Blog 20 - Evaluation and feedback

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

During the production of my media products I used various types of digital equipment and software. I conducted much of my research online learning about different music genres and recording artists. The internet provided a wealth of information in relation to music reviews, video clips, target audiences and press articles. Exploration of social networking sites including Myspace, Facebook and Youtube provided details about the fan base. Ideas are exchanged and points of view are discussed in these areas. They act as hubs for sharing music, video and digital images and many conversations can take place at the same time. It is truly a viral form of media. I learnt that the Arctic Monkeys were the first band to come to the fore online. Other useful websites I visited during the research and planning phase of my coursework included NRS offering statistical information about magazine demographics and allcovers for studying CD sleeve designs.

An important step in the assignment involved drawing up flat plans for the digipak cover and advert before scanning them into my computer so that they could be manipulated and modified using adobe photoshop. I used this software to cut and paste my images allowing them to be easily moved from file to file and shared with others for feedback purposes. I used the cut and crop tool to improve the composition by removing unwanted areas. The software allowed me to zoom in on particular areas of interest and touch up to enhance the image eliminating small blemishes (spots on faces) or imperfections. I layered text onto my advert and digipack images having a wide range of fonts and colours at my disposal. I was able to change the brightness and add special effects including animation, colour, blurring to customize my images. The software provided the facility to rotate the images too.

During filming my music video I used a variety of camera angles and movements to shoot my video before editing the footage using adobe Final Cut Pro. It was easy to upload and manipulate the digital images and music files using this software. I made use of the facility to alter the sequence of the shots, delete unwanted material, change the lighting / colours and suppress unwanted background sounds such as road traffic. The software made it possible to fuse the sound track and cinematography. The preview facility allowed the impact of my design changes to be seen immediately. I had the freedom to save work and go back to it later to look at it with fresh of eyes until I was happy with final product. In a bid to create interest I superimposed a shot of the band playing in the studio onto of the scenes involving actors.

My video is a fusion between the sound track and the cinematography. I selected, organized and focused on particular parts of my footage in order to create my version or representation of the song.

I evaluated my product on Facebook canvassing the opinions of my friends and theirs in order to gauge my success. Social networking is a very powerful media technology which is viral in nature insofar that information spreads very quickly. Often there is an instant response .The process is very creative and unfettered.

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

My video is a representation of teenage romance. It portrayed the teenagers as vulnerable and experiencing their rites of passage to adulthood seeking a partner. My video dealt with a white heterosexual relationship so the perspective was narrow. It did not consider race or religion, which are much more complicated areas. The video opened with a shot of red roses against a white background. The connation of the flowers was love. The narrative of the video contained many binary opposites which are present in real media products including; Rich/Poor, Happy/Sad, Strong/Weak, Love/Lust & Winner/Loser. The players in the video were dressed in typical teenage clothing; jeans, hoodies, t shirts & trainers which added to the realism of the narrative. Arguably the video explores the ideological power struggle between male and female. The male is physically stronger but it is the female who is the prize in this video and possess the ultimate power choosing her partner. The older male with has greater material wealth such as a car wins the day leaving the younger boy to lick his wounds. These issue are relevant to the teenage target audience struggling to make their way in society. The teenagers in my video are stereotypes lacking in depth of character. The representation nonetheless is credible incorporating some forms and conventions of real products though doesn’t challenge the norms as I felt this would have been at odds with the lyrics of the song.

What have you learnt from you audience feedback?

I obtained feedback from friends and students on my course via social networking sites. Their comments were valuable as they were teenagers forming part of the target audience for the Arctic Monkeys music. The lighting in parts of the video was too dark which was distraction. In other parts of the video a camera shake caused by strong wind on the cliff top spoiled a scene. I accept these remarks learning that it difficult to control the natural environment while filming outside, The filming process took much longer than I had originally appreciated with more material being rejected than used in the final cut. My reviewers found the video amusing and felt that the action kept pace with the lyrics of the song. This was pleasing as I worked hard on animatic and editing to achieve a good level of synchronization between cinematography ands the sound track. Cutting back to the studio was a successful technique which made the representation more interesting. This helped to personalize the experience.

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

I think my combination of my main product, (music video) and my ancillary texts (advert and digipak) were successful. I used a shot from my video as the basis of my advert and digipack thereby creating a sense of consistency. I used the same typography on the advert and digipak denoting the name of the CD/DVD and the band creating another strong link between the media texts. The typography involved the same colours and font styles incorporating the use of red in all of the texts in order to symbolize romance (or possibly anger). The inclusion of a (broken) heart and roses in opening shot of the video reinforce this connection with love. I worked hard to produce a common thread which linked the texts together. I was happy with the synchronization between the cinematography and the sound track. It was much harder than I had realized to achieve this result. The feedback from the questionnaires posted on ‘Facebook’ suggests that the target audience made the connections between the main product and ancilliary texts.

