Thursday, 15 December 2011
Friday, 2 December 2011
Directors commentary script
Q1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms + conventions of real media products?
Livvy: The genre of the song we chose was folk rock/ indie, which gave us a wide range of possibilities for our music video, as the conventions were very open. The main convention was it could be artistic and very creative, but also we had to avoid mixing it with the genre conventions of pop music. We decided to emphasis the main convention by our main character in the narrative being a mime, which is a very profound and skilful art form.
Rachel: Our music video is controversial to many conventions of real media products as usually there is a link present within the video to the lyrics of the song. Although some actions of the mime are featured in the lyrics, for example the mime making a heart shape with his hands to the lyrics ‘loving somebody doesn’t make them love you”, the plot of a mime love story is totally unrelated to the song. This gives a unique twist to our music video that perversely conforms to conventional music video requirements of selling the artist and attracting viewers.
Maura: By shooting a lot of our footage in a natural environment like the park scene we also followed the other conventions of a folk rock video as many include natural instruments or just singing so the setting goes well with what the music is about such as in Bon Iver’s video Holocene where it is set in a very natural outdoors setting.
Rachel: Our music video uses the conventions of other music videos by using footage of the artist throughout quite a lot of the video and shows them singing to the camera so that it is clear who the artist is to the audience. A lot of these shots are close ups so that we could comply to the demands of the record label which are to sell the artist as a product and to ensure the audience knows who the are. We also used notions of looking (voyeurism) as the mime is looking longingly at the girl within the video as he is trying to get her attention, which is similar to other music videos.
Maura: Although I think to improve we could have used more props for example a guitar as they are usually included in folk rock videos and I think it would have made it even clearer what genre it came from.
Q2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
Livvy: Our music video and ancillary products (a magazine advert and a digipak) have a very strong link, even though we didn't directly use images from our music video. We thought that it would be better if we used a strong theme that linked the two products with subtle reference to the music video, as if it is a complete package. We chose the theme of circus advertisements, but not modern times advertisement, but older, almost Victorian style. In the planning phase we found a film called "Les Enfants du Paradis" which we found had a really nice feel to it and this made us choose this style.
Rachel: The aim of this style is to make the audience feel as if by getting the digipack they are being admitted to the weird and wonderful world of Jack Johnson the artist and would get access to exclusive behind the scenes action such as on the video set and tour, which we have included as two of the special features of the digipack. All three products work together to create a slightly eccentric view of the artist that encourages them to want to find out more by buying the products.
Rachel: The unique and unusual theme of mime artistry promotes the artist as he is shown to stand out from other conventional artists that may conform to regular music video ideas.
Maura: We could have however done a lot more with this and added more to our DVD by creating and inside design which used the juggling balls in more focus which I believe would have worked well in the place where the DVD itself would go as the shape of both would fit together. But overall I feel that we were able to create three products that when seen next to one another it would be clear that they were all related to the same video.
Q3. What have you learnt from your audience feedback?
Livvy: The feedback we got from our audience was in general positive, they said our lip-syncing was of a high standard, which has taught me that the method of putting markers on our music track, to mark when the beginning of versus and choruses, worked well. Although they said our music video was to narrative heavy, so it would have been useful if we had filmed more scenes of the artist singing.
They also enjoyed our use of multiple locations because they found it made the video more varied and interesting, thus making it more watch-able.
Rachel: The feedback from the rough cut showed us that we needed more close ups on the artist as we hadn’t got and it wouldn’t sell the artist enough but the lack of close ups until the end did make the ending where the two mimes meet very powerful. Our final cut feedback showed us that although we had increased the number of close ups there was still not enough so in future products we need to include more.
Maura: I think we have developed our video a lot from when our rough cut had feedback as one of the main points for that was to change the tone of the video and we done this by using filters so the whole mood of the video is changed. They also said that they did not see enough of the performer so we added some shots of him so that it would break up all the scenes of the mime.
Q4. How did you use media technologies in the construction, research and planning and evaluation stages?
Maura: Throughout the process I have learnt how to use many different types of technology and been able to develop skills on those I have used before. The first thing I used when in the planning and research stage was ‘blogger.com’ this is where all my research and planning would be displayed. To research into music videos I used youtube.com which was able to give me so many music videos and ideas as to what kind of thing is usually included in different music videos.
Rachel: Final cut was used a lot during the production of our music video and it helped a lot to create the old style atmosphere of the video because of the wide range of effects it has on offer such as the noise filter and colour corrector we used to make it look dark and grainy and in the style of old mime films. Photoshop was useful for creating the digipack as it allowed us to edit the circus poster and ticket we found to show the information we wanted to include.
Livvy: In the construction of our music video we used HD handheld cameras, which were easy to use and gave use the opportunity to film close up shots without the camera feeling overpowering over artist and mime.
Having a blog was also very useful to us in the research and planning stage, and the evaluation stage, because it meant all our work was online so we could look at home, or in college, or blog articles where ever we were, if we suddenly found inspiration or found a good location etc. Using a blog also meant our work was neatly stored, and made it easier to link all our products together as we could get inspiration for work we'd previously done for the Music Video.
