in all honesty it was used in the construction stage, the research stage, the planning stage and the evaluation stage. We used the mac to complete blog posts for our coursework, edit the filming of the video and complete the three ancillary texts of the radio spot, CD cover and website. Without it the project would not have happened.


Furthermore the camera was another fundamentally important piece of technology needed for the product to come into fruition and be completed. The reason it was so important was that every bit of the music video's filming was completed, not to mention the podcasts and the audience feedback in the evaluation.


As previously stated the software found on the apple mac (shown below) was such an important pice of media technology as without it we would have been unable to edit any of the raw footage we had filmed on the camera. Without adobe premiere we would not have been able to complete the video at all, thus not being able to complete the project.

Written by Sid.

Evaluation: Jack's Essay

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

We used ideas of real media products in the sense that our video contained similar features to those of real ones. In the beginning stages of the project, we conducted a questionnaire as part of the research, in which we asked a sample of people from our target audience (teenagers) a range of questions, including motifs they like to see, what their favourite genre is, and so on. Using this information, we recognised what to include in our video to not only meet the needs of our target audience, but also to be similar to real media products. We used motifs in our video that are commonly used in real media products, such as fragmentation of the body, concert footage, and flashbacks to the past. In addition to motifs, we also used a diverse range of camera shots and angles that are used in real music videos to portray the different parts of the video, for example, a high-angle shot to show the inferiority of the man. In addition, our product uses a similar structure to real media products in the way that there is a clear narrative story that it follows from the beginning to the end, however, at the same time, it also differs from real narrative structures where there are breaks in the narrative in which we see concert footage.

Top: Fragmentation of the body in our video.


Bottom: Fragmentation of the body in Flo Rida's "Wild Ones".

Our product also differs from real media products. Real media products usually make people want to be like the artist they are representing, and live a life similar to theirs. However, our product steers away from the idea of wanting them to be like the artist, because people will not want to find themselves in a similar position to our artist. Despite this, they still feel our artists’ pain and can relate to his story/the video because the story in it is one they may have found themselves in, or could possibly find themselves in.  Another particular difference is the use of location; in our video, the main location is just an ordinary park that anyone would find themselves in, however, in real media texts, the locations used  would be more exotic and desirable, which ties in with the above statement that people will be able to relate to the video because it is set in a place used by them.

Top: The depressed character in our video, in an ordinary park, that our audience can relate to.


Bottom: Happy characters in an exotic location surrounded by company of the opposite sex in The Wanted's "Glad You Came" - something our audience would aspire to be like.

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

I feel that the combination of our main product and the ancillary texts is very effective, as they all come together to promote the band. The video, obviously, provides the chosen song with supporting material that allows it to be played not only on radio, but also on television, in cinema adverts, and so on. This gives the video, and the song, plenty of opportunities to be promoted and addressed to people, particularly our target audience. Promotion is also a key part of the whole project, and supporting the video is the 3 ancillary texts we produced, all of which promote our band in a very professional, industry-like manner; the radio spot allows people to hear a sample of the song, which will then make them want to hear the whole thing and consequently view our video; the CD cover promotes it as though it were being sold in a retail store, so people would, were it a real product, see it in shops and be attracted to it, hopefully wanting to buy it; lastly, the website gives people all information they need to know about the artist and has on it the above products.


Another effective factor about all of our products is the consistent theme in them. The video is, as previously mentioned, about a man who is looking back upon a past relationship and being reminiscent of it in the hope that it will be rekindled, which therefore gives off a sort of depressing/nostalgic mood. To co-incide with this mood, we decided to use a black and white colour scheme in them, as black is a dark colour that would typically be associated with depression.

Top: Black and white in our video.


Bottom: Black and white in firstly the CD cover (front part) and the website (navigation bar).

 

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

Having completed our video to what we feel was a very sufficient standard, we then had to evaluate it. A key part of this evaluation was the audience feedback because, after all, if the video isn’t appropriate for/approved by our target audience, then essentially it is pointless because it doesn’t meet its purpose. In order to gain an idea of the audience’s opinions of the video, we, firstly, carried out a test audience video in which we should 5 teenagers the video and analysed their reactions, and we then interviewed another sample of test audience people (as shown in the image below). Secondly, we created a survey and requested that people fill it out upon watching their video. Again, once a sufficient amount of people had filled out the survey, we analysed the results, which allowed us to recognise the strengths and weaknesses of our video.

We found that our target audience felt that our video portrayed a clear narrative that was easy to understand and follow, and we feel, as a group, that this is one of the most important things about any music video, whether it be real or for project purposes, as it keeps the audience engaged and makes them want to find out what happens at the end of the narrative story. Also, 87.5% of the people that filled the survey out said that they think the video fulfilled its target audience. This too, is a highly important factor because, as previously mentioned, if it didn’t, we wouldn’t be meeting their needs and therefore the video would have no purpose.

