Evaluation Question 4

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

During studying A Level media I have been able to develop my skills and knowledge of technologies, therefore this is evident in my blog due to the different sites and programmes I have used in order to make my blog interesting whilst also actually making my product. Considering this, my AS blog is noticeably different in its appearance, as my A2 blog I have set out more professionally and created tags so my posts are easy to navigate. I have also used more media technologies compared to the amount I used in AS and also used these technologies to a more advanced level as due to not taking media in GCSE I was not used to the new technologies that are used in the media course, so this meant in A2 I was more familiar with the different technologies and was able to use them to a better level. Furthermore, in this post I will be evaluating the technologies that I have used for construction and research and how I have used them for the making of my products.

Blogger-  Blogger enabled to post the research I under took for the making of both my products. Therefore, in AS I researched the codes and conventions of thrillers, the history of thrillers etc and in A2 I researched into famous directors and also the codes and conventions different music genres before choosing one. I educated myself on how to create a successful and professional product that would relate well to my target audience and genre. Blogger allowed me to display this information in a quirky, professional and interesting manner. However, analysing my blog from AS it is clear that I was not as familiar with blogger compared to A2, as in A2 I was able to use Blogger much more technically, therefore for example; being able to set it out so posts are easy to navigate by putting tags on them. Also I experienced problems during making my blog in AS such as uploading videos and images as they either didn't upload or uploaded in a bad quality. Compared to my A2 I was able to figure out the problem and upload them with a smaller memory. Also in AS I worked with a class member so this meant we shared the work out between us, so in A2 working on my own I was able to broaden my knowledge on Blogger and create exactly what I wanted to.

 

 

IMovie and editing- IMovie was used to create both my AS and A2 productions, AS being a thriller opening 'Stalker' and A2 being a music video to the song 'hex' by Kids Love Lies. Like Blogger skills with my IMovie improved from AS to A2, such as editing, therefore this is clear in my final products. Therefore when making my AS product I lacked editing skills as I wasn't aware of the more advanced tools, transitions, editing techniques and filters that all contribute to making my final product look more professional. Furthermore, this meant that compared to my A2 product, my AS product was a lot more simplistic as due to not being familiar with IMovie I only used simple transitions and basic editing skills as I didn't experiment with the different filters or colourings that could of improved my product. Lastly, this meant in A2 I was more aware of the different editing techniques you can do on IMovie and was able to achieve making my music video fit the genre I had chosen through editing. Here's an example of how I used the filter 'beachbybass' in order to make my video look indie/punk due to it being edgy and dark:

 

Other media technologies-  I used other software to create posts on my blog that looked interesting and professional, therefore I used 'Prezi' and 'Slideshare'. I used these when displaying my research and also used them when doing my evaluation to make them interesting. I also used other software such as 'gimp' 'picasa' and 'photoshop', all of these helped towards making my auxiliary task such as the: digipak and magazine advert.

 

 

Evaluation Question 3

What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

Without audience feedback I wouldn't of been as successful with my music video, digipak, magazine advert and Thriller opening. Therefore I received direct feedback at different stages of creating both productions from my teacher and media peers for the development of my media product.

Pitch audience feedback
 In A2 the first audience feedback I received was after presenting my pitch for the potential ideas I had for my music video, therefore if it wasn't for the class feedback I wouldn't of decided to change the song to one the fitted me best. As at first I chose the house genre and had a very conventional idea of filming in a club etc. My class members gave me the feedback that they thought my idea would need an expensive budget of which I wasn't able to afford and also I didn't have enough ideas in order to create the video to the best of my ability. Consequently, this is when I decided to change my genre and song, I changed genre to indie and chose the song 'hex' by Kids Love Lies. Furthermore, I came to this idea from having constructive criticism, therefore audience feedback in this case was very helpful. From this I got further advice, as due to my song being about a breakup I got the advice that it would be a good idea to involve and narration and performance with in my music video. Therefore, from this feedback, I then went on to create a rough cut.

Rough cut feedback
I got plenty of audience feedback for my rough cut. First of all I posted my rough cut on social media sites such as Facebook and also posted the rough cut on YouTube in order to gain feedback from comments that people had left, this helped me to improve my rough cut as the feedback was straight from my target audience, therefore this enabled me to make improvements to my final video knowing that it'll please my target audience. I played my rough cut to my class members and teacher also, this allowed me to get feedback from my peers who are also in the age range of my target audience and are media students themselves meaning they have also researched what to look for in a music video and the conventions it should follow. Getting feedback from my media teacher was very reliable, in addition this meant that the feedback I received was not bias and just focused on how the video could be improved to the best of my ability. After this, I then created questionnaires for my media class members and other students I knew, I also posted these on sites for people to fill in at their own will. This allowed me to have structural feedback that I could follow when improving my final piece.

Ancillary Task feedback

Evaluation Question 2

How effective is the combination of your main task and ancillary tasks?

