Evaluation Question 4 (Complete)

Evaluation Q4.
21/02/2015
Vasil

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

Evaluation Question 3 (Re-filmed)

Evaluation Q3.
21/02/2015
Vasil

 What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

Video Link in case of failure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw9TrRM0BiA 

By evaluating my work, I was able to gather the feedback from my audiences and other audience types to comment and give my feedback on what I could improve on within my media products and what they thought was good and beneficial to the products too. It is important to evaluate my work so that I can decide and look at the work I have produced and see whether the task given to me was a success or what other elements could I involve to make my product more successful. Furthermore, by evaluating my work I would be able to understand all of the elements I have included and whether or not I have conformed or subverted to the genre§s conventions. By having a rough cut on YouTube, I was able to get my inch target audience to evaluate my music video. I also showcased my M.V to meet my peers in a classroom setting and get them to evaluate it in the same way and give me evaluative points from which I can improve.

I used YouTube to showcase my music video so that I would be able to achieve a wider and more global audience will help by giving me constructive feedback on my music video. By doing this, I was able to relate to it as an audience and help me improve it. YouTube allows me to get my music video globally recognised from other countries, due to the large global scale of YouTube. This allows me to see what a larger audience would think of my music video and how it could help me develop as a producer by taking on the constructive criticisms and make my music video better. As YouTube allows people to view, and share videos, it would be beneficial for my M.V. to be on the website as it would gain my music video more views and more importantly, opinions as viewers would be able to share, it would be beneficial for my M.V. to be on the website as it would gain my music video more views and more importantly opinions as viewers would be able to share and view the video at a simple click of the left mouse button. This also allows more viewers to gain a better understanding of the genre I am trying to portray and will let me know whether they think the production is conventional or relatable to the niche audience.

Another positive is to let the audience comment on my music video and share their own opinion by commenting on the music video. I had some very constructive feedback which included comments such as "Some clips were too repetitive" (Seen in the long sequence where the lyrics were repeating themselves); "Lip-synch needs improvements"; "More editing is needed". There are also comments such as "I like the artist`s clothing". These were just a snippet from the comments I received within my music video on YouTube and I took all of these on board when it came to improve my music video. With these comments, I was able to see an unbiased view of what society thought of my music video and gain feedback with which I gave my best to make my music video better than it was.

The comments also made me feel like a producer,  as it made me feel confident about my skills as a producer. I also felt that if I had more editing knowledge, I would have been able to gain the full confidence of my target audience. I was able to take on the constructive comments and as a producer felt that I could make small changes to my music video. By taking on the comments, I believed that I was able to incorporate the the wanted needs into the music video and make the product more professional than the audience thought was now very reliable.

For example, with the comments asking me to add more scenes, I filmed with two cameras and shot several new scenes from Thorpe Park, which introduced more positive times (for the couple) in the narrative. This way, I showed more artist memory and made the audience try to connect with the artist better as this aid them relate to her. I also improved the lip-synch by listening to the song and adjusting the time frame of each scene in order to have my artist singing the correct lyrics. Some of the scenes such as the smoking and the love couple pretending to be on the Titanic in the park had to be increased by 20%. (Using the re-time function) in order to improve the synchronisation. I also added in new editing effects such as: flashing to make the music video more entertaining and up-beat fro the audience. This can be seen in the Thorpe Park scene where the couple decided to test some rides. This way, the audience felt their needs were met and they felt more entertained. I found those changes as essential into making my artist more representational and also make my music video more professional for the music industry.

This feedback would help me if I was working within the music industry as it would help me make my product more entertaining. It would help me develop as a producer as I had to try and develop my product with new technologies (Such as more graphic effects) and make the artist perform and use more of their time to help make the music video more better and more entertaining for the audience. The feedback would be able to help me develop as a producer myself as I would have to correct my own mistakes and change what I thought didm`t go well for the audience even if it looked good. I would have to take on board the opinions of others and improve my teamwork skills through the feedback if I wished the music video to be more successful.

Evaluation Question 2 (Updated)

Evaluation Q2.
21/02/2015
Vasil

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

Evaluation Question 1 (Updated)

Evaluation Q1.
20/02/15
Vasil

The brief given to us was to produce a music video by an artist of our choice that either challenged or conformed to the music genre that he falls in. Another part of the brief was to produce two ancillary pieces (a digipak or a poster that once again challenged or conformed to our chosen genre-indie and possess the representation that our artist had). My group consisted of Ayesha and Lilly.
I believe that our group worked well as all of us had plenty of ideas for our ancillary and music video designs and each of us held a specific set of skills (For example editing the music video with the use of filters or being able to download a music song for the video and then implement it in the video itself) that the other member did not have which meant that we could and did create three very professional products (The music video, poster and digipak) that followed the conventions of the indie music genre and did not challenge the made up artist (Autumn Healy) from the original artist`s (Lana Del Rey) representation to her target audience (17-25 year old males and females).

