It was shown on LiveStream - a website which companies can stream live videos on.
It was also uploaded to youtube. I am very happy with the outcome.
Sunday 20 March 2016
The Final Video
The music video for 'How You Like Me Now' is finished and posted on youtube. To promote the video there was a live stream premiering all the videos. I shared the link to this on my social media sites and had people share them.
The Final Digipak
Here is the final digipak, it has been scaled and proofed several times. I am very happy with the final outcome and think it adds another factor to our successful music video.
Monday 14 March 2016
Evaluation Task Four- Conclusion
By using digital media technologies I have used technological convergence to allow me to create a successful main product and three ancillary products.
I have gained skills which have allowed me to use new media technologies which has made me a prosumer in the in the online age. This means I can produce and consume products using web 2.0 and platforms such as youtube.
A theorist who is interested in a lot of this participatory culture is Henry Jenkins, He talks about how as humans we do not only produce products in this day and age, we are also able to consume others' creations because of the opportunities web 2.0 has given us.
The use of Adobe premier Pro as a piece of editing software has taught me how to select and organise a music video to a very high standard using off the shelf media equipment, I am able to crop footage and edit proficiently now. I have also been able to share ideas and research global and industry standard products, I have been able to do this because I have access to sites such as, google, youtube and get information from the BPI. Digital technology has made available to me opportunities to upload, share and distribute my products using You tube as a free online broadcast platform.
It is also interactive – audiences have been able to feedback, like and comment on my products using features such as subscribe features, and also embed my product into their own social networks such as Facebook or blogger, and other online sites. These new skills learned on this course have enabled to gain experience not only as a user of digital technology, but also to also become a producer – important to an understanding of the media in an online age and how I can consume products as well.
Evaluation Task 4 - Director's Commentary
Director's Commentary
Please follow the link to view the directors commentary for 'How you like me now?'
Script
Charlotte: We are here to present a directors commentary on evaluation task four.We chose the song ‘How you like me now?’ by the heavy. There was already a music video for this song but we decided to make a better one because the original didn’t use many conventions.
The lyrics allowed us to devise and present a clear narrative within the video as well as a performance cut.
Rebecca: We drew out storyboards and filmed these to create an anamatic. This allowed us too see what our overall video would look like and how long each shot would be. We also cut to the beat and saw which shots worked and which of them didn't.
To film the animatic we used a Sony NX5 camera and adobe premier pro to edit the clips together.
To create our music video we used a video camera called the Sony FS100. This is a high quality, unfixed lens camera. We also used a tripod.
We filmed a narrative in a meat locker
Jamie: I used an iPad as a countdown instead of using a clapper board. This was used later in post production to match the track and the video.
A sound box present alongside a sound technician. This box also controlled the lighting. The original track was played from the speakers and the band played over it when recording. The lighting was controlled and fit in with the performance.
Kristina: Limitations of music video form require elaborate and expressive editing. We tried to make the selective and appropriate use of shot transitions, captions and other effects so that meaning is apparent to the viewer. We used the Adobe Premier Pro as well as Adobe After Effects and the fist step was to upload the footage to a mac computer. After reviewing the footage, we created a folder called rushes. Then, distinct folders for the narrative and performance were created and we also selected and named the shots we wanted to use respectively (e.g. close up of the guitar). When the shots were too long and contained some unwanted material, we cropped them using a rasor instrument.
Jamie: We edited the group performance first. It was very important to lip sync the shots to the soundtrack and playback first as well as match-en-action to make the performance to look natural and coherent. Several takes allowed us to choose the best shots to use and this was really helpful because in some places actors did not match the lines. It was important to listen to the song very precisely to reinforce some instrumental sounds, using images (e.g. when the guitar was heard, we put the guitarist on the screen).The investigation of the conventions of the music video allowed us to understand that the music video should start with a wide shot of the group to introduce the whole band first.
Rebecca: We used a lot of close up shots of the main singer because his face is the main focus of the music campaign and music video should market him and represent his star image. We reviewed the performance cut numerous of times to ensure that it looks natural and coherent, the singer matches lyrics, band is playing the right chords and that there is not repetition (e.g. too many guitarists’ shots)
When the performance cut was finishes, we started to edit narrative. Unlike AS , the editing of the narrative was far more complex, including multiple layers, complex transitions, eye line matching, cross-cutting, parallel editing and else.
