Question 4: How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Blog:
My media blog was extremely useful to me throughout all of my productions. This type of mass media permitted me to add all of my research and planning, for example videos, audios, graphics, scanned images. I was able to review comments about my progress throughout the practical productions; this was a great deal of help as I could edit my posts there and then. By using the media blog it permitted me to document back on to previous information without the accumulation of paperwork.
My media blog allowed me to separate my work into specific sections; this is very beneficial when revising for my exam and not only this but it made my work organised and broke down each unit of the production. My blog is accessed through the internet so this permitted me to attach any stills or embed any videos from proficient sites or from social networking sites, as my blog is a mass media, I could also ask for immediate feedback from other students as they could access my media blog as well as other audiences through the internet.
While discovering designs for my print productions I was able to post drafts or ideas on to my blog and receive comments from my teachers instantly.

Music Video:
The camera I used when shooting my advanced production was a Sony Handycam Mini DV. Having a digital video recorder enabled me to review my raw footage straight after I had shot; this allowed me to improve each shot as soon as I had recorded the previous shot. The tripod I used while shooting was also beneficial because it allowed me to place my camera in any position, this was useful when shooting the skateboard tricks as I had to situate the camera very low to the ground.
Adobe Premier Elements was the software I used to edit my music video it provided many effects and sounds to add to my production.

(Slow motion shot into 'dip to black')

This area of the course required concentration and skill in order to utilize the genre of my artist, as I was going for a rural theme I had to choose subtle and enticing transitions, sounds, effects and titles.

('Cross dissolve' transition) Adobe Premier Elements gave me the freedom to select and cut a narrative structure; as I chose not to have a specific narrative and based my production on a montage of shots instead I had to keep the video to the correct timing of the track, the software made this easier for me because of the detailed timeline it entailed, this also kept from my music video looking amateur. The cross-dissolve transition helped me achieve linking the speed of the track with the edit and enabled me to join two completely different scenes together, for example: the close up shot of my artist to the shot of a skateboard trick, this could have been hard to connect but with the cross dissolve transition it added depth and interest to the mise-en-scene. Premier Elements also allowed me to speed up or slow down parts of my production, I used this when my artist played with the devil sticks; I slowed the speed down to accentuate that this was his recurring motif throughout and therefore audiences would appreciate the artist with this eccentricity.

YouTube played a crucial part in research for genre conventions as it gave me immediate access to artists’ music videos; it gave me the freedom to pick out ideas of different music videos which I could include in my own.
Print Productions:
I used Adobe Photoshop to manipulate my print productions. Photoshop was essential when editing my digital pack. The internet was extremely helpful when researching vinyl and CD cases because I was able to search through different artists’ websites such as, Finley Quaye, Nick Drake; to find their visual approach to the genre.
For panels 2 and 3 I took photographs on the set so a potential audience can recognise and identify with the artists free spirit and laid back style. For panels 1 and 4 I used screenshots which were taken directly out of my music video I did this to utilize a familiar brand style with the potential fan base. For the front cover of my digital pack I used lots of different faces of Laurence (my artist) to utilize his independence and solo performance style. To create an effective and eye catching design, I cut and inserted each image and placed them next to each other by creating a layer for each image, I added the text and the border afterwards. I received this idea from the Hip-Hop group “A Tribe Called Quest” where they have integrated an album with faces of well known artists in the hip-hop genre.
The back panel* of my digital pack demonstrates a silhouette shot of my artist playing his guitar, it’s a calm, dark blue image and the white text seems to be subtly coming out of the cloudy sky; this integrated style shows a tranquil environment to appeal to the potential fan base of the folk genre.
Both the two inside panels are photographs which I took while shooting, both show my artist performing in the same locations as in the music video and both are traditional British settings which emphasise the artists visual roots; the third panel shows a small amount of information about my artist.
For my magazine advert I used a still image which I took while shooting the music video. The image I chose shows an overwhelming amount of space and relaxation which is perfect when utilizing the acoustic and folk genre. I used a bold font to cover the top of the image to catch the audience’s attention. I did not manipulate this image in any way because I thought it was just as affective without being edited and I wanted to keep that natural state that I’ve been trying to achieve throughout the music video and print productions to connote genre.
Using Adobe Photoshop to create my print productions was much easier than hand drawing designs because it’s much less time consuming and it expanded my knowledge in the editing software which I will now be able to use more confidently in the future.

Question 3: What have you learned from audience feedback?