Livvy: The genre of the song we chose was folk rock/ indie, which gave us a wide range of possibilities for our music video, as the conventions were very open. The main convention was it could be artistic and very creative, but also we had to avoid mixing it with the genre conventions of pop music. We decided to emphasis the main convention by our main character in the narrative being a mime, which is a very profound and skilful art form.
Rachel: Our music video is controversial to many conventions of real media products as usually there is a link present within the video to the lyrics of the song. Although some actions of the mime are featured in the lyrics, for example the mime making a heart shape with his hands to the lyrics ‘loving somebody doesn’t make them love you”, the plot of a mime love story is totally unrelated to the song. This gives a unique twist to our music video that perversely conforms to conventional music video requirements of selling the artist and attracting viewers.
Maura: By shooting a lot of our footage in a natural environment like the park scene we also followed the other conventions of a folk rock video as many include natural instruments or just singing so the setting goes well with what the music is about such as in Bon Iver’s video Holocene where it is set in a very natural outdoors setting.
Rachel: Our music video uses the conventions of other music videos by using footage of the artist throughout quite a lot of the video and shows them singing to the camera so that it is clear who the artist is to the audience. A lot of these shots are close ups so that we could comply to the demands of the record label which are to sell the artist as a product and to ensure the audience knows who the are. We also used notions of looking (voyeurism) as the mime is looking longingly at the girl within the video as he is trying to get her attention, which is similar to other music videos.
Maura: Although I think to improve we could have used more props for example a guitar as they are usually included in folk rock videos and I think it would have made it even clearer what genre it came from.
Q2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
Livvy: Our music video and ancillary products (a magazine advert and a digipak) have a very strong link, even though we didn't directly use images from our music video. We thought that it would be better if we used a strong theme that linked the two products with subtle reference to the music video, as if it is a complete package. We chose the theme of circus advertisements, but not modern times advertisement, but older, almost Victorian style. In the planning phase we found a film called "Les Enfants du Paradis" which we found had a really nice feel to it and this made us choose this style.
Rachel: The aim of this style is to make the audience feel as if by getting the digipack they are being admitted to the weird and wonderful world of Jack Johnson the artist and would get access to exclusive behind the scenes action such as on the video set and tour, which we have included as two of the special features of the digipack. All three products work together to create a slightly eccentric view of the artist that encourages them to want to find out more by buying the products.
Rachel: The unique and unusual theme of mime artistry promotes the artist as he is shown to stand out from other conventional artists that may conform to regular music video ideas.
Maura: We could have however done a lot more with this and added more to our DVD by creating and inside design which used the juggling balls in more focus which I believe would have worked well in the place where the DVD itself would go as the shape of both would fit together. But overall I feel that we were able to create three products that when seen next to one another it would be clear that they were all related to the same video.
Q3. What have you learnt from your audience feedback?
Livvy: The feedback we got from our audience was in general positive, they said our lip-syncing was of a high standard, which has taught me that the method of putting markers on our music track, to mark when the beginning of versus and choruses, worked well. Although they said our music video was to narrative heavy, so it would have been useful if we had filmed more scenes of the artist singing.
They also enjoyed our use of multiple locations because they found it made the video more varied and interesting, thus making it more watch-able.
Rachel: The feedback from the rough cut showed us that we needed more close ups on the artist as we hadn’t got and it wouldn’t sell the artist enough but the lack of close ups until the end did make the ending where the two mimes meet very powerful. Our final cut feedback showed us that although we had increased the number of close ups there was still not enough so in future products we need to include more.
Maura: I think we have developed our video a lot from when our rough cut had feedback as one of the main points for that was to change the tone of the video and we done this by using filters so the whole mood of the video is changed. They also said that they did not see enough of the performer so we added some shots of him so that it would break up all the scenes of the mime.
Q4. How did you use media technologies in the construction, research and planning and evaluation stages?
Maura: Throughout the process I have learnt how to use many different types of technology and been able to develop skills on those I have used before. The first thing I used when in the planning and research stage was ‘blogger.com’ this is where all my research and planning would be displayed. To research into music videos I used youtube.com which was able to give me so many music videos and ideas as to what kind of thing is usually included in different music videos.
Rachel: Final cut was used a lot during the production of our music video and it helped a lot to create the old style atmosphere of the video because of the wide range of effects it has on offer such as the noise filter and colour corrector we used to make it look dark and grainy and in the style of old mime films. Photoshop was useful for creating the digipack as it allowed us to edit the circus poster and ticket we found to show the information we wanted to include.
Livvy: In the construction of our music video we used HD handheld cameras, which were easy to use and gave use the opportunity to film close up shots without the camera feeling overpowering over artist and mime.
Having a blog was also very useful to us in the research and planning stage, and the evaluation stage, because it meant all our work was online so we could look at home, or in college, or blog articles where ever we were, if we suddenly found inspiration or found a good location etc. Using a blog also meant our work was neatly stored, and made it easier to link all our products together as we could get inspiration for work we'd previously done for the Music Video.