Overall Questionnaire



I filmed an interview with friends to obtain further feedback:



Youtube link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9LDUX7NEp0

Blog 19 - Finished video

Completed music video:



Youtube link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMVftN2rhQQ

Blog 18 - Creative camera use

I practiced creative camera techniques to improve the quality of my music video. I used the following equipment:

• Camera
• Tripod
• Clapperboard - Used to mark takes allowing organised editing.
• Lighting
• Cassette

Revising class handouts taught me to use different camera angles and movement to produce subtle effects:

Camera angles

• Establishing shot - sets location and welcomes the viewer
• Close up - used to express emotion
• Point of View (PoV) and Over the Shoulder (OtS) - shows what the subjects looking at furthermore it creates a connection between the viewer and the subject.
• Low angle vs. High angle - Displays power or superiority

Camera movement

• Panning and tilting - follows a character across a scene
• Zoom in / out
• Handheld - creates amateur video camera effect

Carefully measuring the right distance will compose a more balanced shot.

Advanced techniques

I then went to revise more advanced camera techniques such as depth of field (DoF) which creates focus and emphasizes important subjects.

There are two variations; wide DoF, which targets the background, and narrow DoF engages in creating a close subject as the main theme. Moving between a wide and narrow DoF will switch focus.

The procedure I will follow to adjust my DoF:

• The camera must be set to manual [P] on a XM2 camera.
• The manual/focus should be on, and this will appear on the screen.
• White Balance: this needs to be set to either natural or artificial light
• Depending on where I am filming.
• Exposure: Shutter Speed: slow right down 1/50.
• Aperture: open up as far as it can go.
• Gain: adjusted to brighten and contrast the footage.

We applied different shot types. By adjusting the distance and angle of the shot, we were able to ‘pull’ between a wide DoF and narrow DoF. Using this information we experimented using trial and error, our results are below:

Successful:



Failed:

Blog 17 - Rejected footage

I carefully reviewed my footage rejecting parts which were deemed to be unsuitable for inclusion in my music video. Outlined below are screenshots showing examples of rejected footage together with an explanation behind my decision.

• Insufficient lighting dims the shot resulting in poor quality thus making it hard to view.





• Excessive clutter in the background may distract the viewer from the main subject and focus.





• The shadows shown in this shot are too strong.






• Poor weather conditions - In this shot the sea reflects sun beams causing too much contrast.





• Some footage was rejected, despite being of adequate quality, because it failed to follow the narrative.

Blog 16 - Advert

An advert is part of the promo pak used to raise the profile of an artist / band and increase music sales. The advert needs to reflect the same style and content as the digipak in order to optimize the impact and avoid confusing the consumer. The style is defined by colour scheme, typography and mise en scene (setting, clothing, props & facial expressions). Mise en scene concerns everything put into a scene to create a mediated representation - a piece of music in this case. Mediation involves the organization, selection and focus of information to create a version of an event.

Analysis OF Existing Adverts

1. Arctic Monkeys - ‘Favourite Worst Nightmare'



The same font is used on the advert as was used on the digipak. The bands name occupies 25% of the advert to draw attention and hook the reader’s attention.

There is a picture of a raven in the advert symbolizing darkness which relates to the nightmare theme. Perhaps the checkered belt round the bird is an associated with the police. This might symbolize trouble. The raven is shown on the inside cover of the digipak so the advert has picked up on this feature creating a common thread. The advert communicates that the music is ‘new’ and available to buy ‘now’. The digipak and advert incorporate the same colours thus creating another important link.


2. The Kooks -‘Inside in Inside Out’



The Kooks advert is almost identical to the front cover of their digipack incorporating a black and white image of the quartet playing their musical instruments. The same shot is used for the advert and digipak thereby establishing continuity. The major difference is that the band’s name is given greater prominence on the advert taking up about 25% of the poster. The same colour scheme is used in both cases though the title of the CD is positioned differently shown directly underneath the name of the band on the advert as opposed to framing the name of the band on the digipack. The advert informs the readers when the CD is due for release and feature tracks.

Flatplans

I have drawn up three possible ideas which I might to use for my advert to promote the 'Arctic Monkey's single 'Bigger boys and Stolen Sweethearts'.

Poster one



This option depicts a picture of beach huts shot at an unusual angle. The beach huts are linked with the seafront scene. I discounted this option because the link with song was not strong enough.

Poster two



My second idea was to concentrate on the a band member playing in the studio replicating the Kooks approach. I discarded this though as I wanted the image to connect with the mood and sentiment of the song. I wanted to convey the loneliness and hurt of being rejected.

Poster 3



My third idea was similar to the second relating to the band playing their instruments. I used the colour red in the flat plan design to covey the notion of love, romance and danger. The danger stems from the fact that bigger boy mocks and possibly bully’s the younger boy into giving up his girlfriend. The girl enjoys being the centre of attention and delights in the anguish of the younger boys situation. She shows little compassion for him demonstrating her shallow nature. The song lyrics state that she is "pretty fu+++++ far from nice"

Completed Advert

Ultimately I chose another design for my completed advert. I decided to base my advert on an image from my digipak in order to achieve the strongest connection between the two texts. I noticed The Kooks adopted this style. I wanted the image to evoke a feeling of smallness against an open landscape. I also wanted to portray the idea of solitude and reflection, as these are the sorts of emotions the young boy will be dealing with after losing his girlfriend to the bigger boy. The background is also reminds the younger boy of the good times he shared with his girlfriend. Essentially, he is coming to terms with lost love, which is a normal part of growing up. It is a passage of rites - a tough life experience. The colour scheme is grey depicting his melancholy mood and the sea choppy highlighting his inner turmoil. I learnt from my research the importance of showing the bands name in bold, so it is eye catching and grabs the attention of the viewer. I printed the name of the track in red to make the link with romance and danger. I added the website address so the viewer can go online and find out more about the band and their influences. Finally the purpose of the advert is to raise awareness of the band and their music together with communicating the release date of the CD to the public.



