50. Questions

1) In which area have you seen an improvement - from foundation to advanced portfolio?

When looking back at my foundation in comparison to my advanced portfolio there are many differences and improvements noticeable across the time frame and production. Firstly, creativity. I believe my creativity improved overall with the advanced portfolio. To begin with I always knew what I wanted to create for my advanced portfolio; however, I found some difficulties when creating my overall idea and reached many points where I struggled. However, I overcame these when reflecting back on what I initially wanted to achieve and once I found a way to establish this and show this. For example, reflecting back to the research I completed including that on Laura Mulvey and going against the conventions. The idea I had to begin with differed slightly as I realised I needed to be far more creative to achieve a good final video, therefore I re-thought my idea and added various aspects to it. I felt the advanced portfolio was more challenging when looking at the creativity in comparison to the foundation. For example, there was far more content to create and achieve in comparison to this year. Secondly, I also saw improvement when using digital technology. A prime example of this was the use of HD video recorders. It was the first time I had used video cameras properly to form an actual project, therefore to begin with this created difficulty and was harder to use than a standard camera that I used when producing my foundation. I improved using them over time as I obviously spent quite a lot of time producing video footage for my video; this was shown in the difference between my preliminary task and my final project and the quality of the footage produced. When also looking at digital technology, I believe I have also improved when using the Mac computers. They were hard to use with when producing my foundation and it took time to get used to them, however, when producing my advanced portfolio, I had experience using the technology, therefore the end project was of a higher quality. This was also due to using high quality software that was available and taking advance of the opportunities available. Even though I believe I finished my portfolio with better knowledge than the beginning, I extended this further. Thirdly, I believe my research and planning showed massive improvements from my foundation to my advanced portfolio. For example, I did complete relative research for my foundation and believe I covered a wide range of research and conducted more than sufficient as it helped me to gain a better idea of what I wanted to create. Although, I believe this was mainly on aspects in the industry for me to compare to. On the other hand, when researching and planning for my advanced portfolio I looked into a far wider range of aspects. For example, I looked into different theorists and the impact they had, including Laura Mulvey and her idea of the sexual portrayal of women in the media. This impacted my idea massively; therefore my in-depth research improved my idea and improved over the period. When looking at the aspect of using real media texts, it was difficult for me to compare improvements. In the production of my foundation, I researched many music magazines of the genre I based my magazine on and looked into the music industry to achieve the most professional final product I could. I looked at many different aspects of the genre, including festivals. Looking at real media texts was a big aspect as I was producing my own, and wanted it to follow the conventions. Post production was also very important in the production of both of my projects. It's important that the actions you take after production are just important as it. After I completed my foundation I asked many people to give me verbal feedback on what I did well and what could of been done better so I could improve in the long term if I had to produce something again. It showed me what I did well and what I'd need to improve on in future projects, eg. my advanced portfolio. I believe I did this thoroughly the first time so I will just carry out the same process. However, I am still in the process of post production. Therefore, I will not only carry out verbal feedback but physical feedback such as questionnaires that will enable me to receive anonymous feedback meaning it's likely to be more truthful and achieve more. Overall, I believe I made many improvements and my work is of a much higher quality in my advanced portfolio in comparison to my foundation.
 