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

Since the task given was to produce a music video and ancillary texts that either challenged or conformed to our chosen music genre (indie) and artist representation, I decided and agreed with my group that we should produce a music video for the artist Lana Del Rey and the song that was going to be produced is (slightly monotone and dull) "Blue Jeans". As I protested that the song will be very boring for our audience as it is too monotone and the lyrics were slightly depressed, the group agreed on my argument and the song was improved by finding a remix of it. Thus our chosen song is called "Blue Jeans RAC Remix". Another valiant point would be that by having a remix, the music video product would become more desirable as the original niche target audience would slightly increase as the remix contains tones and instruments (such as an electronic keyboard) that are conventional to the house music genre.

The other benefit that the artist (Lana Del Rey) would experience this way would be that he would follow Richard Dyer`s theory (In particular his second paradox that states that the artist must be present and absent from the world at the same time). By having a mix, my artist will be visible in both the indie and house worlds which would result in a higher audience percent. A music video is a video that can contain a narrative (a short story that can be from the memories of the artist), concept (an idea that the artist would want to share with his audience with the use of a story that contains a moral) or performance (A new dancing move that the audience would want to learn or see the artist perform in an instrument that would have plenty of ) theme in its sequence. The music video is usually used as a weapon to introduce the artist or his ideas to the audience and for the record label, to promote the artist and the sponsored merchandise in order to achieve a greater profit/revenue. The use of such skills would create more interest in my artist, which would increase her viewing percentage.

In the Indie music genre there are several very important conventions that I followed in order to portray my artist (Autumn Healy) from the original artist representation that I analysed from the artist Lana Del Rey.
Firstly, it is conventional for the filming location, which is usually a cheap place (a studio, apartment or park). This is because the artist (Lana) would want her audience to concentrate on her in order for them to remember her outline and what she sings about. This also conforms to Andrew Goodwin`s theory which suggests that the artist is the main feature in every genre`s music video. While some music videos do not have their artist (portrayed as they might be a concept based music video), my music video did, which meant that I conformed to Melon`s theory by creating a narrative styled music video. This was as a result from the Target Audience research that I had carried (more on this later) in order to research what the demand for such a music video would theoretically achieve.

Another benefit to such a setting is that it creates a romantic theme which highlights the artist`s true feelings and causes her to open up to her audience, causing them to respect her and idolise her. This would appeal to my target audience of 16-26 year old females as they stereo-typically enjoy the idea of a love and romance (Which was proven by my target audience research). I overall chose to conform to the indie genre as videos within this genre typically include a cheap, naturalistic setting to make the artist the main attraction, therefore allowing the audience to see their idol through out. 

Nevertheless, by creating a Narrative based music video, I challenged the indie genre as I introduced a story with my music video, rather than a performance that had my artist playing a guitar. This way, the audience were also a witness to the second part of Goodwin`s theory which stated that the artist would always try and show the brand of clothing or performance equipment that they used. In my case, Lily (Our artist actor and director) used fashionable clothing from the 60`s (flower crown, short skirt, etc.) in order to create a diverse fashion style that would be memorable for the target audience. Another convention that was followed was that the use of vintage clothing, which would make the music video more diverse and memorable for our target audience.



The use of strobe lighting in the scene where the couple (Lana and her love interest) were sitting on a bench challenged the indie genre as it uses more simple lighting effects, such as high key lighting. However, the use of strobe lighting did conform to the house genre as house artists/dj`s use strobe lighting in order to make the music video more interesting and appealing for a club scene. Another place where I used strobe lighting was in all of the roller coaster scenes (that we used as fillers), in order to make the repeating parts of the video more appealing to the more niche part of our target audience. Meanwhile, while the audience that support house liked it, the indie genre audience would feel either confused or intrigued as the music video would be more diverse that the standard indie music videos.
Another indie convention within my music video that I followed, in order to appeal to my audience was by editing on Final Cut Pro X and applying the filter "Aged Film" to clips when the artist first meets the main love interest. These filters were layered over several arranged flashback shots which provided the audience with a more diverse and dynamic narrative compared to other indie music videos. By doing this many indie artists enjoy to apply for their niche audience, in order to differentiate their look compared to other genres in order to become more noticeable. 

