1. A2 Music Video Evaluation
Video Evaluation
A2 Music
Charlotte English
Charlotte School
Cheshunt English
8046
Cheshunt School
8046

2. In what ways does your media use, develop or
challenge forms of real media products?
Throughout the duration of planning my music video, I researched existing
conventions and products and then decided what I would like to use or challenge
within my final product.
Our original idea was to make a pop music video with occurring drug and alcohol
scenes. However when we came to film the video, we realized that it wouldn’t be
as easy as we thought to film in clubs. Also to be surrounded by lots of different
tablets, which would be representing the drugs, would be difficult. Another idea
was to also have lots of alcohol scenes, such as in shops surrounded by alcohol,
but then we realized that shop owners may not be happy with people filming in
their shop. This meant that we had to change a few ideas. We also wanted to make
the love-hate relationship between the couple clear to the audience.
We researched many pop videos to see what occurred frequently to give us ideas to
what we should include in our video. We found that pop videos have many scenes
which flick from scene to scene with lots of shots being shown more than once.
We made sure that we included this in our video to make sure that our video fitted in
with the forms and conventions of real media products.

3. Media institutions that we used:
This year was our first year of using blogger as a place to save and present our work. At first we were all a bit
confused as to how to use it, but with the help of our teacher we all managed to pick it up and found it very easy
to use. I did enjoy using blogger, as if I ever forgot to back up my work, it would always be safe on blogger. An
advantage of it is how easy it is to use. It can also be used on an iphone as it has an app in the app store and
therefore it can be accessed anytime, anywhere. Blogger has been a major help to us completing our coursework
as it is all saved in one area and we don't have lots of different files which we constantly have to search for. Our
posts can be found under labels in the side bar on our blogs which made it a lot simpler for us as students.
Another problem that I came across whilst using blogger was the HTML codes. I have never had to work with
these before and although at first it looked very confusing, I soon found that it was pretty easy to embed codes
from YouTube and post videos to my blog.
When we came to finishing the evaluation and planning stages, and starting our evaluations, we found that
blogger decided to change their format and layout. This also meant that a few people in my class came across a
few problems, such as posts changing into drafts, but luckily no ones work was deleted and i managed to figure
out how to use the new layout very quickly.
We used Apple Mac computers with the program iMovie installed to edit our footage. We used iMovie at AS and
therefore we knew very well how to use it. We were advised to use Final Cut Pro to edit our work, but none of my
group had any idea how to use it and so we thought it was better to use iMovie instead of wasting valuable time
figuring out how to use a new software.

4. Media institutions that we used, continued..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Oj1Ov6flOYE
YouTube was an institution which we used over and over again. We used it first of all when we were analyzing existing
music videos, again when we filmed our one minute clip and then when it came to filming coursework, it was a place
where we could upload our footage to keep it safe and also to get feedback. YouTube has so much more to offer than I
first realised and it was definitely a huge component in my research in the early stages of the coursework.
Facebook was another institution that we used regularly. We used it as a place in which we could upload our music
video and see the responses in which we got from the viewing audience. It also helped us to test whether our target
audience of 15-25 year olds, who liked pop music liked our final video and whether they thought it was a typical pop
video. This helped us in the evaluation stages and it also gave us insight as to where we could improve.
As you can see here, we posted our video to
Facebook to see the response we got. It was
all very positive. We have got 10 likes so far
and the comments we received were stating
that they liked the video.
This was a great way to get response from
people in our target audience and we found it
very helpful.

5. The website...
We made the website using Macromedia Dreamweaver where we were able to design the website and insert content.
It also meant that we could edit the layout so that it looked professional and didn't look rushed. We used
Photoshop to edit the pictures and Macromedia Fireworks to make the tour banner. We also edited the scripting
and coding to make everything fit together. This was a very lengthy process but it was worth it in the end.
We analyzed many different pop websites before we began constructing ours to make sure that ours fitted in with the
correct genre. Our website fits in with the same type of layout of the ones I researched. Our website has a colour
scheme, which is black, white and red and this is also eye catching to the viewing audience. It is also used
throughout the entire website. The artist herself is portrayed on the front page of the website with multiple
pictures of herself. Another similarity to existing pop websites is that it is very simple and easy to access and use.
It also includes the artists sponsors and charities that the artist sponsors herself. This was a common feature that
we found when doing the research.
This is the home page of our website. It has a header at the top advertising our artists new album which is
called 'Addictive'. We also included an advertisement, which shows where the audience can buy the
artists albums from. We also added a link to the artists official YouTube account where you can view the
video. We thought this was a good idea as people can listen to the song and also view the video before
purchasing the album, and also it means that they can comment on the video and they can also like it. We
thought this was good as it means that the fans can interact with the artist and can openly view and
comment on the video. We made the background black as we thought it would make the red font and
pictures stand out, and we wanted to make it as eye catching as possible. Also we used a simple font to
make it easy for the viewer to read.
This is Rhiannas website and it is a website that I analyzed before we even began
constructing ours. As you can see from this screen shot, her website is very plain and
simple. the colour scheme is black and white. The black text and images stand out on the
white background and this is eye catching to the audience. The image on the front page of
the website is a giant image of the artist herself. This is to show to the audience that the
website is about her and it also shows us that she is the centre of attention.

