Audience Feedback

 3 Positive Comments:

I am extremely happy with these comments, it's supportive to know that people enjoy the product that I have created. It is also great to know that the video has been successful even though it challenged so many genre conventions. I am glad that audiences appreciate the product and I am happy that not only does the video appeal to indie audiences, but appeals to a variety of audiences.


3 Constructive Comments:


Amy Palmer 19:  I love it, what happens next!! I want to see more of the artist, didn't really get why she was in the forest tbh.

II    Perhaps some audience members may not understand why certain locations were chosen, however I wouldn't change this because when planning my music video I felt that a deserted forest would represent the artist's state of mind, plus it is a naturalistic setting which relates to the indie genre. 

David Watson 40: Why does there have to be smoking? Bit of a bad influence on kids that might be watching this.

Although our use of iconography may be controversial, it is the whole purpose of the narrative. I wanted to show throughout the music video the effect that drugs, alcohol and relationships can have on an individual - this narrative could not have been clear with the use of specific iconography. The themes involved in my music video perhaps may not appeal to an older audience, however these themes could appeal and possibly relate to our target audience.

Paul Marks 28: This is great, seems professional yet if I'm being picky at times the camera appears a bit shakey? Don't know if you wanna sort that out or not.

Paul's comment is a valid one, and I agree that stabilisation definitely makes a music video look more professional, however this is not the style I was going for. I wanted to portray an unstable relationship therefore I felt that unstable camera movement would help portray this. As much as I agree with Paul's comment, I wouldn't alter the stabilisation within my music video as it contributes to the narrative.


Overall I am extremely happy with the feedback as it seems that audiences are enjoying my product. As a media producer this kind of feedback makes the hard work feel worthwhile. I appreciate the positive and the negative comments since everybody is untitled to their own opinion, and as much as I agree with the constructive comments, I wouldn't want to change my product as I am very happy with it's outcome. I think there is an evident improvement from the rough cut to the final product.

Evaluation (Part 4)

Evaluation (Part 3)

Evaluation (Part 2)

Evaluation (Part 1)

For our A2 media project our task was to create a music video that would appeal to a
particular target audience. I worked on this alongside my group members: Drew Wyllie,
Jenna Van Bergen and Rhianna Maclaey. My role within the group was mainly on the
practical side - I did a lot of work contributing to the story boarding and editing process.I
was also the artist that was being promoted within the video, therefore I contributed to the
representation of the artist. I think our group worked very well together as we had a great
blend of characters and qualities. Some members were strong researchers, some were
creative and some had a greater knowledge regarding the technologies that we were using
- therefore as a group it think our individual strengths helped and benefitted each other.

The brief was to create a music video to a song of my choice. Music videos are visual creations that are made to promote a song. Music videos generally follow the conventions of the music genre that is being promoted in order to appeal to the appropriate target audience. However, music videos sometimes break the stereotypical conventions in order to appear unique or attract a wider audience. Not only do music videos promote a song, but they also promote the artist. Music videos provide
the audience with a clearer understanding of the artist's personality and style, therefore
allowing the audience to build a relationship with the artist and their music. There are three types of music video:



Performance: a performance based music video is a way to show off the artist's performing skills, whether that be through singing or dancing. For example - Beyonce's 'Single Ladies' music video is a performance based video as it purely shows her singing and dancing, informing audiences that she is a very talented performer.




Narrative: a narrative based music video is one that tells a story. Usually these videos involve a large variety of locations and iconography with a more movie-like feel to it. Some artists prefer music videos like this as they like to promote their music rather than themselves. For example Ed Sheeran's 'Give Me Love' is a narrative based music video as it doesn't involve Sheeran performing. It tells the story of a lonely girl who takes on a 'cupid' role of making others fall in love. Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' is a good example of a music video that has such a dominant narrative that it gives off a movie feel. However this music video also involves a strong element of performance with Jackson singing and dancing.

Concept: a concept based music video is one that sells a theme, moral of ideology to the audience. However, a concept is usually displayed in a narrative or performance based video. And of course a music video can be a mix of all styles of music video. For example the music video to Christina Aguilera's 'Beautiful' follows a blend of all three styles above: with a performance segment of Aguilera singing, a narrative of people being ashamed of who and what they are, but a concept of that everybody is beautiful.

