End

This is the finish of my A2 media coursework. It is all done and ready for marking.

Evaluation Question 4

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

Technology played a major roll in the production of our print products and music video. For all of our filming we used a Sony mini DV camera. This was an essential part of our music video as it allowed us to catch both the narrative and prefomance in any location we wanted. However we did encounter a few problems as we found it difficult to upload some of our footage and had to convert the file and upload it to youtube before we could include them within our blog. 

Before we encountered that problem  we used Final Cut Express to cut and edit our music video. I personally found that the programme was difficult to use however the experience from previous projects helped with the software. I soon picked up the cutting although it took some time to work out how to apply the colour selection. Once mastered though the video came together really well. The programme itself created a high quality video that the entire group was please with when editing had finished.

Another software which I used to create my final designs was Photoshop. After having practise in other subjects using the software I created  the entire of both print adverts using the software. I mainly used it to edit the images I wanted to use for the adverts however I also used it to create the layout and this is how I accomplished the high quality design that I produced.

An 0.2 Media technology that played a major part within our feedback was Facebook. This was a very simple and easy technology to use and it gave great results. Because it is such a popular social network it was also a piece of technology that gave brilliant results as a lot of people were easily able to comment on our products without going to too much trouble.

Some of the other online technologies that I used within my project was obviously blogger swell as slide share which was used to upload any powerpionts created for my blog. However In my view the best piece of online technology I used was prezi as it allowed me to create quick animated shows that worked really well in displaying information and images.

Overall technology played a vital role in my A2 Media coursework. Technology determinism is a theory that resumes that technology drives the development of society and its social strutter and cultural views. I feel this is something that is proved somewhat within my coursework as I have used technology throughout my project and without the use of technology my project would not have been completed to a high standard or even at all. I think it very much contributed to my outcome however when using sites such as youtube I had no control over the quality of video it produced. Therefore although technology has determined my outcome i feel that the technology used is not always a reliable source.

Evaluation Question 3

What have you learned from you audience feedback?

For our audience feedback  we used a variety of methods to get the advice we needed to accomplish the best possible outcomes for our projects. One of the methods that we used when getting feedback on our first music video draft was a filmed piece showing the target audience commenting on the video after watching it.

After allowing our chosen audience to watch the rough cut of our music video we collected there views while it was still fresh in there minds. It was an extremely helpful process as we collected a very detailed amount of feedback. They feedback was generally good but they gave us some important advice that lead to the developments of our final piece.

When it came to getting feedback on our final music video we chose to post the video on Facebook and create a group that would allow people to post there thoughts and advice. We used this process  as during our AS media when using polls or questionnaires there was little information filled out so this gave us the best possible results.

We got a variety of comments from Facebook regarding our video. They were mainly good however some of the feedback commented that the actor we used for the performance footage did not suit the singers voice in the song. However I feel this was purely because the people knew the actor we used so could not imagine his voice as the singers. This may not have been mentioned if it was shown to an entirely new audience. The feedback was very pleasing as there were no comments on the lip syncing being out of sync or that the narrative was hard to understand because these were issues we felt would be hard to correct. 

I think the feedback on this video was so good because we had taken onboard the feedback from our rough cut. As suggested we used colour selection and added a performance part to the video so therefore improved the piece and made it suit the target audience.

As for my print adverts I chose to use Facebook to gather the feedback on them as well as it worked so well with the music video. This turned out to be a good choice as I gathered a wide range of good feedback that meant that I did not have to improve my print adverts anyway.

Evaluation Question 2

Evaluation question 2

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Evaluation Question 1

Copy of Evaluation Question 1 on Prezi

Final Advertisement

This is my final advert design which is sized to fit half a page in a magazine such as Kerrang. From my first draft I have used all the same imagery and fonts although I have altered the advert to look more spaced out and interesting. I think this is a successful final design that will work well in attracting the target audience for the band.

Advertisment

Starting my advertising i have decided to use the same image and text  as used in the digipak design as this will make it recognisable.  This made it easy to create the design and I also decided to create a quarter page spread as an unknown band like the Heroes of Hanoi would not be given an entire page spread in a magazine.

Here is my first rough cut of my advertisement:

Digipaks

I have finally designed my digipak for the Heroes of Hanoi's album The Circus Of Delusion

This is the front and back cover for the digipak. I decided although taking the photo-shoot of the band to use for the cover that it would not benefit the digipak as they are not a well known band so the audience will not recognise and buy the album for that. Therefore I decided to use a contrasting image that would relate to our music video and stands out. I feel this will appeal to the target audience most and attract them to buy the digipak.

This is the inside cover for the digipak. I decided to keep to the theme of the front and back covers by using images from the music video. I also kept these black and white and increased the contrast. I also to use these images as the band is not well known or signed so would not be recognised by band images.

