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

I believe that my media product challenges and develops real media products in the research, planning and construction that was under-taken. The question of genre conventions in real media products is huge. For every genre in the industry now, there are expected forms and conventions that have been developed and formed over time. These define what genre the music falls in to, and everything shown in the video should allow it to fall into a particular category. Researching the conventions of a feel-good/indie video allowed me to match them, and further them by putting my own edge on the genre.
I feel my music video challenges real media products because it the scenes in it appear so natural and relaxed when they were mostly acted out and directed. The fact that i used young, youthful people also helps create a realistic and accessible video for my target audience. The natural, feel-good tone ensures it isn't intimidating to anyone as many videos can be today. For example, many RnB videos constantly show under-dressed, made up girls which are in danger of making girls feel like that is how you have to look to feel beautiful and gain attention. From the feedback i received, it seems my video generally put a smile on peoples faces, which i believe is a successful result for the genre i was trying to accomodate for.
These genre characteristics link to a theorists ideas we studied at the start of production, Goodwin. His theory is based on seven main principles which every music video is trying to acheive. With the exception of a couple, (voyeurism and notions of looking) i feel i have included aspects of them in my own video. For example, links between the music and visuals are shown through editing to the beat of the music, and certain movements appearing to match lyrics to the visuals also. As mentioned, i took note of genre characteristics and also focused on a mainly concept based music video.

Evaluation : How did you use media technologies in your construction, research, planning and evaluation stages?

Throughout this project, i used many different forms of technologies in every stage of my main product and anicillary texts.
During research, i used these technologies to understand and find out more information about the band Rusted Root and anything else that may be relevant. I first accessed the internet, looking at many sites including the bands official website, MTVs website, and wikipedia. I gained a large number of images from Google which helped me explain different genres, record labels and more. I used Google as my search method as i find it provides the most relevant information in a clear and accessible manner.
To edit certain pictures, i used the programme Paint as it quickly helped me format something into a Jpeg picture and crop and resize it as i wished.
When planning, i used my own camera to take location shots and also to take pictures of my storyboards etc, to then upload onto my computer. I used word programmes to type up ideas or information that may be helpful to my project. When carrying out my questionnaire, i used printing devices to produce mass copies for distributing them to different age groups.
When constructing my media product i used a video camera and tripod. The tripod enabled me to take still, angled shots if needed. I used Windows Movie Maker to edit my music video on my own computer. Although i found it easy and straight-forward to use, i did feel limited at times with the effects and editing choices i could add. Last year, i produced the product in a group and we used a group members Mac to access iMovie. I feel Windows is weaker in terms of its editing facilities, however i still found it gave me a positive result in the end once i got used to the new experience. For my digipack and poster i used photoshop, this allowed me to move images around easily, change light density, and also add text over the top.
In terms of evaluation, again the internet played a huge part in gaining my vital feedback. I used social networking sites such as Facebook to gather opinions on my work, and obviously used Youtube to get my video seen.

Evaluation : What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

Audience feedback was always an essential aspect of my project, and helped assist my decision and make small but effective changes when needed. Firstly, i posted a question on Yahoo answers to see what people generally thought about the lyrics of the song. I did this because everyone takes different meanings from the same lyrics, and i knew this would help me get an idea of what would be the mood and tone expected in the video.

Generally, the feedback i received were "it means moving on and going out into the world" and "they are talking about freedom and happiness". A especially helpful answer i received was as follows, "Their lyrics can mean different things to different people, but for me it was inspiration to reach for my goals, knowing my friends and family would be there to support me....or more simply, where ever life takes you, there will be friends and family -young and old -to support you through your life." I found this inspiring and it was similar to what i personally gained from the songs lyrics also.

I had to think carefully about who my target audience for the video would be to enable me to satisfy their expectations. I regularly showed my work to friends and family during the editing process and gathered helpful feedback and suggestions on how i could improve. For example, taking some of the slow motion out and cutting the shots along to the music a bit cleaner. I listened and acted on these views and it helped my final product become more appealing.

Since uploading my music video onto Youtube, i have recieved 47 views to date which was pleasing as a student project isn't one you'd usually search for, and people have taken the time to watch it in full. I believe i have learnt a lot from my audience feedback, and i think there would be few things i would change if i had the chance to do it again as the majority of feedback i received was positive.