Timed Assessment of Evaluation Questions
1. In what ways does your product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
The genre of the song we chose was folk rock/ indie, which gave us a wide range of possibilities for our music video, as the conventions were very open. The main convention was it could be artistic and very creative, but also we had to avoid mixing it with the genre conventions of pop music. We decided to emphasis the main convention by our main character in the narrative being a mime, which is a very profound and skillful art form. The use of the mime also spurred on further ideas for the ancillary products, which were also supposed to be creative and artistic, and also linked to our music video. We decided to emphasis the mime aspect of our music video and use the theme of the circus style posters. So, we made our magazine advert in the style of a Victorian circus advertisement with all the necessary information to sell our product.
We also used a lot of amplified lyrics and visuals to emphasis what our artist was singing about, to make it more understandable. The lyrics had a general narrative that showed us a failed love story, where a man spends a lot of time chasing after a girl, doing all the things she wants him to do, and being the person she wants him to be, and then not showing him any affection or interest. Our narrative amplifies this by showing a mime, chasing after a "normal" girl, and her completely ignoring him. Using the mime for this, instead of a normal person or using the artist, makes the video far more interesting for the viewer, because it makes it more unique and different.
One convention we could have used was that most folk rock songs used guitars, or showed the artist playing a guitar whilst singing, which makes the audience make a clearer link to what the genre is, as to attract the target audience. We could have also used nature to our advantage, because through watching other musics videos from this genre, we noted that most used forests or open farmland or fenland as their backdrop, and we only used this in half of our song. Our local area would have provided us an array of different natural locations, although then again, using half our set as a built up town area, and then switching to the natural side could have worked to our advantage as it meant it showed a clear distinction between the first part of the narrative, where the mime is chasing after this "normal" girl, and the second part, where the mime and the artist come together, and the artist solves the mimes problem.
2. How effective is your combination of you main products and ancillary texts?
Our music video and ancillary products, (a magazine advert and a digipak) have a very strong link, even though we didn't directly use images from our music video. We thought that it would be better if we used a strong theme that linked the two products with subtle reference to the music video, as if it is a complete package. We chose the theme of circus advertisements, but not modern times advertisement, but older, almost Victorian style. In the planning phase we found a film called "Les Enfants du Paradis" which we found had a really nice feel to it and this made us choose this style.I think that all our products work together as a nice little package and compliment each-other, due to this theme. If we had thought a little less out of the box, I don't think our products would have worked so well. One part of the image of the mime I really liked was the fact that mimes were were originally supposed to teach moral lessons and it links to our narrative in our music video.
Although we could have produced the ancillary texts a bit better, if we had used our time wisely, they would have been more effective. and also if we had emphasized a bit further or improved the use of the vignette and colour correction in our music video, they would have looked even more connected.
3. What have you learnt from your audience feedback?
The feedback we got from our audience was in general positive, they said our lip-syncing was of a high standard, which has taught me that the method of putting markers on our music track, to mark when the beginning of versus and choruses, worked well. Although they said our music video was to narrative heavy, so it would have been useful if we'd have filmed more scenes of the artist singing.
They also enjoyed our use of multiple locations because they found it made the video more varied and interesting, thus making it more watch-able.
I have also learnt that the audience likes it when the lyrics and visuals are strongly linked as it makes what the artist is saying more interesting and understandable.
From our Rough Cut, we had some feedback that told us our music video looked too bright and realistic and if we wanted the theme of the mime to work, we had to do something about it. So we went through final cut and darkened all the shots so that it had a slightly more moody feel to it, and also added a filter called a vignette and another one called noise, as to make it feel like its old footage. The mix of the old looking footage, and the modern clothing of the artist and girl, made the mime stand out in the shots more, because after adding these filters, the mime looked like he was black and white, in a colourful world, making him look odd and out of place.
On thing we learnt but couldn't change, was it was repeated several times to us that we needed to film more close up shots, or at least more varying shots, to make the music video more technically difficult, and to make the music video in general more interesting, because as I mentioned before, the audience like the varying locations, and if we had varying shot, it would have been even better.
Without the audience feedback, I don't think we would have noticed and our music video wouldn't be as good.
Also the feedback we got from our teacher was that she really liked the circus theme because it could be used across several different products, such as CDs and full size posters, so our choice of theme was very good, like the use of the cowboy hat used in a line of Madonna products, which successfully linked them all together.
4. How did you use new media technologies in the construction, research and planning, and evaluation stages?
In the construction of our music video we used HD hand-held cameras, which were easy to use and gave use the opportunity to film close up shots without the camera feeling overpowering over artist and mime.
When we were putting all our shots together we used Final Cut, which enabled us to stack our short up like a staircase, in different tracks, which made it easier to find good shots for a particular scene. Also we were able to lock our lip-syncing track, so that it wasn't accidentally moved, and we were able to make sure it stayed in sync with the music. Final Cut was also useful because it had lots of filters and colour correction, which meant we were able to adjust our footage, so it doesn't feel raw, and we also used a Vignette filter, to give our footage an older, worn feel.
