Finished Music Video

Evaluation Question 4

Evaluation Question 3

What Have You Learned From Your Audience Feedback?

Throughout the construction of all three of our products we conducted many forms of audience research/feedback so that we could gain insight into our target audience and use this to create an effective promotional package for my artist. The first thing we did to gain an insight into our target audience was ask general questions about music/music videos to a random sample of people. We did this to gain an understanding of the current mainstream genres of music and how music videos are important in promoting the artist.

The questions we asked were:

What makes an artist memorable?

Do you watch music videos?

What genres of music do you listen to?

What platforms do you use to watch music videos?

What is your favourite music video?

Why?

These questions enabled us to gain information about our target audience and allowed us to develop ideas on how we could construct a music video that meets the standards/expectations of our target audience.

Another way in which we researched into our target audience was through the creation of a survey on the website surveymonkey which we used to gain information from a wider variety of people than our voxpops.

Below are the results of our survey:

From the our first question on our survey we discovered that the majority of people who completed our survey were between the age of 17-20 years old which is the age group we were aiming it target our promotional package at. 

From question two we learnt that a larger percentage of females answered our survey than males. From this we decided that it was a good idea to target our video towards a female audience as the song we chose is about a breakup which many females may be able to relate too.

Our third question in our survey was research into genre. Half of the answers we received for this question were in favour of  Pop music and Rock music. We also had 20%  for country music, which is the three genres our artist/song would come under.This allowed us to gain more knowledge of our target audience. 

By asking a random sample what makes an artist memorable we were able 
 to create an effective image for our artist as we were able to take into consideration the important factors when branding our artist so that she can appeal to our audiences expectations. 

The answers to this question showed that the vast majority of people do watch music videos. This showed us how important it is to create an effective music video as they are important in promoting and branding our artist.

This question allowed us to discover why people watch music videos thus highlighting the impact a music videos can have on the audience and why they are an important element in a promotional package. It also gave us ideas on how to create an effective music video.

From this question we were able to gain insight on how people watch music videos thus informing us on what websites/platforms we should make our video available on,The most popular platform was YouTube which 100% of people used. Other popular technologies are tv, mobile phones and laptops. This was enlightening as it showed how many of our target audience use new media platforms to view music videos. It also highlighted the many different ways in which our music video could be viewed.

By asking a random sample what their favorite music video was we were able to learn what videos are popular/effective and why. We then watched these videos to gain an understanding of why our target audience liked.  This worked in our favour for some of the answers were based on Taylor Swift, who is a popular artist who is of a similar genre/background to our artist. 

During the construction of our music video, we decided that in order to make a video of a high quality we needed to gain audience feedback on what we was doing right so far. This idea led to the creation of a rough cut which we then showed to our target audience to gain feedback on "what went well?" and "how we could improve?"These two questions allowed us to gain information about what aspects of our music video were effective and enjoyed and what aspects needed to be improved. 

From this video we learned that our speed of editing was good, our lip syncing was strong and that our use of background was effective. However one thing that we needed to improve was to include more shots of the artist outside, when she was not singing. We took this criticism on board and went and filmed more footage to add to our music video. Overall we were quite content with the feedback we received. After we had completed our final cut of our music video we decided to film another audience feedback video to see if our improvements would fit with audience expectations.By creating this audience feedback we were able to see if our audience enjoyed our finished music video and if it was effective or not. Below is our completed music video and our feedback on it. 

After we finished the construction of our music video we then had to create a digipak and advert that matched our video. Once we completed our digipak we asked for feedback. We asked a random sample: what did you like about it? Did it fit with our music video? Would you be able to recognize it as our artist straight away? 

We received mostly positive feedback such our effective use of the tree imagery which fitted with the natural park location of our video. They also felt that the album title "Ordinary Situations" was effective as it fitted with the nature theme. One piece of criticism we recieved was that  the front of the digipak did not automatically relate to our music video, however it worked well with our magazine advert.

some of the positive feedback we received was:

Effective use of images

Helps to understand the narrative

Memorable

Effective however simple design

Whilst collecting feedback on our digipak we also collected feedback on our magazine advert.

We asked the random sample "how can we improve this advert?" and "what is good about it?". From this we received positive feedback on:

the picture placement,

 colour scheme

 font and text placement. 

