Diary entry 7/3/14

Over all I am very pleased with the products that I have created.

I feel that the research and planning tasks I carried out before creating my actual products helped me a lot in figuring out the codes and conventions of a music video and also allowed me to be more creative in creating it too. Over the past few months I have changed my ideas a lot of times which I felt has had a positive impact in my final creations. In scraping my first ideas and changing my song completely I was able to more imaginative about the narrative of my music video, creating a narrative that was original and that I could say I came up with it. Also the fact that I was doing a music video to a song of my favourite genre i.e. Drum and Bass I was more motivated to complete the task. Also as I had watched plenty of drum and bass and also dance music videos I understood what made them successful and then applied it to my own creation.

In terms of the software's that I have used throughout the creation of products I felt that the one that taught me new skills was Premiere. I had never used Premiere before and found it really hard to get to grips with. However, as time went on I started to understand how to use it, and in persevering I feel that I have gained a new skill in a great software that is used throughout the media today.

In making a music video, magazine advert and digipak I have also developed a better understanding in the theory behind it all. Blumler and Katz Uses and Gratifications theory has propped up throughout my products and in having to discuss them consistently I have realised that the we do use the media for a range of different things, whether it be just for entertainment or even for identity. Moreover, I have also got to grips with the Reception theory and how it different from Effect Theories, i.e. the reception theory proposes the audience are active in what they take from a media product whereas an effect theory such as the Hypodermic Needle Model suggest that the audience is passive and allows the media to be 'done to them'.

I am very happy with the way my coursework has turned out and am pleased that I have gained some new skills that I can take away from this process. I felt that creating a music video was one of the hardest things I have done but I am glad that I preserved as the final outcome has been pleasing. I also feel that my knowledge about the media has expanded through the application of theories and also through the research and planning tasks.

My advert superimposed on a bus stop

Today I found some spare time have attempted to superimpose my magazine advert onto a bus stop in London. This would be a prime example of where I would place my advert. London is a very busy place which attracts lots of people, meaning that if I was to place it on a bus stop in London it would attract multiple people and maybe even interest my secondary audience (AD and E). Also public transport is regularly used by thousands who travel in and around London. This means that my poster could attract the attention of those waiting for the bus and also those who are on the bus due to its bright bold purple colour in contrast the the dull white/gray bus stop.

I would also place my advert/poster on sides of buildings in london, im music magazine such as KMAG and MIXMAG which are drum and bass/dance music magazines and also in other clubs such as Fabric and Ministry of Sound. Placing my advertisement in clubs which attract my target audience would mean that I could gain more interest in my music video. Also, as I know that most of my target audience go to clubs like these, meaning that my efforts will not be wasted in trying to address them.

Actor release form and why we need them

Actor release form and laws from emmacalder123


I realise that I should of produced an actor release form before I published my music video, however I felt it important that I discussed why we need an actor release form along with Hannah Windsors release form. As I have been busy with my products and evaluations I have only had time to do so now. In discussing the reasons why I need an actor release form i.e. health reasons, credits etc I have recognised the importance of an actor release.

Diary entry 4/3/14

Audience feedback

 

Here is some audience feedback I received on all of my products from a 20 year old male. The fact that they liked the narrative of my music video and that was what made them watch it until the end illustrates that my music video has been successful in that aspect. I chose to have a narrative as I felt it more appropriate as it is a drum and bass music videos. Drum and bass and even Dance music videos normally just include a narrative based music video and as they are successful I felt it important to conform.

 

In terms of my magazine advert I received mainly positive feedback, however I have received some constructive criticism which was 'to change the stars' which demonstrate the rating that the music magazines give the song. I have taken this on board and partially agree with it, however as this is the only negative feedback I have received on the star  I have used, I feel it unnecessary to change it.

 

Over all this feedback has been helpful to me as it has let me know that not having any performance aspects in my music video has not been a mistake and that the audience have enjoyed it and this has been the reason why the have watched it the whole way through.  