Layout & Colour

I have decided to go for a four panelled layout like this :

As for the colour scheme of my digipack I have decided to concentrate on using black and white images or perhaps using colour selection as this will keep the same theme form out music video which I feel should be continued within the adverting. This will also appeal to my target audience as a lot of rock/indie advertisements are features in black and white.

  

Photo-shoot

As the images used on the digipack will be very important we took a photo-shoot of the band during the performance filming.

Digipak Font research

For the digipack I intend to use a four panaled layout that will consist of a front and back cover with a panel to hold the CD and display images. The main part of my digipack design will be the images and the font used for the album name and band name. This will often be used as the brand identity and logo.

I have decided to call the digipack name The Circus of Delusion to keep it in theme with the circus video. Here are some of the possible fonts I will use on my digipack.

1. This is a font that is recognisable within the circus theme and so would fit into the theme of the music video and the title however this is not my favourite font for the genre of music.

2. This is an eroded font that makes the text feel more rocky as it is broken up and harder to read creating a kind of attitude within the text.

3. This is a text that is very broken up and decorated I feel it is a text that would appeal to the indie/rock target audience however does not tie in with the theme of the video aswell.

4. This font is one that is much more decorative and is not as eroded although I like this text I do not feel it will fit in with the overall designs of digipack

 5. This text is one i particularly like as it contains the circus look as well as creating a slightly modern look to the original recognisable circus font

6. This font is one that I find very quirky and I feel this could easily appeal to the target audience this is a font I feel could also fit into the circus theme with the right design

7. This font  is very similar to font 5 although I feel the extra detail makes the font more interesting and quirky and would be more successful within advertising

8. This is a very simple font compared to the other fonts I have chosen to look at however I think that the simple label look could work within the design

9. This font is very similar to 5 and 7 however I feel the bolder and darker look of this text makes it more effective and is a text i feel would work for both the circus theme and the target audience.

Over all my favourite of these fonts are number 9 and 6 as I feel they are quite quirky and will attract our target audience. They are quite modern fonts which will help appeal to our target audience of 18 - 25. i think I would like to experiment using both these fonts within the design before I make a final decision on which will best suit the digipack design.

Final Music Video

This is our final music video. Since our rough cut we have taken on board the audience feedback an added the colour selection and performance elements to the piece. Overall It contains our circus theme and vintage look as well as matching the beat and the song Lets All Go Away by Heroes of Hanoi.

Time Mangement

Things are going to plan at the moment

26th : I intend to have the final music video finished by this date
28th : By this date I have planned to have finished the digipak designs
30th : I intend to have finished the design for the advertisement by this date and start my evaluation
5th   : By the 5th I would like to have completed my evaluation and finished my coursework

Performance Filming

After our audience feedback and our first draft we decided that using a preformance element within the video would make it recognisable as a music video and not just a short film. We began filming in the afternoon and filmed the band playing to be used within the chorus of our song. As for time management we intend to finish editing this into the video by the end of the week.

Audience Feedback

This is our audience feedback in reaction to our rough cut. This produced a variety of ideas and improvements that could be made to our music video which we intend to take on board within the rest of our editing.

Rough Cut of Music Video

After completing our filming for the narrative part of the music video we decided to edit the footage to fit our song Lets All Go Away by the Heroes of Hanoi. This also gave us the opportunity to create a very simple version of our final video that we could use to ask our target audience how the piece could be improved.

Time Management : Reschedule

We were unable to finish our rough cut by the predicated time because of a power cut at college yesterday (March 8th) therefore we have had to change when we present our rough cut to an audience for feedback. We now hope to present and review our rough cut by the 15th March.

Final Costumes

We decided on the theme of our costume before filming however our costumes were finalised when filing and our final costume and characters within our music video are:

The Clown

We used Tom Painter as the actor for our clown and his costume consisted of bright trousers and face paint to create the final clown look for the video. We felt the modern clothing brought a fresh look to the clown costume that would appeal to our target audience.

The Mime

We used Charlotte Worley, who is part of our media group as our actor for the mime. We chose to keep to the classic mime look so stuck to a fashionable stripy top and classic makeup so that she could be easily recognised as a mime.

The Ring Master

I was the actor for our ring master. We chose to use dark bold makeup for the ring master to make the costume fit in with the other characters. We also kept to the traditional top hat and blazer.

Filming

We began filming this week and have now collected enough film to create our first draft and edit the footage we have. All together the filming went well without any problems and we kept to our storyboard the best we could.

Time Management Updates

Since the last time management post we have now completed all the targets set for january and are just finishing of photo's and permission while organising filming.