Kristina: For example, to show a silent communication (when there was no speech and the context had to be shown only by body movements and eye contact), we used a meat grinder to process the meat in order to show that if the person don’t follow the instructions given by another man, his mate is going to suffer. To deliver this preferred reading, it was very important to make the right editing decisions (e.g. eye-line matches, depth of field and others have to be done very precisely). After creating small narrative sequences, they were put on the timeline. Then their order had been changed several times to create a desired narrative (this is called a sequental order to create cause and effect).
Charlotte: Eventually, these narrative sequences were put on the top of the performance. At the end, we also used finishing, colouring and grading tools to complete the overall look of the video. It works by bringing elements together for a final product so that the colour, contrast and saturation are consistent throughout the video. The Fast Colour Corrector options display helped us to adjust the tonality of the video (e.g. we added more whites when the image was a bit too dark).Than we added some brown color to the performance to give it more old- fashioned, bluesy feel as well as a blue tone to the narrative to add more ‘cold’ effect.
The lyrics allowed us to devise and present a clear narrative within the video as well as a performance cut.
Rebecca: We drew out storyboards and filmed these to create an anamatic. This allowed us too see what our overall video would look like and how long each shot would be. We also cut to the beat and saw which shots worked and which of them didn't.
To film the animatic we used a Sony NX5 camera and adobe premier pro to edit the clips together.
To create our music video we used a video camera called the Sony FS100. This is a high quality, unfixed lens camera. We also used a tripod.
We filmed a narrative in a meat locker
Jamie: I used an iPad as a countdown instead of using a clapper board. This was used later in post production to match the track and the video.
A sound box present alongside a sound technician. This box also controlled the lighting. The original track was played from the speakers and the band played over it when recording. The lighting was controlled and fit in with the performance.
Kristina: Limitations of music video form require elaborate and expressive editing. We tried to make the selective and appropriate use of shot transitions, captions and other effects so that meaning is apparent to the viewer. We used the Adobe Premier Pro as well as Adobe After Effects and the fist step was to upload the footage to a mac computer. After reviewing the footage, we created a folder called rushes. Then, distinct folders for the narrative and performance were created and we also selected and named the shots we wanted to use respectively (e.g. close up of the guitar). When the shots were too long and contained some unwanted material, we cropped them using a rasor instrument.
Jamie: We edited the group performance first. It was very important to lip sync the shots to the soundtrack and playback first as well as match-en-action to make the performance to look natural and coherent. Several takes allowed us to choose the best shots to use and this was really helpful because in some places actors did not match the lines. It was important to listen to the song very precisely to reinforce some instrumental sounds, using images (e.g. when the guitar was heard, we put the guitarist on the screen).The investigation of the conventions of the music video allowed us to understand that the music video should start with a wide shot of the group to introduce the whole band first.
Rebecca: We used a lot of close up shots of the main singer because his face is the main focus of the music campaign and music video should market him and represent his star image. We reviewed the performance cut numerous of times to ensure that it looks natural and coherent, the singer matches lyrics, band is playing the right chords and that there is not repetition (e.g. too many guitarists’ shots)
When the performance cut was finishes, we started to edit narrative. Unlike AS , the editing of the narrative was far more complex, including multiple layers, complex transitions, eye line matching, cross-cutting, parallel editing and else.
Kristina: For example, to show a silent communication (when there was no speech and the context had to be shown only by body movements and eye contact), we used a meat grinder to process the meat in order to show that if the person don’t follow the instructions given by another man, his mate is going to suffer. To deliver this preferred reading, it was very important to make the right editing decisions (e.g. eye-line matches, depth of field and others have to be done very precisely). After creating small narrative sequences, they were put on the timeline. Then their order had been changed several times to create a desired narrative (this is called a sequental order to create cause and effect).
Charlotte: Eventually, these narrative sequences were put on the top of the performance. At the end, we also used finishing, colouring and grading tools to complete the overall look of the video. It works by bringing elements together for a final product so that the colour, contrast and saturation are consistent throughout the video. The Fast Colour Corrector options display helped us to adjust the tonality of the video (e.g. we added more whites when the image was a bit too dark).Than we added some brown color to the performance to give it more old- fashioned, bluesy feel as well as a blue tone to the narrative to add more ‘cold’ effect.
