Evaluation- Question 4

https://prezi.com/view/VtV7ndoFpy69KUF1oGs4/

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

When it came to the first stage of research and planning, we didn’t use many technologies as we didn’t feel it was much needed, as it was a case of drawing a storyboard and creating a draft shotlist. The only type of technology we used was creating a table on the equipment, location and shots needed. We also needed to find out more about the artist, as we thought we should know what her style and what work she has already done. As a group we decided to create research into our chosen genre and artist, to form generic conventions. This was aided by the use of the internet to find out more about the artist and her previous music videos.

However, when it came to the construction phase of our final media products, we then started to use many more types of technology. First of all, we needed to consider what we needed to use when filming our shots, meaning we had to think about what we were going to film the footage on. Due to the easy access, we filmed our footage on a Sony A5100, as a group member has this as their camera. This camera allowed us to get clear images and was easily uploaded to the Mac to edit. As well as this camera, we decided to use an iPhone 7 plus to film extra footage that we needed as this was also easily accessible and convenient. Once we had finished filming our footage, we needed to upload these to the school Mac to allow us to edit these together. Firstly, we needed to decide what editing software would benefit us the most, between iMovie or Final cut. Previously, each group member had used both of these software’s and created some benefits and draw backs. Final cut is a more powerful software and has more advanced technology to use, however, can be complicated for a beginner to use. Whereas, iMovie is more simplified and can be easily uploaded, however, has limited storage space and doesn’t have as many editing tools. From using these pros and cons, we decided to use Final Cut pro to place the clips together as we are used to editing and believe it’ll create a better quality music video. Whilst editing, we learnt how to add a filter to a clip, add in the music, and edit clips to the beat. There were times in which we didn’t know how to complete a section of editing, such as darkening a clip due to it not fitting the party setting. However, we easily came over this by watching a YouTube clip to help us find out the solution, which was helpful to us as it saved editing time.

Also, we needed to consider editing our ancillary products, magazine and digipak. The main software which was available to us was Photoshop, in which we uploaded our images to piece together. This was easier for us as we were used to using as a group, meaning we could use the tools with confidence. By using this, it means that we could complete it to the best quality and make sure they are like real media products.

Finally, when it came to planning and completing the evaluation, I needed to decide what media platforms I was going to present each question on. Prezi, directors commentary, animation and linking of images, were example of options in which we could complete it. Therefore, I decided to use a range of these for each question to showcase my editing knowledge.

Evaluation- Question 3

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

·         Throughout the planning and research stage of our music video, we created a group questionnaire to ask our target audience to get an idea of what they would prefer to see in a pop music video. From asking a selection of people, we gained many different answers that helped us when creating the video, which we then turned into graphs to make this information more presentable. These graphs gave us a clear reflection of what would be the best elements to include to lead to success, such as many people wanted to see bright colours. Therefore, this audience questionnaire was helpful for us in the first stages of planning to get a good starting point for the video.

·    Once we handed in our first drafts of all three products, we gained feedback from our teacher to help guide us through what works and what doesn’t. This helped us it was constructive feedback on all of our products. We continued to do this each week to meet deadlines, and also get feedback from each time we add the previous improvements. For example, when the magazine advert was too plain, we added in a glitter background and two of the dancers.  

         As well as group audience feedback, I also conducted my own feedback from my family including my brother and sister. This allowed me to get truthful feedback from my target audience, feedback that isn't just based on media terminology and is just purely the visuals of it. This is helpful as it is what a general person would want to see in a music video, which lead to me telling my group members on what their opinion was. As well as this, I also showed them the draft of the magazine advertisement and digipak. Feedback included, changing the colour of the font to make it more visible and adding more elements to the digipak. This allowed us to put all feedback together and find the most common points to improve on.

      Another form of audience feedback was asking our class, meaning we got more structural feedback that will relate to the quality of the video. This was beneficial as they are our target audience age and we could find out what their honest opinion was on our three products. Through this research, we found out that they enjoyed the narrative as it was current an d they could relate. Another opinion was that the range of locations was releastic and fit the narrative well. After showing them the music video, we showed them the digipak and magazine advert. The feedback was positive as they stated they all have a good link between them.

Evaluation- Question 2

Question 2 - How effective is the combination of the main product (your music videos) and ancillary tasks (digipack and magazine advert)?