2. What challenges did you face in each portfolio?

I came across many challenges while producing both portfolios, and had to over come them to produce the best possible end products. Firstly, one of the challenges when producing my first portfolio was my lack of knowledge on the technology I was using, for example, the Macs. These became a massive aspect when producing my project as we used Pages for producing my front cover, double page spread, and contents page, obviously I had used Windows technology before and this differs slightly from Apple. However,  I managed to over come this quickly by using it for a long period of time and after using it to produce my many drafts, I adapted quickly and was able to use it well by the end of the first portfolio. Secondly, an even bigger challenge I faced was that I hadn't really read or shown much interest in music magazines previously. Obviously I have a massive interest in music and many different genres but I very rarely looked into music magazines meaning I had little knowledge on what I actually needed to create, therefore, following conventions provided hard to begin with and my preliminary task showed this by the lack of conventions and quality of it. To overcome this, I had to complete very in depth research to provide I created a music magazine that would actually look professional. This included looking at different areas of the music industry and looking at music magazines from a variety of genres. I also had to create many plans and drafts to see what worked well and what didn't work well. I believe with sufficient research I was able to over come the challenge that I was faced with and able to create a magazine that fit the genre well. One of the challenges I faced when producing my advanced portfolio was regarding my idea. I had an idea in my head, Eg. basing it on women in sport and the theory of Laura Mulvey but I was unsure on how was the best way to portray this idea and my overall idea changed a few times as is evident by my story board and my final project. I wanted to create something with more depth and more emotion than what I thought my initial idea would show. I overcame this by re-thinking my idea and basing it on something more reasonable with the facilities available, for example, I had access regularly to two basketball courts, indoor and out. This worked in my favour as I was able to film in many different weather types particularly on the outdoor court which allowed me to create a better effect and linked to my whole idea. Finally, another challenge I faced was that I had never used Final Cut Pro before. I had obviously used Mac computers and used IMovie so had a little experience. Therefore I faced challenges when trying to create certain effects and creating different cuts so I had to play around with these different effects to achieve the ones I wanted too. Although with time spent practising I was able to begin to use the technology better and with ease.

3. Which area is your strength?

Personally, I'd say my strength throughout was research and planning. This was obviously a vital part of the process and to create my ideas it was essential, this was due to, in my foundation, my lack of knowledge on the aspect I wanted to create. I had agreed to follow conventions of an indie music magazine; therefore, I needed to conduct sufficient research to create this. I researched many different aspects of the genre, including artists included in it and the influences they have and also areas not in the genre so I could gain a rounded representation of what I wanted to create. I researched many music magazines, focusing on NME as it was most like what I wanted to create, taking inspiration from this. I also conducted research into memes and tropes and how tropes occur drastically in the music industry and originality is quite rare as someone is likely to have introduced the aspect before. In my advanced portfolio I would say I have added to this strength further and increased the depth of my research and planning, including theorists to develop my own ideas. When researching into theorists I could relate them to tropes seen in the music industry and elements that are repeatedly shown. A prime example is the way women are perceived and these lead me to create my idea and go against women being shown in this way, rounding my idea. I also completed researched into different music videos and how the majority of genes has a stereotypical perspective and the way they're produced. I researched the conventions of music videos, particularly the genre my song was from so I could recognise these and go completely against them, using the theory of Laura Mulvey to justify why I went against these. By conducting more in depth and specific research I could create a more in-depth idea and use this research to support it and show the reasoning behind my idea, therefore, I believe this was strength for my advanced portfolio.

 

4. What would you do differently?

I personally would include more characters in my advanced portfolio to add depth to the narrative. For example, I only  included one character in it, although this provided that the focus was on her constantly, it could be seen to become quite tedious and lack different perspectives and it was fully focused on one character. I had planned to incorporate more characters, however when it came to filming, I decided to just keep one character and focus on a few aspects of this character, fulfilling the focus on going against conventions. I felt if I included more characters it would have an impact on what I wanted to achieve. However, I understand that it could be seen as unsuccessful, focusing on one aspect and may have been more successful and worked better if I had included others perspectives as well as my talents. I also could have potentially added more locations into my video. Obviously I was limited with where I could film; however, I believe this would have just added more dimensions and interest to the viewer as they could become bored if it’s just based in the same places.

 

5. Finally, what advice would you impart to a prospective media student?

Personally, I would say to a prospective media student that it's good to keep on top of the workload from the beginning so you don't fall behind. I'd also say that the research and planning is a massive aspect, although it seems small and can impact on your ideas completely. To begin with when you have little knowledge the standard of work differs massively to when you understand the industry and what has already been created. The more research completed, the more ideas you should be able to create and recognise. Creating lots of drafts also ensures that you create a good final idea as you can establish what will and won't work and this is important, making little changes can make a big different.

49. Evaluation Four

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

48. Evaluation Three

What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

Audience feedback is obviously a vital aspect of my project due to it allowing me to gain better knowledge of my own work from other perspectives. It allows me to be able to make potential changes, or see what aspects of the project I have completed well. By gaining feedback from various people throughout I was able to make slight changes throughout to improve my work and ensure my ancillary tasks where to the highest level.