Evaluation

I asked friends for feedback through Facebook:

Blog 15 - Digipak

A promo pack comprises of a magazine advert, cover for the DVD/CD & video of a music artist /band. This is designed to promote the music raising the profile of the music artist / band with a view to increasing sales. In order to maximize the impact of the promo pack each individual element needs to be linked to create a common theme. By joining the elements of the promo pack in clever ways entices the fans to buy the magazine and CD/ DVD. It is possible to use fashion, colour schemes, typography and semiotics (the study of signs) to create a coherent promo pack. The purpose of the promo pack is to encourage the target audience to purchase the whole album and attend live gigs.

A digipak (or digital package) comprises the artwork for CD/DVD plastic case. The digipack is used to appeal the target audience enticing them to purchase the music.

I visted www.allcdcovers.com and analysed two digipak covers in order to help me plan and design the cover for my chosen Acrtic Monkey’s song ‘Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts’ released off the album ‘I bet you look good on the Dance floor’

Kooks

Front:



Back:




CD:


Analysis
The front and rear cover feature a black and white image of the band rehearsing in a room with white walls. The connotation of the black and white colour scheme is simplicity and starkness, which is feature of the bands sound. The fourth member of the band featured in both images has reflection in the mirror on the wall making the shot interesting. The image on the front cover is in sharp focus while the shot of the rear side is slightly blurred. The band are concentrating on playing their instruments apparently oblivious to the camera. They are wearing casual clothing; T-shirts, jeans, hoodies (typical of their target audience). The title of the album is coloured red. Using a bright colour like red highlights the CD when stacked amongst others on a self. Track listings are in the top left hand corner of the rear cover and the bar code shown on the other side. To create consistency the same three colours decorate the CD.


Arctic Monkeys

Front:


The cover features a house at night. The lights are on illuminating funky psychedelic decoration. The title is coated in an off gold colour and it uses an Artic Monkeys trademark funky font. The house is ordinary connecting with the target audience. The Arctic Monkeys use gritty, witty and very graphic language in their songs, the type was language used by teenagers on council estates. The CD /DVD is printed in black and gold.



Back:



The rear image contains black and gold. There is a strong link between the CD/DVD digipack artwork and the title of the album ‘favourite worst nightmare’. The connotations of a black border round around the face on the CD is dripping blood with ties up with the nightmare theme.

Inside image:


The inside image is similar to the front cover however the decoration is more prominent. The connotation behind night time and psychedelic images is mind manifesting nightmares.

CD:



Flatplans

I produced three flats plans outlining ideas using conventions I learnt from analysing digipaks. In each of the flat plans the front cover is located in the top left, rear cover top right, inside cover bottom left and finally the CD bottom right.



A striking yellow font is used to contrast the blue and pink background thus differentiating itself from other CD’s on the shelf. The character found at the bottom left is the lead singer of Arctic Monkeys associating the band visually with the promotional pack. There is a broken heart over half the CD, the connotation behind this is lost love as seen in the music video and written in the lyrics of the song. The heart is red symbolising danger and love.



I experimented using greyscale to create my second flat plan. Black and white symbolises simplicity creating the ‘back to basics’ theme. The front cover consists of the three band members for easy recognition. A shot from the music video will be used for the inside image. The rear is the final place I expect the customer to look, an abandoned instrument signify that the shows over.



My final flat plan attempts to connect with the bands psychedelic roots. I have used contrasting colours to grab attention. The same colours can be seen throughout. A profile shot has been used for the inside image. I rejected this version as there is little connection to the music video and song.


Completed Digipak





Evaluation

During the production of my digipak I learnt a host of valuable skills. It was key to draw up a flat plan for the digipak in order to achieve my representation of the song and the band, that being my portrayal. This involved designing four panes including, front, rear, inside and CD on one page. In doing this task I applied my knowledge of semiotics (study of sings) and colour schemes to evoke different connotations and meanings. The digipak needed to appeal to my target audience and had to stand out in the music shops. I adopted the same font for the name of the band as this is essentially their brand and easily recognizable to their fan base. The flat plans enable me to overview the whole design process ensuring that the fonts, and colour scheme were consistent and importantly that their was a connection between each part of the digipak artwork to create an integrated .product. The flat plans saved time and money cutting down on visits to various locations and rejected footage.

I refreshed my digital photography skills paying particular attention to lighting, the mise en scene such as clothing / location and different types of camera shorts.

Adobe photoshop was used to produce my final product. This software offers a wide array of design options making the task of production easier and faster. I was able to cut and paste my images so move them about without fuss, cut and crop to improve the composition by removing unwanted bits and focusing on key areas. The software offered the chance to touch up areas to enhance the image and also the opportunity to experiment with different levels of brightness. I was also able to add different layers and special effects to make the design more interesting.