Adding a range of costumes and connotations of clothing, creates a more diverse and memorable video for the audience to enjoy and for female members of the audience to aspire to.
The use of costumes conforms to the indie genre, as the artist's look is typically simplistic in order to be easily remembered and copied by the fans. This can be seen in the scene where the love couple are wearing very common clothes such as: a checked t-shirt which is relatable to the female majority of the audience. This overall links to Dyer's Star Theory as in his first paradox he believes that an artist can be ordinary and extraordinary, simultaneously. This is evident in my own music video as her expensive clothing links to the romantic lyrics and highlights her extraordinary talent and clothing choice. Then there is the sad relationship story which contrasts with the higher position in society that is uncommon to have.

I also conformed to the indie genre by using iconography, specifically drugs and cigarettes, and making them the focal point through the use of extreme close ups at the end of the music video. As the artist drops the alcohol bottle and takes drugs, (using the kuleshov effect) death intervenes with the artist without the audience being able to view the inferred. This is relatable to the indie genre as artists within the genre typically highlight elements of their life with their audience in order to create a strong bond with them. This then appeals to the target audience as they can relate to her habits and even bond with her emotionally.

Finally, I also included cinematography techniques in order to highlight conventions that conformed to the indie genre. An example would be the use of a panning shot when Autumn skates in the same park. Skate boarding are activities conventional to indie artists and are evident within many videos. An example of this would be Ellie Goulding`s song "How long will I Love you". This shot also slightly adapts from the house genre as I used fast editing on Final Cut Pro X through the re-time function and select to 20%. 

Thus my media product did overall conform to my main music genre (The indie music genre). Nevertheless, some effects such as strobe lighting did challenge the indie genre convention for such camera effects.

Final Group Ancillary-Miss Georgiou

Final Group Ancillary

Final Group Music Video-Miss Georgiou

05/02/2015
Final Music Video
Vasil Nikolov

Video url: http://youtu.be/xDWOiPs_KOM

West Hatch High School: 16807
Vasil Krasimirov Nikolov-4240
I awso worked with:
Ayesha Bhatti- 3018
and
Lilly Badcock-3204

Final Music Video-Miss Georgiou

Final Production Post

16/03/2015

Vazl

WestHatch High School 16807

Vasil Krasimirov Nikolov 4240

I also worked alongside:

Ayesha Bhatti-3018

Lily Badcock-3204

Rough Cut Post-Miss Georgiou

Rough Cut
29/12/14
Vazl

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dONv995sA7k

When it comes to production, it is important for the benefit of the record label to make sure that the music video they are producing is acceptable for the target audience they are marketing. Furthermore, it will help them develop solutions to any problem they have encountered as the audience would supply the label with plenty of feedback (Such as the one seen below).

We did hold a screening in front of a small group that fell under our target audience of our rough cut as well as upload the music video on Youtube. We found that it was a good idea to upload it to Youtube as the website supplied us with quick and fast responces by the Youtubers that have viewed our music video. We received responce from the screening, however Youtube supplied us with quicker responces. With the feedback that has been given to us, we will be able to further tweek our music videos in order to make them more proffesional and at the same time more able to be sold by the record label.

There were several positive comments. One stated that we possesd good editing skills as well as positive colours and a wide variety of coamera angles that have made the audience feel engaged with the music video. We had also received some negative comments. The three main ones were that the narratives needs to be slightly more clear; be less repetitive and have slightly more effect. While some may say that it is bad to have a negative comment, I believe that it is benneficiary for us as it supplies us with a segment that we can improve in order to fully perfect the music video and gain the most viewers from our initial target audience. 

Group Digipak-Miss Miller (Complete)

Group DIGI
18/12/14
Vasil Nikolov

Once we completed our individual digipaks, we held a meeting in which we portrayed each other`s digipak and decided on how how our overall house will look. This was a good idea as this way, we can make our group digipak more professional due to each other`s strengths in the different areas that a production of a digipak possesses. Following the meeting, we agreed to mainly use Lily`s digipak and include several segments from Ayesha`s such as the front cover as it fitted better the theme that was given off by lilly`s front cover. Our group worked together to implement the different segments by each being responsible for the different segment that we thought should be changed. I will give a quick glimpse over what the group liked/disliked in each other`s suggestions. 