·         Throughout the planning of our products, we made sure there was a definite link between the three to make it clearer to the audience. The main product, being the music video, sets the main narrative and artist style first before the ancillary task. This is done by presenting the artist how we would like her style to be, fashionable and feminine, to allow the image to be drawn. For example, the artist is very stereotypical, in which most artists are, as she is shown to have a fashionable style with her clothing. This style links effectively to the magazine advert and digipak, as one of her outfits, blue trousers and black bodysuit, is the same throughout the products in the images. By keeping the outfit the same, it means that the target audience, which is younger and current, would be able to relate to her style. It also makes it stand out to the audience because they are all similar and share the same conventions, which makes it easier for the audience to see the artist.

·         As well as the style of the artist, the tree products link by the references of lips throughout. On the digipak and magazine advert there are images of lips, as if the artist has kissed the product. This makes it feel more personalised to the audience as it is like it is the artists lips, the idea of the lips came from the imagery of Amber blowing a kiss to the camera. We decided to use this idea as an image to create a linking theme across the three products. The idea of imagery is also carried through each product, by the idea of party lights. On the magazine advert, the background includes purple sequin lights to link to the idea of the ‘purple glitter’ and the LED lights we have used within filming. Also in the digipak, we include an image of the light shown in one of the last shots of the music video on the CD cover. This also keeps the party vibe throughout, and also it keeps the narrative following through. From this, it allows the audience to follow the artist and narrative throughout all of her products she is promoting. This would make it more successful as we also included many conventions seen in magazine adverts and digipak, such as release date and a song list. Overall, I believe our three products all link effectively as there is a clear theme throughout and they all include the same text and font. The font and text is the same in the magazine and digipak, which is feminine and bold for the audience to read. The colour is purple as it links to the line ‘purple glitter’ and is a stereotypical feminine colour, in which is a convention of our target audience being mainly females.

Evaluation- question 1

https://prezi.com/view/8qr1soEtA9HojAHaTII9/

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

• Whilst planning our music video, we looked at the main conventions of our chosen genre. As our chosen genre is pop, we carried out finding information around this topic, such as generic conventions. These included, bright colours, high key lighting, normally an upbeat and positive narrative and many close ups of the artist. Therefore, throughout the music video, we included these elements to make the video as realistic as possible. For example, having a party narrative, it is youthful and includes the bright colours from the LED lights. This gives the video the element of a positive narrative and includes the range of colours throughout.
• Goodwins theory was also considered when it came to planning the content of our video, we included some of the theories to challenge the conventions of a real music video. This is because the theory is based upon what is commonly seen in professional music videos. For example, we are using the statement ‘the lyrics have a relationship to the visuals’ throughout our video. This is evident when the lyrics state, ‘gonna come crash the party’, as Amber storms through the door into the party and others give her a dirty look. We have challenged this by including it into the narrative as well as making it clear in the lyrics, as this then leads to her meeting the boy and leaving the party. Another example of the lyrics matching the visuals, is ‘falling down the stairs’ as Amber and her friend literally fall down the stairs. Actions like this make it interesting for the audience as they will understand the lyrics more, and it also uses conventions of real music videos. Comparing to real music videos using this Goodwins theory would be, Dua Lipa New Rules. This is clear when the lyrics state ‘don’t pick up the phone’ and ‘don’t let him in’, as the main artist is literally being stopped by her friends to not answer the phone and not coming through the door. This makes the lyrics clearer to the audience and reflects what the narrative entails.
• We also used the theory ‘The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist’. We develop this by including close ups of our main artist throughout the video, such as when she is looking at the boy she met at the party. We decided to incorporate this theory as it is seen widely within real music videos, such as in Katy Perrys Roar. She is presented as an attractive female throughout as she has many close ups showing her beauty. This links to the male gaze theory, which was written by Laura Mulvey and is the idea that female is presented to be looked at by a male for her beauty. Therefore we also included this idea by having lower shots of the artist and the close ups also reflects this.
• Overall, our music video includes many generic and normal conventions of a real music video as it has a wide enough range to be similar to a real music video. 

Textual analysis in class 2

Katy Perry- Chained to the Rhythm

This song was released in 2017 and was written by the artist Katy Perry, with the help of Skip Marley and Sia. This song is known for its strong views about the society and in this analysis I will be talking about the views.

Genre

The clear genre to this song would be pop, as it is upbeat and positive, with the genre of the video following this theme. The video included lots of bright colours and wacky costumes. This video is based inside a theme park called 'Oblivia', which could have connotations of people who enter are oblivious to the real world.

