Evaluation Question 3:

What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

After a group of peers viewed my music video I sat with them and asked for feedback “it’s really good, as if it could be an actual music video, proves the following conventions and stereotypes I managed to correctly convey the artist and genre through my video.

After viewing my magazine advert I was told from one member of my group “ it’s very basic, but the use of colour is good” from this I found that studying other artists CD covers, posters and advertisements I was able to convey the correct connotations through colour however the audience felt it was basic but through the use of bold fonts and bright colouring another member of the group stated “ the main points are clear”. From audience feedback I have learnt that knowledge of genre, stereotypes and studying similar artists allows you to create effective and successful media products which are relative and provide a clear link between relating products such as digipaks, video and advertisement.

Evaluation Question 2:

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

Whilst creating my key assignment and ancillary texts, I wanted there to be an apparent theme throughout so the audience could make the distinct link between all three products, this is important as the posters and magazines advertisements are meant to be a clear display of genre and artist for example a soft, lightly coloured poster with the connotations of perhaps a cheesy pop band wouldn’t then go on to make a dark heavy metal video. This would confuse and displace the trust of the audience.

The main theme throughout is the use of red’s and seasonal colours with a cartoonised element. I decided upon this theme as its very stereotypical of the acoustic artists and genre.

Effectively creating a relationship between audience and artist’s proved easier then appeared by sticking to conventions and stereotypes I was able to clearly portray the artist and my video genre with a clear link with magazine advertisements and the digipak.

Making the artist the main focus of the magazine advertisement instead of obscure images or drawings gives the audience an opportunity to connect and relate with the artist as in seeing an artist on any other media product such as television or radio bridging the gap between artist and fans.

This means that the combination of the video, magazine and cd cover is very effective, as all 3 allow the song’s promotion to reach all possible places (whereas if there was just a poster for example, it would not be able to reach TV, cinema, etc…) and this is very important to attract all possible different types of audiences and just simply increases the chance of people seeing, knowing and liking the look of the video. So in my opinion the combination of my main product and ancillary texts is very effective.

Evaluation Question 4:

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

I believe that the construction stage is the stage that most relies on all media technologies from the use of camera to the editing programmes. In this stage of my portfolio I ventured into using a new range of media technologies that I hadn’t in the past.

During the research stage I used computers to view and analyse magazine advertisements , music video’s, artists of the acoustic genre and CD covers. Too gain knowledge and inspiration from these media products, so that my 3 products would end up looking authentic and professional .

The software I used was the internet: for research general knowledge and into conventions, which involved looking at and analysing real film posters, magazines and trailers,
My magazine advertisement which both followed and challenged conventions allowed me to display my creativity and knowledge of the genre and media as a whole.
For filming my college had provided new cameras, which we had never used before, and they were difficult to get used to so I decided to use my mother's video camera, again one I hadn’t used before but with a simpler lay out so I became accustomed to it quickly.

For an editing programme I used i-movie 09 on the i-mac a very high tech and easy to use system and one i had used in my AS production so I was accustomed to it. On this system I was able to add effects, reverse clips and apply backing music and sound effects.

For editing the photographs I used for both my CD cover and magazine advertisement I used lunapic.com. As i had not used a programme of this sort before initially I found it difficult but quickly became accustomed and was able to use it successfully to apply different effects and texts to my images.

Again, college had provided new tripods also. These were a lot more sufficient then the one’s used in my AS media allowing for smoother movements and panning shots . Also I used Microsoft word and paint to copy and paste images onto my magazine advertisement and CD cover to allow for a more professional and authentic image and product.

Evaluation Question 1:

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

Music videos within the acoustic/blues/indie genre usually use performance, narrative or music videos with a narrative concept containing elements of performance. As my music video is a narrative with elements of performance it could be considered to conform to conventions associated with acoustic/blues music. Colbie Cailat,’s, an acoustic artists video’s also comply to conventions and utilize stereotypes within the acoustic genre. One that I researched before creating my music video was ‘Bubbly’. Colbie Cailat features in this narrative video which shows her in both the narrative and performing through lip syncing and playing the guitar. This is similar to my video as my protagonist lip sync’s throughout the video in between the narrative. Narrative based videos are the less common of the three categories and so in a sense I am developing the convention. The music video ‘9 crimes’ by the acoustic artists Damien Rice is again a performance based video containing a small element of narrative. Exploring these videos in depth, I realised that a performance/narrative video would best suit my genre also studying the video’s and artist’s named I was able to apply and utilise the correct mise-en-scene to create an authentic feel to my music video. The narrative concept applied to my video initially appears to be a generic love story. This conforms to ideas and themes within the acoustic/blues genre. incorporating Todorov’s theory of there being five stages of a narrative I created a boy-girl love story, however, my music video develops this theory as instead of the conventional linear narrative, I create a twist to my ending by reversing time and engaging the audience as this would not be expected. Also I challenge the idea of a the typical love story by presenting the girl as emotionally unconnected and the man sad, lonely and chasing the woman through this incorporating the post modernist view of challenging stereotypes.

I decided to include aspects of Goodwin’s theory by creating a clear relationship connecting the lyrics and visuals. Within the narrative it say’s “every time you go” showing the female protagonists leaving.

Also I challenged conventions through the use of costume. Acoustic artist’s Stereotypically appear messy and unkept, with the examples of Damien rice and James blunt, yet I decided to dress my male protagonist in jeans a t-shirt and a hoody stereotypical of a young man also at points he appears in a scruffy t-shirt and pyjama bottoms to display the contrast between the narrative and flashbacks and to display his mental state .

Magazine Advert: my magazine advert conforms to the conventions of real media products through applying a stereotypical use of band/artist name, name of single, date due out and ratings from music based magazines such as “Q” and “NME” . Typical to James Morrison's “Songs For You, Truths For Me” I use orange and dull tones to make the artist appear more prominent. Challenging the conventions of magazine adverts where generally the artists name would appear larger than the single’s name, I reversed this making the single’s name larger in a red font and the artist name longer, yet still large, however longer in a bright yellow font so initially the public see the most important elements of the advertisement.

CD cover: like magazine adverts, the CD cover is designed to sell and represent the artist and the genre of the music they produce. Typical to similar artists my single cover contains images of the artist central the photograph in obscure colouring such as James Blunt 'Back to Bedlam” and James Morrison “Wonderful World” my digipak ‘sell’s my artist as he is central to the cover and the dominant image. The back panel consists of the track list, barcode and image right of the cover. This allows the audience to relate to the artist through visual imagery and assists the audience in finding specific tracks. Challenging the conventions of a typical acoustic single back panel like those of Damien Rice, James Morrison and James blunt never appear on the back panel of their singles but obscure images and colours relative to the front panel.

digipak:

BACK COVER - I chose these colours as they are a clear representation of the colours on the front cover to create an on going theme and a relevant link.

INSDE IMAGE
INSIDE IMAGE

INSIDE IMAGE

in these images, it clearly shows close up and long shots of the artist. this allows the audience and fans to look closely at the artist and also they double up as posters as well as aiding publicity so the fan gets extras they wouldn't gain from downloads.

FRONT COVER

- the front cover image is edited in a similar way to James Blunt's 'Back to Bedlam' as I feel that they are aimed at a very similar target audience and are similar artists therefore promoting recognition from the audience and therefore interest.

my final magazine advertisement:

I decided on this image to be my final piece as I felt that the happy image of the protagonist smiling was fitting to the genre as well as the warm oranges, red's and browns and yellows which connote this. In the shot he also looks very natural and in natural surroundings rather than an urban setting or a constructed set in which he is posing for shots. Again I feel that this follows the image created in the video and also maintains appeal for his target audience that he is a genuine musician rather than a 'pop star'.

It contains all the devices my previous two images did not such as price, date of release, purchase information and ratings.