Digipack Questionnaire

I asked friends for feedback through Facebook:

Blog 14 - Shooting diary

15th Oct 2009

We met at Sussex Downs college, Lewes campus and headed for the music studio. We had to wait for a free period. We did some filming but the quality of the footage was poor on playback. It was necessary to repeat the shoot using artificial lights to enhance the footage. We filmed for about thirty minutes trying out different camera angles and movements. I pointed out to my partner that it would be a good idea to keep the camera moving to create a dynamic view. I had observed this technique during my research deconstructing other music videos. I recalled seeing this used effectively on the popular television programme, ER. The studios scene Mike, our classmate, Steve Brown and me.

29th Oct 2009

We assembled on the seafront early in the morning. Unfortunately, the weather conditions and lighting was poor so we decided to reconvene later in the day. Our original plan was to use friends to play the character roles allowing us to film and direct.

Unfortunately, the actor we were using as 'the bigger boy' was unable to finish filming due to other commitments. We therefore had to alter our arrangements mid stream.

I took over the role of the 'smaller boy' and Mike (my filming partner) assumed the role of p the 'bigger boy'. This meant we had to share the camera / acting roles making the task much harder to carry out. We have to set the shot up and then get into the scene. If we had reliable helpers then we could have adjusted the shot during filming.

12th November 2009

This shoot went reasonably well though space was confined. We had to redo some scene as we got in the way of each other ruining the footage. We regrouped and carefully planned the scene working out the movement and position of the actors and the camera operator. Mike’s girlfriend, Rachael assumed the role of the love interest. We had briefed her beforehand about the role and she arrived in suitable attire.

19th November 2009

We had to get permission to film outside the school gates in advance. We met the head teacher and outlined our project. He said that we could go ahead but asked us to film while the lessons were taking place. His primary concern was the health and safety of his students and staff.

We borrowed Mikes mum’s car, we arrived at 9.30am, set the scene up and started filming. It was immediately apparent that the road was too busy. This presented two problems. There were too many passer by on the pavement which interrupted filming and too much traffic which posed a health and safety risk.

We waited for another hour and got to work again this time with success.

Blog 13 - Shooting schedule

I composed a shooting schedule for filming as follows;

Blog 12 - Health and Safety

Health & Safety

Before shooting my promo video I had to give some thought to health and safety. I have a responsibility to ensure that the general public and my cast members did not injure themselves and come to any harm during filming. I carefully considered the location and props involved. I carried out a risk assessment to identify areas of concern. Then I took action to reduce or eliminate the hazards to provide a safe working environment.

Props

I showed the cast members how to lift the props correctly bending their knees and keeping their backs straight. I advised them not to lift heavy object by themselves but to seek assistance. I also suggested that they label heavy objects in boxes as a precaution to others. It was important to keep the filming area tidy to remove trip hazards.

Filming

The scenes in my video took place on the seafront, in a house and on the street. Each of these presented a different set of risks. On the seafront I made sure that the cast were aware of the rabbit holes, steep drops and falling rocks from the cliff. I surveyed the area prior to taking the video.

I had to contend with poor lighting and confined space in the house so there was a risk of the cast falling over or tripping on the stairs. I took the following measures to neuralize these hazards We acquainted ourselves with the area before shooting the video. We obtained permission from the house owner to use the property and put a message on the outside of front door advising the family members and visitors that the shoot was taking place. I conducted a dummy run of my movements ensuring the walkway was clear of hazards before peering through the camera lens.

Regarding the scene in the street we cordoned selected for filming choosing a quiet time of the day. We made sure that we did not film near schools, road crossings and such like. Also I asked a friend to look out for the general public while filming was taking place. Their safety was his main concern.

In all case we tidied up after ourselves leaving the areas as we found them.

Blog 11 - Storyboard and Animatic

Storyboards are used to plan and organise interactive media such as music videos. I have constructed a storyboard to sequence my illustrations.

After drawing up my storyboard I filmed each scene and arranged the clips into an animatic with music playing in the background. This provides a solid structure and informs other participants of their roles.

Below is a uploaded video of my animatic:


Storyboard

The sketches of musical instruments in my storyboard are key milestones signaling the point
of transition from drama to studio clip featuring the band playing between the lyrics.

Shot types

I incorporated different shot types with the intention of engaging the viewer.

Close up
These were used to highlight specific features. The opening shot is a close up of roses to denote romance. Later on I use a ring to signify a wedding matching the lyrics.

Mid shot
Generates an impression of the subject. I have used a mid shot to introduce the characters.

Two shot
Similar to a mid shot with more than one person. This has been used in my animatic to indicate the bigger boy is more popular by having friends around him.

Establishing shot
Used to set scenes on the seafront. in the house & on the street.

Camera angles

Eye level
I used eye level angles to maintain realism and equal dominance

High level
I took shots like this to belittle the small boy emphasizing his inferiority.

Blog 10 - Mise en scene

This is a French phase, which means put into scene. It is an expression used to describe the visual arrangement of a production. Mise en scene concerns props, lighting, costumes, and background. In essence, it is everything we see on stage, in an image or film. The mise en scene helps create a sense of realism.

