ANULI - SIGNING OFF

STILL IN THE PROCESS OF COMPLETING OUR EVALUATIONS, STRESS LEVELS ARE HIGH


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HupYtSXBWA

1.IN WHAT WAYS DO YOUR MEDIA PRODUCTS USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?

2. HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE COMBINATION OF YOUR MAIN PRODUCT (VIDEO) AND ANCILLARY TEXTS (DIGIPAK AND ADVERTISEMENT)?

ANULI - FINAL ANCILLARY

OUTSIDE

INSIDE

ADVERT

Evaluation of finished production work: Closing off my blog

I honestly can't believe this is the last ever blog I'll ever write for A2 Media. Two years of media have been a rollercoaster! I've learnt so many things that I'll carry with me for a long time.  It's been full of laughs, stressful days, tired/cold/long days of filming, editing but nonetheless it's been great. I've had a strong group who've despite anything, have always stuck together for the best final outcome. I'm proud of myself for getting to deadline day, but it's been very close. Thank you to Rebecca, who has been such an supportive teacher! I can't forget the technicians and Phoebe who have also been a great help.

I hope you have enjoyed my posts.

- Julie Luong

Evaluation of finished production work: Final Progress Review Blog

My A2 in comparison to my AS is much, much better! I can see this in my huge grade improvement. Last year I had C's in my blogging health check lists and this year I have improved a lot. I'm proud of my effort that has made this happen. I have blogged in much more detail this year, using a range of ICT and ways of presenting my work. Also, last year, I didn't blog out of the blogging checklist but this year I have tried to do extra blogs. My A2 blog effectively shows all aspects of research, planning and production of my advanced portfolio. I have tried really hard not to leave gaps and blog as extensively and detailed as I can. If there was anything I would change, it would be definitely to do every single piece of work as soon as I got it so it never built up. Overall I am happy with the progress I've made from last year!

3. HOW DID YOU USE MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND RESEARCH ,PLANNING AND EVALUATION STAGES?

Reflection on progress - January 2015

Evaluation Question 1

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

Quick re-cap on Vernallis and Goodwin theories:

Images of Digipaks and advertisements that have influenced the style and design:

Images of the different digipaks and advertisements that influenced me during my ancillary work. They influenced the style, design and layout of my overall work some of the professional works that I looked at include:

• P!nk
• Cher Lloyd
• Rihanna
• Madonna
• Avril Lavigne 

Forms and Conventions in our music video:



Conventions for Ancillary Work:

Evaluation Question 2

How effective is the combination of your main product (video) and the ancillary 

text?

The visual links from ancillary and music video:


Image across shows a collage of the visual links from the ancillary and the video. The visual links include the red bandanna seen on the artist's head, hand and neck, the use of the colour red in the artist costume for example the red shoes and the red lipstick included in her make up.

















Aspects of the video link with the Digipak and Advertisement:


Visual Links, audience and success:


Comparison between existing products:

Summary:

Overall I believe the combination of my main product and the ancillary text have been very successful. I believe that I have created a clear link between the video and the ancillary text with the use of synergy; I believe that my use of synergy/ visual links works well with the genre.

Evaluation Question 3

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

Apps and websites used in conjunction with blogger to display your work:



Use of internet

Use of photoshop (Ancillary - Digipak):

The video on the left shows me using phototshop for my digipak. In the video you can see me working on one of the inside panels as I am trying to add a shadow to the CD in hopes of making it look more realistic.















Use of photoshop (Ancillary - Advertisement):


Use of Final-Cut Pro (Music video and Digital Storyboard:

Digital storyboard: This video shows me working on the digital story board for the pitch. In the video you can see me importing the images for the storyboard and cut them to go with the beat of the song.



Creating markers and cutting: In this video you can see me putting in the markers (to add markers press the M key on the keyboard) for my music video and then start cutting the footage in order for me to decided what base track to use in that section.





Working on lip syncing and adding base tracks: This video shows me working on lip syncing by adding a marker when we hear the singer sing her first lyric. I then can be seen adding in some of the base tracks and lip syncing them with                      the music.


Use of the Blog: (Made on Canva)

Use of Camera:

Summary:

Overall I have used technology for many different things in each stage of this coursework. Each piece of technology has been used in different ways depending on the stage I am at and every format I have used has a different step by step process. 

Evaluation Question 4

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Feedback from editing process (rouge cut):

Feedback from screening at cinema:

The feedback from the cinema appearance of our music video was very positive. The audience seemed to enjoy the slow sequence in the slow part of the song they believed that it looked amazing and worked very well. Overall the feedback from the cinema viewing was much like the feedback that we received from rough cut. Our audience overall enjoyed the video believing it is fun to watch and that the performance from our artist is brilliant and entertaining.

Feedback on Ancillary work:

Summary:

Overall I have learnt so much from my audience feedback when it comes to my music video and my ancillary text. I have learnt from audience feedback how to edit my video in a way which will help it appeal to the target audience. For my ancillary feedback I learnt how to make the visual links between the advertisement, digipak and the video stand out more.
Feedback has been so useful and overall I believe that it has really helped improve my work.

