Final Video

Media technologies in the construction, research, planning and evaluation.

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

In the research stages, we used the internet to find out the forms and conventions of real media products. We used sights such as Youtube to watch various videos of the same genre so we could analyse them to look at shot types, lighting, settings and costumes. When we were planning our video we made storyboards by taking photos of shot types we wanted and then put them together.
 During the filming we learnt to use various new technologies such as using the video camera on the dolly, we didn't end up using this technique but we tested it through out the filming. We also learnt to use the tripod to create different shot types, depending on where and how it was placed. We looked into the shots that other female pop artists used in their videos and developed these shots in our own work using the tripod and the camera, placing at different heights, distances and angles.
Below are screen shots whilst editing our video in 'iMovie' and 'Final Cut Express'.

The image above is a screen shot of editing whilst using 'iMovie'.  As you can see, we can only use one track so it is harder to edit and create match on action as we cant cut between two or more tracks. 

This image is of editing whilst in 'Final Cut Express'. It shows the multiple tracks that are used. This makes it easier to
cut between the tracks and is similar to the software that would be used to professionally create a real media product.

When we put our video together, we originally uploaded our filming to a program called 'iMovie'. In this program, we put parts of our video together to check we used shot types that fit well together. When we had completed our filming and had some audience feedback on the short sequences that we had done by putting them on 'Facebook', we transferred our filming to a different program called 'Final Cut Express'. We transferred our work to 'Final Cut Express' because we could then use multiple tracks so would be able to create the 'firework' effect where we gave the 'firework' layer a higher level of opacity and put it over other tracks in our video. This program was harder to use but had a bigger range of tools available so we used books to help us get the most out of this program. We quickly learnt how to cut the shots and put them together, but when it came to putting the firework effect on, we used a book to help guide us through it.

When we had completely finished our video we learnt how to export it so we could upload it to our 'Facebook' page for audience feedback.
For our ancillary products, we learnt a variety of ways to use the camera for different shots and how to use lighting to its best potential. For each photo, we looked at other posters, cd covers and cd packs so we could see what photos we wanted to use and develop from real media products. When we took all the photos we edited them using 'Adobe Photoshop'. Again, I had to spend time looking through each tool to be able to use the program to its full potential.
Below are screen shots from 'Adobe Photoshop' whilst creating the ancillary products.

With this image, I only moved the image of myself to the left side and adjusted the
brightness levels. I then used an image of a firework for the background and used
the blur tool to blur my hair and the firework in together. After feedback I put a
drop shadow on the text to make it show up more against a background with similar
colours.

This is a screen shot showing use of the blur tool I used in this image. I used
it to blend in the hair of the image of the firework in together.

With this image, i simply adjusted the brightness and contrast levels of the image
and used a black background on the other side with white text on to contrast against
the dark background. 

Once I had taken and edited the images, adjusting the light brightness and
contrast, I used the idea of using a grid reference and kept the images in line
with eachother and included the text within this grid reference.

In this image I used a black and white tool across the image and then used a gradient
tool of black to white from right to left. For the 'Katy Perry' text I simply typed it in black
and then in white and doubled them up.  To make sure the text showed up well against the
back ground I used a colour that contrasted against the background colour. On the white
background I used black text and on the black background I used whit text.

During the evaluation and audience feedback, we used 'Facebook' to upload our work to a page that we created. We added many people to the group who would listen to Katy Perry as they are our target audience. This is where we uploaded scenes from our video and the ancillary projects so people could comment on them. I also created a questionnaire using a website called 'www.surveymonkey.com' and set up a link to my 'Facebook' page so people could click on to this and complete it.
Whilst creating my blog, I learnt to use other websites such as 'www.Scribd.com' to upload my work to and transfer on to my blog. I also used sites such as 'Youtube' to transfer our final video to my blog and collect audience feedback.

Audience feedback

'What have you learnt from your audience feedback?'

As part of our audience feedback, we set up a 'Facebook' group called 'Media A2 Eloise and Will' .


