Evaluation and feedback of video

This project has required me to use and develop many different skills which are involved in the media industry. Before I could start my project I had to do a lot of research into the music industry. This involved looking at promotional packs and what they included. I had to look at various digipaks and adverts, analysing them in detail to help me gain knowledge of what techniques are used to create them and how they attract their particular target market. I also had to learn a lot about how music videos are created and how the camera works before I went straight in. I analysed various music videos from a wide range of genres to see how they differed from one another and how messages are conveyed to the audience.

I could then start thinking about my own music video and digipak so worked in a small group to decide upon an appropriate song to use. We chose a track by a band called Flamboyant Bella, I was a bit unsure whether this was the right choice at the beginning as they are not very well known so could be hard to gain research. We soon thought of some strong ideas and I became more confident about how the video could look and the song choice. We found that by looking at the Myspace and Facebook page, our target audience will be teenagers between the ages of 14 to 19. We looked at their music videos to see how they are presented which gave us ideas on how we can achieve popularity with the target audience.

We were given a task to recreate an existing music video, which was 'Teenage Dirtbag' by Wheatus. This gave us the chance to experiment and practice using the cameras before we filmed our own music video. I learnt a lot about how the camera works and how to use the tripod efficiently. By recreating 'Teenage Dirtbag' shot for shot meant that we had to take careful consideration when setting up the shots so that they were as near to the original as possible. It taught me the importance of preparation. If the shots are planned and carefully set up than it means in the long run it will save you time as you won;t need to re-shoot. We learnt about shooting scripts and storyboards and how this is vital for a successful shoot.

We began coming up with initial idea for our video, we did this by creating a brain storm and writing down any potential story-lines or interesting shots we could include. We pitched our ideas to the class using a power point presentation, this helped me develop my communication skills and improve my confidence. We then developed our initial ideas to a strong well planned idea for the video. Once we had our plan we could the think about mise-en-scene and locations to film in. We drew a story board of our ideasin detail, shot for shot. This meant that we could see clearly how we want our video to look. We took this on location with us so we knew what needed filming.

Before we could start filming we considered the health and safety risks which we might come across and found ways of avoiding these so that we kept ourselves safe on location. We created a shooting schedule so that everyone in the cast crew knew what was happening and when we were filming. We wrote down what we had been able to achieve in each filming session, this helped us to be organised and have structure to our filming. Due to lack of time and our male model not being available we weren't able to stick to our original ideas and had to change them slightly. It was a shame as we were really eager to see our ideas put to reality and were confident that it would look good. Never the less we managed to capture the footage we needed for our adapted ideas and began to edit.

I have learnt so much during the editing process as I had never used Final Cut Express before. I was able to work well in a group with Sophie to complete all the editing of the video. We worked well efficiently together to produce work of a good standard. I am very pleased with the final outcome of the video and am proud as we both worked to the best of our ability.

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

Our video challenges conventions of real media products as we have given it a twist and reversed the footage. This makes the video more unique and stand out against other videos. Also we have represented teenage love which is not seen as much in the media as we often see more mature love. The song itself challenges media conventions as it uses drugs as a metaphor to describe love. We have played on this by not involving any drugs itself in the video but focused on the representation of their love for one another.

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

The promotional pack I have produced is very coherent and the digipak, advertisement and music video all link well together. This is created by choosing to use the same costume and location for the digipak and advertisement shots as what is displayed in the video. This creates consistency and makes the promotional package look professional. I am really pleased with the photos I took for the digipak and advertisement as they are of a high quality and look professional. All in all I think they all combine well together and as an audience I would be able to easily see cohesion.

Audience Feedback

I gathered feedback for my music video by posting it to Facebook viewing comment that people had made. The image on the left is a screen shot of a few comments I got from the upload.

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

I think the way in which I gathered my feedback worked well as it enabled me to get quick responses from various people. I was able to get an accurate reflection of the artists audience as I got the right age range for the target audience. I found that the feedback I got from a lot of people was that they don't normally listen to indie music and are more into pop and R'n'B but after watching this video and hearing the track they are more intrigued by indie music. On the whole I got a lot of positive feedback. But it has helped me find out what I could do to improve it. I would reedit the ending so that it doesn't cut of so bluntly and maybe use a dissolve or fade. Also I would capture some more footage as people said it was a bit jerky at some points, this was the point of view shot taken to show the girl looking at the boy jumping on the rocks. I would film it so it was slightly jerky but not too much and have some footage of the boy looking at the girl so that the audience can see why we have used these shots.