Music Video:
In order to gather non-biased feedback I had different classes fill out a questionnaire, this was to see if I had shown an understanding of audiences through my productions. This type of research was used because it is qualitive as it is based on opinions and entailed dichotomous, likert questions and multiple choice.
The demographic was a year12 AS class who are studying media; I chose to use this age group because I gathered I would receive some constructive criticism. I received six questionnaires back for my music video; two female, both sixteen and four males, two sixteen and two seventeen. I received one questionnaire for my print productions, male aged 16.

Females:
Overall all the females rated my music video a four in general. Both of the females commented on how they found the skateboard shots hard to understand, this is evidently because skateboarding is usually more of a common subject with males. This shows how I could have improved the entire appeal and target audience by not using these shots in my music video. Furthermore, one of the females noted that the music video was too long, this was interesting as my music video only lasted 2minutes 35seconds and after researching I found that many music videos generally last up to 3minutes. However, for further improvement I would have to consider the length of my video to increase its overall appeal. However this female may not be a part of the ideal audience I was targeting. Both of the questionnaires stated that the mise-en-scene was the best part of my production; this isn’t surprising as the locations I filmed at were very picturesque and would appeal more to females rather than males and with the bright pastel colours enforced throughout my production would more likely be considered as feminine colours, so females can relate to it.
The females may not have been as passive as the males because there were no references to females throughout, this deprived the females of a personal identity in my video as they could not find themselves reflected in my production.
This feedback shows how females found more criticism in my music video than the males; this is significant as my target audience is primarily males.

Males:
All the male participants found no offence or part of my production confusing; they all circled ‘correct length’ when asked ‘was the music video: too short, correct length, too long and don’t know’ and did not suggest any ways of improving the appeal, thus showing that my music video was successful in targeting males, although the score given by each of the males was 4 out of 5. Three out of four of the males answered that they would listen to it again which was an achievement as the music video was to promote an unsigned band. Two males answered that the mise-en-scene was the best part of my production and the other two answered that the editing was; this was a relief due to the fact that I had tried hard in the editing and the mise-en-scene to get these noticed.
The reason why I did not achieve full marks on my feedback is possibly because I did not draw upon the preferred reading of the folk/acoustic audience’s expectations like successful contemporary artists do, for example, I used a series of skateboarding shots, this is rarely seen in this type of genre, however I used the shots to expand my potential fan base.
Predominantly the males rated my music video 4 out of 5 in terms of the standard of the enjoyment of the video and the engagement. Thus, meaning that my music video was successful in targeting young males of ages 16-17.

Analysis of each question

How much did you enjoy the music video?
As the first question it gives an idea of what the audience thought of the production. This answer usually reflects on how the rest of the questionnaire is completed. This question is particularly important because enjoyment of the production is the main focus when shooting and editing so it is vital to keep the video as enjoyable as possible from start to finish. If the feedback states that the audience did enjoy the production then this ultimately means that I have successfully utilised the generic conventions associated with the genre.

Did it hold your attention?
This question links with the first question, I found that I would get the same numerical response from question 1 and 2. Assuming that the demographic are passive, this question relates with schema theory which proposes that we have mental ‘scripts’ which help us to interpret familiar events in everyday life so therefore, if a viewer visits a familiar place in a text then it is likely to hold the attention of that viewer more so than another viewer where it is not familiar. The age group of the demographic that completed these questionnaires were of my ‘ideal’ audience, being the age I was targeting so to receive a good score for this question was a success.

How do you rate the camera work and editing?
This question is the first question where the audience judge the skill and understanding of the producer. It is vital to get a successful score on this question because even a passive audience will notice low-quality camera work and editing. This question follows up from the first two questions; if you have had an ineffective response in the first two questions then it is very likely that you will be unsuccessful in this question.

How do you rate the standard of mise-en-scene?
This question can vary on if the production has a narrative structure or not. If the production only focuses on the narrative instead of the mise-en-scene then it is likely that you will obtain a low score for this question. This question touches upon the hypodermic needle theory where Blulmer and Katz stated that individuals may choose and use a text for the purpose of diversion – an escape from everyday problems and routines.

Was the music video: too short, correct length, too long, don’t know?
This is the most simple multiple choice question on the questionnaire where the audience simply circled their preferred answer. This question relates to the second question so if the viewer had stated earlier on question 2 that the music video did not hold their attention then it is likely that they would circle ‘too long’.

Would you listen to it again?
This is simply a yes or no question. This reflects if the audience enjoyed the track and the music video overall and taking into account the genre and the conventions.

Can you suggest anything that would improve the appeal?
This is the first opportunity where the audience can voice their own opinion on the production. If the question is left blank then it is likely that the viewer was passive and homogenous.