Friday 27th January

• Target audience research
• Casting
• Costumes and Props
• Risk assessment table

Thursday 2nd February

• Photo's of locations
• Permission to film at locations
• Shot-lists and storyboarding

By Friday 2nd March we intend to

• Have completed the majority of filming
• Begin editing

Casting

We've decided to focus our video on 3 main characters based on a circus theme. The casting for which is:

• Tom Painter as the Clown
• Charlotte Worley as the Mime
• Holly Hughes as the Ring Master

We also thought that we could have the Clown doing the performance side of the video so that it all ties into together and looks as if the narrative is part of the story

Costume and Props

Costume & Props on Prezi

StoryBoard

Risk Assessment

Audience Theory : The Cultural Studies

Approach to Audience

According to Morley the audience take an active role when reading and viewing media instead of a passive role so it is important to think about how the audience will be effected by the video and how they may view certain themes and events.

How might the audiences read the values expressed in your music video and print work in a preferred, negotiated and oppositional way?
I think the target audience our video is aimed at will be able to view the story in a preferred way as it is a theme that the audience can relate to. The theme of people not fitting in, being different and finding it hard to find a job are all issues that teenagers and young adults can relate to. I don't believe that the audience can negotiate within this theme however they may view it in an oppositional way as they may find it hard to relate to the characters as circus freaks and may not relate or pity there story line.

What are you going to do to encourage the target audience to take a preferred reading?
To encourage our target audience to relate to the video more and have a preferred reading of the video we will use a cast that are of a similar age group and keep a modern twist on circus look. It will also include places that the audience can relate to.


What type of person may take an oppositional view?
People that are not our target audience may take an oppositional view. An older audience may feel that they are being portrayed unfairly as they do not accept the circus freaks into society however I feel this would only be a handful of viewers.


Perspective on Audience


This is the theory by David Morley that attempts to understand how the media may influence the audience. Although he also encouraged researchers to understand the nature of certain audiences.

This approach tries to understand the intended effects of media texts, but also sees the audiences as active and that different audiences will differ in how they read the values in a media.

• Preferred or dominant reading: The audience recognize the values being offered by the text and accepts them as natural and correct.
• Negotiated reading:The audience recognize the values in the text as legitimate and accept them in general, but adapt their reading of the text to fit in with their experiences and interests.
• Oppositional reading:The audience understands the values in the text, but disagrees with them and rejects them.

Narrative Theory

Within this post I intend to explore the theories related to narratives and apply them to our own ideas and storyline. This will help with the development of our own story and ideas as it will give us a guideline and help our ides develop further.

Levi Strausses theory is one that is most relevant to our story line as he dictated that there are binary oppositions in everyday media. This means that there is conflict between two oppositions or opposite themes and idea. Within our idea and story with have decided to use opposite themes of poor and rich swell as normal and un-normal this will be illustrated in the video by seeing the main characters struggling to fit in and busking to show their lack of money. The audience subsequently will side with the main characters that are finding it hard to fit in as this is a theme that  our target audience can relate to as well as making the audience sympathy with the characters.

The theory that fits our story line the best however is Todorov's theory of 5 stages to media.  Within his theory he decided that the media would start with normality then have disruption brought to the normality of the story. This apply's to our own video as we begin with the circus characters living in a sense of normality however disruption is caused when the circus is closed. The next step in the theory is the recognition of disruption and an attempt to restore normality to the story line. We show this within our story by them moving to the town as a recognition to characters loosing there jobs and then they try to fit in and find jobs in a way to restore the original routine they had. This theory is very easy to apply to our idea however the last stage where there is a new equilibrium crated we have chosen to leave as a cliff hanger of the characters traveling to a different town as they have not managed to fit into society.

Finally using Barthes 5 different codes I can also find codes that relate to our work as the symbolic code apples to the dress and the reputation of the characters. The audience will assume that the clown can not get a job because he is a circus freak

Audience Profile

Audience profile

 

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Time Management

Friday 27th January

• Target audience research
• Casting
• Costumes and Props
• Risk assessment table

Thursday 2nd February

• Photo's of locations
• Permission to film at locations
• Shot-lists and storyboarding

Audience Feedback

Audience feedback

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The Pitch

The Pitch on Prezi

Our Music and Permission

The band we have chosen to work with is Heroes Of Hanoi an Unsigned Band from Worcester. They are an indie rock band that is aimed at teenagers and young adults. We intend to focus on there one song 'Lets All Go Away' from there album the The Temple of Literature which will be the track we focus our digipak and music video on. We have asked permission from the band as seen to the right and are now planning to move onto further research and planning  before filming and designing there promotion packaging.

Creativity

What is creativity?

• Originality - fresh and different ideas
• Developing Ideas
• Being Active
• Anything goes - There is no rules to being creative
• Inspiration
• Borrowing Idea - Pastiche (copying) - Bricolege (range of styles/ influences)
• Freedom
• Sharing ideas and boosting creativity

Our Influences:

• Black and white film - a vintage look ( Oasis- Wonderwall)
• Words displayed for lyrics - beggars holding signs, music video signs (ColdPlay - Paradise)
• Circus Theme - Circus dress and theme (panic at the disco - i write sins not tragedies)
• Narrative - Mainly a story based video