Finished Film

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

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

• COLLAGE

Collage

one of the ways I have evaluated this question is through a collage. By watching my PREZI, it should be clear that I have used the internet in ways to research and construct parts of my project such as the ancillary texts (poster and digipack). As seen, I used Rihanna's RATED R album cover for inspiration for ZARENNA's poster and digipack images. Now, using a collage I will visually show the inspiration of other media technologies such as MUSIC VIDEOS, ALBUM/SINGLE COVERS AND ICONIC TEXT to help construct, research, plan and evaluate my product.

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

I have answered this question in the form of QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSES followed with GRAPHS to mirror the response.

I gathered a group of 10 people ranging between the ages of 13-53 of both genders (TARGET AUDIENCE) , to ask them a set of questions about my music video. 

Question 1- Do you understand the concept of the music video?

It was important for my own personal satisfaction of the evaluation process, to make sure that my target audience watching my music video were aware of the concept and understanding what was happening in the video.I had a overall positive response to this question, with 8/10 people understanding the concept. With two people not understanding- I followed with the question 'Why?' to these individuals. One of two individuals answered -

"I could see that there was an element of similarity between the singer Zarenna and the angel in the music video- as they looked the same and towards the end both characters came together. However, throughout the majority of the video I struggled to understand the concept of personal identity issues with the angel- I could not find the link between the angel herself and fighting to 'be' Zarenna until the end of the video..." Response Group Individual  Aged 18

How did this help me with my evaluation and how would I improve the music video based on this response?

The response I got from this individual helped me a lot. It gave me a good understanding of where I could of possibly done a better job in expressing the concept. For example; I could of linked the two (Zarenna and angel) in a better way by creating an additional similarity between them- Despite the fact they are the SAME person, I could of linked them by a signature piece of jewelry or pattern on the face (facepaint).

Question 2- Does the music video and ancillary texts link?

This response was fantastic. In the group I showed them the music video along with the ancillary texts (poster and digipack) and asked them if they thought that they all linked together. With an overall 10/10 response for 'YES', it was clear that I had achieved my goal of creating a flowing link throughout each product- relating one another together. I followed the ask the question- 'Why?' to one of these individuals to answered yes to this question- in which the answer followed;

"It was very easy for me to see and understand the link between all of the products for the singer Zarenna. In the music video, Zarenna is wearing a black turtle neck top with long straingtened black hair. In the digipack and poster, Zarenna is too wearing this black top and long black hair, it is clear that the two are linked together"  Response Group Individual Aged 14

Question 3- How effective is the combination of all three of these products?

This was the final question I asked my focus group. It is the most important and largest question that I asked the group- it delivered the largest response for my evaluation on question 2. I asked, how effective is the combination of all three of these products (music video, poster, digipack) as I needed to know whether all three combined interested/attracted and informed my audiences. The response was overall positive- 7/10 individuals answered that the combination was very effective- 2/10 answered it was just effective, and 1/10 individuals answered that the combination was not effective. I asked all three of these groups of individuals 'Why?' 

'VERY EFFECTIVE' GROUP RESPONSE- "We believe that it was a very effective combination to promote and sell the artist Zarenna. The music video was upbeat, interesting and active. There were no parts of the music video which we thought was boring or repetitive, the lip syncing was on time and was also filmed in numerous ways. There was a variety of shots and interesting angels to view the singer from, and the shots of the angel created a unique music video which we have not seen often from existing dance tracks. The poster and digipack was simple yet informative- the colour scheme was very bold to the eye and enticed all of us into reading what the singer had to offer..." 

• AGED 13,15,15,18,18,19,20

'EFFECTIVE' GROUP RESPONSE- "As a pair, we believed that the combination was only effective- this was because we did not understand the concept of the music video as well as others and therefore we could not say that these products would be our first choice of music to buy or see in shop/concert. The music video was interesting, yet not easily understood. On the other hand, the ancillary texts were very bold and simple which we both thought were effective" 

• AGED 14,15

'NOT EFFECTIVE' RESPONSE- "I did not really find any of the products effective- this was not because I thought that the project was poorly done or that it was unprofessional- but I personally was not interested in the music and therefore I did not have a lot of interest in understanding the concept." 