We were also informed that our it worked well with our digipak and that it was memorable. We were also told we also had consistency between all 3 of our products.We gained positive feedback on it, such as it related to our digipak and it would be recognizable. Through the help of our audience feedback i feel we learned and created an effective promotional package for our artist.

Evaluation Question 2

Evaluation Question 1

Audience feedback survey

This is the link to our audience research survey we created using surveymonkey.com.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TNCN2WQ

Rough Cut/ Feedback

What went well:

From our audience feedback on our rough cut we learnt that the lip syncing to our music video was up to a high standard, our pace of editing is good and the performance of our artist is probably our strongest element.

What we need to improve:

from our audience feedback on our rough cut we found out that we need to improve some of the shaking in particular shots and include more narrative scenes.

Constructing the Magazine Advert

To construct the advert for our coursework we used photoshop. We decided to use the same image that is on our digipak as together they work well to promote each other.  Firstly i imported the picture of the tree and used the same text we used on the digipak for the album title.

I then inserted the artists name and other necessary font.

I then added 5 star reviews from popular music magazines to make it appear like a realistic album advertisement and to entice the audience to purchase the album.

Construction of the Digipak

To edit our Digipak we used the programme photoshop. In order to create the six panels we needed six different pictures. For the front and back panels we wanted them to join together smoothly, so that the tree would become the spine. To do this i created a blank image two times the size of a panel,

making sure i added a centimetre to the width for the spine of the digipak.

After importing the drawn image of the tree onto our template in photoshop i then began to construct the digipak. The main font I used is called delectable which we found and downloaded from the website DaFont. I chose this font as it has a similar style to the branches of the tree.

After inserting all the font i then added a barcode to the back cover to make it appear like a real digipak. The next panel i worked on was the middle panel. For this panel i decided to insert the rights to the songs and other details about the album. I decided to stick to a simple plain white background and use half of the tree so that it was uniform with the front and back panels of our digipak.

After doing this panel i then edited 3 pictures for the inside of my digipak. So that all of the pictures were uniform i added a vinergerette filter to them in photoshop. I also faded one of the images onto another image so that the guy in the picture looked like he was fading away. 

Finally i imported all the images onto my template and inserted a cd holder over the middle image.

Magazine advert

Narrative Theory

The narrative of a text is the way the story is organised.

Elements of narrative:
Time
Enigma- questions or problems that need to be answered
Closure- How the story ends, are there any loose ends at the end of the video?
Linear- when the story goes in chronological order and there are no flashbacks.

Todorov:
Todrov developed the theory that there are 4 key points to the narrative of a story.
The Equilibrium- Everything is normal, the environment can be relaxed.
The Disruption- Something happens that disrupts the plot, e.g. a murder takes place
The Resolution- The problems are fixed, e.g. revenge for the murder
The New equilibrium- Everything has gone  back to normal however, it isn't the same as the beginning, e.g. the person murdered is no longer there

Barthes:
Barthes developed the theory of texts being open or closed or polysemic.
Open- numerous 'threads to pull' - Inception is good example of this as you aren't quite sure if the main character has died or is dreaming.
Closed- only one obvious thread to grasp - Many films have closed endings, where everything is resolved.
Texts that can be read in a number of ways are known as polysemic texts.  This is when a film can be open to many different interpretations.  For example, 'Scarface' can be seen as 'a glorification of violence' or 'a rags to riches' story.

Propp:
Propp developed the narrative theory of different character types. These are:
The Protagonist (the hero)                     e.g James Bond
The Antagonist (the villain)                        Jaws, Le Chiffre etc,    
The Provider (the donor)                            Q
The helper                                                   The women who help Bond With his missions
The father                                                    Q
The dispatcher                                            M
The princess                                               Women he falls in love with
The false hero                                              Rosamund Pike in Die Another Day etc

Eminem Stan

Todorov's theory can be applied to this music video as it has an equilibrium and disruption, however it does not exactly have a resolution and new equilibrium.  The beginning of the video shows how Stan has an obsession over Eminem and shows the disruption as his letter gets lost in the mail.  However, his problems only seem to get worse as he writes his new letter towards Eminem about how he never responds and this ends in Stan having a psychopathic break and driving off a bridge, killing both himself and his pregnant wife. This shows that there is no resolution or new equilibrium.