Narrative

In this video, the narrative is shown to be a happy setting within a theme park. At the very beginning Katy Perry enters the theme park herself and seems to be in ore of the atmosphere. This soon changes when she pricks her finger on the red roses and draws red blood. This could connote the idea that there may potentially be trouble in 'paradise'. Also due to it being roses, something pretty, could connote the idea the real troubles are trying to be covered up with something that is pleasing to look at. Which draws peoples attention away. There is then a scene in which the ride is called 'The Great American Dream Drop'. This was a ride in which houses were falling down off the the small strings they are being help up by. This could present the American house crisis, that made many families homeless. The next scene in the video shows Perry going on a high force roller coaster, in which she still lip syncs the song perfectly with no problems. This tells the audience that everyone in that theme park and trance are perfect human beings and can do everything they attempt to do.
Towards the middle/ end of the video, there is a scene in which they are in a 3D cinema and Skip Marley literally comes out. She realises that everyone is moving in unison and this lead to Katy Perry to come out of the 'robotic' trend and become her own person. Once Katy Perry has come out of the theme of being controlled, there is a scene in which she is standing on the wheel. With people watching her, waiting for their turn she 'rebels' and doesn't decide to run until the point of exhaustion. Showing she is stronger and can see right though the false paradise.



Representation

There are strong representations throughout this video, such as in the middle of the video, there is a visual of someone running on a hamster wheel with a large queue of people waiting. This connotes the idea that people are on following the same route and it comes back around to be going nowhere. Linking to the idea that I mention about the roses, the colour red is used, with the roses and blood. This colour connotes the idea of danger, which further leads to the audience to prepare themselves for something negative to be represented. Another key hidden message would be the ride in which a large white fence says 'safe trip home'. The representation of this could be the fact Donald Trump had the idea to build a wall from the US and Mexico border.

Audience

This audience can range between different ages, as it has a mature deeper meaning but on the surface seems fun and colourful. The denotations of this video would appeal to the target audience of 12-20 primarily, as the aesthetics of this video is a good example of a fun pop genre song. The younger audience would enjoy this song and video to watch and listen to for fun. Therefore, due to the lack of deeper knowledge it would be successful for this target audience. However, as there is a deeper meaning behind the video, this would target an audience of 21-35. This target audience age range may not be able to pick out all of the representations, but would definitely be able to realise there is a meaning in the recent society. On the artists, Katy Perry's, behalf this is a clever way to create a music video, as the target audience has been widen. Meaning that the video is more likely to be successful overall.

From this piece of work, it has allowed me to look at a music video that has a larger issue involved within the narrative. It is interesting to analyse as it allows me to realise how simple something can be but mean many different things.

Textual analysis in class

Plan B- Writings on the Wall

In this analysis of the video Writings on the wall, I will be assessing the use of genre, narrative, representation and audience. Writings on the wall was written by Plan B an was released in 2010.

Genre

in the jazz club

The clear genre that is shown in the video is pop and drama, this is because the artist himself has a genre of pop and jazz. This is shown as the video starts off being set in a jazz club, with the artist performing his song. This is shown as he is performing with a live band, giving it the jazz feel. Location is used quite a lot in this video as it includes, in the club, at a house, in a different after party club, in a lift and in a hotel room. The range of locations could connote the mess and confusion of the relationship.



Narrative

Throughout the video, there is a clear theme of love. This is evident as there is a female protagonist that is shown to be married to the male artist, as in the video she is cooking him dinner, getting excited to see him and saying 'I love you' on the phone. This starts to crumble when the male artist goes out after his performance and sees a younger female, the antagonist, and has a one night stand. Leaving the partner trying to ring him and sitting at home alone. This narrative links to the structure of Todorov's narrative theory, the equilibrium, stages 2 and 3, as there is a recognisable disruption with the artist having a one night stand and not contacting his partner. With the stage 3 being no attempt to repair, as the artist doesn't go back home and stays out with the other female. This also has links to Propps theory, as the false hero would be the male artist, due to him starting off as positive and then becomes negative for the viewers. The female protagonist was also be described as the princess as she is innocent and should be what the hero works for. The lyrics, as Andrew Goodwin states, does have a relationship with the visuals. This is when the artist sings 'it ain't over', as the partner doesn't know about the affair, but will still be with him. The artist also sings 'we used to talk, now all we do is shout', this gives the audience the idea that the relationship was already breaking before the one night stand, and that's what made him do it.

Younger female

Representation

male artist drinking 

There are very clear representations of gender evident throughout, these being stereotypical. The female protagonist is represented as domestic, as she is at home and cooking dinner for the male. This is stereotypical as, typically females shouldn't have to work but do the house work for the male. Showing the female to be responsible and mature. The way they present the male, is also stereotypical as he is shown to be professional, being at work, as a performer. From this video, the male is shown to be irresponsible, as he goes out and gets drunk, leading him to cheat on his partner. Representations of age is also shown briefly, as the antagonist is a younger female who sleeps with the make artist. This presents the female to the audience as immature, which is stereotypical, as she knows he is an older man.

