Evaluation Questions: 4. How did you use new technologies in the construction, research, planning and evaluation stages?

Technology was used throughout our project from planning to research to the creation of the video and even the evaluations. Media technology has benefited us very much making many tasks much easier to do and made many of our tasks completed to the highest professional standard.

During the research stage the Internet was very beneficial, especially ‘YouTube’ when researching different music videos, which gave us ideas of what to include in our video. We found out that different music videos used different styles and context when targeting specific audiences.   

We also used ‘Google Maps’ to look potential locations for our music video. This was very useful because we could see and discuss the locations sat in class instead of going to the various locations which saved us time and money.

First of all the software PowerPoint on the computer was ideal to make notes of ideas for our music video, which could be sent  by e-mail home so that we could make full use of our time even at home. This was useful because if we were not able to finish a task at home, we could easily send the work home so that we could complete the work there.

The Internet came in very handy again during the planning stage, when we had to get the lyrics of our chosen song. The lyrics were very east to get hold of, this meant we were easier able to make notes on them, e.g. where this part was going to be filmed and when. Then we were able to make copies using a scanner which were then distributed through our group so everyone had a copy.

During the actual filming process, we used mobile phones and social networks (Facebook) to communicate with each other. This was again very useful because it made communication among the group so much easier and we could plan our filming days and tell each other new idea’s without meeting and wasting precious time.   

When making our ‘Digi-Pack’s’ the internet once again came in very handy, we used it to look at other professionals work, which we could analyse and get ideas from to use in our own. We didn’t only just look at the positives to see what we could include, we also looked at the negatives to know what wasn’t ideal to include in our ‘Digi-Packs’.

To make the actual ‘Digi-Packs’ I used Adobe Illustrator CS3 and Adobe Photoshop CS3. This made editing pictures, constructing albums and posters to a professional standard.

Constructing the actual video required using a video camera to shoot the footage. The camera had a USB attached to it which connected to the computer which made uploading footage extremely easy. We edited the footage on a programme called “Premium Pro”. Editing took up most our time because of the huge amount of footage we had to cipher through, which added up to about 3 hours just for a 4 minute video. We wanted every bit of footage to decide what would be useful and what wouldn’t be. After that was completed there was still a huge amount of footage left which we as a group had to go through and edit then put into a timeline for the song.

We remembered that a “digi-pack” still needed to be constructed, so when filming we made sure to take various pictures needed for our magazine posters, CD’s and CD booklets. The video camera came in very useful not only for filming but also for the fact that it doubled up as a stills camera, which meant we could take up to 1000 shots without having to set up a completely different camera for photos.

During the evaluation stage questionnaires were given out to year 8 and 9’s to fill out about the music video which was all produced on Microsoft Word. These were very useful because it made it easier to get feedback and were easy to make.

Making sure blogging work was completed regularly about what we did and tasks that were completed, this was done mostly on the computer. I also used Microsoft word again to first write my blog posts to make sure there weren’t any spelling mistakes or grammar errors.  The tasks that weren’t completed on the computer but paper were easily scanned on to the blog.

Finally in conclusion, media technology has helped us greatly during our project. Without some of the technology used such as “Premium Pro” and “Photoshop” this project wouldn’t be anywhere near what it is today. Media technology has helped us a lot and gave us a deeper understanding of media.

Evaluation Questions: 3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?

The audience feedback showed we had some mixed reviews, some people had likes about our video and some had dislikes.

The reviews ranged from people saying they liked how the video managed to tell the story behind the music. The song by Bruno Mars has romance elements telling a story of love and the ups and downs of getting married, which some people thought we portrayed through our use of different shots and locations.

There were other positive reviews that stated the editing was in time with the music and they could understand when a scene ended and began.

However there were also some negative reviews, people expressed how they didn’t think the lip syncing was up to scratch and could do with improvements. Also the qualities of some shots were quite poor and could do with re-shooting or improving.

People also said they would have liked to have seen some more different camera shots and angles during the video. There were suggestions of more jibs shot and tracking shots.

Overall there were some mixed reviews from people. However this is seen as a positive thing because it allows us to see the things we did well and what we would need to improve on if we were to be given a project like this in the future. 

Evaluation Questions: 2. How effective is the combination of your main and ancillary texts?

The music video, magazine poster and CD pack all combine together in ways that make them all similar; they all fall into the hip-hop, romance genre. I also tried to make links between the artists (Bruno Mars) work and mine.