Picture: Christina Aguilera performing the song.

Picture: Two homosexual men displaying the concept of the video
– not being ashamed or embarrassed of yourself.

Picture: A girl smiling to explain the narrative of the video 
– over coming self doubt and embracing who you are.

My chosen music is indie/alternative pop. I chose this music genre because I wanted to go for something less predictable so that I could make my video look more authentic, therefore my group and I chose this genre as it is less mainstream. I wanted an upbeat song that doesn't follow the very popular dance genre, a song that still maintains an acoustic feel, therefore "The Apple Tree" by Nina Nesbitt. The typical codes and conventions of an indie music video would be to display the artist's musical talents through performance based scenes, and to portray a sense of normality so that the artist is represented as a singer/songwriter rather than an image or a product. It is also conventional in an indie music video to display a narrative in order to emphasise that meaning of the song. Indie artists also tend to portray a slight quirkiness within their music video or their representation in order to appear unique and individual and therefore break away from the mainstream.

Indie characteristics are demonstrated within Nina Nesbitt's music videos. Besides the simultaneously quirky yet ordinary feel to her "Stay Out" music video, Nina is also displayed playing a guitar whilst singing. This piece of iconography is expected in an indie music video as it promotes the music and the talent of the artist, rather than selling the artist as a product. Along with the performance segments, there is also a clear narrative to the music video, which is displaying a group of friends staying out and having fun together. Nina is represented as a very ordinary girl in this music video. She is presented in very casual clothing, such as a leather jacket and jeans, surrounded by ordinary friends. Her normality is relatable to the target audience (15-25 year olds) and follows people to admire her and aspire to be like her. This relationship that is built with the artist is what sells the song and the creativity of the music video, which is therefore conventional to the indie genre. This understanding of the conventions assisted me with planning the music video as it made me realise that I wanted to break away from Nina Nesbitt's characteristics to make the video my own, yet still maintain elements of indie within our music video. This would then hopefully attract more audiences and be relatable to them.

When planning the music video I decided that I wanted to consider some of the codes and conventions of the indie genre, but also challenge them. Rather than following the upbeat feel to Nina Nesbitt's song "The Apple Tree", my group and I decided that we were going to give out music video a darker storyline with an edgy style. We decided to follow a 'grunge' styles when deciding what to wear. My outfit's and hairstyles were inspired by Rihanna's look in the "We Found Love" love music video. This challenges the stereotypical indie 'look' and is most probably more conventional to the rock genre, however this style works with our narrative. Usually indie music videos use very simple and natural editing styles in order to give a naturalistic feel, however I used many effects and a fast-pace editing style to challenge to challenge the conventions of indie and because again it worked well with the song and our narrative. The concept displays how the influence of relationships, drugs and alcohol can effect individuals. My group and I felt that this narrative worked well with the lyrics of the song and therefore was conventional to the indie genre in the sense that the meaning of the song was being promoted. An indie convention that I did follow was a performance section (with the artist singing and playing guitar) in order to promote the artist as a singer/songwriter rather than an image. The performance sections are evident mainly in the beginning of the video and occasionally throughout. These sections were filmed in a deserted forest - a naturalistic setting that relates to the indie genre. I also felt that the isolation in the forest represents the loneliness of the artist. This appeals to an indie audience as it represents the artist as a genuine musician rather than an image.

Final Music Video

Group Digipak

Group Advert

Digipak Reflection

My aim for my digipak was to make it relatable to the music video and the target audience. Much like music videos, digipaks also represent artists and are supposed to display their image and personality. Like I did with my advert, I used photographs that were taken throughout the performance section of the music video so that both products would link. Here is my completed digipak:

I used photoshop CS6 to edit this digipak. I wanted the design to be similar to my advert so that the two products would relate to eachother. I followed indie genre conventions by using simplistic photographs and simplistic editing styles. However, I incorporated an edgy flavour by using distressed brick walls and graffiti, scruffy fonts and ripped paper in order to give a poster style (much like my advert design). Using these elements also adds quirk and youthfulness which would appeal to teenagers and young adults. I wanted to incorporate the guitar within the digipak as it promotes the artist as a singer/songwriter and musician rather than an image. This definitely follows the conventions of indie. On the front cover of my digipak I deliberately made the image of me darker and the name brighter. This is quite common and conventional within the indie genre as indie artists like to be known for their music and their name rather than their image.