Firstly I seleceted an image I thought would be suitable and create a successful magazine advertisement. I loaded it onto www.lunapic.com and selected both sepia and colour changers to create a cartoon styled image similar to the digipak so there is a clear link with the artist and create warm red, orange, yellow and brown tones to connote a happy, peaceful and passionate artist and single.

magazine advertisement:

these are my first two attempts at creating a good advertisement to place in a magazine to promote the single and artist. i used the cartoonised images similar to that on the digipak to create a on-going theme linked to the artist. the use of red's is also a linking theme throughout as it connotes passion an element involved within the single.

i discarded using these two images as initially, they didn't contain a date of release, information on where to purchase it from, a price or a rating from a popular music magazine. these things are all crucial too and stereotypical of magazine advertisements, i felt that without the use of these devices my product would appear unprofessional and unsuccessful and in the second image the colour used when i applied the rating i felt was too dark.

inspirational directors:

I'm heavily inspired by spike jones and the revolutionary products he has brought to the media industry and his diversity from music video's including some for puff daddy, notorious b.i.g and the infamous 'fatboy slim' visual accompaniment to 'praise you' filmed in a documentary and performance style; too feature films such as 'being john malkovich' and the recent 'where the wild things are'.

also liz Friedlander a female director; i was heavily inspired by her video for Colbie Calaits 'bubbly' it was a narrative/performance based video and i felt that it conveyed both genre and artist excellently to the audience.

Colbie Caillat lyrics

COLBIE CAILLAT BUBBLY Video - Colbie Caillat Music Videos

Music Videos by VideoCure

rough cut of music video:

this is a rough cut of the original ending of my music video.

i changed is as i felt that the beginning was better and it create and anti-climatic feel. Also, because as from the beginning the audience feel empathy for the protagonist i felt that it would suit the narrative to have a resolution, it would also please the fans and audience.

the target audience for my video is 18-24 the same age group for my artist. i felt that without the element of a resolution it would lose that entertaining touch and i felt that by adding it, it gave the film a happy ending as 18-24 year old male and females don't want to view something very heavy as the song is already very linked with emotions.

the editing process:

i already had a very strong concept for my music video and i felt it would accompany the song very well. By using a large number of shots and angle's i had more than enough shot's to create a professional and successful visual accompaniment.

- i used a close up shot to bring attention to the engagement ring to display the seriousness the male protagonist took in his relationship and draw empathy that someone that close to him had left him.

i had the male protagonist use the phone and a shot reverse shot of the female protagonist not answering the phone when the lines "and if you should fall. please don't call' to juxtapose what the artist is saying to display his deeper state of mind that infact he still wants her.

i used an establishing shot of the train station to display there would be a journey,one of emotions and also it is a concept i enjoyed in the original video.
- i used alot of scene shots to fit and convey the acoustic genre clearly.

- i used a medium form behind shot as she left to show the point of view of the artist/narrator/protagonist.

final music video:

the process of filming:

following the choosing of my song i sat down and story boarded my idea's so i knew what shots and angles i'd need.

i then had to decide on the camera i'd use, because school has purchased some new cameras that i found quite difficult to use i decided to use the family camera. also school had purchased some new tripods which maneuvered more smoothly than the old one's and were similar to the old ones so i new how to use them so i also used that.

as i was going away on a family holiday to Cornwall i felt this would be an excellent place to film; taking into account weather, scenery and reliable family members that would help me with filming. i also felt it would be a fabulous opportunity to give my production a professional look and too take advantage of this as no-one else in my group had access to being on location.

on the first day of filming i directed my sister and asked if she could pack away her clothes, i would film one shot, ask her to return all the items of clothing, change shots and angles and have her repeat this same action. for a unusual, creative shot i put the camera into her bag, and had her put the clothes in giving me an excellent close up worms eye view shot that i thought worked very well within the narrative.

then as we went for a meal at the pub and the weather was nice i decided i would get my camera and film Aimee and Alex ( the performers in my video ) as they usually are to create naturalism within my narrative. these shots would be used for the flash backs of their relationship.

as everyone walked back i noticed a phone box and i thought it would work better within the acoustic genre to use this instead of the contemporary mobile phones featuring throughout the narrative.

on the second day of filming we made a train journey to Penzance where i filmed the scenery shot of the harbour, the establishing shot of the train station and the point of view shot of the train journey.

