- How effective is your combination of main task and ancillary task?
- In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
- What have you learnt from your audience feedback?
- How does your media product represent particular social groups?
- What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
- Who would be the audience for your media product?
- How did you attract/address your audience?
- What have you learnt about technologies from the process of research, planning, construction and evaluation of this product?
How effective is your combination of main task and ancillary task?
I believe that throughout the process of constructing the main product and two ancillary products, I have created a common theme, including the text colours, font, logos, colour schemes etc. This theme occurs across the music video, website and promotional CD cover.
Before I even began thinking about planning the products, the research I carried out enabled me to expand my knowledge of the media products available, and the codes and conventions required in a music video to make it effective and appeal to its audience. I think that I have coerced with these codes and conventions as regards the music video, as it is effective and judging by the audience feedback, appeals to my target audience. From creating this, I was able to go on to create a theme which I intertwined into the CD cover and website, thus linking the three products together in an effective, recognisable combination. The similarities between the products allows the audience to recognise that they are related, and therefore make the products more memorable to them.
I used images in both the main and ancillary tasks that were directly related to one another, thus linking the products together more strongly than just using the same fonts or colours. Despite taking numerous still photographs on the day of filming, I decided to use two still images captured from the footage used in my music video, on both the CD cover and website. The image of Ben playing the guitar right at the beginning of the video is the background for the webpage but faded out to show the text etc more clearly, and the image from the very end where Ben looks out to the sea from the beach, as the back of the CD cover, again faded out in order to make the text bolder. This technique was effective as it ensured the theme of the music video carried on into the two ancillary tasks in an efficient manner allowing the audience to associate the three products together.
To conclude, I believe through a mix of fonts, a logo, colour schemes and images, I was able to invent and create three media products designed to promote themselves in an effective way whilst appealing to the target audience, allowing the audience to familiarise themselves with the products without being overwhelmed with an enormous amount of information.
In what ways does you media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
I believe that all three of my media products use, develop or challenge the forms and conventions of media in their own way. This is because they are all unique from anything already on the market, whilst using existing codes and conventions.
Music Video
In my music video I have challenged forms and conventions of real music videos in a number of ways. Firstly, I did not include many extreme close up shots when filming and editing. In professional music videos, they would include some extreme close ups, often to show the lips as the artist sings, or as they play their instruments. I have included one EC up at the very beginning, when Ben is playing his guitar, but this is the only time, as I felt that the setting of the video was important to convey to the audience. The lyrics 'Lost at Sea' link with the setting of the beach and sea, so I was keen to include as many shots of Ben singing and playing with the background visible.
Another time I challenge conventions is at the beginning of the video, when Ben is 'busking' on the streets and the girl drops money in his guitar case. As she approaches he is singing in time with the music, but he stops as she walks away. However the lyrics are still sung on the dubbed-over version, which makes it seem as though someone else is still singing after Ben has stopped. This is uncommon to see in current music videos, as the singer will either sing or not, and not pause halfway through, with a voice carrying on. I think this adds to the ethereal mystery of the music video, along with the fact that the girl 'isn't really there'.
The black and white tint I added to my video during the editing process develops forms and conventions of existing media products. This is because while I took inspiration of making the video black and white from knowing that more Indie videos are filmed in this way than any other genre, they are still uncommon in other types of music. The most common type of video is colour, which is why I am developing the conventions, and not using them here, as being in black and white is not a rule for Indie music videos.
By slowing down a few shots in order to fit with the tempo of the music, or, like with the flying bird shot, elongate the movement to keep with the longer note being sung, I have also developed codes and conventions. Most of the time in music videos the shots will stay in the same speed, to keep consistency, although if there is a high-action video, the footage may slow down to show the actors' expressions or to elongate the moment.
Using codes and conventions in music videos is important, so that the audience can recognise it as a music video. By using a wide variety of shot types and angles, I have used conventions. I used shots such as high angle, low angle, pan, tilt etc, which adds to the authenticity of a professional-looking music video.
CD cover
The mise en scene of my CD cover shows Ben walking away from a groyne on a beach where he has just left his shoes and his guitar. Because you can see Ben but not his face, I feel I have both challenged and used conventions on the front cover. This is because in most CD covers, the artist is on the front, which Ben is. Therefore I have used this convention. Also, because you can see him but not his face, I have challenged conventions by only letting the audience see the back of him, on his debut single. This leaves a lot to the imagination, but also forms as a way of 'not judging a book by its cover' because the audience cannot form ideas about Ben's music from seeing his face or expressions.
I have developed codes and conventions on my CD cover because of the black and white tint I have added. This is quite uncommon for a CD cover, as usually they try and make the cover stand out as much as possible so it is eye-catching on the shelf, and so then more people will buy it. I have used black and white both to continue with the theme from the music video, and to make the guitar and shoes contrast greatly as they are still in colour.