When gaining audience feedback I decided to use qualitivie data rather than quantative as I thought this would provide more intricate answers and ensure I got the best possible results and could take the most from them. I created a questionairre and asked a small group of people to answer it. The people who completed the questionairre were of the same type of demographic group my video was aimed towards, focusing on C/D group of people. However, despite being in the same demographic group, they were of different ages, showing different perspectives dependant on ages. This way I was able to see if the answers differed regarding what age people watched the video.

After showing a group of people my video, I gained verbal feedback from the majority but also got a group of people to answer these six questions and these were a selection of answers I gained from the questionairre;


1) Did you enjoy the video?
"Yes I did, it was very enjoyable as it had a feel good feel at the end when the character succeeded."
"Yes, it was very good"
"Yes, however it got a bit repeatative and boring at some points."


2) What do you think the preferred reading of the video is?
"I thought it was about someone who is trying to be the best they possibly can be. I think they have many problems throughout but overcome these to get where they are, reflecting to the title and lyrics of the song - being a fighter."
"I think it's about someone who is dealing with adversity to get to where they want to be."
"Having challenges and working to overcome them."


3) Was the video easy to understand?
"Yes, you got the message that whatever the time of day, weather, the character was always out there playing, trying to get better."
"Yes, there was sporting aspects throughout making it easy to understand that was a key element. The different sporting locations also added to this."
"Yes. There was continuously sporting references throughout so you notice it's a struggle in sport. By relating the feeling to the time of day/weather it creates pathetic fallacy."

4) How do you think the character was feeling throughout the video?
"Down and depressed at the start then towards the end, happiness that they've overcome struggles and been successful. I think the weather being sunny at the point of the shot being scored helps this to be seen."
"Upset and depressed to begin with and happiness when they overcome obstacles."
"Dissapointment and inadequate at the beginning and happiness and successful at the end."


5)Do you think the ancillary tasks relate well to the main product - would you associate them with each other?
"Yes, I definitely would associate them and the video would make me want to buy the other products."
"Yes, as there are similar images used to what you see in the video."
"Yes the images relate to the video."

6)What changes could I have made to improve the video?
"The section at the very end where the character is just sitting there, you could have used a better way to show she has succeeded."
"Potentially  more characters to get different points of view."
"More characters to make it more interesting."

All these answers were very helpful and enabled me to realise alot. Firstly, I was glad they all enjoyed the video as obviously one of the key reasons people watch the videos is to not only promote the artist but to also enjoy watching and escape from life dependant on their uses and gratifications. Some people may have been watching to be introduced to the artist, others may be watching for enjoyment or to escape from their everyday lives and watch someone else. However, if they were watching it for enjoyment - they got this, which is what I aimed to do. I wanted people to understand and gain new thoughts and reasonings relating to Laura Mulvey's theory but also to enjoy the video.

Secondly, each individual also each person recognised the preferred reading of the video and realised it was about someone who has to deal with adversity and struggles at the beginning but with hard work, day and night, in any type of weather, the person worked hard to overcome it. Obviously this was what I wanted to create. I wanted to show that with strength and determination the talent could overcome obstacles and issues that they were confronted with and with the continuous hard work this was able to happen. This was shown by the different locations and the constant reflection to the sport. By everyone recognising the preferred reading it means I know that I have done what I needed to do. They're each different ages, meaning I have provided a video for a focus group that each age can understand. However, the ages range from 15-50, so I would say this is my focus group as they're obviously able to understand the emotional side and meaning that is being portrayed.  I'm pleased that people are able to recognise the key elements and story behind the video. Due to the demographic group being C/D they're also of the intellengence level to understand the meaning and connect the emotions with the storyline throughout. Overall, there were no oppositional, negoated or aberrant readings from my audience feedback, everyone agreed on the preferred readings. Everyone established that it was about becoming successful and about women in sport.

However, it was interesting to see that none of my audience feedback reflected on the talent being a female in sport. I found this interesting as it personally went against Laura Mulvey's theory and that everyone tends to relate to the aspect that the women is portrayed in a sexual manor. None of my audience mentioned the fact that the talent was a women and this didn't seem to be an issue for them. This may be due to their demographic and that they're used to seeing women in a strong, determined manor and in a respectful aspect, not just in a sexual manor. Although it was interesting to see that there was very little comments made on this matter.