I directed Alex ( the male protagonist ) to run up on to the platform, he did this twice first i filmed a medium shot with him running towards the camera and the second a medium shot of his feet as he ran past.

again, whilst in Penzance, i filmed Aimee and Alex as a couple and didn't give any direction as i wanted it too be totally naturalistic. As we were going by train i couldn't take my tripod with me which i thought would make filming difficult but as i had to get quick shots of Aimee and Alex it made it easier as i could easily maneuver and change angles quickly when necessary.

on day the third day of filming we travelled down to the beach to do the performance element of the music video. initially i wanted it on a long sandy beach but as we couldn't access that part of the beach by walking i settled with film on rockery with the beach and cove in the back group which i think worked well as mise-en-scene. i had taken my tripod down to the beach but as explained i was filming on rockery and it was a very windy day so i couldn't get the tripod to stand straight or stay up so i filmed without a tripod but i still feel very certain that my shots are too a high quality and very steady.

on day four, we were packing up too leave so i filmed Aimee emptying the wardrobe and putting away all her make up. when the wardrobe was empty i took worms eye view, medium and panning shots so i would have a lot of choice when it came too editing.
when Aimee had packed her bag i filmed her putting on her coat and walking out the door with a match on action shot of her from the landing to the stairs.

once this had been shot i asked to borrow her ring which i took many shots of on the dresser and directed Alex to pick it up and walk out, then i had Alex come back in, as he was wearing a t-shirt, pyjama bottoms and had scruffy hair i felt this would be an accurate display of his inner emotions and state of mind following his fiance walking out on him so i filmed him playing on his laptop, sitting staring aimlessly into space and then storming out.

storyboard and planning

moodboard:

analysis of lyircs:

1st stanza:

You never were going to change your mind, were you, Emily? - the rhetorical question address's a specific person (emily)

You just sat back, took it all for you, there was nothing for me;- he implies that the female protagonist gave nothing to the relationship and took all the benefits for herself.

I didn't mean to prove that all I can do is lose - he feels sorry for himself and this perhaps implies that his relationship have'nt been highly successful.

Next time that you need me, don't call me up, Emily; - he's insisting that if the female protagonist wants or "needs" something from the artist that she should'nt contact him.

I'm tired of your lies and your cheating ways with me; - he's finished with her, and the way that she treats him.

And every time you go, please don't let me know - this implies that this relationship is repeatedly on and off and that he is tired of this scenario.

Emily, you still live inside of me; - regardless of what he's previously said and implied he still loves her.

And, Emily, you are the fire in my tree; - the use this metaphor implies that 'emily' is bad for the narrator.

So if you should fall, please don't call; - the artist does not want to hear from the female protagonist under any circumstances.

And next time you write, I won't stay up all night; - i assume he means that she has perhaps wrote him a letter that has emotionally effected him to the extent he cannot sleep.

'Cos Emily you, just look at you - you're a tragedy - this is an insult directed at the female protagonist (emily)

You never were going to change you mind, were you, Emily? - he repeats the question from the beginning of the song, as if he's making sure that 'emily' won't change her mind.

You just sat back, took it all for you, and nothing was there for me; - again, implying that she took all the benefits of the relationship and he gained nothing.

I didn't mean to prove that all I'm good for is to lose - repetition of before insinuating he feels sorry for himself and this perhaps implies that his relationship have'nt been highly successful.

Emily, you still live inside of me; - he implies that he is still in love with the female protagonist.

And, Emily, you are the fire in my tree; - like fire is bad for tree's the narrator feels that emily is bad for himself.

So next time you fall, please don't call; - he doesnt want contact with emily under any circumstances.

And next time you write, I won't stay up all night; - i assume he means that she has perhaps wrote him a letter that has emotionally effected him to the extent he cannot sleep.

'Cos Emily you, just look at you - you're a tragedy - a direct insult to 'emily' the female protagonist of the song.

You never were going to change you're mind were you, anyway - in this lines he proves defeatist and accepts that she is not coming back.

description of artist

stephen Fretwell was born in scunthorpe in 1981 and is a huge fan of band's such as blur, oasis, radiohead, suede and the blue tones.
his songs have featured in popular television programmes such as 'run', the theme tune for situation comedy 'gavin and stacey' as well as another 'darling don't appearing in skin's as well as musical appearance's on the american programme 'brothers and sisters'.
as well as being a solo artist he also played bass in artic monkey's alex turners side project 'last shadow puppets'.
fretwell was described by 'Q' as "scunthorpes finest export... ever".

why i chose this song.