Also we used photo-shop in the construction of our ancillary texts. This meant we were able to layer images and texts onto our products. We found two useful images of an old style poster and a ticket to the circus, and we were able to strip them down, to the basic outline using various different tools, such as a colour matcher, which meant we could find the exact colour that was already on the poster, and use it to paint over the original text, and a smudger tool, which meant we were able to blend colours together, so that it looked smoother. We also used an artistic paint brush filter to give the images on the posters a feel of being painted, like the old style circus posters. Although one thing that caused us alot of problems was not knowing this technology as well as we should, because it meant when things went wrong we were unable to sort them out quickly, and when finding the right filters and tools, it took longer, which meant we had less time to complete our tasks, and meant they were of a lower standard, for example, if we had know how to cut a picture of a person out without having to precisely draw around the outline, we wouldn't have lost so much time.
Having a blog was also very useful to us in the research and planning stage, and the evaluation stage, because it meant all our work was online so we could look at home, or in college, or blog articles where ever we were, if we suddenly found inspiration or found a good location etc. Using a blog also meant our work was neatly stored, and made it easier to link all our products together as we could get inspiration for work we'd previously done for the Music Video, such as the post about "Les Enfants du Paradis", inspiring us to use old circus posters as inspiration for our magazine advert and digipak.
The genre of the song we chose was folk rock/ indie, which gave us a wide range of possibilities for our music video, as the conventions were very open. The main convention was it could be artistic and very creative, but also we had to avoid mixing it with the genre conventions of pop music. We decided to emphasis the main convention by our main character in the narrative being a mime, which is a very profound and skillful art form. The use of the mime also spurred on further ideas for the ancillary products, which were also supposed to be creative and artistic, and also linked to our music video. We decided to emphasis the mime aspect of our music video and use the theme of the circus style posters. So, we made our magazine advert in the style of a Victorian circus advertisement with all the necessary information to sell our product.
We also used a lot of amplified lyrics and visuals to emphasis what our artist was singing about, to make it more understandable. The lyrics had a general narrative that showed us a failed love story, where a man spends a lot of time chasing after a girl, doing all the things she wants him to do, and being the person she wants him to be, and then not showing him any affection or interest. Our narrative amplifies this by showing a mime, chasing after a "normal" girl, and her completely ignoring him. Using the mime for this, instead of a normal person or using the artist, makes the video far more interesting for the viewer, because it makes it more unique and different.
One convention we could have used was that most folk rock songs used guitars, or showed the artist playing a guitar whilst singing, which makes the audience make a clearer link to what the genre is, as to attract the target audience. We could have also used nature to our advantage, because through watching other musics videos from this genre, we noted that most used forests or open farmland or fenland as their backdrop, and we only used this in half of our song. Our local area would have provided us an array of different natural locations, although then again, using half our set as a built up town area, and then switching to the natural side could have worked to our advantage as it meant it showed a clear distinction between the first part of the narrative, where the mime is chasing after this "normal" girl, and the second part, where the mime and the artist come together, and the artist solves the mimes problem.
2. How effective is your combination of you main products and ancillary texts?
Our music video and ancillary products, (a magazine advert and a digipak) have a very strong link, even though we didn't directly use images from our music video. We thought that it would be better if we used a strong theme that linked the two products with subtle reference to the music video, as if it is a complete package. We chose the theme of circus advertisements, but not modern times advertisement, but older, almost Victorian style. In the planning phase we found a film called "Les Enfants du Paradis" which we found had a really nice feel to it and this made us choose this style.I think that all our products work together as a nice little package and compliment each-other, due to this theme. If we had thought a little less out of the box, I don't think our products would have worked so well. One part of the image of the mime I really liked was the fact that mimes were were originally supposed to teach moral lessons and it links to our narrative in our music video.
Although we could have produced the ancillary texts a bit better, if we had used our time wisely, they would have been more effective. and also if we had emphasized a bit further or improved the use of the vignette and colour correction in our music video, they would have looked even more connected.
3. What have you learnt from your audience feedback?
The feedback we got from our audience was in general positive, they said our lip-syncing was of a high standard, which has taught me that the method of putting markers on our music track, to mark when the beginning of versus and choruses, worked well. Although they said our music video was to narrative heavy, so it would have been useful if we'd have filmed more scenes of the artist singing.
They also enjoyed our use of multiple locations because they found it made the video more varied and interesting, thus making it more watch-able.
I have also learnt that the audience likes it when the lyrics and visuals are strongly linked as it makes what the artist is saying more interesting and understandable.
From our Rough Cut, we had some feedback that told us our music video looked too bright and realistic and if we wanted the theme of the mime to work, we had to do something about it. So we went through final cut and darkened all the shots so that it had a slightly more moody feel to it, and also added a filter called a vignette and another one called noise, as to make it feel like its old footage. The mix of the old looking footage, and the modern clothing of the artist and girl, made the mime stand out in the shots more, because after adding these filters, the mime looked like he was black and white, in a colourful world, making him look odd and out of place.
On thing we learnt but couldn't change, was it was repeated several times to us that we needed to film more close up shots, or at least more varying shots, to make the music video more technically difficult, and to make the music video in general more interesting, because as I mentioned before, the audience like the varying locations, and if we had varying shot, it would have been even better.