Firstly, my one:

In the meeting my group did approve the use of my font and the artist's signature. The group commented that the text that was used would allow the audience to bond with the artist as the font would provide them with a more personalised and authentic copy. This would be conventional for the indie genre, as it links with the added signature on the quote page that Lily has which, would result in the the digipak to posses a more personal touch for the audience. The image was also approved, however, we all used it in our digipak proposals so we dud not use it personally from my digipak. The picture was liked by all three of us as it creates a bond for the artist with the audience (due to her looking straight down the camera lense, causing the audience to look up to their idol). The image is also conventional for the indie genre as the costume (which falls under the Mise-en-scene category) is naturalistic and does not fall under the mainstream attire that modern society is used to see. Following these positive notes, the group did give several adequate reasons for not using my overall digipak. They had decided that the background for the digipak is too unrealistic. The use of the bright blue had neutralised the dark effect of the golden grass which made the overall background clash in a very weird and unnatural way.  This is due to the mismatching images seen in the cover itself. The other comment was that the rest of the design was too bland as it was mainly white. This would bore the audience as there is mainly one colour. Also the use of random objects would be too confusing for the new listeners as they will not be able to make a connection between the props and the lyrics of the artist`s main best-seller (blue jeans).  This is why, we only implemented the font from my digipak. 

Then Ayesha's digipak.

From Ayesha`s digipak, the group fell in love with the front cover as it contained the correct elements within the cover. The digipiak included several positive elements that contain the wanted conventions of the indie genre. For example, the image of the front cover created a very similar bond with the audience. However, unlike my one, Ayesha`s looked far more professional which would gain the trust of the audience to our artist. Clothing, is also conventional to the indie genre and would appeal to the female members of the audience due to their admiration towards the artist. Meanwhile, the male segment of the audience would also appreciate the artist`s appearance as it contains flirtatious elements in the pictures. For example the use of  bigger looking lips, feline make-up and flirtatious clothing that purveys the shoulders of the artist. Overall, the layout of the front cover is conventional to the indie genre as it  uses the romantic theme that we wished to incorporate in the digipak. In this case, the use of flowers for the background contained naturalistic features which are conventional for the indie genre as indie artist like to look like they have connected to nature. The font that Lilly used is also in a hand written style, that results in the digipak to become more unique for the artist, resulting in the creation of a bond between the audience. Also the layout is eye-catching as the colours used in the digipak link successfully together. Nevertheless, the group decided to use some of them (Similarly to my one) in the general digipak, as her digipak had a slight problem with the same colours. As they were the same, trhe group believed that male audience might be put-off due to the overly-feminised layout.
 
                                                          Lilly`s digipak + End product

Finally comes in Lilly`s digipak, which we found perfect as according to the group it contained the perfect layout for a personalised-style digipak. The elements that Lilly used used within the digipak had several designs that conformed to the indie genre. It should be added that they have represented the artist as well. The mentioned segements sometimes fall in the range of themes that have been introduced in the music video. For example, the colour choice such as: red connotate the theme of love/passion. This is conventional for the indie genre, as indie artists like to have themes that either collide with their feelings or highlight the main message of the artist's songs which causes the target audience to bond with the artist and relate to the artist.

The text that Lilly used within the fan acknowledgement page and the song list will be used in the group digipak as they form a bond with the audience under the view that the digipak would become more personal for the audience. These two slides were chosen as the written text was far more detailed and personalised than either my quick famous quote or Ayesha`s short message. Both pages conform to the indie genre as the personalised segments make the audience bond with the artist due to the style of the digipak would be more personalised and original.

The extra immages that were accepted to be included in the general digipak from Lilly`s appealed to the target audience as they would make females to admire the Artist`s effortless yet stylish look. Meanwhile, the male target audience would find certain clothes attractive. Thus the group chose this digipak as our main layout for the genreal digipak as it was mainly conventional to the indie genre rather than confused of which genre it represents (Like my one sadly did). Furthermore, the layout is involving for the audience as it supplies them with romantic inclusions as well as the artist`s thoughts. Although this digipak featured most of the elements we will be using, the front page was not accepted by the group as it did not blend like Ayesha`s could with this digipak. Furthermore, the black font did colide with the darker segments of the background which, resulted in the text being less readable. 

We the edited the front cover, colours and font blends well with the other pages in the digipak. However, we kept the other elements the same as we believed that they promoted the artist well enough to the audience while still conforming to the indie genre. This final digipak would appeal to our target audience as it contains romantic themes as well as represent the indie genre and our niche audience would appreciate.