When I was trying to find an artist and song to choose I had a real dilemma as I like lots of different genres of music. However, I was already a fan of Stephen Fretwell and was listening to his 'Magpie' album so I decided I would choose one of the songs he had released as a single 'Emily'. I immediately liked this song and when I actually looked at the lyrics I got a concept immediately and knew what I wanted to create. The song's narrative is of a failed love story between a man and a woman which I felt would be easy to portray. I also chose it as the video usually associated with this genre are stereotypically performance and narrative based and these two I feel I could realise the most effectively. I also chose Stephen Fretwell as he is an up and coming British artist whose music provided the soundtrack to Gavin and Stacey and was used in the third series of Skins and would this appeal to my target audience. However, as he is not a main stream artist many of his songs would not already have videos or be widely known, thus reducing possible comparison between my production and the original one.

'emily' stephen fretwell lyrics:

You never were going to change your mind, were you, Emily?
You just sat back, took it all for you, there was nothing for me;
I didn't mean to prove that all I can do is lose

Next time that you need me, don't call me up, Emily;
I'm tired of your lies and your cheating ways with me;
And every time you go, please don't let me know

Emily, you still live inside of me;
And, Emily, you are the fire in my tree;
So if you should fall, please don't call;
And next time you write, I won't stay up all night;
'Cos Emily you, just look at you - you're a tragedy

You never were going to change you mind, were you, Emily?
You just sat back, took it all for you, and nothing was there for me;
I didn't mean to prove that all I'm good for is to lose

Emily, you still live inside of me;
And, Emily, you are the fire in my tree;
So next time you fall, please don't call;
And next time you write, I won't stay up all night;
'Cos Emily you, just look at you - you're a tragedy

You never were going to change you're mind were you, anyway.

stephen fretwells original music video for emily:

Stephen Fretwell - Emily on muzu.tv

the pre-production and production of a music video:

to create a successful music video it needs to be thoroughly researched and thought through.

firstly, you should research the artist and their genre, this is crucial because the music video has to successfully convey the genre, this is done through the type of video for example, stereotypically the acoustic genre will have narrative/performance based video's.

after listening to the song you have chosen you should then move on to story boarding your concept for a music video and draw up your shots and idea's to create a draft of the video you wish to shoot.

ideally in the pre-production process you should meet with your artist and present them with your idea and concept and display to them your storyboard. you should also enquire if they have any trade marks for example a lot of rap and hip-hop artist like to wear their own jewelry and 'nelly' wore a plaster on his face, so that this doesn't interfer with costume idea's.

stepping to the production, you should consider lighting, location and mise-en-scene to create the right feel and convey the artist and genre correctly to the fans and audience.

when filming i feel using a high number of diverse shots and angles helps give your product a professional element and also makes editing easier and more successful because you have a lot more to work with and you are not tied down to re-use shot after shot presenting the audience with something new and keeping them entertained which is the sole purpose of a music video.

following filming the music video is then sent of too editing where it will begin too take form as a video rather then individual shots. in editing you create the music video's and are presented with the opportunity to add effects,CGI, digetic sound, photo shop images and play the music over the top.

after this it is sent off to be censored and certified. this is where people watch the video and make sure the language and images are suitable for mainstream television for example 'robbie williams' 'rock DJ' contains the image of him stripping naked and CGI of him taking of his skin. this was not suitable and was applied to the 9 'o' clock watershed.

from this the music video is sent off to music channels such as 'smash hits', 'kerrang' and 'mtv' again, the channel it is shown on depends soley on the genre of the song for example an acoustic song would not be played on 'kerrang' or 'mtv dance'.

video change

Having attempted to film my video for the Jamie T song I originally chose, I felt the concept was not strong enough and the performers that I had chosen were not reliable so I decided to revise my piece and chose to create a video for Stephen Fretwell's song 'Emily' instead.

goodwin's Theory:

Goodwin's Six Points:
1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (e.g. stage performance in metal video, dance routine for boy/girl band).
2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
3. There is a relationship between music and visuals (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style).
5. There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, telescopes, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
6. There is often intertextual reference (to films, tv programmes, other music videos etc).

mood board

the original video

Jamie T - Sticks 'n' Stones on MUZU