Evaluation Task 4
How did you use new digital media technologies in the construction, research, planning and evaluation stages?
Throughout the process of my media campaign I have used several digital technologies to create my final products. I have worked with three different types of cameras- a basic camcorder, the Sony NX5 film camera and the Sony FS100. I used the camcorder to take practice shouts to get a feel of how the shots would look.
These cameras are all convergent- this is because I can take the memory card out of these devices and upload the footage captured onto a PC/Mac. This can also be done by using a USB cord to connect the camera straight to the PC/Mac. I used these products to capture the footage and create a clear image, white balance, zoom and panning were all used. Another big piece of Technology used was an Apple Mac.
This is where I used the software- Adobe Premier Pro to edit my footage. This software let me use the razor tool to crop the rushes. I also created lots of bins to organise the rushes.
After finishing the final cut, it was uploaded to the popular broadcasting platform - Youtube. This is a digital technology which allows us to become prosumers and upload this video to allow audiences to share, comment and like it.
The music video I created was also uploaded to lifestream, there was also an event where the videos were released live. People could watch a montage of all the music videos at the time they were released. This screening gave us a lot of positive and constructive feedback.
The key skills I have used are team building, group communication. One of the best ways we kept a good level of communication was using the messaging app, Whatsapp- we created a group chat and often discussed responsibilities of what needed to be down when we couldn't physically be together.
Evaluation Task Three - Information in Survey
Here was the first survey we created. I later transposed this into an online survey.
I have had two sets of results on the survey. They are both interesting.
The idea that the loser of the card game had to deal with the body was interesting. This shows that the viewer did not understand the rules of the card game played, Blackjack. Because from the card game you can see that the person who won got the body. This is supported by the viewers age, this viewer was 15-25 showing that they probably didn't understand blackjack.
This is an oppositional reading. It's not expected.
Evaluation Task Three - Audience Feedback
What have I learnt from audience feedback?
One way of accessing audience feedback is looking at the youtube statistics for How you like me now?
We currently have nearly 8000 views and these are from different countries. The most popular country unsurprisingly is the UK. This makes my product a Global Products.
We are also able to track when the most popular sections of our music video are. When people stopped and started watching.
This is the page where the audience statistics are shown. We can see that our audience is almost 50/50 male to female which is expected. Our audience is between the ages 13-24 this was not expected but it is due to the song choice and area of release.
One way of accessing audience feedback is looking at the youtube statistics for How you like me now?
Evaluation Task Two
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
I have created a presentation task for Eval Q 2. I used Prezi because I am familiar with the software and find it engaging and often have good results with it! I have persoanlly looked at the Website.
This is a Prezi I put together which everyone contributed to. I made a video on the importance of the website and expanded on everyones points.
Evaluation Task One - Conclusion
Conventions are the typical ways of doing something and typical choices made, in our case, conventions refer to a generally expected ways of doing music video, DIGIPAK and the the Website.
Conventions can be used and supported. They can be challenged and deliberately broken. In evaluation of the question set I feel that I have followed a lot of the conventions of media products in my own campaign. This use of these conventions is evident in the construction of my own products, for example black and white CD Digipak and the Website. This is supported by my own research onto similar artist- Arctic Monkeys. At the same time I have sought to develop and been able to challenge conventions, for example, I have dressed my band in quite dull colors instead of bright clothes that are typical to the pop music video.
Conventions can be used and supported. They can be challenged and deliberately broken. In evaluation of the question set I feel that I have followed a lot of the conventions of media products in my own campaign. This use of these conventions is evident in the construction of my own products, for example black and white CD Digipak and the Website. This is supported by my own research onto similar artist- Arctic Monkeys. At the same time I have sought to develop and been able to challenge conventions, for example, I have dressed my band in quite dull colors instead of bright clothes that are typical to the pop music video.
I have achieved and my product is competitive in the music industry and I have attempted to challenge audience expectations, bring something new to the media forms. Media Conventions are ultimately relied upon for communicating the right message to the intended audience, but also deviate from these expectations helps sell the star image that I wanted to promote. Audiences produce meaning from the interaction of the conventional material in a text, and their understanding of conventions, for example in my music video there are a lot of close-up shots of the main artist because I wanted him to be the centre of the music video and also I wanted the audience to become familiar with his face and the star image he is representing.