The artist Plan B, is represented in a different way within this video, as he plays a man called Strickland Banks, whom is a fictional character. At the very start of the video it shows this name up in lights, with a sold out notice. This immediately tells the audience this character is successful, popular and going to be liked by many people, including women. This then backs up the idea of him having an affair, as he would get a lot of attention from women.

Audience

Overall, this target audience would be between 17-30 as this is of a more mature narrative. As it involves a adultery action with the main artist, breaking down his partner. This wouldn't be understood by a younger audience and could relate to what may be happening at home and affect them negatively. The song also involves a deeper meaning that a younger audience wouldn't understand and therefore wouldn't be successful as they wouldn't take interest.


From doing this textual analysis, I am able to look at the deeper meaning of a music video and what they are trying to put across to the audience. I can use these as references and get my music video as best as possible.

Plans for Digipak

This was my initial ideas for a digipak, which includes a similar front cover to the magazine advert, promoting each other to the audience, as it makes them remember the theme. I also placed a list of the songs in the album on the back, in the same font and colour, which also makes it clear to the audience what the album will play. Also on the back of the digipak, I have included other elements, such as the record company and a space for the copyright issues. This is seen commonly on other digipaks, and makes this one look more professional. The disc itself, could be improved as it is a plain coloured disc and only has the album name on it. Other artist, normally include a photo of them-self on there, which I can improve on when it comes to designing the final digipak. Finally, on the back of the digipak, I have placed a rough drawing of a close up of the artist, in which will be placed on. This works well, as it a clear image of the artist and promotes their look, it also shows a different shot to the front, being a long shot. Overall, I believe this digipak works well in conjunction with the advert as it keeps to the same theme and images throughout. However, this could be improved with more images as it seems to be quite plain with colour so far.

This digipak links to the second draft of the magazine, as it carries the theme throughout, pink and feminine. On the front cover it includes the same image as the magazine advert, which means it makes it more clear and obvious to the audience of what the artist style is. It also includes the same font, which is girly and feminine, following the theme also.

Plans for Magazine Advert

This was my initial idea for a magazine advert, it includes an image of the artist (the stickman) in the centre of the page. This draws the audience into who the artist, and how she is presented. At the very top of the page, there is a bold, pink and eye catching title, in which is the artists name. Below the artist is the album name, in the same font and colour as the artists title. Meaning it is keeping a theme throughout and is clear to the audience. This also grabs the audiences attention and works well, as it is clear who and what the advert is about. Keeping everything centralised works well, as it means the audience can just look at the page front on and not have to keep looking around for information. I have also included the record labels at the bottom of the page as this is seen in many other artists adverts, as it credits their work. Overall, I believe this advert works quite well due to the theme throughout and a large picture of the artist, however still is quite basic and could include more elements, such as the different formats.

This magazine design also includes the artist in the centre of the page, which follows the conventions of a pop genre advert. The colour of the main image is pink, which is bold and stands out to the audience. At the top of the magazine advert, it states the artists name in purple, and at the bottom it states the album name, in the same colour. The font is shown to be quite feminine, as it has a curl to the letters. It is used throughout to make sure the theme is kept and it is clear to the target audience to read. In the bottom corner, there is a rough idea of a record label, which is a common convention of any magazine advert. This is because the record label must be credited.  

Video Analysis According to Goodwins Theory

David Guetta – Titanium

In this piece of writing, I will be analysing the use of narrative, setting, representation and target audience within a music video. I will explore how and why is it used in that specific video and genre. The song Titanium was written by the artist Sia, who featured in the song with artist David Guetta. It was also released in 2011 and was available for digital download on August 8th.

 

Narrative

Throughout this video, there is no performance from either artists featuring in the song. Instead, there is a story shown, in what looks like supernatural events. This is because there is a young teen playing the main role, and showing supernatural behaviour, like making the teddy bears spin in the room. Throughout the video, there is shown to be an enigma code, written by Roland Barthe, as the video progresses and gets clearer as to what is happening. As at the start of the video, it isn’t clear to understand who or what has caused damage to the school, until he cycles home to see it on the news. This further becomes clear when the teen is being chased by the police and performs supernatural events. This has a big impact on the audience, as this is an unusual topic and isn't something you could expect to see. Therefore making it more intriguing for the viewers to watch and try to understand. 