Barthes' theory can be seen in the music video as there are some questions that pop up throughout the video.  However, as the video progresses, we see that these questions get answered.  These include 'Why does Eminem not receive Stan's letters?' or 'Why is Stan driving through the night in the rain?'  It is a closed piece of text as we see why everything happened, however there is no real resolution.

Propp's theory can also be applied to Stan, as there are some of the characters that he suggests.  There is the 'protagonist' who is Stan, however he isn't seen as a hero.  There are also the 'princess' (Stan's wife).  The villain is seen as Eminem through Stan's eyes, however, we see that he was not at fault for everything that had gone wrong.

                         

Sexism In music videos

In the music industry, sexism is a major issue particularly in regards to women. Women are treated drastically different to men. when discussing the way in which women are portrayed it is important to consider Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze theory as it deals with issues of  sexism. One of the more important points with her theory is the male gaze. This means that the media texts are created for the   viewing of males, and not the viewing of females. This is why in media texts, women are presented to the audience as being "objects of erotic desire". This is because it would appeal to the majority of the male audience. Even when women consume media texts, they have to watch it from a male point of view as they are forced to watch the exposure of women.

Blurred Lines

 

Last year the controversial music video to blurred lines by Robin Thicke highlighted the problems of sexisim in music videos. "It promotes a very worrying attitude towards sex and consent," explained Kirsty Haigh, EUSA's vice-president of services. The main artist in this video Robin Thicke is persistently shown to be completely dominant over the women in the video. Also, the women in the video are wearing very little clothing (in the explicit version of this video they are topless) where as he and the other male are fully clothed. This not only presents their dominance but it also presents women as the object of erotic desire which conforms to Laura Mulveys theory.  In reference to Goodwins theory, this video contains many close ups of the artist which appeals to audiences and record labels and the video also features a choreographed dance routine which is typical of a pop video. In terms of Goodwin, the girls in the video have a dance routine which is a characteristic of his theories.

Wrecking Ball

Miley Cyrus's video to her song "wrecking ball" is very controversial in regards to sexisim. In the majority of the video Miley is naked whilst swinging on a wrecking ball.  She also licks a sledge hammer in a seductive way. Many argue that it sends an inappropriate message to her younger audience who she gained throughout her career as Hannah Montana. Although it could be interpreted that Miley exploited her sexuality in this video to shock audiences and gain attention, it could also be inferred that she is making the statement that she is no longer the innocent disney star; that she has grown up. This video is unique as she is purposely exploiting herself. she is exploiting the music industry because she is doing something unique and being controversial about it, thus creating interest in her, and therefore giving her more chance of achieving revenue. She is also On the other hand, I think she is being exploited. In regards to Mulvey's theory, she is making herself appear like an object of erotic desire by using her body to appeal to the audience. 

Hard out Here

This video is a feminist video as it is mocking other videos that sexualise woman.  It is showing how its hard nowadays to be a woman because of all the expectations that people have for them.  People think they need to be skinny where, as the song says, you can see their bones.  They need to have a big butt and boobs because this is what will get them a good life and get them to stardom.  IT even parodies how in many black music v black women’s bodies are reduced to lurid props.However, as the video shows, we can see that Lily Allen completely disagrees with these views.  This makes the video entertaining and it can also teach others what woman have to go  through in their lives. It is clear that the video is a parody of a lot of current videos, such as J Lo's video 'Booty'.  It does sexualise woman throughout the video but this is just to show what happens behind the cameras and maybe even the media in general.  In this video Lily is making a similar statement to Mulvey, she's expressing how the male gaze denies women human identity, relegating them to the status of objects to be admired for physical appearance.

Model Of the Media

Digipak

What is a Digipak?

as part of our coursework we also have to create a digipak to compliment our music video. A digipak usually consists of  6 paperboards/card stocks which are able to join together. The outer binding allows the 6 to be able to come together.  Usually one of the card stocks contains a plastic CD Holding case which is where discs are kept, and they are kept in place by the tray. Digipak editions are often used for special editions of CD Singles or Albums and are known as premium packaging. A typical digipak could include:

Photographs - usually a digipak contains some close ups or medium shots of the artists. The rest of the images are often used to reflect a theme that can be seen within the music.

Track List -  On a digipak a track list is usually always found on the back. This is a list that has the name and listing of each track on the album.

Barcode and record company logo - These are present as a way of advertisement, if the consumer likes what they hear on this CD, they know where they can find similar content. In a similar light, somewhere else in the digipak there may be a list of the artists/bands previous work.