Bruno Mars appeals to the teenage audience, this is because most of his songs are hip-hop and party themed based music and even the type of clothing he wears relates to that age group. As we were targeting the same audience we used the same types of designs and styles for most tasks we did, Poster, CD case, Booklet and video.

We looked at other Bruno Mars videos to get an understanding of what his style was, e.g. what he wears? The conclusion was made that he dresses quite smart, usually suit trousers and smart/casually jacket, with a coloured shirt. We tried to replicate that in our videos by trying to get our “Bruno Mars” to dress quite smart.

In conclusion the belief is that our main product and ancillary tasks both represent themselves in similar ways. We decided to use a romantic theme like most of Bruno Mars’s videos and also combine that theme with the ancillary tasks.   

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

Our music video is about romance, love and the ups and downs of getting married. We didn’t want to follow a conventional Bruno Mars video, where it usually involves him and no other performers. During out initial planning meeting we had lots of creative ideas that we wanted to do in the video. This pushed us to making a completely different music video from the original but we did use several videos as guidance. 

We looked in depth into shots used and locations from Bruno Mars’s videos and tried to replicate some of them in our video. For example a couple of Bruno Mars’s videos contained locations of sunny, open areas. We again tried to replicate that by basing some of locations in open, sunny areas. We used a families front room to give the feeling of a wedding was being planned. Also by watching some Bruno Mars videos we used similar actions that he did such as body movement and arm movements for example Bruno Mars usually sits and sings to the camera through most of his videos.

We also used many of our ideas for our music video. For example we used the stress of shopping for a wedding dress because we thought it would possibly relate to people watching our video. In our video we had a story behind the music video this is because most of Bruno Mars’s videos had a storyline so we followed this.

I think with the time given to produce this video we did well to produce a music video, as it shows many conventions of a real media product. We shot in various locations and had a lot of lip syncing. We also edited the just as any other video to give it a professional look. We didn’t want the audience to be distracted by several different transactions so we used only two. 

 In the end even though our music video uses the same principals and techniques as Bruno Mars other videos, we as a group however used our own ideas and creative sense to make a video combining both. 

Re-Filming

Following the creative arts evening, we decided that a re-shot was in order. Taking in the comments we understood when re-filming we needed to use different equipment to vary the shots. We felt from the comments the jib and tracking system should be used.

I feel this filming re-shot went extremely well than any of the other ones. I felt we concentrated more on what was wrong and knew what needed to be filmed instead of trying to get random shots and hoping they would fit. 

Creative Arts Evening! Feedback!

Last night our school hosted a creative arts evening and presented all the sixth formers work which include my groups music video and the ancillary tasks. During the evening we collected feedback of our work, in conclusion there were mixed reviews. The negative side of the feedback for the video was that the lip syncing wasn’t up to the standards of what it should be. Also some shots were very pixelated which meant they were hard to watch and people became uninterested in our video. 

There were comments on the shots usage as well; saying that they were too simplistic and boring. Suggestions of new shots were tracking and jib.

However with the negative comments there were positive, mostly about how clear the narrative was. The audience understood that when the couple were together they happy and everything was right with the world. But when apart, without each other it wasn’t. This is what we were aiming for, which meant receiving comments like that made up very happy. The audience also liked the fact that the couple had obvious chemistry. 

When it came to my ancillary tasks, there were a lot of positive comments on the style. I had tried to mix a modern style with an old fashioned one. Using old style wooden frames and then using photoshop, editing and placing pictures in them. The audience seemed to like this but also gave me some tweaks to make e.g. changing some of the photos to more concentrate on Bruno Mars.

In conclusion the creative arts evening although not every comment was positive we now understand our weaknesses as a group and also our strengths. We will now go away and amend the problems highlighted to us.  

Feedback

Below is feedback from our video. During the video positive and negative points were raised. The negative ones were taken into consideration and as a group tried to fix them any way possible. 

Video So Far

Below is what our video looks like so far. We will getting feedback very soon from other students and from people coming to a creative arts evening being hosted by the school.

Editing End!

After a very long and tiring process we finally have no gaps in our video. I am delighted with the amount of work and effort the group has put in. We have kept to the schedule which has now paid off. The last couple of weeks will be spending getting feedback to see if there are places we could improve. 