Without the audience feedback, I don't think we would have noticed and our music video wouldn't be as good.
Also the feedback we got from our teacher was that she really liked the circus theme because it could be used across several different products, such as CDs and full size posters, so our choice of theme was very good, like the use of the cowboy hat used in a line of Madonna products, which successfully linked them all together.
4. How did you use new media technologies in the construction, research and planning, and evaluation stages?
In the construction of our music video we used HD hand-held cameras, which were easy to use and gave use the opportunity to film close up shots without the camera feeling overpowering over artist and mime.
When we were putting all our shots together we used Final Cut, which enabled us to stack our short up like a staircase, in different tracks, which made it easier to find good shots for a particular scene. Also we were able to lock our lip-syncing track, so that it wasn't accidentally moved, and we were able to make sure it stayed in sync with the music. Final Cut was also useful because it had lots of filters and colour correction, which meant we were able to adjust our footage, so it doesn't feel raw, and we also used a Vignette filter, to give our footage an older, worn feel.
Also we used photo-shop in the construction of our ancillary texts. This meant we were able to layer images and texts onto our products. We found two useful images of an old style poster and a ticket to the circus, and we were able to strip them down, to the basic outline using various different tools, such as a colour matcher, which meant we could find the exact colour that was already on the poster, and use it to paint over the original text, and a smudger tool, which meant we were able to blend colours together, so that it looked smoother. We also used an artistic paint brush filter to give the images on the posters a feel of being painted, like the old style circus posters. Although one thing that caused us alot of problems was not knowing this technology as well as we should, because it meant when things went wrong we were unable to sort them out quickly, and when finding the right filters and tools, it took longer, which meant we had less time to complete our tasks, and meant they were of a lower standard, for example, if we had know how to cut a picture of a person out without having to precisely draw around the outline, we wouldn't have lost so much time.
Having a blog was also very useful to us in the research and planning stage, and the evaluation stage, because it meant all our work was online so we could look at home, or in college, or blog articles where ever we were, if we suddenly found inspiration or found a good location etc. Using a blog also meant our work was neatly stored, and made it easier to link all our products together as we could get inspiration for work we'd previously done for the Music Video, such as the post about "Les Enfants du Paradis", inspiring us to use old circus posters as inspiration for our magazine advert and digipak.
Evaluation of music video
1.
It is clear by looking at the conventions of Folk Rock that our products fit in well with the genre. Firstly my having the artist in normal clothes for example jeans and a t-shirt it shows the audience that he is just a normal man that likes to get his points across through music. This is very common in the genre for example Frank Turner who is another Folk Rock artist is usually seen wearing similar types of clothing in his videos. By shooting a lot of our footage in a natural environment like the park scene we also followed the conventions of a folk rock video as many include natural instruments or just singing so the setting goes well with what the music is about such as in Bon Iver’s video Holocene where it is set in a very natural outdoors setting. Although I think to improve we could have used more props for example a guitar as they are usually included in folk rock videos and I think it would have made it even clearer what genre it came from. When looking at Goodwin’s points it is also clear we have met some of these while making our music video.
Throughout the music video we have shown a lot of the artist both on his own and with the mime character which would meet the demands of the record label as they may want the audience to see that the artist can have a relationship with someone different and help them through bad times which is a good image to have. We have also made sure that the lyrics and visuals go well together and especially at the end of the song when the mime is taken to his new love as the lyrics state “No I can’t always be waiting waiting on you, I can’t always be playing playing your fool, fool”. This link is very clear through the shots we have got using reaction shots of both mimes brings the audience into the scene and it marks the end of the story which has been playing out throughout the video.
While editing we were also able to make the video look more like a folk rock video. By using final cut we added effects and filters on every scene to make it have more dull colouring as this is a key feature when watching other folk rock artists.
We have also added an extra layer to our video by including the mime throughout. When looking up the history of the mime we began to take ideas from where it came from and what it represented. We have used both the ‘sad clown’ and the ‘happy clown’ two of the possible five types of mime there is. The love story within our music video goes with the generic mime plays where love plays a big role.
2.
When looking at all our products together it is clear there is a strong link between them all. Firstly we have carried the idea of the mime across to both our magazine advert and DVD case which helps the audience relate the music video to both these products. We felt that by taking the mime from the music video and making that as well as the artist the main focus of all the products we could then develop other ideas to expand on which we were able to do. We decided on a circus theme and because the colours and filters we used in our video made it look like an old film we could go with an old style circus theme. By collecting knowledge from the internet on what kind of things were included in circus posters we found some images that we really felt we could edit to make them fit with our ideas. The mime as the main concept brings all our products together as juggling is often connected with the circus and therefore if we were to make any more products we could use this theme. It also allowed us to come up with some ideas on what extra features we could have on our DVD so we used the circus theme to come up with a circus tour which was included on our DVD. We could have however done a lot more with this and added more to our DVD by creating and inside design which used the juggling balls in more focus which I believe would have worked well in the place where the DVD itself would go as the shape of both would fit together. But overall I feel that we were able to create three products that when seen next to one another it would be clear that they were all related to the same video.