In this way of having part of the cover in black and white and part in colour challenges forms and conventions because I believe there are few if any made in this way (that I have seen certainly). It is still obviously distinguishable as a CD cover because of the name of the artist and the song (using codes and conventions) which I have included, but stands out against other CD covers currently existing.
Website
I feel I have challenged the forms and conventions the most out of the three, on my website. It looks professional enough, but so unique and interesting too. The first noticeable thing I would say is that the title of the page, Benjamin John, is situated in the right middle of the page. This is unusual in websites as normally the title would be found at the top, so it is the first thing the viewer sees as they enter the web page. I placed it here to challenge the forms, and become a central point of focus on my web page.
The situation of my links to internal pages are scattered and skewed around the title, in an ordered disorder. On existing websites you would usually find the internal links listed to either the left or the right, or along the top, under the title. Therefore I have challenged forms again by placing the links in no particular order, at no particular angle. I think it adds a more care-free appearance, which conveys the feelings of Ben's songs.
There is very little on the actual homepage, the main features being the Lost at Sea video, the internal links, the background and the name of the page. Because of this, the length of the homepage is very short, and so there is nothing for the user to scroll down to see, which is unusual. Normally on a homepage there is at least double the length of what you see originally. This is another example of my challenging the forms.
Of course, I have used a lot of the usual codes and conventions of existing websites. For example I have included navigation (albeit not in an orderly manner), a background, external links, a recurring colour scheme and videos. This means my website conforms to a stereotypical website format, but the way I challenged the layout makes it unique and interesting while doing its job effectively.
What have you learnt from audience feedback?
To begin with, I designed a questionnaire aimed at my target audience of young people aged 15-24. This questionnaire was thoughtfully compiled with a variety of questions in the interest of finding out exactly what I needed to know. After distributing the questionnaires to people who fit the bill of 'target audience' and gathering them back in, I then analysed the results in order to create a review of what it was that my target audience wanted nowadays from the music industry, and in particular, what I could bring to them via my music video.
I learnt that the most popular artist out of the choices given was Ed Sheeran, a singer from the same music category as Ben is; Indie. This was a good discovery as it meant that there was a chance that my music video along with Ben's music would prove popular with my target audience. Another thing I learnt from my audience feedback was that 90% of people surveyed said they preferred originality in music videos, rather than familiarity, which is why, as I will explain further down, I have tried to challenge forms and conventions in my media products, rather than use or develop them.
After carrying out this research I then went on to create my media products. The information I gathered became invaluable, as it allowed me to steer my products more towards the needs and wants of my audience, better to appeal to them, which would enable my products to become more successful and therefore my endeavours would be more efficacious.
When the products had been created, I then asked for feedback from various people within my target audience age group, who all told me positive things about my products. I also had some helpful criticism, for example one person told me that the 'jump cut' didn't work very well and should have tried a different approach to it. I appreciated this criticism, yet left it as it was because it was something I could write about in the section of 'challenging forms and conventions'. Also, I quite like the way that cut turned out.
I used the audience feedback I gathered to mold my media products, and to create a music video, CD cover and website better catered for the audience's needs and wants in order to create a more effective bundle of products, therefore making them more successful.
What have you learnt from audience feedback?
To begin with, I designed a questionnaire aimed at my target audience of young people aged 15-24. This questionnaire was thoughtfully compiled with a variety of questions in the interest of finding out exactly what I needed to know. After distributing the questionnaires to people who fit the bill of 'target audience' and gathering them back in, I then analysed the results in order to create a review of what it was that my target audience wanted nowadays from the music industry, and in particular, what I could bring to them via my music video.
I learnt that the most popular artist out of the choices given was Ed Sheeran, a singer from the same music category as Ben is; Indie. This was a good discovery as it meant that there was a chance that my music video along with Ben's music would prove popular with my target audience. Another thing I learnt from my audience feedback was that 90% of people surveyed said they preferred originality in music videos, rather than familiarity, which is why, as I will explain further down, I have tried to challenge forms and conventions in my media products, rather than use or develop them.
After carrying out this research I then went on to create my media products. The information I gathered became invaluable, as it allowed me to steer my products more towards the needs and wants of my audience, better to appeal to them, which would enable my products to become more successful and therefore my endeavours would be more efficacious.
When the products had been created, I then asked for feedback from various people within my target audience age group, who all told me positive things about my products. I also had some helpful criticism, for example one person told me that the 'jump cut' didn't work very well and should have tried a different approach to it. I appreciated this criticism, yet left it as it was because it was something I could write about in the section of 'challenging forms and conventions'. Also, I quite like the way that cut turned out.