Group Idea

Whilst sitting at the editing computer the group and I realised that maybe it wasn’t apparent that the marriage was a spontaneous one, this was mainly because we took on to account that’s what teenagers are stereotyped for doing and that teenagers are our target audience. We decided that teenagers would enjoy seeing a teen marriage.

Using a car, cheap wedding decorations and tin cans which are an iconic part of a marriage vehicle, we created a stereotypical wedding vehicle, which we then took several shots of from different angles to use in our video. Look below for the final product:

Original Photograph

Below you will find some original photograph, some is of the group filming and some is of the Bruno Mars "Couple":

 

Colour scheme

I have come to the conclusion that red and cream should be my two main colours for this project. I believe these two colours blend well together. The cream will make the red stand out, which would indicate that everything in red is important and the audiences attention would be drawn in. 

Beginning of Editing!

The editing process has begun! We have found using “Premiere pro” quite difficult. So far I have learnt the simple editing techniques. I am able to import footage, cut any useless bits off and delete them. I have also started to add transitions such as ‘dissolve’ and ‘fade to white’.

At this present time I am currently trying to edit at least an hour a day, whether it is during lunch or after school. However I understand that number will rise nearing the deadline date. But sometimes it’s difficult trying to find time as we share our editing machine with another group.    

Here is a picture of me editing:

Draft / Change of Direction

This post will be analysing the magazine poster that has been created for Bruno Mars:

The above picture above is a magazine poster for Bruno Mars, which promotes his new album. I have kept to the style of the other ancillary tasks, the same logo, the same colour scheme, using the pictures combined with photo frames and the brick wall in the background. The brick wall is to show that the pictures are hanging, as if a timeline of the "couples" love. 

Following on!

Following on from the last post, below is a video review of the CD Booklet. She explains some negatives and positives about it, which are very helpful to me because it now means I can now go back and make changes:

Drafts/ Change of Direction

This post will be analysing the CD booklet and the changes that have been made. Which will include the colour scheme, style and theme:

Above is the front page of the CD Booklet. As you can see the style has completely change from a couple of months ago but the logo has stayed the same. The album name has been changed to "Doo-Wops & Hooligans" to keep in line with Bruno Mars. The use of photo frames around the pictures has come in, this mixes a modern day picture with an old fashioned frame. The colours now being used are cream, black and red, this makes everything in red stand out more. 

The picture above is the first page of the CD Booklet. The page in the booklet will contain all the lyrics of the songs. Again the theme of using photo frames in used here, which indicates consistency. The lyrics on this page are "Just the way you are" & "Grenade", both of which have drop shadow to stand out more. 

  This page follows the same one as above except for different lyrics. The lyrics are "Runaway Baby" & "LIQUOR Store Blue".

  This page is different, it contains no lyrics. However it does include a huge amount of photograph, this was added to let the audience get to know the characters and to understand their love and affection for one another. On the other page shows "A Little Not From Bruno" this lets the audience have an insight into the life of Bruno Mars. 

 This is again the same style as a couple pages before. Containing only lyrics, which are "Talking to the Moon" & "The Lazy Song".

 And again this follows the style of before. The titles are in frames, with drop shadow added to make them stand out. The lyrics are "Marry You" (Our chosen song, which the video is based on) & "Our First time".

Drafts/ Change of Direction

This post will explain and show the change in direction for the ancillary tasks.
Below will be a picture of the new and improved CD Design:

This CD is simple but eye catching. When finished the brick wall will be cut off and won't be over lapping the sides. I feel the picture mixes well with the old fashioned frame and makes the CD much more interesting than a plan boring picture. There is still much more work to be done, the "B" of Bruno Mars needs to be moved and maybe needs a bit of drop shadow to stand out more.  

Update: Over Half Term

Over half term we carried out filming for our Music, there was a mix up about with receiving the camera equipment from another group which gave up less time to film. However we managed to sort this problem out and we filmed on the Sunday, we now have the major scenes shot.

Including an idea constructed from the ‘Avril Lavigne- Girlfriend’ video. One of the group’s members came up with this idea while doing research from our Music video; there are scenes shot in a photo both. She told us how this would be used as a filler through sequences of music where there were no lyrics and also when the chorus repeats. We will hopefully film this scene later this week and keep the blog updated with how it’s going.

An image taken from the ‘Avril Lavigne- Girlfriend’ video

Filming so far

 So far filming has gone very well. The group are on task with the schedule contracted a few months ago, an undated version will be included in this post.