Audience feedback on all products - 16 year old female

 

 

 

I have received some feedback on all of my products from a girl aged 16. It could be argued that 16 is too young of an age for someone to understand what being drunk feels like or to understand the emotions of my protagonist, however in todays society where drinking in young people is a very big problem it is clear to see that many 16 year olds do in fact drink. This piece of audience feedback from this 16 year old girl proves that someone in the lower band of the ages of my target audience still likes my products and understands them and the message they are trying to put across.

 

Not only this, it is positive to see some feedback on my ancillary tasks as even though I have received some verbally and have spoken about them in some constructive evidence and planning posts I have not documented them as much on my blog. The fact that this person is also able to understand that all three products were together and used to promote each other due to the main image illustrates how important it is to include an image on my magazine advert. Also it has proved that in breaking conventions of drum and bass adverts and digipaks by placing an image on them has actually brought success to my products.

 

I feel that as my music video follows the Reception Theory rather than an Effects theory such as the hypodermic needle model, it has allowed the different age ranges interpret the music video and the messages in a way that is suitable to their age group. For example, a 16 year old may not understand or have ever drunk because they have been lonely, meaning they interpret that the protagonist is drinking to have fun but it has just gone wrong. Someone who is 20+ however, would of had more life experience and may have gone through more problems such as relationships meaning that they have dealt with these issues via drinking, allowing them to understand the more prominent message of drinking because you are lonely. This is a positive thing as it means that my target audience will be able to identify with the protagonist is the way that they decode the message. If there was a set message that was clear cut it would maybe mean that a younger audience would not understand the feeling of loneliness, thus meaning they would not be able to relate of emphasize with the protagonist.

 

 

 

Diary entry 21/2/14

Diary entry 13/2/14

A state of intoxication is typical of the genre of drum and bass, that's why I felt the emphasis on the stages of being drunk was important to carry through to the digipak. The target audience of male and females aged 16-25 will understand the phrases 'euphoria' and 'come down' as they will be familiar with these occurrences through either personal experience or previous knowledge, due to their frequent use of alcohol. It is wrong the base this on assumption, so I want to point out that I myself, who is included in this target audience agrees that this assumption is correct for the majority of young adults who do go out to parties and clubs.

Digipak (completed)

Digipak finishedt from emmacalder123


Here is my finished Digipak. I am very pleased with the outcome of it as I feel that it confroms well the the genre of Drum and Bass. This is mainly throught the two inside images, one which is a picture of my protaganist with a blurred effect on it and one which captures a crowd at a concert/festival. The image which has a blurred effect portrays the feeling intoxication. The image distorts your vision making you feel too distorted and out of place. In looking at this picture, my target audience will be able to feel how my main protaganist is feeling, i.e. intoxicated allowing the feel empathetic toward my protaganist and the situation that she is in. My target audience are also likley be able to identify and relate to my protaganists situation, as 16-25 are heavily criticised by the media for their love of alcohol and the activity of binge drinking they undertake, meaning they are likley to have been or know some one to have been in a situation like my portaganists, allow them again to connect with my portaganist on a emotion level, also allowing them to really delve into the narrative, making them watch it till the end, additionally meaning my digipak follows Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory. 

I feel that my digipak also allows my target to make a link with the magazine advert and music video. The colour of the saturation placed on the images of both my magazine ad and digipak mean that the audiene will be able to link the two products together, in turn promoting eachother. I feel that font 'birth of a hero' also allows this to occur due to its orginality. Moreover, the theme of intoxication from the music video is carried on to my digipak, again meaning that my target audience will be able to link the two together.

Technical difficulties

Luckily enough I didnt have many technical difficulties when it came down to making my music video. However, when going to edit my second draft, (In Adobe Premiere CS6) which then became my final music video, I found that about 1/4 of my footage was missing and replacing it was text saying 'Media offline' on a red background. Unfortuneatly the easiest way to solve this would be through finding and re-linking the footage, however for some reason I could not do this, so I had to import all the lost footage and re-edit it in by watching the first draft of my video. In doing this I was able to look into my music video in detail and then correct mistakes and things that I did not like in the first draft. Also I was able to alter parts of my music video that my target audience gave me constructive feedback on. For example, I was told to shorted or slip up a few of the longer clips. I took this onboard and place in quick cuts of my protaganists (Hannah) face, showing different emotions. I also used a clip of her hands in ther air which then led of to the crowd shots which had peoples hands in the air.