Setting

The setting of the video is clear as the narrative is set around a disaster that has happened within a school. Therefore, it starts off in the school but further changes to the teenager’s home. This could connote he is scared and confused, as he cycles to his ‘comfort’ place, and also believes that he is safe in there. Towards the end of the video, there is a hint of intertextuality shown as the teen is running through the woods away from the police. The video looks like it is set in the 80s and is based around the idea of supernatural, meaning it has references to the film ET. This video, could also have a reference to the series Stranger Things, as it is a young boy who has powers. The impact intertextuality has, is that it grabs the viewers attention and makes them think about the links. Which makes them more interested to watch more of the video and not get bored.

Representation

There is a representation of age in this video, as the police are after a young teenager for something he has destroyed. Connoting the idea teenagers are reckless and vandalise things. However, they could also be represented as an outcast, as through the video, the teenager is ignored by the citizens of that town. When in the video the two women are running and do not acknowledge he is there, linking to the supernatural idea that he is alienated. Throughout the video, there is a wide use of the colour red, on the teens bobble hat and the red siren. This could connote a warning to the audience, as something big is going to happen. Or, it could be a warning to the police in the video to stay away from him, as at the very end he makes a big explosion, in which pushes the armed police away from him.

Target Audience

Using the idea of demographics, the target age that this could be aimed at may be between 13-30. This is because the main focus is a teenager, but includes range of adults in the video, which mean they may want to expand the target market. In terms of gender, this would be both male and female, as both genders are shown in the video. However, it isn’t clear as to what gender the main teenager is.

From doing this piece of work, it allowed me to get a clear understanding of what is included within a professional music video. It enabled me to pick out the key connotations myself, which will help me when considering my own music video.
 

Analysis of Magazine Advert

From doing this piece of work, I was able to look at a professional example of a successful magazine advert. It has given me a clear understanding of how images and titles are interpreted when it comes to editing and promoting that album.

Research into chosen genre

Genre: POP

Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form in the United States and United Kingdom during the mid-1950s (reference- YouTube)

Conventions of pop music:

• Bright colours 
• High key lighting
• Big use of props and location
• Normally an upbeat and positive narrative
• Sometimes a use of coloured filters
• Close ups of the artist 

Examples of artist:

• Anne Marie 
• Beyonce
• Camilla Cabello
• Dua Lipa
• Justin Bieber
• Craig David
• Katy Perry

From looking at these different videos from pop artists, it has given me a clearer understanding of the generic conventions that are used in all of the videos. Meaning they are all similar and include the same elements, giving me the better understanding when it comes to planning my own video. 

Research into Chosen Artist

Charli XCX artist profile

Age: 25 years old
Genre: Pop music
Target Audience: 14-25, bases videos around this, includes vibrant colours and imagery. Also is dressed fashionably and has many extras that are also around that age.
Most Successful song and music video: Fancy- Iggy Azalea ft Charli XCX as it is at 829,436,779 views on YouTube.

Boom clap: This video was for the film A Fault In Our Stars and reached 317,446,858 million views on Youtube
After the after party: released on 30 October 2016 and features an upcoming artist Lil Yatchy. It has 12,987,876 million views. This video focuses on the party theme and has many colours and a range of low and high key lighting.
Boys: Newest single video and still has 61,227,891 million views. This video doesn't feature the artist herself and has many different 'boys' in the video, some famous names such as Joe Jonas, Charlie Puth and Ty Dollar Sign.

































From doing this piece of work, it has allowed me to look into what the artist includes in her own videos, and her take on the lyrics. Meaning that I am able to use this information to fit the genre and lyrics.

Music video audiences

When creating a music video, the artist and production company must think about who they are putting it out to. They must take into consideration what age group they are and if it is appropriate for them to watch. Most videos don't have a filter, but if they are published on YouTube and is for viewers over the age of 18, it wont be able to be viewed unless the viewer has an account. Therefore meaning that if an artist wanted to publish a video for 14-21 year old's,they would need to make it appropriate enough for the younger ages, and not just thinking about the older ages. They also need to take into consideration as to how they make the artist look to the audience, as if it was a pop artist that is loved by younger children, they would need to present them in a positive light as they may look up to the artist.

Some genres have a specific type of target audience, as it will be popular and most listened to by a specific audience type. Such as pop, this genre is typically listened to a younger age group and can go up to the age of 26. Meaning artists must be careful when creating a music video, as ages can go as low as 10. For example, Little Mix are a very popular girl group, looked up to by quite young children. Therefore meaning they make sure their videos are appropriate to view by these ages. An example of their music video would be Black Magic, this is appropriate as it has a narrative of being magical and casting spells. For a younger audience, this would be exciting and enjoyable to watch as it includes them making magic happen, and could link to the idea of the tooth fairy. However, in their recent video 'Touch' they included elements that weren't so appropriate for this younger audience. As it involved them dancing closely to topless men, meaning younger audiences shouldn't be watching this.