Evaluation Question 1

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

We were influenced by music videos such as:

Ariana: the projection starts at 0:04 and repeated throughout the music video,

Rihanna: the projection starts at 1:00 and is also used throughout the music video.

We liked the use of the projector in both Ariana's and Rihanna's music video which we incorporated in our music video. Here we have used projection lighting after being influenced by Ariana and Rihanna.

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We took inspiration from Little Mix's video - Word Up and included a title in our music video similarly.

In addition to our promotional music video, I have created a digipak and advertisement. The ancillary work is conventional too as I have taken inspiration from existing ancillary work. 

Jessie J inspired me to make my digipak monochrome with the red highlighted. The contrast between monochrome and red stands out. 

I have used a similar shot to this for the front of the digipak. From research I found that female pop artists nearly always feature themselves, looking glamorous, in a medium closeup. The text is mostly at the bottom, as text shouldn't cover the face which is why I have used the positioning of the text in a similar way. My ancillary products are conventional as I carried out extensive research to make sure my one would be convention to appeal to our target audience.

Overall, I have used and developed conventions of real media products in order to be conventional and recognizable to our young female target audience. Following conventions has helped my work develop into the end product it is now. As our promotional music video and ancillary products are marketing tools, we haven't challenged the conventions as the aim is to sell and advertise our products. 

Evaluation Question 1

Q) In what ways does your media products use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

My media products use and develop the conventions of real media products. They don't challenge the conventions because the pop genre uses very common and obvious aspects for the music videos, digipaks and advertisements. For example, very bright colours and positive vibes to promote a youthful life etc. So to follow these conventions, we used bright colours and the illustration of youth in our music video.

A similar female pop artist also uses bright colours like this in her music videos and ancillary too. She uses it to portray 'fun' and a very 'immature' theme. (Cher Lloyd)

The video that influenced me the most with filming and editing techniques was Ariana Grande - The Way because it was creative, easy to manipulate or play about with and followed the conventions of a pop genre music video. The part that attracted me the most as someone who would also be seen as the typical target audience for this genre was the projection scene. This was used in our music video.

How conventional was my ancillary work? - The digipak

The way Taylor Swift has her long body on the cover shows her female structure and really gives the album the control she needs as the artist. It emphasises that it is her music and she is the main artist here. Most female pop singers have albums with themselves on the album covers because it emphasises independence and female authority.

Nicki Minaj is also the centre of attention on most of her album covers - again, female pop singers do this a lot. I did this for my album cover too. My artist is the main attraction on the album.

How conventional was my ancillary work? - The advertisement

Katy Perry and Rihanna both also have them as the main attraction of their advertisements and I made sure mine was too. The background was of my artist as well and I made sure the conventions of the album cover being in the advertisement was there. i didn't have a release date but I did have the networks where the music would be available. E.g, iTunes and Amazon etc. The conventions were followed very closely and clearly and I kept my digipak and advertisement linked too, using fonts and colours.

Overall, I think the music video is very conventional because it follows the typical pop genre conventions and makes it clear to the audience that it is for young teenage girls. The research and feedback I have got has helped me to fix any mistakes or things that needed improving to make the music video even more conventional. The music video was a huge success and there may be small mistakes, but as a whole, it followed the genre of pop very closely and clearly.

Evaluation Question 2

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

This is the promotional music video on Vimeo. We used 'Dirty Love' by Cher Lloyd.

17. Anuli, Julie, Sabiha, Katherine from 283goswell on Vimeo.

Synergy is when one or more products work together for a successful outcome. It is important as they all help ensure a successful outcome. We planned to use synergy through the red during the planning stages after looking at other female pop artists such as Rita Ora, Rihanna and Taylor Swift. Our synergy is the red bandana used in our promotional music video and ancillary products as well as red lips. Also, the same person who sings features in the video and ancillary products, making it easily recognisable by the audience. The synergy links between my products is quite successful as there is a clear link, my target audience recognised that the red bandana and lips are the synergy element and they liked the sophisticated red colour. My promotional package is girly yet simple which would attract young teenage girls that are interested in the pop genre. I think my target audience would be attracted to my promotional package as I have taken ideas from successful existing artists and incorporated the ideas in my own work.

As shown above, in every media product I have included the red bandana and red lipstick. In the promotional video, we had the red bandana in various places, mainly on her hand but we have shots of the bandana around her neck and hand. The synergy was shown throughout the music video apart from the bridge, the slow part to show a contrast between the upbeat tempo to the slow tempo. On my digipak, I have still included the red bandana but the rest of the photo is black and white. This makes the red really stand out to the audience and highlights the visual link between all my products. The two same fonts have been used throughout my digipak to my advertisement, 'cute love' and 'Geo Sans Light' which shows a direct visual link between the two. I have continued the visual link by making the font of 'Saffron' the same colour as the bandana. It looks less harsh and tacky in comparison to the typical red. The audience can clearly identify my digipak, advertisement and promotional video as linked products as the same person features in them all and the red synergy elements.