3.
The feedback we received was very helpful as it gave us not only positive feedback on the video but what could have been improved. The feedback shows we made good links between our lyrics and visuals and because of this the story we have used is easily worked out when watching the video. The feedback also commented on our locations and they said that because we changed locations a lot the audience did not grow bored and it therefore kept them interested. This was one of our main goals and if we hadn’t have filmed in so many different locations it would have affected the way we edited as there wouldn’t have been as much choice when it came to shots. They also said that the mime was a good idea and it kept them interested throughout. The feedback also stated that there could have been more shots of the artists lip syncing. This was helpful to know so that if done again we would add in more shots of the artist so the audience feel like they see them enough and we really sell them to the viewers. I think we have developed our video a lot from when our rough cut had feedback as one of the main points for that was to change the tone of the video and we done this by using filters so the whole mood of the video is changed. They also said that they did not see enough of the performer so we added some shots of him so that it would break up all the scenes of the mime.
4.
Throughout the process I have learnt how to use many different types of technology and been able to develop skills on those I have used before. The first thing I used when in the planning and research stage was ‘blogger.com’ this is where all my research and planning would be displayed. To research into music videos I used youtube.com which was able to give me so many music videos and ideas as to what kind of thing is usually included in different music videos. The blog we made shows the stages we went through to get our final idea which is great because it means when looking back we can see the stages we went through. At this stage we also used cameras to take pictures of where we were thinking about filming which meant that we could have a clear image in our mind before moving off to start shooting our video. In the planning stage I was able to use Photoshop which enabled me to get used to where many things were and how to use it on a basic level although it was only to make a mood board it gave me some knowledge that I would be using later to make the other products.
The filming stage of the project can be seen as one of the most important and by using the HD camera we were able to get the best out of it. I felt that I already knew how to use the camera which was a benefit as this meant we could start filming right away. We got the best quality shots which then made our music video look even more professional.
The editing stage I believe is the most important and the different technology that can be used makes the process even more exciting. Using final cut at first was a little confusing but after getting used to the program we started layering our clips on and then lip syncing. Lip syncing was a vital part of the editing stage and if it was not done right with precision then the whole video would not have looked at good quality. The effects we added when in final cut meant that the rendering time for our video was over 2 hours which then meant we could not watch the footage in full before it had to be uploaded on the blog. Although I think in the end the video came out well it could have been a little more improved by just going back through one more time and re adjusting the filters.
When using Photoshop this time I was able to use in more depth. When making the DVD cover and advert I was able to work out how most the tools worked and by using them I took an image and completely transformed what it looked like originally and then was able to add in our own images to the template so that our ideas could come to life. Although I did look on font websites we decide that the best one we felt fitted with our ideas was one of the ones on Photoshop so by using that we made our products really have the circus theme.
Evaluation Questions
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Our music video uses the conventions of other music videos by using footage of the artist throughout quite alot of the video and shows them singing to the camera so that it is clear who the artist is to the audience. Alot of these shots are close ups so that we could comply to the demands of the record label which are to sell the artist as a product and to ensure the audience knows who the are. We also used notions of looking (voyeurism) as the mime is looking longingly at the girl within the video as he is trying to get her attention which is similar to other music videos within the folk rock genre. A particular example in our video of this which uses lyrics and visuals is where the mime makes a heart shape with his hands around the girl as she walks away down the street as the lyrics say ''loving somebody doesn't make them love you.'' We also used music and visuals by cutting the clips on the beat as it is a reasonably upbeat song so the video is interesting and looks proffesional to the audience. We also edited the footage to look old and grainy like it has come from a mime film and this is also similar to other folk rock artist videos such as those by Bon Iver that have quirky parts to them. We also challenged the conventions of real folk rock music videos by using a mime as the main character in our video as this is very unusual and hasnt been used before.
2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
For our poster and digipack we went for a circus theme in a very old style to keep within the mime theme but to have a variation. To do this we used an old circus poster and edited it to show images of the mime doing different actions such as juggling that he had done within the video so that there was some intertextual references. On the poster we also used an image of the artist as the center point so that the eye would be drawn to this first and the audience would recognise that they are the artist which is the most important thing and is one of the demands of the record label. For the digipack we used an old circus ticket so that it felt to the audience as if by getting the digipack they are being admitted to the weird and wonderflu world of Jack Johnson the artist and would get access to exclusive behind the scenes action such as on the video set and tour.which we have included as two of the special features of the digipack. All three products work together to create a slightly eccentric view of the artist but the whole old circus and mime theme is intrieguing to the audience and encourages them to want to find out more by buying the products.
3. What have you learnt from your audience feedback?
From the initial pitch we learnt that the unusual idea of a mime was very popular as it would allow us to be creative with effects during the editing stage using old dark and sepia tones and making it look grainy and jumpy with a noise filter. It also showed we could be creative with the filming as the mime could be doing several different actions such as juggling and pretending they were behind glass. It also showed us to focus on the hands of the mime as this is an important feature. The feedback from the rough cut showed us that we needed more close ups on the artist as we hadnt got and it wouldnt sell the artist enough but the lack of close ups until the end did make the ending where the two mimes meet very powerful. Our final cut feedback showed us that although we had increased the number of close ups there was still not enough so in future products we need to include more.