Audience theories

Hypodermic needle theory- when the information from a text passes into the mass consciousness of the audience unmediated. Also it is manipulated by the creators of media texts, for example, behaviour. This theory is mostly negative as it could be when violence is used within a video, as the audience accepts the intended message.

Uses and gratifications theory- when the audience watch a film satisfy specific needs to seek entertainment. This could be things such as personal relationships, personal identity or just for information.

This will help me when it comes to creating my own music video, as I will need to be aware of what goes into the music video and if it is appropriate. I will need to make sure I am targeting it at the right age and they enjoy watching it, and not wanting to watch anymore. 

Analysis of Ancillary Products

Analysis of Ariana Grande Digipak

Fonts used:

Throughout the whole digipak, the artist has used simple and plain font. On the front of the digipak, two different fonts have been used, one being quite soft and gentle and the other being bolder. The use of the softer font, stating the name of the album, could connote the idea that the songs in the album are of a gentle meaning. Whereas the bolder font states the artists name, meaning that they want more of your attention to go the artist, her being the main attraction. The colour of the text is white, this colour does stand out with the purple background, but however doesn't catch much of the audiences attention as it is small and a similar colour to the image.
The font on the back of the digipak is also following the simplistic theme, as it is a plain font and is of the colour black. By having just the songs on the back of the digipak, it focuses the audiences attention on what songs are included in this album. This follows the generic conventions of a pop genre digipak as it doesn't have any imagery on the back, making it clearer for the audience to select their song choices.

Colour:

The use of colour is quite simple and limited as there isn't many colours used. The main colour used on the backgrounds of the front and the back of the digipak is quite a delicate purple colour. This could connote the innocence of the artist and the album. This makes the digipak look more classy and clean, as it is simple and fits the artists image. The colours of the image on the front is black and white, by this being on a plain purple background, means it stands out to the audience. Further making the artist more visible and the first thing you see. This is also carried through to the actual disc, where the is the main colour purple with black lines projected onto her face. This follows the theme through, meaning it fits and compliments everything.

Images:

There aren't many images used throughout this digipak, however the ones that are used are just of the artist. On the front cover there is an image of the artist sitting elegantly on a stool, with her eyes closed and resting her head on her hand. This represents the artist to be quite young and innocent as this is a closed position, meaning she may be vulnerable. Also linking to the idea that she isn't looking into the audience, but instead has her eyes closed. This also fits Mulveys Male Gaze theory, as her positioning emphasises her femininity and the stereotypes of gender. Which could also have links to the outfit choice she is wearing, a crop top and a short skirt, which would be the Male Gaze.
The image on the disc is similar to the first image as it is also focused on the artist. The image is a close up of the artist looking to the audience. There are shadows projected onto the artists face, which could connote the idea of mystery and causes an interest to the audience as there isn't much else going on in the digipak.

Impact on the audience:

This digipak fits the target audience well, as this artist targets 12-26 year olds. This is successful, as it is focused on the artist and doesn't present her in a negative way, something the younger audiences wouldn't appreciate. Therefore it has a positive impact on the audience because it is clear what album and songs are included and has the artist as a role model to the audience.

From doing this piece of work, I have gained a more in depth knowledge of what a digipak should be like. By considering target audience, I am able to now design a digipak that will be impacted successfully within my own target audience. I am also able to consider the different elements of a digipak with more precision. I have chosen to analyse Ariana Grande because she shares the same genre as Charli XCX, therefore meaning they may have similar themes.

Analysis of a Digipak

From doing this piece of work, it has allowed me to gain knowledge on a professional digipak. I was able to look at all the different elements that are included, and the different images and themes used throughout. Meaning I can apply this to my own work, to make it the best I can.

Initial Ideas

Our initial ideas for the genre was to do a pop song, this is because we believe it is a genre that is very popular and listened to by a wide range or audiences. We also knew we wanted to do a video for our age group, as we have a good knowledge of trends and what we would want to see in a music video. When we chose our genre, we were then looking at artist that fit into that category, that may not necessarily be worldwide. By choosing an artist that is smaller than others, means that we can come up with a more unique idea and not base it on their other songs and videos. Therefore, we chose the artist Charli XCX, as she is a fairly new artist and doesn't have many single released songs. After listening to a range of her songs, as a group we chose the song 'Famous'. This is because it has a good and upbeat backing, meaning we can incorporate many different cuts and shots, making it interesting to the audience. We then looked and analysed the lyrics, giving us many different ideas, our initial video ideas are a party scene. With both narrative and performance included within, the narrative will be the artist talking to the boy she fancies and walking out with him to finish.