I feel that having a technical difficulty actually was positive for me as it allowed me to alter, change and add shots in my muisc video. I also able to include the changes my target audience wanted, hopefully meaning my music video will entertain and be visually pleasing to my target audience.

In terms, of my digipak and magazine advert I faced no technical difficulties which was great. InDesign allowed me to create profesional looking anicillary products smoothly and efficiently.

Photographs from filming

 

 

 

 

Here is a photo from the time I filmed in the studio. As you can see I have set up the lights behind Hannah to enlighten her face as the room was black. This produced a mysterious and eery feel to the footage but also meant it looked professional and of high quailty. The whole point of filming in the studio was the gather footage to represent my protagonist (Hannahs) concious mind. The white colour of the lights gave a pure and angellic feel which then contrasted with Hannahs heavy drinking in the other shots. This contrasting narrative represents the genre of drum and bass. Drum and bass is heavily associated with intoxication but also is has connotation of euphoria, from dancing and being in a crowd. Through the use of the studio shots, filming at the concert and filming in a bedroom, I have portrayed the genre of drum and bass, thus meaning my music video is conventional of its genre.

 

 

 



 

A picture from the Calvin Harris concert I filmed at.

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts - Question 2

Question 2 powerpoint from emmacalder123

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts q2 from emmacalder123

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

Question 1 completely finished from emmacalder123

 

Question 1 from emmacalder123

Diary entry 5/2/14

What have you learned from your audience feedback? - Question 3

Text format:

Audience feedback was a vital element of my production process, as it allowed me find out what was going well in my products and also what I needed to improve on. Moreover, it ensured that I was creating high quality and visually pleasing products that appealed to my target audience.

The primary target audience for my products are male and females of the ages 16-25. My primary demographic is BC1 and C2. I feel that this is appropriate demographic as it is mainly middle class, lower middle class and skilled working class that listen to drum and bass. It would be unlikely that a grade A (upper middleclass) such as a lawyer or accountant would listen to this genre due to the stereotype’s it carries i.e. drug/alcohol use. People of demographic BC1 and C2 are heavily stereotyped with the use of substances and alcohol in their everyday lives, thus making them the appropriate target audience for my products which are heavily revolved around this usage.  I also have a secondary audience, which consists of both females and males aged from 12 to 35. The demographic for my secondary audience would include AD and E. This again is down to the stereotypes of the genre; as aforementioned an upper middle class person would most likely not listen to drum and bass, however, it could be possible that a percentage of that demographic do enjoy the genre.

 

To continue, I chose my primary target audience based on the genre of the song. ‘Afterglow’ by Wilkinson which comes under the genre of Drum and Bass. Drum and Bass, is similar to the genre of Dance and is usually associated with clubs, festivals, raves and parties. The target audience of male and females aged 16-25 regularly attend places such as clubs and festivals which play Drum and Bass. The genre is also heavily associated with intoxication, whether that be through the method of using illegal drugs and alcohol. This age group is well associated with heavy drinking and drug use, this being the reason my products, particularly my music video was based heavily on my protagonist drinking, and the effect that this had on her mind and physical state. I also feel that my target audience will primarily be individualistic. Drum and Bass, even though stems from the genre of Dance which is very mainstream at this current time; is a very new and different type of music. Individualists are interested in new, un-tried things such as music. They also are determined to be different and not to follow the crowd. Even though the genre of Drum and Bass is becoming more prominent in today’s society, it takes a specific audience to actually listen to it and like it, thus showings its individualistic tendencies in comparison to say the genre of pop which would attract mainstreamers and conformers and also aspirers who consider social status important and want to fit into the crowd. My target audience will include all races and ethnicities however I feel my music video will attract predominately those who are classed as white British and Irish. This is due to the stereotype of those who are of other races, such those who are Black and Asian for example, who tend to listen to other genres of music such as Hip-Hop and RnB. Moreover, those who are white are more associated with binge drinking, drug intake and also attending dance festivals than those who are of other races, implying they are more likely to be able to relate to my protagonists position. However, this assumption is based on media stereotype and does not apply to everybody.