The artist is placed in the centre with the use of a mid shot, which promotes the artist further. This highlights the artist's importance as she is looks straight into the camera lense which causes the audience to look at her, which is inviting and causes a relationship to build. This also causes her to look confident as she smokes and looks into the camera, showing evidence of Dyer's theory as she shows her rebellious side, which is conventional of the indie genre as dynamics are changed. The artist also wears natural make up in each picture, reflecting an old hollywood look which is both unachievable and achievable as the look is simple to re-create. The artist also had back combed hair, linking to this and with a flower crown which is conventional of the indie genre as naturalistic features are included caused that artist to look unartificial. The artist also holds a cigarette in the extreme close up of an extra picture. This exposes and promotes the audience as she takes up the whole back page, following Goodwin's theory and also conforms to indie genre as habits such as this link to depressed emotions which link to the sound of the music and the messages within, this can link to older members of the artist that also possess the habits. The other extra image is a mid shot of the artist standing and smirking at the camera as she's placed in the centre of the shot. 
Another extra image is used as the artist is placed in the middle of the shot as mid shot is being used to show this. This promotes the artist further as she becomes more recognisable.  The artist wears traditions 60s/vintage clothes reflecting that of an earlier time which is conventional of the indie genre and causes the audience to look up to her new/revolutionary image. Autumn also wears natural makeup, with an element of the 1960s for example nude, big lips and winged eyeliner. This causes her to look more natural and not over done, which causes women to look up to her and also appeals to male audience members as she looks flirtatious and intriguing therefore, her image can appeal to a wider audience.

Next, the design and layout of the images within the digipak include scenaries that are not overly attention grabbing, the background is naturalistic which links to indie genre and also does not take attention away from the artist, promoting her further to the audience and highlights the idea that she is the most important element of the album. The background elements make the pictures more interesting to look at especially the black roses on the front cover however, are still natural and the artist is still in the centre of the images therefore, the audience focus on the artist mostly building a larger bond with her especially as she looks straight at them through the camera angles. The creation of a relationship with the audience conveys love messages within the songs and the roses on the front cover and CD disk as she shows care for her audience and the appreciate this, as her songs and music videos become more personal from the artist. This again links to the front cover as roses are used behind the artist. 

The name of the artist is written in bold style using a 'snell hound' font from Photoshop that adds a more personalised element for the audience, on the digipak cover. This causes the name to stand out against the background and as it is located in the centre, it would cause her to become the main point and be recognisable in stores. This highlights Goodwin's theory as the artist is intriguing, exciting and at the same time promoting himself to the fans. The album name on the front is written in the same colour, adding a personal touch as well as being extremely vintage. This links to her look and themes within the romantic elements in her music. The song titles are written in black/crimson red in order to stand out and look more diverse, linking to the indie genre and macking the back cover look more authentic. The note is written in the same style, as the front cover which adds to the personality of the artist and creates a positive bond between one  another while showing that she is caring about them. A signature of the artist is added at the bottom, which makes the digipak even more important to the fans as it makes the digipak more unique.

The language used is colloquial and features lexicon style that is easily understatable by the audience. This is evident through the fannote as it shows an informal writing style and the describtion of her life is in a down to earth style. The use of this language makes the audience more engaged as they would respect her easily.Also the use of a shorter-structured sentence makes the digipak more memorable, which is a positive element for promoting and selling. The digipak is conventional of the indie genre as the audience are appreciated due to the idea that the album is for them.

Overall, the devices that have been used connote various messages in the digipak. For example, the black and white colours that have been used within the front cover portray to the audience to the theme of good vs evil. Such an ideology appears in her lyrics and shows that she has encountered both good and poor moments in her life. This is conventional to the indie genre as the artists usually adds elements that has experrienced and wishes to use ans an ideology. The use of the notebook alongside type written text is used to create a bond between the artist and the audience as it makes it more personal from the artist and shows her care for her fans. This also creates a uniqueness effect that is conventional for the indie genre as it looks more diverse compared to other genres. We have used each others digipaks to think of new elements for some of the pages. The use of old filters creates the unique style that we wanted to have. 

In Conclusion, by applying each other's elements that were approved from their initial digipak, we have finalised as successful digipak that conforms to the indie genre. Through the use of these conventions, the digipak would appeals to our audience. For example, the use roses and the colour red would look more appealing to females as they  did wish to see from the target audience results, the use of romantic arthefacts. In all, one believes that creating a group digipak proves to be much easier than creating an individual version as each member possessed good ideas that would contribute to the general which would make the development more efficient. Furthermore, as some of our group`s memebrs were better at Photoshop, the quality of the product would be much more different. Overall, I believe that we produced an excellent digipak as we did split our jobs in the places where we were good at.