When planning this, we will need to think about all of the props, cast, equipment and location we are going to need. Meaning that as a group, when it comes to drafting our storyboard, we will include and discuss what we need and how we can get it.

What makes a good student video

By having a good and successful student music video, mise, editing, camera and representation must be considered.

Mise

Within mise, there are many different elements that must be considered and planned well to make everything relevant and fit to the narrative. Location is an important factor as this is where you are going shoot your video. Scouting should be evident to show a good amount of organisation when deciding where to shoot. It must be thought about, accessible and realistic to the video and lyrics. For example, if the lyrics are about being at a beach, you wouldn't expect to see the video shot in a forest. Another element of mise en scene would be costume, which would also need to be planned and experimented as to what looks good. What the artist/s and extras look like has a big impact on the video, as it must relate to the chosen target audience to be successful. As if you have chosen the target audience to be young teenagers, you should look to style and show your artist as fashionable. The costume, in terms of colours, must compliment everything in the video, and again they must be realistic and based on your audience. For example, if the genre is Pop the colours are going to bright, whereas a rock song would be darker colours like red and black. Props is another element of mise, as within a music video props are used widely. They must be well planned and organised to make sense of the narrative shown within the music video. If they are not relevant to the music video, it wont look realistic and thought about, instead looking rushed and of a lower quality. For example, if a microphone is planned on being used, it would make sense that it is included in the performance part of the video.

Camera

To be a successful student music video, it states in the mark scheme to have a wide variety of shots. Therefore, this must be followed in order to keep the audiences attention throughout, for example close ups, extreme close ups, long shots and mid shots. By having a range of shots, it means that you showing your audience the whole narrative in a range of different perspectives. It also shows off your artist, and the costumes involved, which links to what you want your target audience to see. The camera shots must also be smooth and still, not shaky (unless planned otherwise). As if you use all hand held camera shots, the video looks a lower quality and less effort has been put into it. Therefore, by having a smooth shot, it looks professional and better for the audience to watch.

Editing

Within editing, there are different important elements that have to be taken into consideration. The first one is the cutting of shots, these need to be realistic and what would be seen in an actual music video. For example, the main type of cuts used are quick cuts and smooth cuts, as in a professional music video you wouldn't expect to see a spiral in and out transition, as it looks childish. Rhythm and pacing is used when editing music videos, as the shots are cut to the beat of the music, therefore must be taken into consideration when editing a student video. This helps the audience feel the tempo of the video and keeps them interested in watching the video. As if the shots and cuts are slow, to an upbeat song it can loose their attention and become boring to them. Meaning the energy in the song can be reflected successfully if it cut accurately. Another element of editing would be editing the song to the lip sync, this must be done precisely to look realisti
c. The song must be correctly in line with the lip syncing of your chosen artist in your video, so the lyrics exactly match up. If this doesn't happen, it will drop the quality of your video and look strange and poor to the audience watching. Therefore, the chosen artist in the video must know the song well enough for this to be exact.


Representation

Considerations of representations could be to do with gender and age as if the artist is female, there will be certain stereotypes involved. Such as, colours used and how they are presented on camera, female is sexual. This is Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze theory, a female being looked with the viewer being the eyes of a male. This can be used with the artist being a female or a female being part of a narrative within a video. Another theory to consider would be Andrew Goodwin's 7 theories. These are all to do with how the narrative, lyrics and artist is presented within a music video, stereotypically. By using these theories, it will allow your music video to look professional and higher quality as it is what an audience is used to seeing and wants to watch.

By doing this piece of work, it will allow me to get a good idea of what is being looked for when creating my own music video. Also by analysing the different elements it gives me a clearer understanding of what I can include to make it look of a high quality.

The purpose of magazine adverts and digipaks

The purpose of magazine adverts and digipaks are to promote the artist and the song or album. The magazine advert is an effective way as by putting it in a magazine it widens who can see the artist. Also by placing it in a specific magazine, it targets the audience you want buying and listening to that song/ album. As it is specific to their interests, for example, if an advert was placed within Cosmopolitan, it is automatically only targeting a young female audience. A magazine advert also states the forms the album or song will be available on, such as Spotify and iTunes. This makes it clear to the target audience, how they can access it. Digipaks are also a form of promotion as they also feature the artist. Digipaks are a type of packaging, that holds the CD of the song or album in a cardboard holder. This is promotion in the sense that it is available to buy for the audience to keep the hard form of the song/ album. Digipaks are normally 4 or 6 panels of images of the artist, aiming at their target audience. They also list the songs on the back, like a plastic CD cover. These are less popular now as a lot of music is streamed online, however, top artists still use them to try and gain more revenue for that song/ album.