Were there any aspects that you find offensive? I.e. representation of race, gender, age, culture
This is significant as many people find minor issues in modern media texts from objectification to women or a misunderstood stereotype. If there is a response in this question then it is likely that the overall score of the production will be low.

Was there any part you found confusing or hard to understand?
This is another chance for the audience to give constructive ideas on how they would alter the production to fit themselves. If there is an answer on this question then it is likely that the final score of the production will not be successful as a part in the music video did not make sense to them.

What is the best part of the production?
This part of the questionnaire is simply for the audience to praise you on successful areas. For example: shots, editing, mise-en-scene, enjoyment etc.

Does the video reflect the style of music?
This question is another multiple choice and is merely just a yes, no or undecided question. This is a chance for the audience to collect in all the conventions, shots and editing of the production and decide whether you have successfully understood the genre theory.

Does the video successfully promote the artist/band/group?
This is very significant as the brief explains that we are to promote an unsigned band. So to be successful in this question ultimately means that the production was successful in promoting an unsigned band. Again, this is a yes or no question giving the audience no way of explaining their answer, if a viewer circles ‘no’ then you have no idea of how to improve on this aspect.

On a scale of 1 2 3 4 5 with 5 being the highest how do you rank the music video?
Being the last question, this question must finalise the viewer’s opinion on your production. This is the audience’s chance to show you what they thought of your production as a whole, considering the editing, props, costumes, shots, locations/mise-en-scene etc.

(female audience feedback)

Print Productions
Unfortunately I was only able to carry out one questionnaire for my print productions, this being one male aged 16.
Despite this, the feedback was very useful in understanding audiences and what they expect from each genre. As I was primarily targeting males, the questionnaire was effective and as I received very successful feedback from the questionnaire meaning I was successful in targeting the demographic of young males.

Analysis of each question

Does the digipak successfully reflect the genre of music?
This question makes the audience look at the print productions as a whole, taking into account the edits, use of stills, mise-en-scene, costumes etc. However, for this to be accurate the viewer must understand the concept of genre.

Does the magazine advert successfully reflect the genre of music?
This question again requires the viewer to understand genre. This question also touches upon audiences expectations of genre. For question 1 and 2 to be successful ultimately means that you have understood audience theory and genre theory.

How do you rate the standard of graphics in the package?
This gives every type of person in any tribe to give a judgment of how the package artistically looks. This is very important as most audiences judge cover art on face value.

How do you rate the standard of graphics and print album?
This question is asking the same as question 3. However it is asking for an opinion on the print productions as an album.

How successfully is the Britishness of the package established?
This question mostly depends on the type of genre you are promoting. However in each genre the roots of the band are significant to their music. This can also vary on how different people depict what Britishness is. However, a low score on this question does not affect the final score of the print productions.

Would the magazine advertisement encourage you to buy the digipak?
This is another multiple choice question with the answers listed as yes, no or undecided. This gives an upfront straight answer to what the audience makes from your digipak. It is likely that if you receive a low score from this question then you are most likely going to receive a low score in the entire questionnaire.

Can you suggest anything that could improve the appeal of the productions?
This is the first question of the questionnaire that allows the viewer to give a worded opinion. This reflects an understanding of generic conventions and audience theory. This is the audiences chance to explain what they expect from generic texts and what would intrigue them into buying the production.

Were there any aspects that you find offensive? I.e representation of race, gender, age, British
This question allows audiences to criticise your production. This is a significant question as any situation can be perceived as offensive if understood differently.

Identify the strongest feature of the print productions
This is another chance for the audience to praise aspects of your productions with consideration to the genre, images, costumes etc. It is important to create a strong feature in the print productions as each group of audiences view different texts in different ways.

Rate the print package
This question requires the viewer to rate the print productions with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. This rates the entire package as a whole to give you an idea on how audiences observe media texts.

(Male audience feedback - print productions)

Question 2: How effective is the combination of your main product with ancillary texts?