• AGED 17

Previous Feedback Video Talk- Script and Images Below

This was the feedback for my digipack- I wad advised by my teacher to add a background onto the CD insert part of the digipack. I therefore went away and added 'kisses' to the background. I did this by putting dark lipstick on my singer Zarenna and asking her to kiss a piece of paper several times so that I got a good and rounded outline of her lips and the lipstick. I then uploaded this onto photoshop where I then edited it and then posted it on the background of the CD insert. I lowered the opacity to allow the audience to see the disc. This feedback that I acted on increased my marks for the digipack.

Here when I was given feedback for my poster- I was advised to add the image of the digipack onto to poster itself to show its existence as a CD. I therefore acted on this feedback by taking a photo of the digipack assembled against a white background which made it simple to edit on Photoshop. When uploaded, I chose the most effective angle and then edited it so that it fit in with my poster. This feedback that I acted on increased my marks for the poster.

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

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

Script 

During my A2 project, I created three main products- the music video, digipack and poster to promote my chosen singer Zarenna performing Embrace This Day by DJ PANDAMAN. The first and main product created was the music video.  It was important to me that I created a unique and different stance to dance track music videos, as during my research I did not find any that involved a storyline which was not about a couple falling in love or partying/dancing. I therefore developed the personal identity storyline which involved Zarenna, coming to terms with being an angel and singer on earth and fighting between which individual would take over. I believe this storyline was extremely successful with my target audience and this was proved in my focus group testing. The theme was understood by most and therefore created an effective response. 

During the editing of the music video I added several effects and variety of shots to ensure that it was clear that Zarenna was fighting between her angel self and singer self- I did this by several effects such as red colouring at the end when Zarenna is 'becoming the angel' and lightening effects to show the severity of struggle she is going through at that moment. For example, the red colouring of the scene represented her anger and stress- which was understood by my audience which reflects it's effectiveness to my audience.

Furthermore, I developed effectiveness of my concept through mise-en-scene. I used a wide range of props throughout and different clothing to signify the difference between the two people. For example, the singer Zarenna character wore black clothing throughout, and sometimes had facial design such as diagonal/vertical lines on her face. Whilst on the other hand, the angel wore cream clothing, with black wings and a mask. It was clear to my focus group that the two were different 'souls' however they could recognise similar features such as her hair, and eyes which reinstated that the two were the same people. I additionally used close up's of the angels eyes on a few occasions to let the audience see this. The use of props and clothing was important as at the end of the music video, both characters came together as Zarenna is seen putting on the mask, whilst wearing her all black clothing- signifying her decision as a character. 

Editing to the beat and also adding a variety of different meanings of shots was important too. For example, I have edited to the beat throughout- to ensure that the audience are kept interested- it represents the upbeat nature of the song, and the personality of the singer too. It was also key that the shots were edited in a variety of ways- this is because I wanted to keep consistency of the location when Zarenna was singing, therefore she is filmed behind/in a white background throughout- which may be quite boring if I did not edit these. I edited them in a way which created 'variety' even if they were all filmed in the same place. For example many shots have been split in to two, four screens, two scenes in one, black and white or lightening effects. My response from my focus group did not express that it was boring, which therefore proves this point effective. 

Developing my ancillary texts had to stick by a strict theme throughout and I ensured that both contained the same text, design, colour , theme and images- to make sure that audiences were able to link the two, and the music video. For example, I chose a black theme throughout both texts so that it related to the dark, dingy nature of the music video and Zarenna's character that she presented to the audience. The text I chose therefore I coloured white, so that it stood out to the audience and was the first thing they saw, which is how I feel Zarenna the singer, should be presented. The text was simple however had a unique development on the 'Z' which I believe related to Zarenna's uniqueness. It additionally created a brand image which is important for all singers, therefore I believe I added a professional touch to the product. 