A weakness that was mentioned, and we agree with, was the lip-synching. Although it was in time in some places, in others it was very weak and was slightly out of time on a few occasions, as highlighted by the responses from this survey.

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

Media technologies were used in every stage of our project. Without them, we wouldn’t have been able to do anything, and there would be no project, because it is impossible to manually/hand produce what we had to.

The main technologies that were used are the Mac (computer), the camera, and Adobe Premiere. The Mac was the source of everything; it had everything we needed and everything related to our project saved on it, and was the place on which we edited the video, uploaded the clips, created surveys, put together the blog, so if we didn’t have a Mac, we wouldn’t have been able to do any of the above. The camera was the second most important piece of technology used because it’s what we used to film not only the actual music video itself, but also the interviews, any podcasts, etc., and so without it, no filming would have been able to commence, and therefore no videos would have been produced. The third most important piece of technology was a piece of software called Adobe Premiere. The product that took priority within the project was the music video, as this was the sole purpose of the project, and without Premiere, we would have no video, because we wouldn’t have been able to edit it by piecing it together and applying all the effects.

In the light of the above question, we essentially used technologies to do the project, and without it, there would be no project; we used them to make the video and all ancillary texts, to create surveys, to make interviews and podcasts, to do all of the research and planning (which was done using the ‘Celtx’ software), and to then upload all of this to Blogger in a presentable fashion.

Top: A Mac computer.


Bottom: A video camera similar to the one we used throughout the project.

Evaluation: Tyrone's Essay

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

By using the questionnaires at the beginning of the project we (as a group) where able to conduct a survey and see what people where looking for in music videos, giving us an idea of how we can kick-start the project by choosing an artist/band and also what the target audience would like to see in our product (keeping in mind that we have a zero-budget). From the evidence we collected and analysed we wanted to incorporate the use of special effects in our music video because of the fact that present day music videos rely heavily on the use of special effects, for example, taking Katy Perry's video E.T, this relied very heavily on the collaboration of costume and special effects to create the controversial video. 

I feel our music video challenge the present day music videos because of the way that the music video was produced. Compared to present day music videos, they have on average a $4 million budget, where as we had to buy any props or sets that we required from our own money. In this light, it allows the common man to not feel as intimidated but more so, reflective upon our product. This opposes the modern day music video because our product is not as "flashy" or as well funded and it appeals to more people because they are able to relate to it more. 

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

The Music Video, Website and the CD cover we tried to have a connection between all of them keeping a consistent house-style. Going through the type of video it was, and considering the possibility of having a memory sequence within the video, we decided to go with a black and white house-style with on the most important bits in colour. In doing so, we gave the audience some visual aid in distinguishing the more important parts to the less important parts (this gave those who have a lack of concentration the ability to keep track of whats happening in the video).  


In contrast to this the Music Video and the Radio Spot are complete opposites. The music video is a very serious, nostalgic video allowing the viewer to relate to the video and this is what we intended for this. However, when in the production stages of the radio spot we wanted to balance out the mood, so we thought we would make the radio spot more comical in comparison to the video which was on a more serious level. This weighed out the mood more and i feel doing this made all the product harmonise in a mellow mood. 

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Throughout the whole project we, as a group, conducted 2 interviews and also set-up a test audience to gather their reactions. The 1st set of interviews were to find out what we needed to include in our music video, find out the music genre that the majority of people preferred, the different motifs that they liked to see within music  videos, and other questions. Below is a link to the 1st introductory interviews, and the information we gathered:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNdpKl7Tke8

The 2nd set of interviews that we had conducted where upon the completion of the video we had a sample of people watch the video, then answer a set number of questions (that where taken from the questionnaire that was published alongside with the music video when it was posted on Facebook) and this gave us a much more personal opinion, rather than having to type their answer people could be more in-depth with their words. During the same time, we also had a test audience view our music video, and recorded them doing so, from this we could gather their reaction to it, and see which bits where funny and so on. Looking back at all this data, I personally think that we managed to achieve what we initially set out to accomplish, making our product connect with its intended target audience. 

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

Throughout our research stages we relied heavily upon the use of Survey Monkey, and this new internet based company allowed us to create our surveys and publish them to our individual Facebook profiles, gathering information from a variety of people, with different musical tastes. Through out our planning stages, once we had collected our information, and chosen an artist/band, we turned to the internet for background knowledge on the band that we had chosen (The Script) we gathered the statistical information needed to see how well the artist has performed within the music industry and also on sales figures. 

In the construction stages of the project, we had to use the green screen (also known as chroma-key) due it being on one of our assessment objectives. We all had a go at this new technology, however, I am the only one that used it heavily, and being a new technology it was hard to fully understand the system and therefore, again turning to the internet I was able to find and look at the Adobe Users Manual for After Effects to help me understand the project better. For our evaluation stages, not only did we need to have an individual write up but also, a more creative outlook on the evaluation and we all took part in the creation of a mock-up TV show and turned it into a more creative analysis of our final product.