I used the audience feedback I gathered to mold my media products, and to create a music video, CD cover and website better catered for the audience's needs and wants in order to create a more effective bundle of products, therefore making them more successful.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
My music video, CD cover and website represents particular social groups by conforming to stereotypes (e age, ethnicity, sex, social status). I conducted research into the different stereotypes on the Internet, and newspapers, so I could create a realistic representation. My target audience was males and females around the ages of 16-25, possibly mainly students. This is hard to define, as my artist Ben is an Indie/acoustic artist, yet doesn't dress or look in a way that one would suggest to be stereotypical of any social group, save for a student. I used ideology and symbolism such as a guitar and casual clothing in order to represent Ben as he is, a young student who could look slightly scruffy. Lucy, the only girl in the video, is not represented in any particular way, thought some could say she is a 'troublemaker', acting like a naughty child who cannot be caught for punishment. She leads Ben on, smiling mischievously all the while. In contrast to Laura Mulvey's theory, I have represented Lucy as neither an 'innocent virgin' nor a 'whore', making me challenge this theory and indeed the forms and conventions of a music video. I did not conform to age-old stereotypes wherein the woman is inferior to the men, and to show this, I added high angle shots from Lucy's perspective as she looks through the railings down at Ben, but then as Ben reaches the top of the stairs and looks out to sea he is looking slightly down to her, and the teaming of these two angles so close to each other in the video shows how there is neither one of them more superior or inferior than the other. This is my take on representing a modern type of social group who doesn't treat women as inferior.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
The kind of media institution that might distribute my music video would be a profit based company. I believe as Ben is a new artist and is not yet signed to a record label, then a smaller, independent distributor would be more suitable than a global conglomerate for example. This is because the larger companies care only about making money, whereas Ben's main aim is to get out there, get noticed and let people hear his music, which a smaller institution could help him do. Had Ben been signed to a record label then the label would be the ones to distribute the song to the audiences, who would then take a cut of the profits made. The video would then we distributed to music channels on televisions, the Internet and the song to radio. It would be available to download from sites such as amazon or iTunes, and available to buy, with the CD cover, from shops such as HMV or WHSmiths. The CD cover could be used as an advertisement on billboards, in newspapers and magazines and on the Internet. This way it could attract a wider range of people, because of the broad advertising.
Who would be the audience for your media product? How did you attract/ address the audience?
As I previously stated, the target audience for my music video, website and CD cover is young people of both sexes aged 16-25, possibly students, possibly with part time jobs. They would be fans of indie music, or pop music, as this song could also be classed as. Their reasons for viewing the music video would be:
- Escapism; to escape from their own troubles for a while, to watch someone else's life for a change
- Entertainment; to enjoy watching something they like, be it the audio or the visuals
- Identification; to relate to the people in the video, particularly if it's a realistic narrative
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of research, planning, construction and evaluation of this product?
This year I have used a variety of different editing and creating programs in order to make my music video, CD cover and website look as professional and effective as possible.
When shooting my music video, I learnt how to use the HD video camera to a good standard so the original footage would be of good quality, as it is the basis for my whole package. After filming the footage, I then got to grips with the software used to compile my basic music video. This was called Adobe Premier Pro 6.5, and included a variety of tools in order to cut, crop and move my footage into place. I was able to add the recorded music over the top, and remove the original sound from the video camera. I spent a lot of time editing the sound so the lyrics fit with Ben's lips on the video. I took my time on this, because it needed to look as professional and perfect as possible. I then changed the speeds of the clips which I sped up or slowed down, so the video would be ready to edit on the editing software. After I had compiled the basic video, I transferred the file to Adobe Premier Editing Suite Where I added the titles at the beginning, the fades and cross fade transitions, black and white tint, solar flare, white fade at the beginning and end etc, all of which I learnt how to do this year with the help of finding my own way around the software, and the online tutorials. I learnt easy shortcuts, such as 'c' to cut, and 'ctrl' + 'z' to undo. These all helped to speed up the production process slightly.
To make my website I discovered Serif Web Plus programs which included everything to make an effective website easily. I used Serif Photo Plus to edit pictures to include as the background of the website, and also to edit the images for the CD cover. on the website I already knew how to add internal and external hyperlinks and new pages, and just applied this knowledge in the making of Ben's website. In PhotoPlus I was able to add transparency effects and tints, add layers and different images and text, change the order of the layers so some were more visible than others, and cut out bits of one image then paste them back in. All of this I learnt how to do this year with the intention of creating exciting and interesting products.
With regards to the production process in professional businesses, I learnt all about the technologies they use, including dollys when filming, recording studios to record the music which is dubbed over, the expensive computer software they do their editing on etc.