My video was set in three different locations; on the seafront, in a house and on the street. These locations were selected because the target audience might hang out in these places with their friends.

The seafront is the sort of place a teenager might take his girlfriend. It is private, picturesque and is of course free of charge, as this group has little money being at school / college or out of work. The seascape provides different connotations. It looks beautiful when it is calm and the sun is shining on it reflecting a warm romance. On the other hand, when the clouds roll in and the sea roughens up, it reflects an angry, traumatic state of mind, which is perfect for the narrative of the song. Using this location, I was able to evoke the feeling of loneliness as the boy looked out to sea and to capture a sense of smallness and vulnerability against the wide-open backdrop. I used minimal props in the scene. The actors wore typically casual clothing favoured by teenagers including, trainers, hoodies, T-shirts and jeans. I tried to use clothing as a distinguishing feature between the “bigger” and “smaller” boy reflecting a difference in taste and wealth.

I used the house because this is typically a place teenagers socialize. In this case, it was a warm and safe environment. A teenager’s bedroom is their territory. The props in the bedroom-included computer, bed, posters on the wall, cuddly toys (common in a girls bedrooms), magazines and make up. Teenage romance is often short lived and an experimental process. The girl has the upper hand in the relationship.

Finally, the street scene was filmed outside a school. Streets are often described as being concrete jungles, which has connotations of animal like behaviour. This is very true of inner city backdrops. I used a street scene to portray an active, busy environment. This is the place the bigger boys steals the heart of the smaller boys girlfriend. He picks her up from school in a car out side the reach of the smaller boy. The idea here was to show that the bigger boy was more powerful during the contest for a mate. I chose a type of car, which is typically driven by young teenagers. Driving represents independence and freedom, adventure and perhaps sophistication valued by the teenage girl in the scene. The smaller boy cannot compete and has to accept defeat and lick his wounds. I also tried to convey the nasty side of teenagers. I showed the bigger boy and the girl mocking the smaller boy, once again highlighting animalistic tendencies. This depicts a cruel world. The use of the car was a vital prop, which helped convey the storyline. I propose to shoot the video outside the school gates as the lyrics indicate that the girl missed lessons to be with the bigger boy. This provides a strong link between the words of the song and the cinematography.

Blog 9 - The pitch

We pitched our ideas for the video in a group power point presentation covering the following areas:

Introduction - Acrtic Monkeys

Magazine Front Covers & Websites (NME & Clash) This analysis was helpful to identify the target audience of the readership and fan base of Arctic Monkeys

Demographics – This a classification based on job of the main breadwinner. There some problems or shortcomings with this approach as it doesn’t focus on disposable income in a household and is linked to the breadwinner which might not be appropriate.

Social Networking Sites – FaceBook, Myspace.

Music Genre;. We learnt at AS level that genre was both a description and form of classification important to identify the target audience. Genre is reinforced by stereotypes, fashion, mise- en scene. A genre is established over time by repetition.

Psychographics – Another technique used to categorize the target audience based consumer personality types. We built up profile of typical Acrtic Monkey fans

• Teenage / Early Twenties
• Males
• Mainstreamers – young people developing their personalities, rebellious and adventurous in nature. Keen to experiment.

Arctic monkey’s Website Review - We discovered many photo’s from gigs and found out where the band were playing

Music Press Articles - These discussed the genre of the band considered their influences and future musical direction

We deduced that the band was part of the alternative rock culture. The lyrics are clever witty & gritty. The sound is raw, raucous and energetic.

Our Video Format: We intend to use grayscale effect. We considered the location using beach front at Seaford as this is outdoors and somewhere a boyfriend and girlfriend might go on a romantic date recognizing that they are cash poor. Also we noted that another popular indie band ‘the Kooks’ used a similar setting for one of their videos. We considered props and suitable clothing too .We wanted to use shots of the band in the studio combined with the drama clips following the same convention as used by the bans we had researched

We finished the presentation by inviting questions from our audience.

Video of the presentation:



uploaded presentation:
https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B7jilewXq21fMjk4ZjNiNDAtYzIyZS00Y2RhLWJkN2ItZjAzNmM2NzNhNTE1&hl=en

Uploaded video to Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbeCVCHcvV4

Blog 8 - Initial ideas

We convened a group meeting to consider different ideas for the video. We produced a mind map to develop and capture our initial concepts. This technique encourages free thinking. The keywords are noted down in different sizes dependent on their priority and doodles are used to encourage and aid the creative process. A web is developed from the central task and multiple colours are used to highlight different areas of thought. The map can be put down and amended periodically. They are quick to review and understand. A mind map is a powerful project management tool used to help with problem solving and think through complex situations. It is a good way to keep notes.



We included the following ideas in the mind map:

Different depth of field's in my shots.
A narrow depth of field will leave the background around the main subject blurry guiding the viewer to focus on the subject.In contrast a wide depth of field shot shows everything that’s going on and is ideal to create an establishing shot. We intend to use a wide depth of field from high up, to zoom into the band giving the viewer a birds eye view and defining the studio location.