The digipack- used black and white themes, however the background was white and the text was black, which contrasts against the theme of the poster, which uses black backgrounds and white text. I was not worried about this at all, as I believe it represented differences between the two ancillary texts however both used the same texts and images, which therefore could be understood by my audience. I did not alter or change any text as I wanted it to create a flow between both ancillary texts. 

The images on the digipack and poster I believe were very effective in regards to the relation to the music video- creating the biggest link between the combination of the three. The images taken for the ancillary texts were created in a way to look as if they had just been taken off the music video- when capturing these moments I ensured Zarenna had similar make up, the same top and the same hairstyle so that she looks identical to how she did in the music video- when testing my focus group, they did not question that the images looked any different to the music video - which proves that this was effective in regards to linking all three products together. 

If I was to change anything about the combination of the three, I would of found the font for the ancillary texts earlier on and edited it into the start of my music video where text is used to represent the song. I would if I could, use the font 'Dolce Vita' in the music video which would create an even stronger bond and effectiveness of the three as the text in the music video is not the same as the ancillary texts. 

In conclusion I believe that the combination between the three products is very effective and it is clear that all three products are promoting the singer Zarenna.

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

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

I have answered this question in two forms;

1. Directors Commentary
2. Forms and Conventions Table

DIRECTORS COMMENTRY 

Previous video (Embrace This Day) What changed, and why?

Video here

My music video transitioned from the theme of love and hate to personal identity within a matter of weeks- I believe that the change was the most positive improvement on my music video project to date.
My first plot was originally based around the typical, cliche theme for dance tracks- love. I began the filming of Embrace This Day with two characters - Alice Isaacs and Charlie Varney. Both interested in music, I felt that they were perfect for the role of these characters. Set out with a plan, I began filming in the evenings for the video, set in Barnet, Greater London, and Southbank, Central London. Once filming I returned to my work space and uploaded it onto the programmer Final Cut Express. 
After the music video had roughly been put together, I gathered feedback from my peers in my class and my teacher- the feedback was mixed, however many showed a dislike in the fact that the camera quality was poor because it wad dark at night, and there was too much acting, and not singing. After deliberation I therefore decided to take the chance to promptly re-created a new theme for the track, in which I then recruited Zarenna Porter to play a fallen angel in the music video, based around personal identity.

Filming for the second take of the video was a lot easier straight away. I took the camera to two locations, my home and an outside field in Greater London- both in broad day light, the camera quality was definitely better for the video. It was additionally easier because Zarenna was my only character that needed dealing with- which made it easier to give instructions, or re-shoot if needs be. Furthermore, Zarenna was very flexible when it came to filming and we subsequently filmed the video over a few days- which was great.  The location was additionally a positive in regards to filming, my home scenery for the lip syncing parts of the track was great because we were both in a comfortable and quiet environment with no distractions, similar, the open field in GL was also reasonably empty, which made filming long shots for example, a lot clearer and less packed.

WORD CLOUD

On this word cloud, I put together a set of words that represent my video for Embrace This Day. The words in the cloud represent Zarenna's personality, the theme of the song, the genre, the type of music and the character Zarenna plays.

Advertising Packaging Feedback

After completing my digi-pack and poster for my album 'Embrace This Day', I received feedback from my teacher.

DIGIPACK

WHAT WENT WELL 

• interesting images that grab the attention of the audience
• excellent use of black and white colours throughout the packaging
• recognised that this is a digipack and not just a CD
• recogniseable identity imagry such as barcodes, iTunes logo and universal logo 
• interesting use of effects 
• effects on images are not too intrusive
• established a logo for 'ZARENNA' the artist by using a recognisable 'Z' on the inner lyric slot

EVEN BETTER IF

• suggestion to make the 'Z' image page into a lyric book
• background image on CD insert

POSTER

WHAT WENT WELL

• excellent use of image and text
• dates of digipack release are made clear
• same font and colour scheme used throughout
• important information is made clear to the audience by text size ect.