6. Links between lyrics and visuals
‘We found love in a hopeless place’
The lyrics and the visuals fit perfectly as the couple are in a field which is the ‘hopeless
place’ where they found love. These scenes capture and evoke a lot of emotion
from the viewer as they can see how happy the couple are together.
The song we used don’t actually have many lyrics, and the
main section of the lyrics used are repeated many times.
Therefore, there is not many sections of our video where the
lyrics link to the visuals. The scenes which do have links, fuel
the emotion and energy of the video very well.
From previous research I found that many videos do link with
lyrics and the visuals. I looked at Pixie Lotts video – all about
tonight and found that there was a few shots where they both
linked.
For example:
‘I got a new attitude when I walk’
Links with the picture here:

7. Links between the music and visuals
Here is a scene where the couple are spinning round really fast in the field. This occurs at another
time where the music speeds up and there are no lyrics being sung. There is a lot of emotion shown
in this scene as we can see that the couple are very bonded here and it also shows the narrative
clearly.
The links between the music and visuals are much less obvious than the lyrics and visuals but they
are also just as effective.
In our video we show the artist with a spotlight flashing on her face, making it look as if she is in a
club. This occurs when the music speeds up and it is the beat of the song playing with no lyrics.

8. Genre Characteristics
Genres of music was a main factor in the planning processes which I done a lot of
research into. I had to do a lot of brain storming and lots of different sub headings
and blog posts concerning genre. I and my group had many different times where
we had to discuss clothing and appearance of the artist, as well as the settings and
location in which we would be filming our video. Our genre was pop and we
watched many different music videos to make sure that we got a precise image for
our artist.
The first thing we looked at was appearance. We planned our music video very similar
to the videos that we analyzed. We made sure that our artist wore a lot of, and
very seductive make up. This included dark smoky eyes and bright red lipstick. The
artist in our video wore a number of different outfits, with most of them being a
seductive look, including minimal or tight fitted clothing. This is because from
analyzing music videos, we found that the genre of song in which we used, the
artists seem to be dressed in a very similar way. We decided to use bright colors, as
this is what interests the viewer and is also eye catching, which keeps the audience
involved and motivated.

9. Genre Characteristics
Another thing which relates to the genre characteristics is the fact that we didn’t just
choose one type of video. Our video is narrative and performance based, and
therefore it makes it more interesting for the viewer. Many videos show just a
narrative, but many like to add performance to emphasize the energy and
entertainment of the band.

10. Special Effects...
In terms of the uses, developments and challenges of existing products we used a few
different effects in our footage which we thought would be effective. We did want to
use the split screen effect, however as we was using iMovie to edit our filming, it did
not give us the opportunity to do this. Instead, we thought that if we made the footage
entertaining, we thought it wouldn't be noticed.
We managed to do
this by using a
lighter and
deodorant. We
thought this looked
interesting and was
a good and
different effect to
add to our work.
Here, we have used a Another visual effect that I was interested in using was
spotlight on the the effect of the double fade over. This is very
artist to show that aesthetically pleasing to the audience as two images are
she is the one who being shown at once. We found that we got a lot of
has ‘all eyes on her’. positive feedback here from our target audience. We
This is important as found it very effective, however it did take us some time
she is the main artist figuring out how to edit it correctly. We saw this effect
and we wanted to many times when researching pop videos and therefore,
make this clear to we were very keen to add it to ours.
the audience.

11. Forms and conventions of real media products…
General conventions include things such as:
- Lip syncing
- Performance
- Genre being reflected by the mise-en-scene
- Digital effects
- The fast cut montage, which is one of the most common forms of editing as it is a
way to enhance repetition
- Close ups are regularly shown of the main artist

12. Lip Syncing: We used very minimal lip syncing in our video as we know that from
research of previous A2 students, it is very rare that it works perfectly.
Performance: We added quite a few performance scenes as we knew that this would be
the parts which would make the video interesting. We used a few scenes which were
made to look as if the artist was in a club, we used a spotlight on the artist to make it
clear that she is the one who has the main attention from the audience.