After studying the Razorlights video 'The Golden Touch' we noticed how they make full use of the light available. My video is partly being shot on a beach there should be an abundance of natural light. We propose to use lamps and artificial lighting for the indoors scenes. Bright lighting conveys warmth and happiness. I can use lighting to create a romantic feel.

Small ideas that I’d like to include intertwine with the lyrics of the song. For example the line of the song 'He picks her up at the school gates' here I can show the 'bigger boy' picking up a girl at some school gates during mid day. Even though it seems like a very simplistic idea I think using props like this will work well.

I will need to decide what time of day to start filming because certain times of the day represent certain things. Night time might evoke sinister events or it could portray a time to fun partying the night away at a club.

In the morning the conditions might be damp & misty which would not be good for filming.

My video is upbeat so during mid day where there is full sun exposure and lots of things going on in the background that I could use would be best for my video.

I intend to use some of my friends in the video. I need to choose the right people in order to achieve the correct representation.

The clothing is an important factor too - Clothing signifies the role of the person in society, their wealth, seniority together with an idea about their attitudes and beliefs. Colours also need to be csarefully considered as they convey different, moods & meanings. In a romantic text you might expect to see red roses. The connotation of these flowers is love. Hair styles can have a dramatic effect on the reprsentation. Skin heads are associated with mindles violence for instance which is a sterotypical view.

I understand my target audience now and from research observed the clothing worn by Arctic Monkeys in previous videos.

It’s important adopt these codes and conventions to achieve continuity.

Blog 7 - Copying an existing video

"The blog should include a video the group has created and comments about what i've contributed too it and learned from it"

N/A

Blog 6 - Video analysis

The Kooks

The Kooks are a successful Indie band formed in 2006 from Brighton, England. Arctic Monkeys and the Kooks have played along side each other and large events and festivals such as Reading and Leeds festivals. Below is a deconstruction of the song ‘Naïve’ released on their debut album ‘Inside in / Inside out’.




Representation
As the main subject is introduced, information is shared on the bands attitudes and beliefs through mise en scene.

He has his hands in his pockets & his head is down indicating a melancholy frame of mind. His black leather jacket is zipped up. His clothing and hair categorize him into the Indie genre.

Narrative
A girl cheats on a boy thinking he’d never find out “Sweet and pretty face in such a ugly way”
The boy eventually understands the situation but avoids confrontation.
“I know she knows I’m not fond of asking”.
The song is titled ‘Naïve’ because the girl thinks she’s playing him.
There are jump cuts to scenes of happier times between the couple providing background information prior to her deceitful act. The narrative strictly follows the lyrics.

Audience
The narrative is typical of the teenage target audience. The locations are generic and ordinary tapping into the everyday world of their fan base. Both genders are included in the video.

Cinematography
The main subject ignores the camera indicating that he is pre-occupied. The camera follows the subject around showing the lead singer singing the song. Fast cuts between each scene keep the video interesting. The viewer is looking in on his life and problems. This gives a ‘fly on the wall’ view.

Ideology
Young love is reckless and experimental.


Arctic Monkeys

The second video I chose to analyse is the Arctic Monkeys ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’ released in July 2007. I hope to gain a greater insight into the values and beliefs of the band.



The lyrics are inspired from local poet John Cooper Clarke. His poem ‘Out Of Control Circus’ is printed on the inner cover of the CD case.

Representation
Clothing worn is unique to engage the viewer. Lots of props are used to promote fight scenes. Filming is local and typical of Northern Britain, concrete platforms and structures with overcast weather. The clothing of the non-clownish gang is typical of low income blue collar men.

Narrative
The video entails two post teenage gangs; a group of clowns and a group of non clowns. Each of the gang leaders has flashbacks to times when they used to be best friends as children. Photos are used to show the flashbacks. Throughout the video the two gang leaders constantly attempt to kill each other. The video ends with an explosion as one of the gang leaders dies.

Audience
The video contains middle aged men in stark contrast with their much younger fan base.

Cinematography
A handheld camera is used giving a jolty and dynamic affect.

Ideology
It appears that the music video is about growing older and finding life boring and less fun the clowns illustrate this. Clowns represent the fun times and the flash backs perhaps when fun and boring were friends might indicate good times. Interestingly the clowns win this battle.

Blog 5 - Target Audience of band

At AS level I studied and researched magazine covers to learn about the target audience.

This gave me clues about the readership in term of their age, gender and lifestyles. As part of this exercise I obtained media packs for the magazines which provided statitiscal information about the target audience.

I searched online and located the magazine covers featuring the Arctic Monkeys:

NME Magazine


Q Magazine



To discover who buys these magazines I visited www.NRS.co.uk, this organisation provides estimates of the number and type of people reading newspapers and magazines.

Q Mag

666,000 copies sold in total, 14th most popular monthly general magazine in the UK.
513,000 men
153,000 women
572,000 aged 15 - 44
94,000 45+


NME Magazine

388,000 copies sold in total, 16th most popular weekly general magazine in the UK.
296,000 men
91,000 women
339,000 aged 15 - 44
49,000 aged 45+

By looking at these figures we can see that a large majority of the readership are male aged 15 - 44 . It is important to note that there is still a significant market for males aged 45+. The female readership is about 25%.

Demographics measures social class according to job of the main breadwinner of a household This breakdown is often referred to as socio-economic classification.