EVEN BETTER IF

• image of the cd itself on the poster to make very clear to the audience that this is a poster for the release of the digipack- not a tour date.

I was additionally asked questions by my teacher to answer on my blog about the digipack and poster.

1) What media term explains the imagery of the artist looking into the camera/straight at the audience?

The answer to this is DIRECT MODE OF ADDRESS. I used DMA for my images in my digipack because it was important to me that the audience felt an instant connection with the artist. I thought that if I used imagery which made the artist (Zarenna) look shy would disinterest the audience. I believed that the use of intimidation of the eyes in the images of Zarenna would also represent the nature of the artist's genre of music- which is dance. It could be suggested that if I used a less intimdaiting image- the genre of the music could be seen as soul/R&B.

2) Explain what font I used- where and why is it from?

The answer to this question is that I chose to get the front from an online source. This website is called www.dafont.com, the font itself is called Dolce Vita. I thought that this font went well with my music genre because of it's quirky and simplistic nature. The main feature of the font, is the reversed A. I believed this added extra uniqueness to the font, and to the digipack and poster too.

Choosing the images and Digipack and poster

Choosing the images for my digipack and poster were quite hard as I had a lot of images to choose from. I decided to choose ones that made Zarenna look as independent and crazy as possible, which is what the music video represents. I took several images in different angels of her face however I remained always behind the same white background, which is similar to my music video. I decided to use Zarenna's hand movements and facial expressions to express her personality as I did not think extravagant and busy images with bold clothing and make-up would be suitable for my aim of the digipack and poster. I thought that a clear face and black attire represents her dark personality and does not take over the meanings of the images. Other images include- 

Proof of my original prints 

   these images were scanned in via an A4 image scanner connected to Photoshop.

Digipack plan

Digipack Research and Conventions of a digipack

What is a digipak?

A digipack is a packaging for CD or special edition CD's- it is used to give an idea or feeling of the artist and type of music and genre of the album. It is to represent the artist and single as a whole which will promote them to their consumers- heightening sales.

Conventions of a digipack

• represent artist
• video content
• look professional 
• relevant information about artist
• barcodes (to be sold in shops)
• all songs from artist displayed on digipack
• genre is portrayed successfully 
• general flow of design/colour scheme

Rihanna- Rated R Album Cover

I chose to research and look into Rihanna's 'Rated R' album cover because I believe that the images and colours used are very similar to my idea's for my digipack. 

Make Up

In rihanna's album cover her make up is very devious and dark, suggesting that one main song on her album expresses something of this nature. I thought that the choice of lipstick and eyemakeup was very bold and stood out. This relates to how I would like my digipack cover make up to be for my main singer Zarenna, as she acts as a devious fallen angel in the music video for Embrace This Day and therefore dark makeup, like Rihanna's, would express this.

Posture

In Rihanna's album cover, one hand is covering her eye, a pose that my singer Zarenna does in the video for Embrace This Day. I believe that like Rihanna's make up, her posture represent's the devious and bold nature of one the main songs on the album. I believe the covering of the eye suggests that the song has a meaning of that she may have something to hide or is shy. I would like my singer Zarenna to pose in somewhat a similar way to Rihanna as she is hiding and trying to escape becoming the good fallen angel that also features in the video.

Effects

In Rihanna's album cover the chosen effect for the album cover is a very bold black and white effect which has a lot of contrast added to create detail. I think that the fact everything is very dark expresses the nature of the songs on the album and also emphasizes the choice of make up and posture of the album cover as she appears to look very scary. I may use an effect like this on my digipack however I may experiment with effects more such as using half/half (half colour and half black and white).