4. How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
Final cut was used alot during the production of our music video and it helped alot to create the old style atmosphere of the video because of the wide range of effects it has on offer such as the noise filter and colour corrector we used to make it look dark and grainy and in the style of old mime films. Photoshop was useful for creating the digipack as it allowed us to edit the circus poster and ticket we found to show the information we wanted to include. It also helped in the planning stages so that we could create a moodboard with all our possible ideas related to the mime and circus theme. Blogger was useful throughout the project to allow us to write our thoughts about how the different stages in the process were going. The HD video cameras were useful for the production of the music video as it allowed us to produce high quality professional footage. Stills cameras were useful for getting shots of us working on location and for use on the digipack and poster.
Our music video uses the conventions of other music videos by using footage of the artist throughout quite alot of the video and shows them singing to the camera so that it is clear who the artist is to the audience. Alot of these shots are close ups so that we could comply to the demands of the record label which are to sell the artist as a product and to ensure the audience knows who the are. We also used notions of looking (voyeurism) as the mime is looking longingly at the girl within the video as he is trying to get her attention which is similar to other music videos within the folk rock genre. A particular example in our video of this which uses lyrics and visuals is where the mime makes a heart shape with his hands around the girl as she walks away down the street as the lyrics say ''loving somebody doesn't make them love you.'' We also used music and visuals by cutting the clips on the beat as it is a reasonably upbeat song so the video is interesting and looks proffesional to the audience. We also edited the footage to look old and grainy like it has come from a mime film and this is also similar to other folk rock artist videos such as those by Bon Iver that have quirky parts to them. We also challenged the conventions of real folk rock music videos by using a mime as the main character in our video as this is very unusual and hasnt been used before.
2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
For our poster and digipack we went for a circus theme in a very old style to keep within the mime theme but to have a variation. To do this we used an old circus poster and edited it to show images of the mime doing different actions such as juggling that he had done within the video so that there was some intertextual references. On the poster we also used an image of the artist as the center point so that the eye would be drawn to this first and the audience would recognise that they are the artist which is the most important thing and is one of the demands of the record label. For the digipack we used an old circus ticket so that it felt to the audience as if by getting the digipack they are being admitted to the weird and wonderflu world of Jack Johnson the artist and would get access to exclusive behind the scenes action such as on the video set and tour.which we have included as two of the special features of the digipack. All three products work together to create a slightly eccentric view of the artist but the whole old circus and mime theme is intrieguing to the audience and encourages them to want to find out more by buying the products.
3. What have you learnt from your audience feedback?
From the initial pitch we learnt that the unusual idea of a mime was very popular as it would allow us to be creative with effects during the editing stage using old dark and sepia tones and making it look grainy and jumpy with a noise filter. It also showed we could be creative with the filming as the mime could be doing several different actions such as juggling and pretending they were behind glass. It also showed us to focus on the hands of the mime as this is an important feature. The feedback from the rough cut showed us that we needed more close ups on the artist as we hadnt got and it wouldnt sell the artist enough but the lack of close ups until the end did make the ending where the two mimes meet very powerful. Our final cut feedback showed us that although we had increased the number of close ups there was still not enough so in future products we need to include more.
4. How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
Final cut was used alot during the production of our music video and it helped alot to create the old style atmosphere of the video because of the wide range of effects it has on offer such as the noise filter and colour corrector we used to make it look dark and grainy and in the style of old mime films. Photoshop was useful for creating the digipack as it allowed us to edit the circus poster and ticket we found to show the information we wanted to include. It also helped in the planning stages so that we could create a moodboard with all our possible ideas related to the mime and circus theme. Blogger was useful throughout the project to allow us to write our thoughts about how the different stages in the process were going. The HD video cameras were useful for the production of the music video as it allowed us to produce high quality professional footage. Stills cameras were useful for getting shots of us working on location and for use on the digipack and poster.
Thursday, 1 December 2011
Timed Evaluation
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Our music video is controversial to many conventions of real media products. Usually there is a link present within the video to the lyrics of the song. Although some actions of the mime are featured in the lyrics, the plot of a mime love story is totally unrelated to the song. This gives a unique twist to our music video that perversely conforms to conventional music video requirements of selling the artist and attracting veiwers.
I feel we develop the idea of a music video being more of a miniature film, a trend that has recently become more well-known and recently appeared in videos for artists such as Lady Gaga and Katy Perry where the central artist is involved with characters with a whole story.
2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
our products combined interest the viewer, promote our artist and relate to each other in a way that communicate to the consumer our idea. The theme that is used in all products is Victorian poster art. As our mime character is inspired from the very old art form of street and circus performance, the idea for out magazine advert and digipak is a poster for a Victorian style carnival. I feel this is effective in interesting the viewer as it is unique and unusual, not unlike our central mime character. It is this unique feature that also promotes the artist as he is shown to stand out from other conventional artists that may conform to regular music video ideas.