Digipak:
To connote the genre of my artist I researched many acoustic, folk and alternative artists such as, Nick Drake, Jack Johnson and The Eels. I also researched beyond my immediate genres and researched into genres such as: reggae, hip hop and ska because I found that their albums incorporated eye catching designs and this is very useful when trying to sell a product that will catch the eye. (RX Bandits cover art)
I tried to include youth culture into my product; after researching I realised that many young artists used repetitive images and bold writing, for example this RX Bandits album art. This is where I based my idea of using a collage of my artist on the front panel, which will be recognisable to his potential fan base. My print productions consist of still shots from my music video; which provides a consistent brand image between the music video and ancillary products.
Jason Mraz, a folk/ acoustic singer, was primarily significant in my research as he integrates his own iconic style which he uses throughout his album covers. I used Jason Mraz’s idea of a bold picture of the artist on the front cover to utilise the acoustic genre. My front cover consisted of face and shoulder close ups of the artists face cut, copied and then mirrored next to each other, I used a green graffiti like font which introduces the artist and his track; this was to create an eye catching production and reinforces the artists image. I related to Andrew Goodwin’s theory on that ‘the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work’ this was utilised on the back panel which indicates my artists recurring motif where he plays his guitar which is strapped around his neck this indicates that he is a talented performer. I used a silhouette shot where the artist is facing the opposite way to camera; these shots are frequently used throughout the music video and can be easily distinguished by the potential fan base.
I created a brand style throughout my print productions by conveying contemporary youth culture in rural and urban landscapes. I chose to keep my artist in the rural scenes; this was to depict the authenticity and the openness of my artist’s personality. I included skateboarding shots in the urban scenes in my music video to connote the artist’s mobility and flexibility. The imagery I’ve used in all my productions contrasts with British social realist films like ‘A Clockwork Orange’ where youth is portrayed as violent and brutal, whilst my productions portray youth as passionate and ambitious.
The second panel shows a wide angle shot of the artist in a rich rural setting; this was because I wanted to expand my demographic to a more contemporary ‘arty’ audience. The third panel illustrates a mid-shot of the artist which is taken directly from my music video, this shot indicates many references to nature; with the tall trees in the background, the river and the swans swimming underneath the bridge, again this expands my potential fan base to who may have a green ideology and find pleasure in traditional British landscapes. The locations also signify the artists Norfolk roots.

Magazine Advert:
My magazine advert is complete with an establishing shot of Laurence Parkin playing his guitar at the top of a stack of hay bales with a distinctively East Anglian landscape. The photograph leads off into a vanishing point which suggests that the artist has a promising future. My magazine advert is extremely significant to the genre of folk and acoustic; thus, the picture and the font together strongly represent the genre and its lyrical nature. This theme is very popular within these two genres for example: Jack Johnson’s cover ‘Sitting, Waiting, Wishing’ and John Lennon’s ‘Mind Games’.
There is a visual generic link between my music video and my magazine advert, the image utilised in the magazine advert is a photo that was taken whilst I was filming. The images featured across my digital pack demonstrate a tranquil scene moreover this reflects the laid back mood in my music video and the artist in serene locations.
My advert is likely to appear in the local Norfolk ‘Outline’ magazine this is because they like to promote upcoming local artists. My advert is also likely to appear in the monthly acoustic/indie magazine ‘Uncut’ as they like to endorse upcoming artists from around the UK.

Question 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms of real media products?

Music Video:
The advanced production was to promote a two minute music video for an unsigned band/artist and successfully generate the genre. The genre of my artist is a combination of folk, alternative and acoustic. In order to successfully present these genres I amalgamated all three. It was essential that I researched each of the genres into great depth. One of my main focuses while I was researching and planning was Finley Quaye, a contemporary acoustic folk/reggae artist. I was interested in his contemporary style and his presentation. I was intrigued how Finley Quaye referenced to his cultural backgrounds in his videos he exposes African families and men in their habitats; this influenced me to come up with the idea about making my music video relate to Norfolk, which is where my artist is from. I used the costumes that the audience could identify with; I utilized a casual/trendy style to my artist who also follows the trend of successful mainstream musicians such as, Finley Quaye and Jason Mraz. My artist wears a costume the audience demographic (16-20 year old males) can identify with. Laurence Parkin wears: this fashion style is easily attainable from high street stores such as, ‘TK Maxx’ or ‘H&M’.
Throughout the music video I created a motif for my artist where he plays with devil sticks, this links with Goodwin’s theory where it says ‘the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work’, I also included skateboarders in the mise-en-scene which can be depicted as another motif and should appeal to the more punk/ska audiences. By utilising the devil sticks it immediately developed a generic convention of the folk scene.
The music video reflects fashion of the folk, alternative, acoustic genre for example: grey O’Neill t-shirt (distinctively associated with youthful surfers and skaters), green jean trousers, skate shoes and a flat cap hat which develops references to the folk genre. I used generic signifiers when choosing the locations to amplify the Norfolk roots of the Norfolk artist in order to give the artist a strong regional identity.The Norfolk coastal landscapes, the images of hay bales and the low angle images of East Anglia skies raises that the artist is from Norfolk.
The representation of youth in my music video connotes that young people are quirky and enjoy the freedom of the outdoors. I haven’t used rebellion or mischief in my video whatsoever; this is simply because the genre doesn’t appeal to that type of demographic.
Thus, my music video challenges the urban imagery which artists such as Bob Dylan utilises in his video ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ and Blur in ‘Parklife’. I also looked into the artist Jason Mraz in some depth too. His music videos closely resemble mine in the way that he uses the bright summer landscapes to unfold a world of quirky, fun and down to earth youths, just like in my own music video. The use of a series of silhouette shots of my artist is to anticipate Laurence Parkin’s iconic status and to strengthen the promotion of this unsigned artist.
The mise-en-scene in my video includes contemporary collective identity because it shows male, youthful activities for example: skateboarding; also the artist is relatively young this is appealing to the skater and is subconsciously associated with Britain’s current tribal groups. The theory of genre follows from the idea that audiences feel comfortable when visiting a favoured generic text; Gunther Kress defines genre as ‘a kind of text that derives its form from the structure of a (frequently repeatedly) social occasion, with its characteristic participants and their purposes’ Thus, forms of the folk genre will identify with the focus on landscapes which evoke England’s natural landscapes. The Gaze Theory did not apply to my advanced production because it was irrelevant as there are no lyrics which implicate any sort of voyeurism so I did not want to include any sort of objectifications. My artist is a young male and I wanted audiences to view him as an individual with no attachments this reinforces Lacans mirror stage theory where it suggests that audiences are subconsciously looking for themselves, their own mirror image within the media, I took this into account while filming and editing and featured my artist for the niche audiences of primarily young 16-20 males and females.
My music video is performance based with a montage of close ups, low angle and long distance shots of Parkin in various Norfolk locations, thus indicating that his music and lyrics are culturally inspired. This montage can also connote a journey and the music video as a place to take time out and escape the city life.