Advert Reflection

As a group we decided to each design our own advert so that we could compare and gain inspiration from each other. It is important to design your advert first in order to investigate what works well and meets the codes and conventions and what doesn't. Here is an image of our individual adverts (my design is on the far left):

From the start I had this idea that I wanted a brick wall within my design as I feel that a distressed brick wall gives a 'grungy/indie' vibe which is very conventional to our chosen genre. I also felt that by using graffiti we could demonstrate the unique twist that we are trying to portray within our project as graffiti isn't really conventional to indie, its more conventional to the urban genre. I also wanted to incorporate my guitar within the advert because instruments are conventional to the indie genre. I think the use of instruments promotes the artist as a singer/songwriter rather than an image which is conventional to the indie genre. 

However I also liked Drew's design. I liked his 'poster' concept as I thought that that was a creative way to display the typography. Therefore we decided to combine our designs:

This is my final design:

I am very pleased with my design as it actually turned out better than I though it would. I used Photoshop CS6 to edit my design. I used photos of myself that my group and I took whilst we were filming. It is important to organise a photoshoot when producing an advert as it gives you the opportunity to promote your artist the way that you want, using codes, conventions and genre characteristics to make the photos and the artist relatable to the target audience. I also used a photo of a brick wall that I previously took. 

Within my final design I cropped the photograph of myself, allowing the brick wall to be visible behind it. This gives that 'poster' look that I admired from Drew's design, however still maintains the same layout as my design. I used the font 'Chalkboard' as it looked like the type of writing that you could find on a brick wall. I decided to incorporate a comment from NME as positive comments like this reassures the audience and persuades them to buy the product. I also used a tag line "Featuring the hit single 'The Apple Tree'". This is something that I noticed a lot of album advertisements use and I thought that it would promote the music video also. I like the combination and the contrast between the 'urban/grunge' styled brick wall and the 'indie' feel to the photograph with the use of instruments. Using genre characteristics I think that this design would be relatable to indie audiences, however the 'grungy' edge makes the design original and unique and could be relatable to other audiences aswell.  

Film Schedule

Risk Assessment

It is important to consider risks before our group begins filming, as health and safety is our priority; making sure everyone remains unharmed by the end of filming, otherwise we run the risk of filming and not being completed due to an accident occurring. A risk assessment is carried out in order to reduce the chance of injury happening. As a group we had to assess our locations for potential risks and consider a plan to reduce the risk and document the process. An example being, the risk of theft by surrounding people in rough areas such as Camden and Brick Lane. The way in which we would handle this risk is to wear the safety straps on at all time, so that the equipment is attached to one of the group members, which also in fact reduces the risk of dropping the equipment causing damage.

A risk assessment will assist me when filming as the chance of either myself, Georgia, Drew, Rhianna or any additional characters from becoming injured during the filming process. Obviously being the people filming, we not only have to look out for ourselves and the team, but we are also liable for general public's safety, eg. not leaving equipment out for anyone to trip over. The risk assessment is also clarification that you cannot be held responsible for any accidents if all have been analysed, unless one risk has not been. 

The only additional risks encountered during filming was in the forest, with branches randomly placed on the fall, increasing the risk of Georgia tripping whilst performing. Another being, during Georgia's performance when seen sitting on an unstable fence. In order to avoid both risks, we had to make sure her walking path was clear of anything that could potentially cause her harm, as well as test the if the fence could support Georgia's weight when sitting on it. If we did not test this risk then there was a big possibility the fence could collapse and Georgia may have fallen into the lake. Luckily everything went to plan and all group members remained unharmed.