Why we are making a re-make music video

As a class, we were set a task to remake the music video of Justin Timberlake 'Cant stop the feeling'. We were split into groups and given 30 seconds of the video to recreate. This has to be identical to the original, as in the number and types of shots, and location. From having to recreate a certain section of the video meant that we got a good idea of how many shots are needed to get the final clip. It also gave us a good chance to understand the importance of getting enough footage to cover each section, to allow smooth editing. Once we had finished filming, we were asked to edit our clips together using the editing software final cut pro. As we had already used this software, we were able to use it confidently.

'LINK'

The importance of lyrics

Leave Right Now by Will Young-

In class, we were given a set of lyrics to analyse and write our own take of how we envision the video. These lyrics, to me, represent an idea of a break up that the artist singing didn't want to happen. Therefore, my video was going to be based around this narrative, in the picture below are the lyrics and short pitch of what it would be like.

By doing this piece of work, it furthered my understanding of how to look into the meaning of the song, just based on the lyrics. It emphasises the importance of the lyrics as the visuals will reflect the video, as Goodwin states- there is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. This however, doesn't have to be exact to every word, but normally within a music video there is a clear narrative from the lyrics. Therefore, when creating our own video, we will have a good range of ideas of how to interpret the lyrics as a whole narrative, avoiding watching or taking ideas from the existing video.

Mock Digipak

After creating a mock magazine advert, we were then regrouped and given a different genre and artist. From this, we had to research and create a mock digipak based on that artist. The research included looking into existing digipaks from that genre, for example I was given the girl group 'Luna Chicks' with the genre pop. A common theme within this genre was the fact the artist/s were featured on the cover, with bold, colourful writing of the title of the single or album. Meaning that we made sure to include a focused picture of the artist and bright writing on the front cover of the digipak. We also needed to research the key features that are evident in all digipaks, such as the record label, copyright terms and a barcode. When creating our own digipak we needed to make sure that there were big enough spines, as this is needed when it eventually gets folded, and a space for the actual disc to go in. This was the finished product:

From doing this piece of work, I was able to get a good idea of what is a generic convention of pop digipaks, this helps as our group are looking to create a pop music video. We also know what the most important elements are to include, that is not related to the genre. Finally, I have a better knowledge on how to edit using Photoshop. 

Mock Magazine Advert

As part of research, we were asked to create a magazine advert for a specific genre. We did this by researching and looking into common themes and images used within that genre. The genre I was given was Reggae, with the artist name of Taz and Nate. When researching this genre, we saw the common theme of the Jamacian flag and the colours of that used widely. There were also a lot of images of marijuana and lions. These images were used instead of the artist, as a common theme was that the artist didn't feature much in the advert. A common element throughout was that the record label was credited on the advert, this was only a small image but was clear. The magazine adverts also included ratings and reviews of that album, including star ratings and quotes. Therefore, we took this intro consideration and made a magazine advert to fit the genre.

By creating a mock magazine advert, it meant we got an idea how to use basic tools on Photoshop, making it easier when it comes to make our own for the artist. It also gave us an idea of what the common themes are to include, not just in one genre, which we can use when we create our final edit.

Goodwins Theory

1.   Music videos demonstrate typical genre characteristics. (E.g. stage performance in metal videos, dance routine for boy/girl band, girls in bikinis round a pool and flash cars in rap videos).

a.       Example would be DJ Khaled ft Justin Bieber, ‘I’m the one’, as towards the end of the video, there are shown to be a group of females in bikinis dancing around a pool.

     

 2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are represented with images. (Either illustrative, amplifying and contradicting).

a.       Meaning that if a song was to state a word repeatedly, it would be represented and shown in the video.

3. There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and atmosphere of the visuals reflects that of the music. (Either illustrative, amplifying and contradicting).

a.       When a song repeatedly shows the same types of shots that best reflect the song.

4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist 
a.       Mainly shown in females videos, for example Katy Perry- ‘Roar’

     

5. There is a frequency reference to notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body. (Screens within screens, mirrors, stages etc.)

a.       For example, Miley Cyrus- ‘Wrecking Ball’, she is shown to be using the sex appeal.

   

6. The artist may develop motifs or iconography which recur across their work.
         a. important the artist creates a distinct style that is recognisable.


7. There are often intertextual references. (To films, TV programmes, other music videos etc.)

a.       For example, Will Smith- ‘Men in Black’ had an intertextual reference to the film by using some of the scenes in the video.

This research will help me when developing my music video, as it will allow me to use the conventions music videos include. Making it professional and realistic.