Print Productions

My print productions re not generic to a specific genre this is because my artist is a blend of acoustic, folk and alternative so to begin with it was difficult to communicate generic style for my digipak

Whislt I was researching various album covers such as Jack Johnson, Neil Young, Bob Marley etc, I realised that most cover art feature a strong image of the artist for example and is heavily focussed on the image however with small generic motifs to utilise the genre. The Bob Marley cover art shows an overwhelming, iconic image of himself, in most

of Bob Marley's cover art the motif is him smoking. This is why I chose to have a collage of many images of my artist spread out acr

oss the front panel of my digipak to communicate that my artist is a ‘one man band’ I al

so wanted to promote my artist as this is the first album cover he is featured on. As this is a debut album the front panel focuses on the artist so that a possible fan base can recognise him.

I gained the idea of my front panel from ‘A Tribe Called Quest’ album cover ‘Midnight Marauders’. Midnight Marauders utilised lots of faces of hip-hop artists on the front and the back of their album covers, this was to show respect to these certain artists. This album cover can be found in green, red and black.

The two inside panels of my digipak show two screen shots of my artist in the same locations as those in the music video. I deliberately used two very bright images to catch the eye of the audience in addition to that I wanted the bright colours to connote the artists personality. The back panel includes a silhouette shot of my artist, this reflects the research and planning I did on Jason Mraz’s work. The silhouette shot demonstrates and connotes the poetry of Parkin’s lyrics.

The track listing on the back panel is in white writing this is so it looks as if the text is glowing out of the sky. The text is in a font which suggests the folk genre, I developed this idea from artists such as Bob Dylan, Nick Drake and Neil Young where the fonts on their album covers are bold and simple.

Influences

One of my main influences while deciding what my music video should consist of was Nick Drake. Although he never had one of his own music videos I wanted to demonstrate what it may be like in the contemporary world. I referenced to nature lots throughout my entire video as does Nick Drake with his lyrics, I also always placed my artist on his own while shooting this is because I was aiming to market my artist as a free independent spirit who enjoys performing wherever the mood may take him; I wanted to appeal to the audience who enjoy Nick Drakes music because of this also to the audience who can identify with his seemingly laid back attitude to life. Although Nick Drake was constantly depressed during his lifetime, his musical talent was outstanding - I wanted my artist to reflect Nick Drakes music but however be content so my artists music would be introduced to an all new demographic. I chose to use a contemporary young trend for my artist, this replicates Nick Drakes style of clothing at his point in his career as most young people of his own age in the 1960's were wearing the 'trendy' clothing that Nick Drake is seen wearing in the few still photographs there are of him. Most of the photographs show Nick Drake with his acoustic guitar, this seems to be his recurring motif and the way in which people recognise him; I wanted my artist to be seen with his guitar in most of the shots too, this was another way to imitate Nick Drake and his style.