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

I used software such as Photoshop and Final Cut express make my media products. This enabled me to use my creativity and experiment with different editing and design techniques. This helped me bring my designs together in a professional looking way. I have used other media products to analyse which has helped give me inspiration for my video. For example Kate Nash used a lot of varied shots in her 'Foundations' video which really stood out for me. The close up shot of the feet under the table in particular gave me inspiration to involve a close up in our video of their feet on the steps. We also took further inspiration from this and used a close up shot of them holding hands, We went further with this idea and used close up shots of their feet walking and their phones in our video. Below is a screen shot from Kate Nash's video and a screen shot from our video showing our inspiration.

Screen shot from Kate Nash's Video

Screen shot from our video.

Screen shot from Kate Nash's video

Screen shot from our video.

Finished Video

This is our finished music video for Flamboyant Bella - Love has got me stoned.

Creative camera use

We experimented with different special effects on Final Cut Express to see what would make our video more interesting and exciting. We tested a variety of filters but decided that they wern't right for our video. We also experimented with changing the speed of the video by slowing some parts downs and speeding other bits up which gave the video a nice effect but we decided it looked better normal. We wanted our video to be straight foward and simplistic without the use of special effects distracting the viewer from the story of the the song. We still want the video to look interesting so all the shots have been carefully thought out to show the viewer different camera angles and view points. We have made sure that the clips are quite short and change regularly to avoid the audience losing interest. We used different camera techniques such a zooming and panning to create variety and also give the video a sense of movement.

We thought carefully about creating the shots of the singers running up the hill and had to position the camera in the right place so that it created fluency.

We lowered the tripod for this shot so that we only had view of their legs as they ran up the steps. We used a mid-shot so that detail was gained but also allowed room for movement. I panned the camera left as they moved.

We used shot-reverse-shot of the singers sitting on the bench together. This gave the viewer a sense that they are interacting with each other in conversation. It allowed us to show their connection with one another, the shots are close up so we can see emotions and expression.

Again using the shot-reverse-shot to show conversation and interaction with one another.

I shot a close up of them holding hands to increase the amount of variety to the shots. It makes it look more interesting and also shows their love for one another.

I also switched to mid-shots of them sitting on the bench, this helps to establish the shot so that the audience knows what is going on.

We used a transition to move from the bench to the male running around. This is so that it flowed and looked more smooth to watch. We didn't want the viewer to see a sudden jerk and change in scene as this would distract their attention away from the song and video. Our editing needed to be done well so that the viewer doesn't notice it.

We were creative in choosing to use a point of view shot of the girl watching the boy running and jumping on the rocks. We did this using a hand held camera which made it look more realistic.

Whilst filming we were thinking ahead to the editing process and effects that would look good when reversed. We filmed the boy taking off his jacket so that we capture him throwing it up in the air. This meant that when reversed it looks as if the jacket is thrown onto him.

I filmed this shot with the camera zoomed in so that you can see the singers clearer and as they walked closer to the camera I slowly zoomed out so that they looked the same distance from the camera all the time.

I panned the camera as they were walking to capture their movement and also help to establish the shot and what is going on. It enables the viewer to see more of the location.

I also used a pan on this shot to capture the fast movement as she turns the corner. It shows how excited she is to see him and gives the viewer a sense of urgency.

Sophie filmed this shot of her feet from a high camera angle. It creates a point of view shot which runs throughout the video. It makes the video seem more personal and put the viewer in the eyes of the characters.

For this shot I used the zoom on the camera so that when she jumped off the wall her whole body was still in shot.

I filmed over the males shoulder as he opened the gate to create a point of view shot. This puts the viewer in the characters eyes and helps to create a more personal feel.

Again keeping to the theme of point of view shots, I filmed this from the view point of the female character. It enables us to see things from her perspective.