At this present point we have filmed most of what we need which include shots such as:

• Tracking (with a tracking system)
• Crane shot
• Long range shot
• Steady cam
• Tripod
• Close ups.

However with the unexpected change of location we can't be too sure if more shots will need to be re-done. More filming still needs to be carried out and is expected to be done within the next week; our progress will be posted on the blog.  

Ancillary Task- Design Set 2

This post will show the different designs for set 2 of the ancillary tasks. There will be an analysis for each one of the designs to give the audience a rough idea of what type of style I'm heading for. This set contain three different designs:

• CD (which contains CD, CD Case and CD Booklet)
• T-Shirt Design
• Poster Design

 CD Case Design 2: This design is similar to the first CD Case design, but with a bit of a difference a red stroke has been added to the headings. Also swapping the song title with the artist’s name, which makes the design based more around the song than the singer unlike like the first design set. The back page is also different; it’s laid out so that the audience is drawn towards the picture instead of the song name and small print.

CD Booklet Design Front 2: The front page will be same as the front page above but without the ratings to make people more focus on the single and not get distracted. The back page is simple and but eye catching. The audience will be drawn towards the red of the song name but however this page shouldn't have too many loud or eye catching objectives as it’s the least important of the booklet.

CD Booklet Design Middle 2: This design is completely different to the first set of designs. The left page contains a 'note from Bruno Mars’; this is sometimes seen in CD Booklets I have researched. On the second, there will be information about the track, (what is it about-where it was made and when).

CD Design 2: This CD Design continues the trend for this set; the song title stands out over the artist’s name. However this isn't what draws the audience in, the picture does it takes up three quarters of CD and is bright, bold and interesting. The CD also contains simple features which makes it more conventional, website around the outside of the CD, record labels and copyright.

 T-Shirt Design 2: This T-Shirt design is simple but noticeable, the name of the song and artists has simple been placed in the middle. It contains just the right amount of colour not to overpower readers but just enough to get their attention. 

Poster Design 2: This poster design continues the theme of the other designs. The song title contains the most colours which again makes it stand out over the artist’s name. Simple features have been added such as a main image of 'The Couple' (Bruno Mars and the 'girl'). However with the picture and the large song title this could make the page to cluttered and undesirable to look at.



Ancillary tasks- Design Set 1

There are 3 design sets, the final decision of which set will be used will be made after each set is analysed and posted on here. 

This post will show the different designs that have been created for the Ancillary Tasks and an analysis for each one. The designs are made up of three different products, which are:

• CD's- which include CD booklet and Cover.
• T-shirts
• Posters

CD Case Design 1: For this design I have used features that would represent Bruno Mars’s genre, Hip- Hop. Also added as many codes and conventions as possible, such as:

• Consistent font throughout the design.
• A big bold heading.
• Non-diagetic font.
• Barcode, record labels and small print.
• Rating from Newspapers.

CD Booklet Design Front 1: This particular design is part one out of two. The front page will have the same design as the first page for the design above. The second page hasnt got a huge amount of detail but this is expected for the back page of a CD booklet. The simple conventional things have been added such as:

• Small print.
• Large, iconic picture.
• Web address.

CD Booklet Design inside pages: This design below is part two of the Booklet. Below you will find the designs for the left and right middle pages of the booklet. The left page will contain a picture of the couple (Bruno Mars and the 'girl') this has been done so the readers will have a brief idea of the direction of the Music Video. The right page has been designed to show the audience who stars in the video and what their roll.



CD Design 1: The CD Design follows the trends of the CD Case and CD Booklet; it has the same font, colours, record labels and type of picture.

T-Shirt Design 1: This Design is simple but unique, it contains the main logo placed directory in the middle, and it’s not loud with a huge amount of colours but still draws attention towards it. With the words 'Marry You' placed below the main point of the T-shirt.

  

Poster Design 1: This poster design is simple but eye catching. It draws attention to the main image (The 'Couple' in a love heart). The same font is still being used (Nueva St) and the same colours. The words 'Marry You' are highlighted by quotation marks which makes it more eye catching and inviting. 'Available on ITunes' has been added to draw the widest possible audience, this shows it’s not just for people who buy the single on CD but also for people who buy online as well, this is probably the main selling point of the poster.