This is our facebook page where we uploaded images, videos
and questionnaires to gain feedback from members that we
invited to the group.



We put a link on our page to a questionnaire that we created
using a website called www.surveymonkey.com.   





This screen shot shows some of the questions that were
included in out questionnaire.



We put together clips from our music video and put them
into one sequence so we could put them on our facebook page
to recieve general feedback from our target audience and we also
asked specific questions such as 'Does it show creativity?', 'Do
the shots fit well together?', 'Is the message portrayed yet?',
'Does it fit well with the conventions of our chosen video?'



Here is another clip that we put together from our video and
put on our facebook page to recieve feedback from our audience.

After we had put our whole video together, we asked our target audience what they thought of it. We had some really good feedback but a few people commented on it, saying that it didn't cut from the shots quick enough. We compared it with Katy Perry's own music video and found that she was cutting between shots much quicker so we timed the period between each shot and incorporated this into our own video so that the changes between shots was much quicker and much more effective.


I also put up the ancillary products to recieve feedback. I had mainly positive feedback from these and many people clicked 'like' on them, but I did also recieve some tips on how to improve my work and some more negative comments. The main comments were on the CD cover, a few people said that the text wasn't clear and didn't stand out enough from the background and I needed to use less imagery. 

From the feedback I recieved for the ancillary task I was able to edit and change the CD cover slightly to improve it and gain better feedback from our target audience.



Combination of Main Product and Ancillary Texts.

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

I don't think the ancillary texts have much relevance to the main product. The CD packs and the video of our chosen genre rarely link in with each other. The poster and the CD cover link in with each other and the inside contents of the CD pack also link in with each other. The back cover doesn't link in with the rest of the CD pack or the video in the way of using similar images or the same colour scheme, but it does link in with the artist and the song. I did this to fit to the conventions of the song genre.

The above CD covers are both Katy Perry covers. I wanted to use imagery in my own CD cover and also a close up shot of the performer, so I used ideas from both of the above covers. I used a firework in the background with a close up of the performer in the front. I blurred the firework in the background slightly to make the text and the performer stand out more. The original 'Firework' cover above doesn't link in with the original music video, but the 'One of the boys' cover fits in with the scene in the video, this is why I have linked in my CD cover with our music video by using an image with the performer wearing the same dress and using a firework image in the background to link in with the name of the song which is also used in the lyrics and the fireworks we created in the video.

Front Cover



1st insert for CD pack

The above image is of the first insert for the CD pack, I looked through various CD packs and found that most include lyrics with images and sentences taken out from the lyrics and standing out. This is what I have done here. The image doesn't relate to the front cover, I have done this because most CD packs show the artists working or in a different setting or during the making of the song or the album so I have put in a picture of the artist in casual clothes as if it was taken during the production of the song or album.


2nd insert for CD pack

The above image is of the 2nd insert for the CD pack. I have kept these images relating with the images on the first insert as most of the CD packs i have looked at have similar images within the inside of the pack. I also found that many had autographs on and 'thanks' to people or companies so I have included this on this page and found Katy Perry's autograph to put on top of the images.


Back cover of CD pack

The above image is the back cover of the CD pack. I found that some CD packs had a similar front and back but some also had completely different front and back cover. I chose to make the front and back different to the front to challenge the forms and conventions of the CD packs that have similar front and back covers. I looked in to what small print was on the back of CD covers and found it was mainly about their management and production companies and sometimes their website was on their so I looked in to management companies and their logos to put on here. I also put Katy Perry's website on here and the name of the production company that we came up with.

This is the poster I created for the song, I purposely made it different to the CD pack and the front cover to challenge the forms and conventions of other female pop artists who quite often make their posters an extended version of their CD cover.
Although the images through out the CD pack, they work together due to the individuality of the artist. Katy Perry often changes her look so we have shown this through the images in the CD pack and the poster.

Codes and conventions of real media products.