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

I believed it was very important that both my poster and my digipack had a clear link to my music video. This is because the audience will instantly make the connection between these intergrated products if the same themes are presented. I played around with different ideas and imagery that could be the common theme throughout the different products; for example whether to have a band shown, whether to use animation and also if an image from the shooting would fit best. It was important for me to think through the options carefully, bearing in mind always that audiences would connect all the products as one if done well. I researched other bands products, noticing straight away that they all had a link of some form between their products also.

After much consideration, I decided to use imagery for the common main theme in my main product and my ancillary texts. I knew it would have to be an image taken directly from my music video to ensure the connection between them was made. I decided on the image i did for the album cover and poster because it is shot shown quite regularly in the video, and also one that stands out and is memorable. This way it will be noticeable to not only loyal fans, but potential new fans aswell. The fact that the poster includes an image from the video will also help promote the album, even if fans have not yet seen the new video on television. Another reason i decided on taking this angle for the ancillary tasks was my research into Rusted Roots album covers. They go for very concept-based artistic covers, not ones that show themselves. This encouraged me even more so that imagery was the best option to take forward.

Overall i believe the combination between my main product and ancillary texts were successful. This is because i ensured there was a strong link between all three, as well as attempting to make it look as professional as i could.

Production Feedback

I posted my music video on Facebook, a social networking site, to gather feedback from peers. I found their thoughts positive and helpful when evaluating my own work. I have also gained 47 views on my video so far on its Youtube page. Here is some of the feedback i received :

Hannah Fyfe its so happy and summery :) good editing nice and fast :)

Ellis Baker love this holly, i had a smile on all the way through! well done :)!

Chris Gilbert Easily the best GCSE Media Studies video I've ever seen.........(I've seen two). :) Love that guitarist !

Zoe Gilbert FANTASTIC! So happy + summery. Puts a smile on my face everytime I watch it! :) Love the roundabout shots + the slowed down clip of Bethany throwing flower in Emma's face. Classic. Well done :) A* all the way! xx

Sian Lianne Evans that is such a cute video! love the feel-good vibe :D makes me excited for summer :D like how smiley faces just pop up all over the place aha :D and the fast pace of the editing matches the fast beat and just makes it really happy and upbeat so fits the genre!! :D ♥

Beth Gilbert Wow, sooo good Holly! All of the lighting at Wildwood park is amazing and the timing of everything is perfect! Good range of shots with all the running with the camera bit! :) Hope u do well!

Liv Haggar well done big gilb! this is the perfect video for this song! the fast cuts are perfectly in tune with the pace of the song, and i think you've done well to balance the indoor shots and the outdoor clips. the whole thing has a lovely summery vibe :') ♥

Eleanor Penny very good holly, very summery, happy and feel good! :)

Final Production : Music video

This is my final music video :

Poster

This is a poster i created to promote the upcoming album and represent the band. I decided to in-keep with the same themes as used for the digipack so the singular front image is recognisable to fans and passers-by who may take an interest. I made the text bold so it stands out and grabs your attention. I also included a link to the bands website so that potential fans can have access to more information.

Digipack

Below is my digipack design for what would eventually be the album.

I decided to use some still pictures i captured on the day of filming outside as the cover and inside pages of this multi-sided digipack plan. My music video is mostly a concept, there is no performance involved from a "singer" only a guitar player. Therefore, i decided to carry this concept through onto this plan, rather than show an image of the band or peoples faces shown in my video.

I felt the album cover was the most striking picture as the sun is reflecting across the canal which creates a beautiful image. I used landscape shots for the other images to stay on the same theme and also reflect the bands feel good image and music. I put some logos and a barcode on the back cover to make it look authentic and more proffessional.

Questionnaire results

Here is a sample of the results i got back :

1)   How old are you?
- 14

2)      Are you male or female?

     - Female

3)      What is your favourite genre of music?

     - Indie

      4)  What do you think is good / could be improved in this video?
     - I really like the feel good tone of the video and the fast cuts along to the music. I think there could have
      been more guitar playing.

1)   How old are you?
-19

2)      Are you male or female?

      - Female

3)      What is your favourite genre of music?

      - RnB

      4)  What do you think is good / could be improved in this video?
      - I love how all the shots seem natural, it makes it more accessible and relatable to a youthful audience.

1)   How old are you?
-40

2)      Are you male or female?