Photoshop

For my digipack creation I will have to use the programme Photoshop to create the best quality images possible. 
Using Photoshop I will have to use key tools such as;

• Free transform
• Opacity
• Bucket Fill
• Gradients
• Duplicating layers
• Adding/deleting layers
• Cut/Crop
• Magic wand tool
• Marquee

The tutorial in our lesson of Photoshop was useful and I will use all of these tools and skills correctly to ensure the outcome of my digipack will be of a high standard and quality. 

My editing skills and knowledge since starting project

Since starting the music video project at A2, my skills of editing on video software has improved greatly. At AS I learnt a lot about Final Cut Express and iMovie when filming and editing my film opening, therefore I had a clear and fluent understanding of how to use the software such as uploading my footage. However since the music video project my skills within Final Cut Express have improved even more. 

We were shown and taught at the beginning of the course at A2 about how important the lip syncing and editing to the beat was, which made me make sure that my music video was sharp and edited to the exact second of the beat. I learnt about how to put in markers on where a singing shot appears, which taught me to be able to line up my footage with it, so that the singing was completely in time with the video. I also learnt how to use several effects on Final Cut Express which I had not used before. Throughout my video I have used different video filters on my footage such as a glow or a replication of one shot into four.

I feel as if since my A2 course has started, that my existing knowledge and understanding of editing and software using has been improved greatly and gives me much more confidence in using the computers alone and also to make my own music videos/films outside of school. I rarely find myself asking my teachers how to do something which I am very proud of. 

Storyboard 2

Forms and Conventions of a Music Video

There are three different styles of music video; narrative based, performance based and concept based.

Narrative based music video

A narrative based music video that has a storyline which applies throughout the duration of the video. My example for a narrative based music video is Taylor Swift-Blank Space.
The storyline is about a girl who is struggling with relationships and her personality. The main actress lives in a large mansion where her latest boyfriend turns up at her house. The video follows of the pair being inseparable and in a loving relationship until her jealousy hits her after she see's him texting somebody else. The video then follows her becoming increasingly angry, such as ripping up his shirts and throwing his belongings out onto the grounds. The video concludes with her (ex) boyfriend leaving her mansion, and the next one pulling up outside. 

Performance based music video

A performance-based music tends to be a video that involves mainly the artist/group of the song being played. These types of videos can be shots of them singing in a studio or at a concert. They also may play the main actor/actress in a story. My example for a performance based music video is John Legend- All Of Me.

The music video simply involves continuous shots of the main singer John Legend, with between shots of his wife Chrissy. The song is initially about their love between the two and is personal to them both as Legend used his wife in the music video instead of casting an actress. The music video is based around John Legend singing whilst playing his piano.

Concept driven music video

A concept-based music video is one that has no relevance to the music, lyrics or genre. There are usually no links between video and the lyrics therefore they are very gripping and interesting for the audience to watch. My example of a concept driven music video is Boogie Pimps- Somebody to love. The lyrics set up the story of needing somebody to love through hard times in life and seeing between lies and your problems. However the music video is one in which involves several babies skydiving out of a plane onto a young woman's body who seems to be a 'giant' lying on the world.  I feel as if this video was a very good example of concept driven music video as I believe that this music video is extremely remember-able and is unforgettable in terms of the concept. 

I believe that my video Embrace This Day is a concept driven music video as I have gone against the lyrics of the song to form a retaliated version of the lyrics. It was important to me that I used the most gritty and unusual idea for my music video as I did not want the lyrics to be able to relate to what the audience would see.