-Information on the Album and Artist - Where a digipak contains extra content than a regular CD purchase, it usually contains more detailed information on each member of the band, the roles they have and a list of other people that assist with production that would not necessarily be seen on stage performing.

The Mumford and sons Digipak  adopts the plain sideways folding method. This simplified looking album cover/ Digipak suits the genre that Mumford and sons want live up to which is simplicity. picture consists of a pink house most likely a small antique shop  as it has a quaint look about it. The shop window contains the four artists along with the instruments  each individual plays. They all seem to be playing very old style instruments along with wearing the attire that blends with the type of genre they are expressing (Irish folk rock). On the back cover there is just a picture of the most parts of a window on a white house. There are also the song names of the album, the song “sigh no more” is the first due to it being the album name.

Underneath is the bar-code and all of the copyright laws and disclaimer information. The inside picture then contains the same pink house with four windows and sitting on the window ledges are 4 men, most likely the artists, seeming to acknowledge one another showing their brotherhood, that they are all in this together. Finally, the CD itself is black, a massive contrast to the whiteness of the rest of the pack. However this is most likely to be because it makes it stand out and it also possibly reflecting  that many of the songs are about sorrow or anger. Black can can be a common indication of both.

Rough Cut

Risk Assesment

Risk Assessment

Group Members: Kamie, Ellese, Kendall, James.     

Location: Eastbrook Drama studio, Central park, Dagenham East Station

Hazard	Person(s) at Risk	Likelihood of Hazard 1 – Extremely Unlikely 5 – Extremely Likely	Severity of Hazard Outcomes 1 – Very Low Risk 5 – Very High Risk	Risk Level (Likelihood + Severity)	Measures to Take to Manage Risk	Risk Managed? Y/N
Tripping over wires	Kamie, Ellese, Kendall.	4	3	3.5	Make sure all wires are out of the way and taped down and make sure we are careful where to walk.	Yes
Litter, Broken glass, Tripping hazard.	Kamie, Ellese, Kendall, James.	3	4	3	Make sure we clear the path before we start to film and make sure we are careful where we walk.	Yes
Dogs and/or dogs knocking over equipment.	Kamie, Ellese, Kendall, James.	4	4	4	Make sure we take necessary precautions to avoid dogs, and make sure all equipment is safe around dogs.	Yes
Falling onto tracks	Kamie, Ellese, Kendall, James. Public	4	5	4.5	Make sure we take extra precautions to be careful near the tracks and make sure the public are out of harms risk.	Yes

Contacts

Emergency Service: 999

Robert Clack School: 02082704222

Other Contacts: Eastbrook Comprehensive School - 020 8270 4567

Group meeting 2

Today we had our first full group meeting in our new group, in which we discussed ideas over how we could all have roles which will benefit the group. This meeting was to explain all of the groups ideas and try to come up with the best possible decision on how our new group will work.

Shot List

Shot List
Scene	Shot Number	Description
1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8	Medium shot of train station platform, 2 seconds long. Sound of train- digetic* Medium shot of the train approaching. 2 seconds in length. Sound of the train increasing. Diegetic/non Diegetic Closer Medium shot, Train continues to come, two seconds long. Non-Diegetic sound. Train arrives, long shot of artist from across the platform. Non-Diegetic sound. 2 seconds long. Medium shot of artist getting on the train, Non-Diegetic sound, lasts roughly a second to two seconds. Close up of face, one second in length, Song begins, Diegetic. Cuts to new location, Close up of face, Singing begins, 1.5 seconds long. Long shot of artist sitting on train, 3 seconds long, non diegetic sound
2 1 1 3 1 2 2 2 1 1 2	9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19	Frontal frame, close up of face, singing continues. One second in length. Non-Diegetic. Medium shot Cuts to train, sitting in a seat, no lip-syncing. 1.5 second in length. Medium shot of standing in front of a wall 1 second in length. Close up of holding hands walking 0.5 – 1 second in length. Medium shot on train 2 seconds in length. Copy of shot 7, 1.5 seconds length. Still medium shot of singing 2 seconds Close up of singing, 4 seconds long Medium shot, artist sitting on the bench with partner 2 seconds Medium shot, fades to just her sitting on the bench, 3 seconds Cuts to Close up of singing, 4 seconds long