      -Male

3)      What is your favourite genre of music?

      - Rock

      4)  What do you think is good / could be improved in this video?
     - I liked the variety of shots and activity as it never got boring. I think some of the shots could perhaps be
       sped up slightly.


I received a lot of positive feedback through asking a variety of people, and also found it very helpful in what i could have done better. Peoples answers varied according to their age category and genre taste, this was useful though as i got a wide range of feedback.

Questionnaire

I carried out a questionnaire once my media product was complete to find out what a range of different people thought of it, and to get constuctive feedback on my work. I distributed the questionnaire in different ways, some were on paper, some i asked over social networking sites such as Facebook, and others i asked the questions out loud, more like a structured interview. I kept the questionnaire short and straight-forward so it was accessible and understandable for all ages and not time-consuming. I kept the first half with only closed questions so they could be analysed with ease and compared. I made the last two more open so i could gather more in-depth and qualitative data also.

Questionnaire

1)   How old are you?

2)      Are you male or female?

3)      What is your favourite genre of music?

      4)  What do you think is good / could be improved in this video?  

    

5)      Would you buy this record? Give reason for your answer.

Filming locations

As soon as i thought up my revised ideas, i had a clear knowledge of the location i would use for the main shots for my video. Both my storyboard and developed ideas included a large park, preferably with swings and a roundabout for the particular shots i wished to do. I immediately thought of "Wildwood park" which was nearby and had everything i needed in its location. Here are some still shots i took whilst making sure the location was right.

I decided i wanted the cake-making and guitar playing in a natural and comfortable environment. I planned to use my own house for these shots, and thought it would work well as this would be an expected location for these activities, and the actors performing would feel comfortable.

Storyboard

These are my rough storyboards for my music video. I found it helpful getting my ideas onto paper and in a more visual format.

When it came to shooting and editing my video, obviously i added many other shots inbetween the scenes shown above, and used repetition and special effects on some shots also.

Development & Finalised Idea

Initially, my idea was to create a youthful happy video using a group of friends as the main focus point. I wanted to create different scenes, such as them in the park, trying on different clothes in a shop, and also going to a nearby city to create a feel good scene of giving out "free hugs" to strangers and filming the reactions they got. I felt that all these ideas would create a modern version of the original video, with brightly coloured clothing, and the idea that these friends were "on their way" in the sense they were at that stage where they would be leaving home to go on to university and other adventures. I got the free hugs idea from a clip i had seen on Youtube a while back, and now since it was first seen, many groups of people have made videos doing it all around the world. It creates that warm feeling because usually you wouldn't even look twice at a stranger, but this movement is bringing you closer to everyone around you, whether you know them or not. Below is the original video that started this movement off, with over 68 million views, it had a huge response around the globe.




Unfortunately, I was unable to get a group of people available to travel to our nearest city when needed, so my ideas had to be revised slightly as i felt this concept wouldn't work as effectively in a small town. I did take some of the ideas from what i had thought up initially; for example, i decided to still use shots at the park. I decided to take some inspiration from the film "Matilda" as my chosen song was a soundtrack for that movie. Bike riding and hula-hooping were then finalised ideas. I decided to also film some cakes being made, and for them to spell out the song title "send me on my way" at the end. I also wanted their to be some form of recognition for the music playing, so i decided i would get a guitarist in my video also.  I planned to use artistic and varying camera shots for all these ideas to make them fun and interesting.

Rusted Root album covers

I decided to have a look at some of the album covers Rusted Root had created as i expected them to represent the bands image and personality. It also helped me start to think about ideas for my digipack. As expected, their album covers matched up to everything i'd previously seen about them. Bright colours like their clothes on the video, artistic and interesting elements, and they also appear rustic, nature-based and welcoming. All of these aspects shown on the covers could tell me a lot about the band and their music, even if i hadn't heard of them before. An album cover is crucial for a band, it could make or break sales as it is the first thing the customer will see on the shelf, and people will always make an initial judgement on something. The cover has to not only represent the band, but the music and their desired audience. Also as expected, the majority of their covers did not have the band themselves featured, but an artistic concept. There are arguments both for and against having the artists profile appear on the cover.  For example, people may not recognise it so quickly if the band is not on the cover. Therefore, they will have to go the extra mile to look at the titles on the albums which could potentially minimise their audience as some may only know what the band look like and not what their name is.