Lip Syncing Tutorial video

How filming went and location recce (Second Plot)

After the issues that I had with my first plot for Embrace This Day, I decided to change the narrative from a broken couple to a fallen angel's desperation to be happy. I casted Zarenna Porter to play the fallen angel and singer (two separate parts which come together at the end). I filmed her altogether three times- this is my account of how I feel it went in comparison to Embrace This Day Plot 1

Day 1 Filming

On day one of filming, I chose to film the Angel Shots. These shots included using the location of a local open field in Whetstone, Barnet and using the props of the wings and mask. The day started at around 11:00am, I picked Zarenna up from her house and we drove to the filming location. We parked up and walked into the field where I began to visualise where I wanted Zarenna to be filmed. We moved from the top of the field to the bottom altogether with the filming and shot our last few scenes over the bridge at the end of the field. In my opinion, I feel as if this day went extremely well, as there was no complications with factors such as lightening or background noise. Filming in the middle of the day as opposed to night-time (which Embrace This Day 1 was filmed) it made it a lot easier to make sure I was getting the right shots. Daylight also meant that the focus and sharpness of Zarenna's face was of a much higher quality then what it was on Alice's face in my first plot. The day ended after I was satisfied with the angel shots and I took Zarenna home.

Day 2 Filming

The next day of filming took place in our school where we put up a pure white background against a wall for Zarenna to stand in front of. I set up the camera and tripod infant of the white background and made sure that it was in perfect proportion for the first shot of Zarenna's singing. There was no lip-syncing in Day 1 of filming therefore I had to ensure that this day of filming went as well as the first did. We began to play the song from start to finish where Zarenna sang to the camera in time with the music. We filmed in under two hours and once it was done, I uploaded it straight on to the computer where I looked at what we had achieved. I was extremely happy with this filming as during the first plot, my actress was not as good at lip-syncing then I had first hoped and therefore it took much longer and I was also not very happy with the standard of it either. Zarenna's singing was great and I was very pleased with how in time she was to the music, as well as her expressions and comfortability around the camera.

Day 3 Filming

After putting all my lip-syncing shots onto the computer, I realised that I did not have enough footage for the whole duration of the music video left. I had around a minute left to fill and decided that if this would be filled, I would have to film Zarenna again. I booked out another camera and tripod and organised a day with Zarenna to film the final shots. We went to the same location as before, bringing our angel props along with us to film the collaboration shots of the angel and the singer. We filmed in around 45 minutes and was the final day of filming for Embrace This Day. It went extremely well and followed my plans. 

Location 

 The place that I filmed was the large patch of greenery in-between the allotments on Whetstone High Road. It was very empty and easy to film on because there was a lot of room to move around and find different locations. It also is next to the railway line in which I have filmed images of in my film.

Zarenna Porter- Embrace This Day 2

As my plot drastically changed, so did my cast and I decided to use an 18 year old girl called Zarenna, a film and media enthusiast. 
I casted Zarenna through the use of helpful contacts within my class and after much deliberation about what sort of person I wanted in my video, I eventually contacted her via text message to ask her whether she would be in my music video.

I asked Zarenna what her main interests and hobbies were, including her opinion on my music video plot. In which she replied- 

"I love film and media because I feel like it allow's me to express myself through moving image, which means that I can widen my idea's greatly as I don't need to stick to just one, non moving drawing or photo. When Amber told me about the plot I thought it was great, as I think it is quite different to many music video's on the charts these days. I thought her idea of going against what the lyrics said was clever as I think it allowed the audience to learn how to think twice about the lyrics they hear on songs they like. I was very delighted to be asked to be her actress and face for her music video and I am very excited to see the outcome of the hard work that Amber and I will be putting into this"

Conventions of a magazine advert

Conventions of magazine advert include;

• interesting fonts
• interesting themes
• flowing theme throughout
• images that excite the audience
• informative, relevant information
• simplicity 
• bold text/image
• relevant companies involved 

examples

My favorite magazine advert;

My chosen favorite between the four is the Arctic Monkeys magazine advert- this is because it is bold and stands out against the rest because of its simplistic, and contrasting nature. They have used only two colors for the whole theme and text which is black and white- this colour contrast makes every bit of information stand out and represent importance. Unlike the Lana Del Rey advert, I feel the colours blend and therefore do not stand out as much as the Arctic Monkeys colour scheme does. The image is in the middle of the advert which creates a sense of attention drawn to the center which is important.