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

Our A2 media task was to produce a music video along with a CD pack and a poster for it. These products fit together to form a promotional package for the Katy Perry song 'Firework'. I think all of these products fit in well with the codes and conventions of the chosen song and genre as we looked well into the codes and conventions used in the original video.
There are four main focuses in our video, these include a young girl who is upset and comes running into the bathroom to clear her face and looks at herself in the mirror as she wipes her tears, through out the video we see that she gradually realises she has nothing to be upset about, takes a deep breath and walks out of the bathroom. The second focus is on a young boy being bullied in school, he is pushed up against lockers as older students search through his pockets, the young boy realises through out the song that he is better than them and pushes them away and worries them when he starts showing off his magic tricks. The third focus is on a young boy having to deal with his parents fighting and his dad being abusive towards his mum, throughout the song he realises he can protect his mum so he runs up to help her and pushes his dad off.
The fourth focus is on a boy being bullied in the classroom. For this narrative scene, we developed the conventions of the genre by including a performance shot within this. I am singing in the front with the boy being bullied sat behind me. To fit in with the conventions we filmed this scene from two angles, one being a straight on mid shot and the other being a mid shot from the front still but slightly to the left so that it shows more of the narrative in the background and we can use both of these shots to cut between through out the video.
The pictures below show the performance shots we used throughout the video.

As you can see, we used different shots in the same setting to make the performer the main focus of the video and to stick to the codes and conventions of our chosen genre, as singers such as Katy Perry use a variety of shots in one location. In the original video, Katy Perry is always singing towards the video and looking straight at it, occasionally looking around and moving her head which is what we tried to do. I was constantly singing towards the camera, but occasionally looking around, especially in the narrative/performance shot so it looked like I was more involved with what was happening behind me.

We have developed the codes and conventions of the genre and original video through out the narrative shots as well. The main shots of the narrative scenes are shown below.

This narrative includes 5 different shots.

This narrative shows 5 different shots

This narrative shows 6 different shots.

We used from 5 different shots for each narrative to show each story from different angles to show emotions and to be able to show everything that is going on. The original video also shows the narrative through a variety of different shots so we developed this by doing many different shots but from different angles and using different types of shot. In the original video, each piece of narrative is resolved, we have done this to stick to the codes and convention of the video, but to challenge them we left the narrative that is also linked in with the performance shot in the classroom unresolved so it is a cliffhanger and the audience are left wondering what happened in the situation.

For the ancillary task I felt I really developed the codes and conventions of her original CD packs. Below is my CD front cover and a variety of Katy Perry's own CD covers.

Although my own CD cover is quite different to Katy Perry's CD covers, I feel I have linked in various original covers together. Some of the original covers have used close up shots and others have used a lot of imagery as background. I have used a close up shot and have also used imagery in the background of a firework but after feedback I decided to blur the firework slightly to make the performer and the text stand out more. For the text I have used colours that match the firework image and to make it stand out against a similar colour behind I have used a drop shadow on it. For most of her covers she has used texts that are more decorative, but for mine I have used a simple text for the title of the song to make it stand out more and then a more decorative text for her name as this sticks to the codes and conventions of the original products.

For the inside of the CD pack I found that many CD packs link in together, but not necessarily relate to the front cover. To develop the codes and conventions I kept the inside pages relating with each other, using photos from the same photo shoot on each page. I found that the text inside of CD packs usually included lyrics and 'thank you' messages to their families or production companies. To stick to the codes and conventions I included the lyrics of the song and a 'thank you' message to her production company, but to challenge the conventions of the genre I included an autograph of Katy Perry inside. For the back cover I kept it quite different to the front cover. The back of the CD cover doesn't relate to the video, unlike the front cover where the performer is wearing the same dress in the video. I did this to stick to the codes and conventions of the original CD packs in the same genre.

Evaluation Plan

Now we have completed our music video and ancillary task, we will look into how the production, research, planning and the feedback went during our task. To do this I will look into answering the following questions:

• In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge the code and conventions of real media products?
• How effective is the combination of your main product and the ancillary tasks?
• How did you use new media technologies in the construction, research, planning and evaluation stages of your project?
• What have you learnt from your audience feedback?