When creating my ancillary task and music video, I had to ensure that all my products related to each other and had a brand identity; which presented continuity in order to make it easy for my target audience to identify. This created a brand identity and was a selling point for my products, making them stand out against other products as it giving them a purpose on a whole. The main focus was also to make sure that my products followed the conventions of the genre that I had chosen (Indie/punk). Therefore these conventions were keeping my ancillary tasks simplistic as this is what typical indie products follow (digipak and magazine advert); whilst also using dark filters (beach by pass) on my music video in order to portray the indie/punk genre, this was effective as it was carried out through all products. I met the typical conventions within my genre but also challenged them successfully to meet my target audiences needs, this post will discuss and analyse my three products and the effectiveness of them:

Evaluation Question 1

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

I have found that the A2 task was a lot more difficult than the AS media task due to it being a lot more independent and time consuming. Despite that I have really enjoyed the task as it allowed me to present my creative and artistic flare. The A2 media task was to create a music video for an unsigned artist as well as a digipak and a magazine advert. Due to having to find an unsigned artist I was able to interpret the lyrics myself; whilst showing off my skills and portray my unique ideas. The digipak and magazine advert were created to promote and sell my unsigned artist, these are extremely important as they have to apply to the right target audience and create an artist identity. In order to make my product conform to a real media products I had to chose a idealistic genre to show off my skills and look professional with a low budget. Therefore the genre I chose was the 'indie' genre, as it appeals to my age range and presents a similar lifestyle; while also connoting fun, rebellion and youth and these are the things I wanted to cooperate within my music video. Also indie music videos are typically made on a low budget, meaning I would be able to create the best music video I could on a low budget; whilst still looking like a professional product. Furthermore I decided on the song 'hex' by the band 'Kids Love Lies'. I chose this song as I believed my target audience would easily be able to relate to it due to it being about a teenage heartbreak. Also, I was able to instantly think of a good narrative to go with the lyrics of the song; which is one of the conventions of a real media product.

In this prezi I have discussed how Goodwins Theory applies to my music video and how it develops on the conventions of a real media product e.g. of the indie genre.
 
By gathering plenty of research into my genre I decided to look and research into existing indie videos to get inspiration from them, this helped me develop upon existing ideas and also create new ones that were taken from other videos and expand on them to make my video unique and my own. Here are some of the videos I gathered information and inspiration from:

In context to my digipak and magazine advert design I took influence from indie artists such as: Lana Del Rey, Tom Odell and Gabrielle Aplin.

The inspiration I gathered from these Indie genre magazine adverts are the fact that they all are very simple; which is a code and convention of the indie genre due to low budgets and visual concept of simplicity. Also the colours are very simplistic tones, and the colour scheme stays the same throughout; whilst this allows the artist to be the main focus throughout the magazine advert and digipak, making them the selling point. Consequently, following these aspects allowed my digipak and magazine advert to look professional and real.

Digipak

Front Cover:  When creating the front cover of my digipak, I made sure I followed the conventions of the genre I had chosen. Therefore, I intended to make the image appealing and eye catching in order to make consumers want to buy the product. I did this by making the main image of the female lead singer in the band, as this will appeal to the female target audience by being an idol and them wanting to be like the main singer and will attract the male target audience by her appearance. I have also linked the mise en scene of that in my music video, as this will enable the target audience to recognize the digipak and magazine advert from the music video; giving the artist a brand identity. I have used the same font throughout the digipak and magazine advert, this font is fun and cool; which represents the band, it is in a light green colour in order to stand out and also to be visually appealing to both female and male target audiences. 

Back Cover : The back cover is linked to the front cover as the image of the lead female singer again with the same cool edit which is followed through; while also carrying on the same font with the song list to make it all link and visually pleasing. I included a song list in order to make it look realistic as this is what you would typically see on the back of a digipak. I also included a barcode to make the digipak look realistic as this is on every digipak so it is possible to sell. 

CD Cover; I continued the theme of the girl from the front and back cover onto the CD cover, this makes it look professional and simplistic. I kept the CD cover very simplistic in order to relate to the genre and not have too much going on throughout the digipak. 

Left and Right Inserts: The pictures in this insert consist of the main singer and the the lyrics to the song, this has the aim of making a brand identity. The images are fun and therefore portrays the band/lead singers personality. Also the colours are similar to those on the front and back cover, making them link and look professional. This images are made to be able to take out of the digipak and into a little booklet for the consumer.

Magazine Advert

The magazine advert follows from the digipak as the same picture is used from the front cover in order to show a clear link between the two. Therefore I made sure I included all the necessary conventions of an advertisement product such as this. The release date, artist/album/song name, label logo and where it is available to purchase have all been included. The same font and colours have been used throughout to follow the indie convention of being simplistic. The font is bright and the most important words are in capital letters in order to catch the target audience eye. It links well to the digipak and music video making it easy for the consumers to make a clear between all three products. 

Final Digipak

Final Music Video

Digipak Software

For my Digipak, I used two different softwares: Picasa and Microsoft Word. Therefore I decided to edit the main picture on Picasa due to it being more advanced than word and having many editing options, so it would bring out the best Digipak I could create. I used Picasa for my Digipak and I used word for my magazine advert, as it was easier to add texts and insert symbols.

As seen above, Picasa has many different effects; which adds a professional look to the Digipak. Therefore, it allowed me to explore saturation and to make the Digipak have a fun style as this is the image I intended for the band. It also allowed me to be creative and make my Digipak look orginal and unique in order to attract my target audience and stand out to them.

Picassa allowed me to crop to correct size for my digipak, and change the contrast and colour.

I also inserted text into my digipak, this was extremely simple and it allowed me to change the font, colour and size. There were many different fonts to choose from, therefore this enabled me to pick the one that suited my digipak the most. In the end I chose the font 'Modi Avi' as this font was fun and suited the name of the band; whilst also being bold making it stand out. There was a color chart also; which meant I was able to choose the colour that fitted best against the main image on the digpak without having to compromise.