Description of Hazard	Prevention of Hazard
Falling in between the gap at a train station, when stepping from the platform onto the train.	Ensure all group members stand behind the yellow line on the platform at all times. Also, make sure that the group are aware of surrounding people whether the platforms busy or quiet and the people getting on and off the train.
Risk of falling into the canal.	Make sure Georgia and Drew walk slowly and carefully when   approaching the canal. Ensure that when position themselves they do not step too near to the edge.
Being hit by motor vehicles when crossing the roads.	Ensure that Georgia and Drew cross the roads safely by either looking both ways repeatedly when crossing or to cross at traffic lights if available.
Damage inflicted to the camera.	Make sure all the safety straps are securely fastened onto my wrist at all times during filming. If the camera is placed onto the tripod, ensure that the tripod itself is held to prevent it being knocked over.
Risk caused by the surrounding diverse people, with the possible risk of theft.	Make sure all equipment is kept at a close distance and are kept safe by all group members, particularly me being the cameraman, reducing the risk of theft. Another prevention is so wear safety straps on at all times.
Risk of team members or surrounding people tripping over the equipment eg. The tripod.	Make sure everyone stays out of the equipment zone. This will require extra team members helping to direct the general public around the equipment ensuring everyone remains safe and unharmed.
Health risk to Georgia and Drew when smoking.	Make sure the characters are not to inhale the smoke too much and are not around it for too long. We could always use an E-cigarette as an alternative, however would not have the same effect.

Storyboard

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is the purpose of a storyboard?

 

The story board itself has a effect role in ordering the shots which we aim to cover. The story board for any media film plans the footage from start to finish and allows the crew members to be organized and know what needs to be filmed and how long for. The storyboard covers what actors are in what shots, how long the frame lasts and also the type of editing needed. As a group we were made away of how to execute the shot with precision and knew what we wanted the outcome to appear like. The production process is made more efficient by using the story boards and therefore is a useful tool to use when producing a music video. Our ideas were put onto paper, and then the storyboard is a final over view before we take our ideas to be filmed. The story boards additional purpose was also to change and improve our original ideas as a group and see what will look the best and make our video more successful for our target audience.

 

How did you use your primary and secondary research that you carried out, to plan your music video?

Overall our research contacted was mainly focused on what our target audience would find aesthetically pleasing. We wanted to include as many aspects as we could that our target audience would want to see and what they liked based on the findings from our vox pops and questionnaires. The findings of our research was therefore heavily influential when creating our storyboards as we aimed to create a specific style to our music video The content within the video was found enjoyable by our target audience and we used this when creating our story board. The performance was also covered in the story boards as we knew that the audience of 13 to 24 year olds would be extremely interested in the visual performance as well as the narrative. We incorporated this into the story board and aimed to build a relationship between the lyrics being sung and the on screen visuals.

 

 

How did you and your group storyboard your music video?

 

Creating the storyboard together allowed all of us to have a say in how we wanted our music video to appear. We kept in mind specific aspects of our video from the research and tried to include ideas from all group members. We wanted a variety of shots, and knew that to include the instrument would mean we were appealing to the indie music genre convention. We wanted to throughly plan our video before we took it too filming, and we also had a discussion of how and when we would film each piece to insure our time was most effective. Overall the message from all group members was that we wanted to put what the public said into our video, convey to genres and also keep in mind the visual and artist relationship which we of course wanted to be strong.

 

 

How did you share the responsibility?

 

We were each assigned a role and created specific parts of the story boards in pairs. This made the discussion regarding what and when we wanted to film more intimate, and we could spend our time more efficiently whilst taking in turns to create each frame. I drew the images whilst other group members talked and dictated what should go when. We already had an idea of what we wanted, therefore sharing the responsibility was easily as we had a common goal of what we wanted and knew how we wanted the video to look and what would appeal to our target audience and the indie/pop music genre.  This uniformed process ensured that we were all happy with the storyboards.

 

Did you follow your storyboards, or did you make changes?

 

We pretty much followed the storyboard, yet in the editing process some footage was swapped around simply because it fit better and would look more visually pleasing. We all shared the same vision of how we wanted the video to appear. The storyboards allowed us to stay focused and we knew we could always refer back to it. We planned the time well, and didn't change how long we wanted each clip to play for. The story board for the performance was particularly helpful and we kept to our plan as it was well thought through. We did make some changes, for example in the apple tree panning shots we picked more footage up in Camden so inserted it alongside the pub sign. This was done so we could build a stronger link with the audience and also incorporate more of an indie alternative edge into the video. In conclusion we mostly did conform to our plan however the narrative did evolve slightly and was improved which overall made our video more conventional to the indie genre and was more of a success.