From looking at other music videos, we found that they often had the latest gadgets which they promote. We took inspiration from this and used a phone to send a text message. I filmed this shot over his shoulder as he typed to create a point of view shot.

We experimented with different camera angles and thought that it would look aesthetically pleasing if we used the flowers to help frame the shot.

Rejected Footage

During the process of editing our music video we had to go through and cut out any unwanted footage. Whilst filming we took more than one take of many shots to insure we had satisfying footage. I have taken screen shots of the footage which we decided to reject.

We couldn't use this shot as you can see the tripod in the background. It is also too close up and the smile is overdone. Also because we didn't use makeup you can see the imperfections on his skin which is less appealing to the viewer. The sky is also over exposed therefore taking away the detail of the hair on the left hand side. The shot was also very jerky as it was taken using a hand held camera and no tripod.

This is a screen shot taken from a clip where the female singer was on the grass putting her coat on and then standing up to do the buttons up. You can see as she got up, her head went out of the shot which doesn't look very professional. We had shot this scene from different viewpoints. So we used this clip when she is on the grass putting her coat on, but as she got up we used footage captured from a different angle.

This shot was not used as the costume was not how we wanted it to be. The hood of the coat is facing outwards instead of inwards which meant we had to cut this out because it didn't look the same as in the other shots captured from different angles.

This is the shot where she is lying down putting her phone back in her pocket and then sits up to put her coat on. Unfortunately we couldn't use this shot as you can see a costume malfunction where her tights are visible. Also we wanted to capture her head in the shot and the jacket is not fully visible. We had to retake the shot from slightly further back.

When we shot our footage it was quite sunny which meant that it was hard to see the screen on the camera as it was too bright. We didn't notice that this was shot at a quite unflattering angle and also that her bra strap was off her shoulder. The sun light was shining across her from the left which meant that the right side of her face was in shadow, this meant that detail was lost.

This shot was taken of the male singer on his way to meet the girl. This shot was taken too far away and it is hard to see him clearly. It would have been better if we had put the tripod and camera where the grass starts so that he is more visible and there is not so much negative space. This shot is also underexposed and dark which doesn't look good against the rest of the footage.

The female singer was looking at the camera in this shot which made it look less natural so we decided not to use use this bit of footage. Also as they walked closer to the camera their heads went out of shot. We tried experimenting with some different camera techniques here and changed the focus so that it gradually blurred out. We found that this didn't work as good as we had hoped and didn't really fit in. Also the sign is also overexposed due to the sunlight shining on it which meant that the text was not visible. Altogether this shot didn't look very professional.

This shot was not used as the camera was not level which is very noticeable as you can see the line between the ground and the wall is not horizontal. Also I had zoomed out before she had jumped off the wall which made the whole shot look amateur. We re-shot this scene so that it was close up and zoomed out at the right time.

Advertisements

Here is an advertisement for Lilly Allen's new album. It's divided into two sections, one with an image and the other with text and information. The borders around the two different sections makes it look neat and tidy. I like the image chosen for this advertisement as it shows the artist clearly. The way it has been edited in Photoshop is really clever as a new background has been created. This ties in with her album cover as it also has these building in the background. The logo in the corner is typical for Lilly Allen's promotions and is recognisable by the audience. The colour scheme is kept minimal with very few colours which works as it is easy on the eye. The image has been shot in a classic style which reminds me of Audrey Hepburn. The album title is given in large font which makes it stand out and written underneath is the release date. Two different colour fonts have been used for the release date to seperate it from the rest of the text.

This is the advertisement for Rihanna's album 'LOUD' It fits in with the promotional pack by keeping with the same colour scheme of red and using Rihanna as the main subject matter to photograph. The choice of location is the same as in the music video to 'Only Girl in the World' which creates cohesion. The mise-en-scene used creates a connection with the target audience. The costume is made to look sexy to male audiences and desirable to female audiences. I like the soft texture of the long grass as this creates contrast with the harsh red colour which works really well. They have used a logo in the top left hand corner so that whenever the audience see it somewhere else they will connect it with Rihanna. They have used limited text as it needs to be quick and easy to read. This text includes the artists name written in large font, the latest single title and the new album name. It is important to tell the audience when it is available to buy so this has been written in large white font which stands out from the dark background.