Thirdly, I decided to ask whether the video was easy to understand. This was because to me, it had a simple storyline but complex emotions involved that I wanted to portray. As I stated before, the demographic group is of that where they potentially should be able to understand. However, despite discussing the demographic I aimed it at, I wanted it to be understandable by all. The first answer given was that as the audience you got the message that the individual was out there whatever day and time training hard to overcome the struggles - this was what I wanted to show. Secondly, another answer was that the constant reference to sporting elements, for exmaple, the basketball hoops and the basketball court as the location meant that it was easy to establish this was a key point. Thirdly, the third person recognised the link I was trying to create using the weather. I wanted to use each season to show that she was constantly working hard, but the individual picked up that the weather linked to pathetic fallacy as the weather represented the emotion/feeling at that point. A prime example that was noted was the sun shining as the talent scores one of the final shots. This is the thought I wanted to create.

The emotions/feelings portrayed throughout were obviously potentially the most important part of the video as this was the main point I wanted to get across apart from the way that women were viewed. Therefore, it was vital people knew how the character was feeling. Every person I asked recognised that the person was obviously unhappy and depressed to being with. They recognised this was represented by the dark weather and the angry emotions showed by the character boxing. However, they all realised that towards the end, due to the hard work, the success came and this changed the way the character was feeling. For example, the character was then overcome with happiness and the feeling of sucess towards the end. I'm pleased that people understood that this is what I wanted to create and related the weather to the feelings throughout.

I asked for feedback regarding the main product and ancillary tasks as this is also a big part of the production and the video is used to promote the artist, therefore there needs to be a recognisable connection. Personally, I thought they were connected so it was interesting to see what my audience thought. Each person all believed they related well and that they would associate each of the products to the video. This was mainly due to the screenshots and images coming straight from the video so they could automatically associate it with them. This was helpful as it also meant that these would be successful when helping shift units as the audience would see the digipak and automatically recongise the artist.

Lastly, I asked my audience what I could've changed about my video to improve it. Obviously I gained feedback throughout, as I was producing the video to see what I could change as I was editing it. However, it was interesting to see peoples opinions now it's completed. Therefore, the first answer I recieved was that I could of shown the success at the end in a different manor rather than the individual just sitting there miming. Although I will take this as constructive critismn, I believe I finished the video in the correct manor and won't be adapting this. This is down to believing that success was shown with the big finishing shot scored at the end. I believe the talent isn't 'just sitting there at the end'. I wanted to create the feel of the talent looking as if she's looking her doubters in the eye and saying the powerful words back to them as if to say 'I told you so'. Finishing with a smile to show the success and the happiness at the end of the video. I wanted a simple yet effective aspect. Other critism I recieved was that there was no other characters. At the beginning of the production I picked up on this and although it would have been good to get other perspectives of the matter, I believe only having one character meant the focus was fully on her and the underlying meaning particuarly when reflecting back to Laura Mulvey's theory. Therefore, despite noticing where the audience are coming from, I believe I justified why I didn't change thiese.

47. Evaluation Two

When producing my ancillary tasks, I was aware that there needed to be a noticeable link between them and the main product. This is so the audience are able to establish the consistency and the link between the products. The music video is the aspect that promotes the artist and the artist’s music and style, therefore it isn’t designed to make money but to try and promote an individual to download the track of the album resulting in continued success of the artist allowing them to get noticed. The digipak and magazine advertisements are used to promote the artist, therefore they must relate to the video so the audience are able to establish the link. I therefore needed to take aspects from my main product and adapt them and produce my digipak around these so this was able to happen. I believe I did this as many aspects in my digipak are either taken or based around my main product.

 

 

FRONT COVER

 

 

 

I decided to produce my digipak after filming to enable me to be able to use shots from the actual video and create the link between the two. Therefore, I was able to take this shot directly from my video and use it as my front cover. I believe this shot was perfect for the front cover due to many reasons. Firstly, the low angle the photo is taken from. The angle allows the basketball hoop to seem as though it’s towering above the viewer to show its dominance in the artist’s life and the element of the video and emotion behind the music. Therefore, this results in the audience being able to establish that the music is potentially of a genre that creates emotion and has a strong emotional link between the artist and the music. This is then displayed in various other songs from the artist so the front cover symbolises what the artist is really about encouraging the audience to continue to explore and listen to more of  the artist as the front cover is obviously the first thing the audience sees and is used to establish the artist.