I obtained the table below from the NRS website showing the demographic breakdown of the population in the UK, 2009)



As a result of further reasearch on the NRS website I learned that the demographics for Q and NME magazines were as follows

Q Magazine:

ABC1 - 250,000
C2DE - 137,000

NME Magazines:

ABC1 - 444,000
C2DE - 222,000

I managed to track down the media pack for NME online acquiring the following information about the demographics of the readership.



The figures real that the both the magzines are purchased by people in households in which the main breadwinner is an office worker or professional person suggesting a reasonably high level of education

It needs to be borne in mind however that demograpgic studies provide limited information as they do not take into account household income or the buying preferences on the non breadwinners in the fasmily.

Reviews

From examination of the magazine covers I obtained useful poionters about the readership and potential fan base for my band.

In order to develop my understanding of the Arctic Monkey's specific target audience I decided study their song reviews and gig critiques

The following is a concert review from the daily telegraph's website involving an interview with the bands lead singer and song writer, Alex Turner.

"He has also traded the street-level observations of old for a prettier, more adult, cryptic style of wordplay."

This tells me the band is changing their direction giving me some idea about target audience, I now know that I need use crpytic messages in my video to relate to the newer word play and it needs to mature for adults to enjoy.

Pschographics divides people into types in a wide range of ways. It seems to me that their early material was aimed squarely at a teenage audience Perhaps they could be grouped as individualists who want to change the status quo.

"Alex Turner’s crew have moved beyond the dispiriting arena of action and reaction, into a zone where they’re allowed to exist simply as an excellent band, guided by sure-footed artistic vision."

This quote shows Arctic Monkeys need an artistic music video. I have noted this requirement and plan to incorporate filming techniques such as greyscale editting and a wide array of camera shots.

Fans

Furthermore to understand the bands target audience I researched their fan base and go straight to the heart of what I am looking for.

Firstly I hit two popular social networking sites

Here are screen shots of fans at Facebook:


(src: www.facebook.com\arcticmonkeys)

(src: www.facebook.com\arcticmonkeys)

Myspace:





It is evident from both screen shots that there is a world wide fan base. This is surprising as the band have strong regional accents. However perhaps it shows that the problems and challenges facing tennagers growing in inner city environments is commonplace throughout the developed society. The screenshots show ages of the fans following the Arctic Monkeys, the ages are often changed and mostly inaccurate resulting in unreliable data. However by analysing the profile pictures it's apparnt that the target audience seems to relate to the results found from magazine research.

Website

Finally I visted the Arctic Monkeys website, http://www.arcticmonkeys.com/



I noticed that the "look" of bands home page and the Myspace page were very simlar incoporating the same colours and graphics.

They use a black and white colour scheme which connotates starkness and bleakness. The text is bold and curvy.

On the website there are images of the band playing at live concerts. The crowd is young, boisterous and gripped by the music.

Summary

Using the research collected, I can now profile the Arctic Monkeys target audience:

• 15-30
• Indie
• Male
• ABC1

Blog 4 - Permission

Copyright

Copyright protects the physical expression of ideas. These take the form of a piece of writing, music, a photograph, a painting or a film. Copyright is designed to offer protection to the creator of the ideas. The aim is to stop the ideas or creations being plagiarized or used without recompense to the creator. Copyright is a property which can be sold or transferred to others. Copyright is regulated by law. The main copyright legislation in the UK is the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988(CDPA) This was amended in October 2003 by the Copyright and Related Rights Regulations 2003 which incorporated into UK law the changes required by the EU Copyright Directive.

I e-mailed EMI records (Richard Stone) to ask permission to, film the video for the Artic Monkeys to assure that I don't break Copyright laws:

Blog 3 - Song choice

I have chosen to make a video for the Artic Monkey’s song ‘Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts'. This song featured on their first single with Domino records entitled "I bet you look good on the dance floor”.



The tracks on the CD are listed below

No. Title Length
1. "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" 2:54
2. "Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts" 2:58
3. "Chun-Li's Spinning Bird Kick" 4:40

The single was released in October 2005 off the bands first album ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’

This became the fastest selling debut album in the UK

The genre of the Artic Monkey’s music is alternative rock with psychedelic overtones. The font used to define the band’s name on their CD covers reinforces this identity.

I chose to make a video about an Artic Monkey’s song because they were the first band who made their name on the internet. Their fans copied the songs off the demo CD and began file sharing the music. The bands popularity grew as a result of social networking sites, in particular Myspace. They were ground breakings artists which captured my imagination.

I chose the track ‘Bigger boys and Stolen Sweethearts’ for my video. This is a song about a teenage romance. I selected this song because I enjoyed the way the story was told. I appreciated the narrative incorporating Tordorov’s ideas about the formation of a new equilibrium. The younger boy in the song loses his girlfriend to an older boy. I also visualized some of Claude Levi’s binary opposites in the song; love/ hate, happy / sad and winners/losers. As the main characters in the song were teenagers I could relate to their situation and experiences. I felt confident about translating the narrative into a video.

The words of the song are sharp, witty and graphic lending themselves to video representation of teenage attitudes and rites of passage. The language is simple, informal and colloquial. My age group can relate to the imagery and language in the song.