Evaluation Task One - Website
Website codes and conventions:
A home page - there will always be a home page to let the audience know who and what they're viewing. Usually there will be a photograph with rock bands because it is important to see the star image on the website. The latest music video will also likely be shown on the home page, this can be seen on the Arctic Monkey's website.
If you scroll down on our home page you can see the video. This is important as it is the main product for our audience.
Tour dates will also have their own page or tab. This is a way of giving the audience the opportunity to see the band live. This could also lead to meeting people who are interested in the same music.
The Arctic Monkey's have a forum which is a chat page where fans can interact and post threads about the band. There are also pages for them to discuss things that have nothing to do with the music or people in the band.
The font and name of the band is in a very simple black and white font, it is also quite an informal font which shows the nature of the band.
Evaluation Task One - The Digipak
Here is the final digipak covers for 'The Maehns' - 'The Quadratic Formula'.
I created and designed this Digipak for the album. It is called 'The Quadratic Formula'.
It was originally called 'IV' for Four this was inspired by Led Zeplin's albums by the names represented by roman numerals.We chose four because we have four band members but this was too simple so we changed it to 'The Quadratic Formula'.
I arranged a photoshoot with the four members of the band and got some head shots and group shots to use for all aspects of the campaign.
We were influenced by The Beatles album cover for let it be.
This is because we wanted the whole band to be represented equally.
The idea of linking Ted and Georgio as father and son is because we think the audience will really enjoy a father-son relationship within the band.
We had to add the record label onto the digipak. We chose Domino records because they are an iddi record company which we believe suits our star image and band.
Here is a photo of me and Jamie finishing up on the Digipak, we had to rescale the inner panel.
Evaluation Task One - The Video
I have produced three products for our artist. These consist of a music video which was planned, filmed and edited then released on social media over several weeks. I have built a website and designed a CD digipak for them also.
Here is the music video I created for HOW YOU LIKE ME NOW?
Here is the music video I created for HOW YOU LIKE ME NOW?
The music video is 3.03 minutes long which is a typical convention of music videos as they are usually around 3.00 minutes. They will usually follow the conventions of lip syncing, performing, narrative, stylistic elements or a many of these.
There are both types of conventions- technical conventions and symbolic conventions- we used both of these to create an acceptable music video.
I chose to follow some typical conventions of pop music videos for ours and some which weren't so recognised. This is because of the type of band and music I was using.
My aim was to use conventions to help the audience understand what type of artist this was and enable them to situate my video and track within the rock/pop genre.
I looked at lots of conventions when creating my music video.
Our music video is a conventional tool to attract an audience to our artist, we took conventions such as a gangster theme and the idea of promoting an older artist in the pop industry, this does challenge the conventions of many pop music videos.
The convention of using a narrative throughout our video was to engage the audience in more than just a band performance.
We wanted to show a story behind the lyrics of the song. Another artist who uses a lot of narrative in their music videos is Bon Jovi, such as the video Always.
We also used the convention of a band performance, this is so we could lip sync and have the instruments playing throughout the video. I took some inspiration from the music video Feel It by TobyMac who also used a band performance.
The lighting is dim to show the audience it is set in an illegal storage room as well as the brick back set.
We also decided to use a blues band theme with trilby hats and suits.
I used costume, hair and make-up to who my audience what type of artist it is.
The suits and hats show my artist is more mature, and middle to upper class as well as aid the jazz and blues influence in the song.
We challenged normal pop music video conventions by using an older male band rather than the young artists these days. This meant we had to create a music video suitable for a more mature audience yet still be entertaining.
Younger artists such as Taylor Swift used cross fades in her video to show the desert and location used. We didn't do this.
Shooting at this location would be a convention of a high end, high budget because shooting on any location can be expensive. Adeles video was shot in an old house, they have lit it to look dusty and old which works with the meaning of the song. This is a very high end video.
We also tried to keep the colour quite dusty and earthy for our artist, much like Adele's video.
A lot of Pop videos use bright colours and flamboyant consume to show youth and playfulness.
Much like Ariana Grande's Video.
We also added a poker game which we took from Casino Royale, we thought this concept would go well with the track chosen and add to the gangster feel we added to our video.
I showed close ups during the video to add tension and show the expression on the protagonists face. This is used in films such as Silence of the Lambs, because it intimidates the audience.
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