 

I feel that my products follow Blumler and Katz Uses and Gratifications Theory. My music video more specifically will allow the audience to identify with the protagonists thoughts, behaviours and even find reinforcement for their own personal values, due to the fact they can relate to my protagonist and my protagonists situation as they too would have been in a similar situation or know someone who has from drinking too much, as this target audience are heavily related with binge drinking. Moreover, my audience can gain entertainment from my music video, allowing them to escape from their own issues and problems in their lives. My music video could also allow the audience to release their emotions through the connection they can make with the protagonist, thus making them feel like they are not alone. Moreover, my music video, digipak and magazine advert will allow my target audience to socially interact with others. My product could potentially be a conversation starter and even develop into a conversation topic for peer groups, allowing them to create connections and relationships with others. Lastly, my music video could provide information for those in my target audience, but more importantly for those who do not come under my target audience. The narrative of a young women drinking herself into a state because of personal issues such as loneliness could inform maybe an older audience of the struggles that young people face in this generation, particularly with the problem of trying to fit in with others and how they deal with the stress of everyday life, such as unemployment.   

 

When it came down to it, I made sure that I gathered audience feedback for all of my products. A way of generating feedback came from the use of social networking sites. Sites such as Facebook and twitter allowed me to post my products on my profile and publicize then to my target audience. Both male and females in this age group are well known for their use and love of social networking sites to connect with friends and other people around the globe. As I knew that a lot of my target audience had profiles on Facebook and Twitter I felt it appropriate to post the products on there. Alongside my music video, I also created a survey on a website called surveymonkey.com, which allowed me to come up with ten questions I felt it important to ask. I asked questions like ‘Rate how professional my music video looks out of 10’ and also ‘Please rate each element of my music video’ and then listed, Lighting, Editing, Narrative, Performance and Mise-en-scene’. These types of questions allowed me to collect quantitate data, which was easy and quick to analyse. From these questions I received positive feedback about my music video, for example my lighting and narrative, which was classed as being ‘successful’.  I also asked questions that would collect qualitative data such as ‘How does my music video relate to the genre’ and ‘how could my music video be improved’. This meant that my target audience could elaborate on how they felt about my music video and give detailed answers, thus allowing me to understand what I needed to change. For some of the feedback however, I did take into account but did not act on it. For example, someone suggested that to improve my music video ‘I should change the costume of my protagonist’. I did not act upon this as my narrative was about my protagonist over one night, which means that a change of costume would cause confusion in the narrative. A downfall of survey monkey however was that it did not gather a lot of feedback, I only had around 15 responses from a mixture of both male and female all in the age range of 16-25 and so felt I needed to undertake other methods of collecting audience feedback.

 

Another example of a way I collected audience feedback was through the use of group interviews. I was able to play my music video to my classmates and they gave me feedback verbally and in written format. I filmed this group session so I was able to relate back to it when changing aspects of my music video. I also asked people face to face what they thought of my products and then took down notes. Speaking to someone allowed me to collect rich qualitative date as my target audience were able to elaborate on their answers and reasoning’s. In terms of audience feedback for my ancillary tasks i.e. magazine advert and digipak, I did a one on one interview with a few people and asked them what they thought about my products. I received some positive and negative feedback. Before even beginning to create my digipak and magazine advert, I asked my class mates what they thought of a ‘purple and white’ house style. I showed them the pictures I was planning on using and what they thought of the saturation I had placed on the images. I received a positive response from my target audience and so felt that in using the purple and white house style and the images my ancillary products would impress the target audience, and give them what they wanted. Later on, I interviewed my target audience due to concerns with my second draft. My target audience stated that the back of my digipak needed some work i.e. adding more tracks and maybe another image. I agreed with this and so, when it came to making my third draft of my digipak I made the changes. In interviewing my target audience I was able to cater for what they wanted, thus making my ancillary tasks meet the needs of my target audience.