13. Genre: The genre of music videos tend to be given away by the mise-en-scene. This includes
things such as the clothes in which they are wearing, their make up, personality etc. I think
the genre is made very clear in our video from the simple thing such as her outfits. When
doing our research we found that pop artists tended to have many different outfits on and
all being very seductive, and minimal clothing. Also they wore a lot of make up, especially in
the performance scenes.
The images above show that the artist wearing a lot of make up, and the ones below show
how the artist wears a range of different outfits, with some being seductive.

14. The fast cut montage, which is one of the most common forms of editing as it is a way to
enhance repetition: Our video includes many scenes which have fast cut montage. This is a
common occurrence in existing media products and therefore we made sure that we added
it to ours.
Here is one part of the footage where repetition and the fast cut montage is used. We cam
see the artist in a field and it is made to look as if her boyfriend is filming her. We then see
the couple together looking very ‘loved up’ and then it quickly flashes back to the artist in
the field.
This is an image which is repeated many times
throughout the video. It is made to look as if the artist is
in a club and this is a main part which portrays the
genre and conventions of our video.

15. Close ups are regularly shown of the main artist:
Here are just a few close up of the
artist which are used throughout the
entire video. Close up shots of the
artist are effective as it shows a more
personal side to the artist and also
makes us feel closer to her and as if we
know her. This was another common
occurrence we found when analyzing
existing pop videos. We also used a
close up image of the artist on the
front cover of the digipak. The close
up shot is a very intimate shot and it
almost takes us into the mind of the
character. It shows the emotions and
feelings of the artist very clearly and it
can also make us feel as if we are in
her shoes.

16. How effective is the combination of your main product
and ancillary texts?
Our Digipak
front and back
cover.
Our Music
Video
The Website
Front page

17. The combination of our main product and ancillary texts are very effective as we used
the same color scheme throughout with the red lipstick as an occurring image…

18. As you can see, this is the image
which we have used on the
album cover. The final copy is this
picture in black and white, with
the lipstick in color.
The red is also used on
the back cover of the
digipak. This is because it
is a very eye-catching
colour.
It is also used
on the
website, in the
text and in the
pictures.

19. The combination of our main product and ancillary texts...
There are many relations with the themes and concepts of the ancillary tasks both using
similar ideas to advertise the product. The first obvious similarity with the digipak,
website and music promo is the fact that the artist is used in all three. We also used
parts of the footage as a picture, such as when the artist is sitting on the wall with a
daisy chain, breaking it apart. This is showing that she is unsure about her relationship,
and the sad face beneath her which is spray painted on the wall, shows the audience
that she is feeling unhappy. This picture includes a lot of emotion. Another way in
which they tie together is the colour schemes throughout. The red is seen throughout
the video which represents many different things. It is also kind of left to the audiences
imagination as it can portray love, danger, seduction or also a kind of 'warning.
As we can see here, the artist
is breaking up a daisy chain
as a ‘he loves me, he loves This sad face which is spray
me not’ image. She is unsure painted on the wall shows
on her relationship and is how the artist is feeling.
relying on silly things to put
her mind at rest.

20. The Website and Digipak...
This is the front page of the website and as
you can see it includes a picture of the digipak
and also some of the images used were ones
which we have included inside the digipak, on
the digipak, or the pictures were taken at
scenes where we filmed the footage. I think it
is effective to use the same images and color
scheme throughout as it is a way of showing
off the artists personality and we don’t want
to give off a fake impression of what she is
like.
This is the front and back cover of the
digipak. The pictures that I used show the
rebellion of the artist. I kept the text
minimal as we found that this was
common in existing music albums. This
was also a theme we used throughout as
we kept the website simple too. We
thought this was effective as it keeps the
audience interested.

21. What have you learnt from your audience
feedback?
We asked many people to have a look at our work over the months and tell us what
they thought of it. These included, teachers, friends, parents and fellow
classmates. At the beginning we were told that we needed to film some more
performance shots and also to make the narrative much clearer. Every draft that
we had we made sure we asked especially our target audience what they thought
of it, so we could make our video as successful as possible. We always listened to
the feedback, whether it was negative or positive as we knew that we would get
honest opinions from people outside of our group. Once we had completed,
changed and edited many drafts, we finally had our final draft ready to showcase
to friends and family. We made questionnaires to give out to get feedback for how
we can improve our final draft. We got some very overwhelming and positive
feedback with only a few negatives. Many people commented on the lip syncing,
but when the video was watched on a MAC computer, it was completely in time.
On the evening, the music was slightly behind the video, and therefore it made it
look as if it didn’t fit in with the video. The main positive comment which we got
was that we followed the narrative of the story very well.

22. Here is some of the feedback…
The narrative of
the story was very
clear.
The mini The lip-syncing was
performance shots slightly too slow for
made this the music.
convincing as a pop
video.
Well done! This is a
This video is great video for the
song, and fits in
10 out of 10! with the narrative
perfectly!
The editing was
very good with a
good variety of
shots.