FLAT PLANS FOR MY ADVERTISEMENT

Flat Plan 1

I chose to have a large image of the two members of the band lying down holding hands. They will be looking into one another's eye to show the connection they have together. This will relate it to the music as it is about love and relationships. I will take the photo outside in the location where we will be filming so that cohesion will be created with the music video. The female will be wearing the same red coat as in the video and the male wearing the same jumper. Underneath the image will be a seperate box filled with colour. To make it blend in I will use the eye dropper tool on Photoshop to select a colour already used in the photo. The colour will light so that the text can stand out on top of it. 'Flamboyant' will be written at the bottom of the image in large black font and directly underneath will be 'Bella'. This needs to be kept central and in line with the rest of the text so that it looks neat. I have written ' new album and exclusive video' in a different font colour so that it catches the audiences attention, this will be red so that it matches the colour of her coat. I have included tracks which feature on the album so that the audience know exactly what they are getting. At the bottom of the advertisement I have written the email address for more information on the band. At the bottom left I have included the record company logo, Virgin which makes it look more realistic.

Flat Plan 2

I decided to use clouds for the background of this advertisement as it links in with one of my ideas for the digipak. Flamboyant Bella will be written in extra large font so the audience can see it clearly. I have written the title of the digipak underneath which will be in a clear, black font. I have written 'Out Now!' in larger font than the rest of the text so that it makes a statement. I have also included ratings from magazines and how many stars they give the digipak, this can motivate the audience into buying it. In the bottom left hand corner I have used logos for HMV and iTunes so the potential buyers know how they can purchase the product. This is aimed at my target audience of teenagers by using minimal text which is quick and easy to read. Teenagers can be lazy and not want to read too much information as they will lose interest.

Flat Plan 3

I decided to plan this advertisement landscape to create variety and experiment with new ideas. The members of the band will be photographed close up and placed side by side. Again the font will be kept simple so that it is easy to read from a distance and in a short amount of time. The name of the band and title of the album will be at the top of the advertisement so the audience will read it first and know exactly what the advertisement is about. The virgin logo will be in the corner to establish the record label and give publicity. Hit singles from the album are given to interest the audience.

MY ADVERTISEMENT FOR MY PROMOTIONAL PACK

This is my finished advertisement for Flamboyant Bella's new digipak. I chose to go with flat plan idea 1 as I felt it best portrayed teenagers and would engage with my specific target audience perfectly. I am really pleased with the shot I produced, it captures the connection between both members of the band and represents the style of music Flamboyant Bella produce (which is laid back, indie tracks, focusing on love and relationships) The costume and location used is the same as what is used in the music video to create consistency. I have used large black font which is easy to read for the band name. This draws the viewers eye towards it first before the rest of the text. I then chose to write 'New album and exclusive music video' in a bold red font which lets the eye follow on from the title. This is important information which needs to be addressed to the viewer so is made to stand out. I have included hit singles which feature on the album to attract the viewers attention as it is something they are familiar with and have heard before. 'Out May 15th' is written in large font to seperate it from the rest of the text. An website address is provided at the bottom for the viewer to access more information about the band. I have used the record company logo in the bottom corner to create publicity and the colour also ties in with the girls jacket. The background for the text is a light grey/brown colour, I chose this as it is neutral and doesn't distract the attention from the information and graphics.

FEEDBACK

I uploaded my advertisement to facebook to get both positive and negative feedback which will help me when evaluating my promotional pack. The screen shot on the left is taken from Facebook where people had commented on my advertisement. I only had positive feedback for this although it was suggested that the red font should have been black to fit in with the rest of the text. This was then disagreed by another viewer who suggested that the red font is effective and ties in with red virgin logo. I am pleased with the final finished advertisement and the response I received from the viewers. It has given me more encouragement for future projects and tasks.

I took a video interview for my promotional pack to get helpful feedback. I enjoyed recording this face to face video interview as it enabled me to receive a more in-depth response from the viewer. I also gave out open answer questionnaires to gain some detailed feedback. The video and example of a questionnaire is posted below.