 

 

The most successful method of gaining audience feedback for me was talking to my target audience face to face, whether that is one on one or as a group. I felt that this method allowed me to ask productive questions to my audience and receive detailed and precise answers on what they wanted to see in my products. This was down to the fact they were able to elaborate on their answers and visually point out to me what they felt was a success and what needed to be changed. Even though publicizing my products with a survey on social networking sites was useful in collecting quantitative data, I felt that it wasn’t helpful in collecting qualitative date due to the fact my target audience gave brief answers. Also, due to the anonymity of the survey I was not able to ask the people what they ‘meant by this?’ This Meant that I was left with answers that I did not understand, meaning the feedback they gave was not helpful in improving my tasks, which was particularly a problem due to the fact I did not receive as many responses as I would of hoped for in the first place.

Overall, audience feedback has been a crucial process in producing my products. This is because it has allowed me to gain an insight into what my target audience (male and females aged 16-25) want in a drum and bass music video, magazine advert and also digipak.  This meant I was able to tailor and create my products to suit the needs of my audience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

How did you use media technologies in the construction and research q4 completely finished from emmacalder123

3rd draft of my digipak (with some audience feedback)

My music video (completed)

Emma Calder A2 music video (Wilkinson-Afterglow) from emma calder on Vimeo.

Digipak 2nd draft

This is the second draft of my digipak. I still have two pages to fill. However I have made changes to 2 of the pages on the digipak. One the front of the digipak I have enlarged slightly so that the audience can see my models (Hannahs) face and emotions more clearly. I have also change the lay out of the text with 'AND' being enarged only slightly and then the words 'SMOKE' and 'LAZERS' being sized down and being placed a little bit higher than the 'AND'.

 

 

I have made no changes to this image as I feel that is succesful in portraying the party feel and the intoxicated feel of the song. I feel it also portrays the genre well as drum and bass is associated with bright lazer lights and smoke, which the picture includes.

I have also made changes to one of the photos in my digipak. I have enlarged it so that Hannahs hands are only visable, but you can still tell that she is covering her face. The lighting also helps to create a mysterious feel to how Hannah is feeling in her head (i.e. feeling sick and dilusional due to the alcohol). However, it is a it pixalted so I may have to retake the image in a studio setting.

 

 

I have also changed the back of my digipak. Here I have altered the font to 'Khmer UI' which features on my magazine advert (the text that says 'available on digital download'). I have chosen to use this font as it ties in my magazine advert, illustrating a specific and recognisable style throughout my products. I also feel that it looks much better than the font I used on my first draft which was 'Impact' which looked unproffesional. I have also come up with the idea of carrying the specific front through when naming the track 'Afterglow' on the back of the digipak too. I put this in the font that I have used when writing the song name and the album name on my magazine advert and the front of my digipak (Birth of a hero) as I feel the audience will recognise it and be able to make a connection from my poster to my digipak and visa versa. I have also used the same stauration of the image on my advert and the front of my digipak for the same reasons.  However I feel I may need to add a long track list to close up the gap at the bottom of the digipak

 

 

 

Diary entry 16/1/14

Yesterday I spent the whole day creating the first draft of my music video. I was very tedious but it was worth it as now I have caught up with my work. I used a range of locations in my music video for exampe, the studio setting, the footage from the Calvin Harris concert, footage in the bedroom and also footage that I filmed outside at night. I made sure that my music video was full of fast paced shots that cut into eachother quickly in time to the beat of the music. This is conventional of a drum and bass music video which regularly includes short but fast paced shots. To make the shots fast paced I increased the speed manually on Premiere.