 

Secondly, I really like the sun aspect in the photo. There is an element of the sun, creating an element of light. To me personally, this indicates ‘light at the end of the tunnel’. As the artist has a challenge and has to show her strengths, I believe this is a vital aspect of indicating what the artist and her music is about, showing the link between aspects in the video and music and the digipak for the audience to see. The sun also allows the basketball hoop to look more dominant as it’s shadowed, this works well as it’s a massive aspect.

 Lastly, I decided to use the shot from the video without the artist in, just showing a key location used throughout. This is to indicate the focus isn’t necessarily on the artist but on the ideas and thoughts the artist wants to put across and highlight. For example, the sexism on women. By using this shot, and showing automatically to the audience the focus is not on the artist makes the audience more inclinded to ask more questions and research more into the music, eventually selling more units.

 

MAGAZINE ADVERTISEMENT

 

 

The magazine advertisement is reflates back to the front of the digipak and also the video so the audience will associate the image with the artist. When researching different artists such as The Script, it was noticeable that many did the same as this, as a ‘signature’ photo or aspect that many could the artist too relate too.

I also used the same fonts throughout, providing this continuity and relating back to each of the of the other tasks and aspects from the artist creating the connection once more.

 By using the same image, the same effect is produced with the hoop looking as though it’s towering above the individual and that it’s shadowed, making it more recognisable. Overall, I believe my digipak relates to the video and the artist well and that the audience will be able to do this.

 

BACK COVER

 

 

Once more I decided to take an image directly from video footage to enable the audience to make the link from the song to the digipak and the artist. However, this time I decided to edit it to create a vintage effect. I did this to create a ‘black and white’ effect to show the two sides people usually understand, of failing and succeeding which is a key aspect throughout for the artist.

The tree is used as a metaphor to represent the artist growing and starting off small and becoming more successful and is obviously a vital aspect of the image. For example, the audience won’t of heard or know who she is when they look at the video, therefore the digipak represents this as they show elements of her personality and who she is. The tree also represents the journey the artist will take; therefore, if people begin to like the artist, they can join her on the journey. The audience can get a feel for the artist before even listening to more of their music.

When researching other artist’s digipaks I noticed that The Script also didn’t use themselves on their front or back cover and decided to use images that show the emotion of that in the songs and indicate the genre and aspects of what their music entails. I believed by them doing this, audiences are more likely to be interested in their music because it’s a more interesting aspect and it means they focus more on their music rather than themselves which some audiences prefer. Many aspects of the music industry focus purely on the artist too much and I wanted to create something that didn’t do this, therefore following in the footsteps of The Script as I agreed with their ideas. I decided to stick with the simplistic approach throughout so it was clear to the audience what I wanted to create and would keep them interested. The whole way through I focused on the theory of Laura Mulvey and I wanted this to be shown throughout her music and the audience to also gain this feeling when they saw the video and then related back to the digipak and future songs.

INSIDE COVER

 

 

Once again continuing with the reoccurring theme, I decided to use the same effect that I had previously used to show continuity and to show the ‘black and white’ feel again. By continuing to use the same theme, it represents the continuous hard work put in by the individual, once again referring to what the audience recognise in the music video. They get a feel for what they think the artist is about in the video but the digipak and the theme continues to elaborate on this, as I feel I have by doing this.

 The low angle once again shows the focus on the basketball hoop and how the individual starts at the bottom looking up too it, with hard work and strength they can build and grow. This message once again represents them as an artist.

 As people will buy the CD and take it out, they will see this image straight away and recognise the links between the artist and the image. By continually showing the audience images relating back to the video they will continue to achieve the idea of the artists.

LYRICS PAGE

As you can see all the shots I used where from the video to make it more effective. I used the image of the clouds to show that anything was possible if the person worked hard but to also show the simplistic approach once again allowing the key points to be shown.