CD Cover Research 2

This is the second of blog posts going up about CD cover research:

This CD cover is quite different than others. Its not what you call conventional, not really any pictures of the artist which is unusually for a CD cover. But there are still lures for the audience, the mixed colours with what can only be described as cartoons.

The design above is not as similar as "Mika's" but a large logo has been added which would draw the audiences attention. There were no small details on the front which was replicated on this design as well.  

CD Cover Research 1

The next two blog posts will be talking about CD cover research:

 This CD cover was picked not for its content but for the layout. The attention of the audience is not only drawn towards the picture but also the title/logo. The picture has gaze theory, where as the men find her attractive and the women want to be her. I'm not completely sure if I will be able to replicate that in my CD cover, however I will try by putting an attractive women along side our Bruno Mars.

The sky brings a lot of character to the CD cover, many people love the hot weather and are jealous of people who get to live in it. I want to add that theme into my cover. 

The design above has some features of Katy Perry's. As little information as possible has been added to the cover, so that the audience will concentrate more on the logo and picture. Gaze theory will be added, by having a female and male included in the cover, women want to be her and men find her attractive, bringing the widest possible audience. 

Logo

Whilst evaluating other products we discovered that a logo is an essential to other project. To start off with we focused on creating a primarily Glee based logo. However we had to retract that idea as our music vocals are based on Bruno Mars. Our logo must show that and not confuse our audience.

We set off by creating different draft logos using Adobe Photoshop. Changing objects that we felt would fit in more with the look and audience we’re trying to attract. Below you will find some of the ideas we came up with and also some Glee ones before we had to retract that idea.   

As you see Bruno Mars own album cover is very simple, with a rocket ship flying off into the background, while creating a path. With a man walking on it, who you can only assume is Bruno Mars. This suggests that it perhaps symbolises his journey in the music career how it has taken off and been such a success. 

Below are the Bruno Mars Drafts:

CD Research 3

This post will look at the third CD design:

Once again this design is completely different to the genre I'm using. But this layout is unique and stylish. At the top is a yellow frame, for my CD I wanted to include frames, bringing old fashion frame work together with modern photography. 

  Above you can see that the same layout has been used. I really liked the idea of using the frame for the Bruno Mars title, I feel its bringing my whole idea together. The small print is as fall out the way as possible not to bore people away. The colour again would be red and cream, I believe these two colours blend well together. The cream will make the red stand out, which would mean everything red is what I'm trying to draw the audience's attention to.

CD Research 2

This post will look at the second CD design:

The CD above is again not in fitting with the type of genre that is being carried out in this project. However the layout is again quite good. The CD seems to be split into two different sections, the top would be a picture of the Bruno Mars "couple" and the bottom would be the small details. Where it was published? When it was published? What record label? 

This is the design that has been replicated from the first picture. As it can be seen there are two sections. The bottom is about the details of the CD, where, how and when. The top is the main focus with a picture of the Bruno Mars "couple". I didn't want to bore people with everything mixed as one, by having it separated people didn't have to be bored with the small details and could concentrate on the main image. The colour again would be different, continuing with cream and red. Also the font would be different, by looking at our style guide which is in an early post you would see that our main font is "Nueva std" and will be used for this. 

CD Research 1

This post will be looking at different CD's that have been research and the possible design ideas that have come from it:

This CD above was chosen not because of its content but because of its layout. The outside layer, overlapping the main image behind would be perfect for the title of Bruno Mars/ Marry you. The main image behind that would have an image of the "couple".

This CD design has very similar features to the one above. The layer round the outside has been added which is then followed by a main image in the middle. The colour would obviously be different, at this present time it will be cream and red.

Planning Meeting

We had a planning meeting today on what we should include in our music video. Below is some ideas that came up during the meeting:

Use a variety of locations

Use transactions when changing scenes

Use a variety of shots e.g. long shots & close ups

Making sure the Lip Syncing

Day time & night time filming

Making sure we open with an establishing shot 

Research

This post and the next few will show the research that has been carried out for the Ancillary Tasks which are being constructed, such as research into:

• CD's
• CD Covers
• CD Booklets
• Posters of different music genres

Drafts Poster

This post will analyse my poster so far:

 This is how my poster is looking so far. The colour scheme is once again consistent with the rest of the ancillary tasks. I've tried to be as conventional as possible when creating this poster, tour dates have been added to attract the audiences attention. Facebook and twitter logos have been added to relate to the younger generation. But this also indicates the growth of the social network and how its controlling our lives.