Rita Ora's digipak inspired me as it's simple yet clearly shows the album name, artist name and shows the artist herself. The colour scheme is quite neutral with the red standing out, which is something I did on my own digipak too. She has a clear visual link through the digipak to the music video. This is something I have illustrated in my promotional package. 

Overall I believe the combination of my main product and ancillary texts is effective as the red synergy is used throughout the video and stands out in my ancillary, making it easily recognisable as linked products by my target audience. 

4. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM YOUR AUDIENCE FEEDBACK

Part 1:






Part 2:

Evaluation Question 3

How did you use media techologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

I have used a wide range of media technology during this project.

Firstly I have used Blogger to document all stages of research, planning and evaluation. During the research stages we looked at Andrew Goodwin and Carol Vernallis' theories on music videos so that we followed their ideas and use their ideas similarly. During the planning stages we looked at many music videos, made an Animatic  so we had a rough idea of what locations/shot types to use. I have made sure to update my blog regularly so it is easily followed and there are no gaps from research to the evaluation stages. Blogger has helped me keep all my ideas in one place, now that I'm doing my evaluation I can look back at my older posts and reflect.

I have used a range of apps and websites to help display my work to make it more interactive and interesting. Ways that I have presented my work include mind maps, presentations/slideshows, Prezi, GIFs, ThingLink, Emaze, Word it Out, Animoto. These all help to present my work in an appropriate way that also engages with the reader.

To film our music video, we used a brand new - JVC camcorder. As it was HD and amazing quality, it helped us make our music video as professional and realistic as possible. We stored the clips on memory cards which we then imported the footage onto the Macs so we could edit on Final Cut Pro. Final Cut Pro is what we used to edit our music video. We added markers onto clips, made them base tracks, added post production effects such as slow motion, jump cuts etc. It allowed us to make our music video conventional with the use of editing,

We made an Instagram and Twitter to interact with our teacher during the process by updating regularly about our filming progress and our progress after. I also used Twitter to engage with Cher Lloyd fans to see what they'd expect to see in one of her videos so this helped us shape our ideas.

The internet has been vital to this project, I have used it throughout the start of the project from researching ideas to the evaluation currently. It has been vital as we have had to analyse existing products to gain inspiration and see the conventions to use in our own work. YouTube has been important as it's a huge platform to see other pop artists and keep my work conventional to appeal to my target audience. I have used the internet to research fonts, colours and style for my ancillary work to make sure that my work is conventional to the pop genre.

Using photoshop for the construction of my ancillary from julieluongx

Evaluation Question 4

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

We received feedback on our music video throughout the editing process. Audience feedback helped us change things in light of their feedback. After the rough cut screening, we received comments such as...

'When Saffron appears with a female friend. It looks random and doesn't fit the song.'

In light of this.. We removed this clip and replaced it with a different base track that was just Saffron by herself. This feedback was important as we want our target audience to understand the music video and be clear of what's happening which is why we removed it.

'The motorcycle scene is nice but it's too dark'

In light of this.. We replaced this scene with a clear, well lit shot as we were unable to reshoot as the motorcycle was a one off opportunity. This feedback was important because it will look bad and unprofessional if shots aren't well lit, this wouldn't attract our target audience.

'The editing in the boy scene is out of beat'

In light of this, we reapplied the markers and made absolute sure the markers were on time with the beat so the editing was in time with the song. This was useful feedback because once again if it was out of beat it would look completely off, especially in the cinema. The unprofessional editing would no attract our target audience. We changed this straight to ensure that our music video was in sync with the music.

All the audience feedback we received throughout the editing process helped us improve and progress. It helped us to find out what looked good, what didn't and what suits the genre and song. All of this information shaped our final music video. Without audience feedback, we wouldn't be aware of what works well. We made changes in light of people's feedback to make sure the overall quality was as good as it could possibly be on our finished piece. It helped us make a successful music video. In conclusion, audience feedback is very important. 

At the cinema screening. we received a good reaction, there was cheers and positive comments. I learned that conventions must be followed because if something looks unusual to the audience, it confuses them. Audience commended the use of costume/makeup because it is conventional to be bright, girly and colourful. Her performance of bubbly and a fun youthful personality really showed in the music video, so this is expected of someone from the pop genre in contrast to someone from the indie genre who may look 'introverted'. Her confident, natural performance is important to an audience because they want to see someone who looks natural instead of awkward and stiff.

I collected lots of audience feedback during the making if my ancillary products, this allowed me to see what others thought was effective or not so effective. The feeback helped to go change/add things in order for a conventional, thus successful link between my ancillary products and promotional music video.

Below, is Nadia responding to my final ancillary products. Overall, she (and others thought my ancillary products were very effective). Therefore, me following the conventions of pop genre has made my work successful.

Ancillary Peer Feedback

Here I have Wix to show some of the feedback that I received for my ancillary work for my peers.

(Wix does not allow you to embed your pages to other websites at the moment which is why there is a screen shot of what I have done)

Ancillary - Influences during planning process

Ancillary - Final Photo choices

This image on the left shows me working on this presentation using canvas.com