 The lyrics page is a key aspect for myself personally when looking at an artist and gaining a rounded opinion on an artist as it’s often a key part of whether someone gains a good impression. For example, if the lyrics are meaningful it often draws the attention of an individual. Therefore, I decided to make key words bold that are key aspects in the video to relate it back to it and show the connection between the two. Once again relating back to the aspects in the song and the elements of strength and determination and showing the artist in the correct light so more people approve.

 The same effect has been used to show the continuity and to continue to relate the effect to the artist and for people to automatically associate it with the artist herself.  

The effect the sky has is shown throughout the video when the camera pans to show that anything is possible but to also show elements of the sunshine peering through, once again reflecting back to the sun being the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’. The sky is also one element of the seasons shown as each season is shown throughout the video to show the artists continuous hard work and work ethic.

 I obviously decided to include the main song Fighter as the first lyrics page in my digipak for obvious reasons – the fact it was the song with the video and audience will relate the song with the artist. Therefore if they see the song first, they will automatically associate it with liking the artist due to what they’ve previously seen. Overall, hopefully selling more units of the other products.

PICTURE PAGE

 

 

Here is an aspect of the digipak that shows the artist actually involved in the music video. I decided to print screen the video at each points of the shot shown in the video as I believe it’s one of the most important aspects in the main product. For example, it shows the elements of success and the end of the journey the artist has been on, indicating the end product. I wanted to show the artist at this point as it indicates to the audience that the artist will strive to work hard to reach success, indicating massive elements of her personality, hopefully resulting in them agreeing and buying more units or appreciating her as an artist.

 I decided to use this in the digipak and show the five stages to show the progression the artist had made throughout the video. The audience can obviously see this, but I believe it was a quick and easy, yet effective way to relate it once again back to the video and what the audience had already seen and a reflective image to finish the digipak with. The focus was on the personality throughout and I believe this image reflects that.

 The image also shows the sun once again and the bright lighting showing that things are going well and links to pathetic fallacy and that the artist is finally happy with where she is at and that she’s succeeded. The power of the shot in the video will mean that the audience will automatically reflect to the video and song when they see the digipak and recognise the artist.



46. Evaluation One

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

45. Final Product

 Here is my final production of my video.

 

44. Magazine Advertisement Final Design

Final Magazine Advertisement

Here is my final magazine advertisement design. I have decided to use the same picture as I used for my front cover of my CD cover. This is to ensure continuity and so the audience can relate the magazine advertisement back to the CD when they come across it and can recognise it and establish who it actually is. The image goes against the conventions of Laura Mulvey again, showing no one in a sexual light as aspect, despite the fact it's from the pop ballad genre and the artist who actually sings the song usually follows these conventions. I haven't used a picture of the artist on the front, so it follows more of the conventions that the 'Foals' advert used in my research or Kings Of Leon. They both don't use an image of the artist in their adverts. This is potentially due to the fact more of the focus is on the content of their music rather than the way they look or how they sexually appeal to the audience. The image shows a main setting shown throughout my video and my work, for example, the basketball court, showing a vintage effect, using the outdoor court rather than the indoor one. This gives the audience an indication of the narrative behind the song and reflects back to the video used for the song. The colours in the image work well as I was very lucky on the day I filmed as I took the image from my own footage which shows the quality of the camera, therefore, the picture is recognisable from the video. The sun allows there to be a representation of hope and allows the basketball hoop to be shadowed, making it stand out more and represents the individual and how they want to succeed. The angle also allows the hoop to look high up showing it takes a long way for the individual to reach their goals. I decided to use the same font I had throughout, once again, keeping continuity and allowing that to be the artists signature font so people learn to establish the link between that font and the artist. I also decided to keep the handwriting font when writing the artists name as I liked the personal feel it gained and felt it helped gain a relationship with the artist and audience. I decided to keep the white colour as I did for my front cover as I knew it worked well and stood out in contrast to the background. However, when informing people of the date I wanted to use a different colour to ensure it stood out as well. I decided to use red as this colour is obviously one that also stands out and is powerful and will be one of the key things people will see when they look at the advertisement meaning they are likely to remember the date and associate the date with the album release. I kept the same format as my CD cover with the aspects in the bottom corner for example the record company and showing the website again to include intertextuality and to continue the growing fan based offering more on the website.