The duration of the song is 2min 58sec which is suitable for a promo music video. The purpose of the video is to promote CD sales so it is important that it grabs the attention of the viewer. They must be able to understand the narrative quickly and it must not be allowed to go on too long otherwise the viewer will loose interest and switch off. The video is intended to be a taster for the album.
The Arctic Monkeys hail from Sheffield, England which means I should be able to produce a suitable music video in my local area.

As this song formed part of the bands demo CD I liked the idea that a video had not been done before so offered a new opportunity. The music characterized by strong guitar rifts and minimal production. The sound is raw and gritty but very energetic.

The lyrics of the song ‘Bigger Boys & Stolen Sweethearts’ are as follows:

There's always somebody taller
With more of a wit
And he's equipped to enthrall her
And her friends think he's fit
And you just can't measure up no
You don't have a prayer
Wishing that you had made the most of her
When she was there
They've got engaged
No intention of a wedding
He's pinched your bird
And he'd probably kick your head in

Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts
You're better off without her anyway
You said you wasn't sad to see her go
Oh no

He might be one of those boys
That's all pretty and vain
Likes to go in the sunbed
stays out of the rain
So that he don't get his hair wet
cos You wouldn't want that
At least he hasn't got a Nova
Or a Burberry hat

They've got engaged
No intention of a wedding
He's pinched your bird
And he'd probably kick your head in

Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts
oh You're better off without her anyway
You said you wasn't sad to see her go
Of but of course you were

Have you heard what she's been doing?
Never did it for me
He picks her up at the school gates
At twenty past three
She's been with all the boys
But never went very far
and She wagged English and Science
Just to go in his car

They've got engaged
No intention of a wedding
He's pinched my bird
And he'd probably kick my head in, oh
Now the girls have grown
But I'm sure that they still carry on in similar ways

Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts
So I'm better off without her anyway
I said I wasn't sad to see her go
But I'm only pretending, you know
Yeah, I'm only pretending, you know
Yeah, I'm only pretending, you know
Oh I'm only pretending, you know

Another song I considered for my video was the Artctic Monkey's track Mardy Bum. I ultimately rejected this option because the I felt the narrative in Bigger Boys was stonger tackling the thorny issue of teenage romance.

Blog 2 - Exploring Music Video

Katy Perry - Teenage Dreams



Katy Perry's Teenage Dream released in 2010 by EMI records. It falls under the pop genre. The viewer ship of this video is girls aged 14-25, reflected in the title of the song. Pop is a mainstream genre and Katy Perry has a large fan base.

The main theme behind Teenage Dreams is euphoria. Two American teens fall in love and enjoy paradise in the American summer. Everything is so perfect as if it were a “Dream”. The video follows the lyrics and creates a visual representation of the feelings and emotions behind the song.

Katy Perry is an opinion leader. The mise-en-scene in the video follows a retro style; expressed early on with 80’s iconic Ray band Wayfarers and BMW.

Toying with the contrast creates a dream-like effect. Fast cuts keep the video interesting and exciting.

Guns n Roses - Welcome To The Jungle



Welcome to the Jungle is well known heavy Metal song. Written and released by Guns n Roses in 1987, it fully utilised the new music video platform on TV. It soon became the most requested song MTV. It is listened to by teens of both genders. The band’s fan base is mainly punks and rockers.

The lyrics are anti establishment, loud and obscene. They reflect anarchistic tones.

“Welcome to the jungle” refers to the drug culture of suburban America. The song is about a young girl taking recreational drugs. As the song progresses she moves into prostitution to pay for her habit. Jungle refers to the culture implying all members are animals.

Jurassic 5 - Concrete Schoolyard



Jurassic 5 are an 90’s Hip Hop band formed in California, USA. Their music is directed towards low income American famlies.

Concrete schoolyard reflects struggles of suburban life. The lyrics decry crime and violence thereby changing the direction of hip-hop and differentiating themselves from other artists in the same genre.

Scooter - Jumping All Over The World



Euro Techno and Electronica band Scooter have been popular in the dance music scene for over a decade. They hail from Hamburg, Germany but famous across the world. Their fan base consists of both genders who are club goers or ravers. Their fans enjoy a good time and often participating in drug use.

“Jumping all over the world” was a song inspired by ‘A Glass of Champagne’. The video incorprates two young males performing the ‘jump style’ dance to the song featuring famous landmarks across the world. The chorus consists of naming popular dance cities and there is clear repetition of “jumping all over the world”. Elsewhere in the song their rhymes keep the song interesting and entertaining.

Blog 1 - Introduction

The task is to produce a promotional pack for the release of an album. This incorporates a magazine advertisement, a music promo video and a cover for the DVD / CD digipack.

I intend to use a common theme to link the different elements of the promotional pack together. This technique is used to reinforce an identity to stimulate sales. I will apply the media codes & conventions learnt during my AS coursework designing a dance music magazine. In addition I hope to develop my skills working with Adobe Photoshop and Indesign software.

As part of this exercise I will learn to use Final Cut Pro to produce my music video thereby expanding my knowledge and expertise of different types of media texts.

My AS media blog can be found here: http://lewishyndmedia2010.blogspot.com/