3. What have you learnt from your audience feedback?
Primarily, I have learnt that originality is never ignored. I also have learnt that colour, texture and feel play a large part in the overall opinion of an audience. Our rough cut was lacking the grainy feel of Victorian artistry, which is our main theme. This impacted on the viewer as the footage was bright and neutral which contrasted greatly with our idea.
4.How did you use new media technologies in the construction, planning and evaluation stages?
As many ideas start out, ours began with pen, paper and a cup of tea. However, the use of a blog as a type of portfolio was used to update ideas, clearly view research and track planning stages. We used Final Cut Express to edit our video and took full use of colour correction and filters in order to achieve a more appropriate feel in our video as opposed to a sunny afternoon, as we aimed to achieve the style of an old, grainy film.
Again, the idea for our magazine advert and digipak started on paper and a quick browse of google images, however, they were both constructed using the program Photoshop. This software was used to construct and edit images. We also use colour overlays, filters and burning and smudging tools to achieve the effect of an aged poster.
The blog was very useful again in that every process was accessible and clearly displayed in order to evaluate.
Our music video is controversial to many conventions of real media products. Usually there is a link present within the video to the lyrics of the song. Although some actions of the mime are featured in the lyrics, the plot of a mime love story is totally unrelated to the song. This gives a unique twist to our music video that perversely conforms to conventional music video requirements of selling the artist and attracting veiwers.
I feel we develop the idea of a music video being more of a miniature film, a trend that has recently become more well-known and recently appeared in videos for artists such as Lady Gaga and Katy Perry where the central artist is involved with characters with a whole story.
2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
our products combined interest the viewer, promote our artist and relate to each other in a way that communicate to the consumer our idea. The theme that is used in all products is Victorian poster art. As our mime character is inspired from the very old art form of street and circus performance, the idea for out magazine advert and digipak is a poster for a Victorian style carnival. I feel this is effective in interesting the viewer as it is unique and unusual, not unlike our central mime character. It is this unique feature that also promotes the artist as he is shown to stand out from other conventional artists that may conform to regular music video ideas.
3. What have you learnt from your audience feedback?
Primarily, I have learnt that originality is never ignored. I also have learnt that colour, texture and feel play a large part in the overall opinion of an audience. Our rough cut was lacking the grainy feel of Victorian artistry, which is our main theme. This impacted on the viewer as the footage was bright and neutral which contrasted greatly with our idea.
4.How did you use new media technologies in the construction, planning and evaluation stages?
As many ideas start out, ours began with pen, paper and a cup of tea. However, the use of a blog as a type of portfolio was used to update ideas, clearly view research and track planning stages. We used Final Cut Express to edit our video and took full use of colour correction and filters in order to achieve a more appropriate feel in our video as opposed to a sunny afternoon, as we aimed to achieve the style of an old, grainy film.
Again, the idea for our magazine advert and digipak started on paper and a quick browse of google images, however, they were both constructed using the program Photoshop. This software was used to construct and edit images. We also use colour overlays, filters and burning and smudging tools to achieve the effect of an aged poster.
The blog was very useful again in that every process was accessible and clearly displayed in order to evaluate.
Directors Commentary
A directors commentary is something where the director of a piece of media describes the background to their product and explains why they included particular features ie why a prop is significant to the storyline or what they believe a particular actor they chose to play a character brings to the role. they may also explain why scenes within the product are important to the product. It may be presented as a voiceover over the product or as a separate video or piece of writing.
Director's Commentaries
com·men·tar·y (k
m
n-t
r
)
A director's commentary is an audio file, sometimes accompanied by interjections of video of the commentator, that can be evaluative summary of the production, screen action and thoughts and opinions of actors, producers or directors.
mn-tr)n. pl. com·men·tar·ies
1. A series of explanations or interpretations.
2. An expository treatise or series of annotations; an exegesis. Often used in the plural.
3. An apt explanation or illustration: a scandal that is a sad commentary on national politics.
4. A personal narrative; a memoir. Often used in the plural.
A director's commentary is an audio file, sometimes accompanied by interjections of video of the commentator, that can be evaluative summary of the production, screen action and thoughts and opinions of actors, producers or directors.
directors commentary info
the directors commentary is used to add extra information that would otherwise not be know and it can also add entertainment to the viewer.
there are two types of commentarys the first being partial or scene-specific this only covers part of the film and sometimes they are recored without the speaker seeing the film so genral points may be made. the other type is called feature length which i recorded in one session. the speaker gives their comments on what is happening in real time on the screen.
a commentary track normally includes a commentary from the films director, cast and sometimes the writers. in some commentarys the chartacters get into character and perform their commentary in that way.
there are two types of commentarys the first being partial or scene-specific this only covers part of the film and sometimes they are recored without the speaker seeing the film so genral points may be made. the other type is called feature length which i recorded in one session. the speaker gives their comments on what is happening in real time on the screen.
a commentary track normally includes a commentary from the films director, cast and sometimes the writers. in some commentarys the chartacters get into character and perform their commentary in that way.
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