I feel that my music video will follow the Reception Theory instead of the Effects theory. This is because I feel that as some of my messages and metaphors are ambigious, it will make the audience think about the message themselves and take away from it what they think it is trying to portray. This is the polar opposite to the Effect theory, which includes the Hypodermic Needle Model which proposes that we are passive and the media is 'done to us' and we dont take anything from it and actually think about it. I think that it is a postive thart my music video follows the Reception Theory as it means that my target audience can take the messages of the music how they want to and make it personalised to them. This in turn would mean that the audience could use my music video to gather their identity. Also the fact they have thought about the message of the music video could mean that they can apply their own situations and relate it to my portaganist. This would mean that my music video also follows Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications Theory.

Today, I played my music video to my class mates and asked them for feedback on my first draft. I felt that this was useful as I am now able to take on board their comments and alter my music video when creating my second draft. I recieved postive feedback in both a verbal and written format, which is helpful as I can go back to what they said. Also I will be producing a Audience Feedback prezi and will be discussing in more detail what my class mates said to me.

Audience Feedback on the first draft of my music video

Music video - 1st Draft

Here is the first draft of my music video. I spent all day completing the draft which I am pleased with. I feel like I am catching up quite a bit now, with only my digipak and possibly some changes to my music video to do. I may make a change to the second to last shot of Hannah holding a bin to a similar shot but maybe at a different angle. Tomorrow I will be presenting my draft of my music video to my class and hopefully will get some good feedback. I will analysis these feedback and then state what changes I will make to my music video. I also need to add the name of the music video and who it is by at the start and the end of my music video too. Also I will upload my next draft/finished music video via Vimeo. I had to upload it through youtube this time as vimeo was not working properly for me but hopefully I will have this problem solved. 

I feel that my music video follows the codes and conventions of a drum and bass music video. For example most drum and bass music videos do not include, the singing/miming of the lyrics. I have also chosen not to included this in my music video as I know that the other drum and bass music videos are still a great success, meaning my music video will not be 'put down' just because it has not got any singing in it. Drum and Bass music videos rely heaving on an interesting narrative. I feel that my narrative is interesting and will make my target audience want to watch it all the way through, in turn meaning that my tagret audience will want to watch my music video for entertainment purposes, meaning that my music video follows the Uses and Gratifications theory as proposed by Blumler and Katz. 

Raw footage

raw footage.prproj from emma calder on Vimeo.


Here is some unedited footage that I have put together Adobe Premiere just to show what shots I aim to include in my music video. First. I have collected a few pieces of footage when I filmed in the blackened studio with the lights. I have got shots of Hannah laughing, looking serious and also her carrying out actions like rubbing her face. I have shot Hannah displaying a variety of emotions as I want to portray the different stages of being drunk in my music video, for example people are normally happy and having a good time when they start to drink and then tend to go on feeling sick and not so much in control of what they are doing if they carry on drinking heavily, like Hannah does in the music video (this is displayed in my music video  through the actions of Hannah having her face in her hands and continuously rubbing her face). I also want these shots to represent Hannah conscious mind whilst she is passing through the stages of being drunk. I have then filmed in my room. I have included footage of Hannah pouring vodka in to the cap of the bottle (what many teenagers do, therefore allowing the to relate to Hannah in my music video), taking shots of vodka, dancing and looking in the mirror at herself. I plan to include a lot of shots where Hannah is drinking, to just emphasize that she is getting drunk. I filmed in my room with Hannah on her own as I wanted to portray a contrast between the loneliness of drinking on your own compared to being drunk surrounded by loads of people at a club or concert for example. I plan to use the footage I got from the Calvin Harris concert I went to and use that as the opposing binary opposite. I filmed this footage on my phone so will check for the quality of it when I start to edit, however I do feel that the quality of the footage is good. Moreover, I also hope to use footage from when I first filmed outside to maybe display the narrative of going out and walking home intoxicated, but I am not to sure if I will included this yet. I feel that the footage I will use overall in the video will mean that the target audience (16-25 year olds) will be able to relate to Hannah, as they too will understand the feeling of being drunk and the implications of it. In turn this mean that they could be more empathetic with Hannah and therefore want to watch the music video to the very end to see how she gets on at the end of the video. This is the main aim of my music video.

Diary entry 9/1/14

Diary entry progress from emmacalder123