23. Feedback about the digipak…
I chose to design the front cover of the digipak as I had lots of different ideas as to
how I could create it. I had also researched many different pop digipaks, so I knew
what kind of images I needed to take of the artist, and also what kind of
information I needed to include. I decided to make a few different designs and
then I asked the target audience to tell me which one looked the best and most life
like. The feedback I got was very constructive, and most of it I agreed with.
The audience liked the fact that the album cover didn’t include too much and that it
was very plain and simple. They liked the fact that the picture was in black and
white and the writing was in red. They thought that it was very eye-catching. They
also liked the idea that the artists name looked as if
it was her own signature. They felt that it made it
personal, and as if it was a gift from the artist.
This first copy didn’t
include the artists
name as a signature.

24. Drafting Analysis

25. Drafting Analysis continued..

26. How did you use media technologies in the
construction and research, planning and
evaluation stages?
We used media technologies to show how the power of social networking sites, such
as Facebook and Twitter, have shaped artists careers. We also looked at official music
websites to gain an idea of how our website should look. To construct our video we
used final cut pro and iMovie on the Apple Mac computers . We also used Sony
Bloggie video cameras to film our footage for the music video. We used YouTube to
share our video to the public and also for a chance to get audience feedback. We used
Photoshop pro and Fireworks to edit the photos that we had taken of the artist, which
we needed for the digipak and website.
The internet was the main source which we used to carry out our research. We used
websites such as Google to search information about pop groups, digipaks and also
how pop websites are laid out. We used YouTube throughout the planning stages as
we could play and pause videos which meant that we could analyze videos thoroughly.
We used Blogger to record all our research and planning as it is a safe place to store all
our work and it also means that we can comment on fellow classmates work and by
looking at our teachers blog, we knew what work we had to catch up on.

27. Here is the link to my blog: http://charlottesblogformedia.blogspot.co.uk/

28. During the making of the music video…
During the making of the music video, we used a Sony Bloggie video camera to film
the video and also to take pictures. We then uploaded the photos to Photoshop
and or Fireworks so that we could edit them. We uploaded the footage to iMovie
to edit all the scenes together and also to add effects and music in the
background. We also used Fireworks to make the digipak as it meant that we could
edit the images and add different texts and change colors, all on one program. I
managed to get the font for the artists name from an website online called dafont.
By looking online, it meant that I could find a font, different from any on a normal
computer, and also different to what everyone else would be using. We wanted
the album title to look as if it was a signature, as the title was the artists name.
This was because it made the album look a lot more personal and as if it was from
the artist herself. We used a close up image of the artist herself on the album
cover as we when had researched other pop digipaks, this is what occurred
frequently.

29. Here are two album covers from
the same genre as our music
video. As you can see they both
include a close up image of the
artist, and also very minimal
writing. One picture is in color and
one in black and white. We chose
to use both color and black and
white in ours.
This is the original picture
edited, without the artists
name and album name on
the cover.
To the right is the completed
digipak front cover.
The final digipak front cover portrays the artists name as her own signature and
‘addictive’ which is the albums song name is made to look as if it is a tattoo on her chest,
saying that she herself is addictive. The red is to show the seduction of the artist.

30. To Conclude
To conclude, i thoroughly enjoyed the coursework assignment and it gave us a lot of freedom of choice as
to how we wanted to construct our music video and the ancillary tasks. Music plays a big part in many
young people’s lives and therefore, being given to construct our own video was very enjoyable and
also it meant that we could really use our imagination. Once all the footage was filmed, our group had
a lot of motivation to get the video put together and edited, to make it look as good as possible. We
wanted to make sure it looked professional as we had put a lot of our spare time into creating and
shooting the video. At many times we found that the coursework was difficult and we struggled in a
few areas, but with the help of our teacher, classmates and the internet, we were able to overcome
the issues. Also, as we had never used a blog before, it took us some time getting used to using it and
remembering to update it and add our work to it. However, over the past few months it came a big
part of our media studies and we were soon updating posts and adding posts which our teacher was
able to comment on. This was useful as any feedback pushes you in the right direction and this is
what we need for us to succeed. If I was to use a blog in any other area of study in the future, I would
make it a lot more appealing and exciting for the viewers to use, and maybe a bit more interactive.
This was useful as any feedback pushes you in the right direction and this is what we need for us to
succeed. If I was to go back and re do the coursework, there wouldn’t be much that I would change
apart from making sure we all kept up to date with the coursework and that no one got left behind as
it meant that sometimes I was waiting for others to update their work for me to analyze. Overall, I am
happy and proud with my coursework and I am also pleased that my group worked very well as a
team.