media evaluation

1. Evaluation

2. Brief
For G324 of my Media Studies A level, I was asked to create a music video for a music track of my own choice
along with two ancillary products (a digipak, and music poster advertisement)

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

4. Early Stage
In the early stage of creating my music video I wanted to look at already produced music videos
that would give me an idea of what it took to create a successful music video. Also it allowed me to
understand the typical conventions of a music video.
I researched and analysed many different music videos to help me better understand what sort of
music video I wanted to create. I analysed things I liked and didn’t like which gave me inspiration
when creating my own music video.
I decided on the song “Wicked Game” covered by James Vincent McMorrow which was originally
performed by Chris Isaack.

5. Music Video Influences
https://youtu.be/vXyBcKV0UIo
Noah Cyrus “Make Me Cry” - This music video was highly influential to me in the process of making my music video.
Throughout the video it includes a series of camera techniques from tracking shots to close ups, This allows audiences to
be a part of the journey and get a better understanding of what the music video is all about and better relate to the
events showcased in the music video.
I incorporated this music video into my research as I enjoyed how the music video followed two characters and this is
something I knew I wanted to do in mine.
https://youtu.be/2Vv-BfVoq4g
Ed Sheeran “Perfect” - This music video was another influence to my own music video project as there were a number of
shots I really loved which I knew could be incorporated into my own music video. A close up of one of the main
characters looking at a photograph. I felt as though something as simple as this allowed an audience to understand what
this person is feeling but also what could be expected in this music video. Another shot was an over the shoulder shot
which showed the two main characters sitting on a bed, the camera captures the female lead looking at the male lead
even though he isn’t. This is something that stood out to me. When I filmed the scene of Taylor and Chloe in the snow I
made sure to capture these smaller details so the audience could relate to their feelings .

6. Music video influence
Whilst researching into many music videos at the beginning of my research I found
certain things from a number of different music videos that stood out to me.
When I was watching a music video called ‘Perfect’ by Ed Sheeran, while watching it
this section of the music video really stood out to me. I thought it was a good way of
getting an insight on the relationship shown in the music video. I wanted to showcase
something similar in my music video so I decided to use a photo frame as a prop in my
music video which the lead actor Taylor is reflecting on , this allowed a viewer to
reflect upon his emotions when he's looking at the picture frame.
In this music video by Jp Cooper called ‘She’s on my mind’ I really liked
the close up camera shots that were featured throughout the music
video. The camera focuses on her facial features and that’s something I
wanted to showcases in my music video so that viewers could see how
the characters are feeling at specific times in the music video.

7. Digipak Influence
When beginning to look at album covers etc. I knew that I wanted to go with a simplistic approach. I
didn’t know if I wanted to feature both characters or the one. I wanted to focus to be on the
photography that I decided to feature on the album I didn’t want to crowd it with pointless
information and text.
When creating my album cover I had to ensure that I picked an image that told a story that an
audience would be able to learn something from and interpret in their own way. I decided to go with
an image of both Taylor and Chloe who my music video centres around. From the albums that I’ve
looked at they all use minimal colour and very little text, I reflected on that by going with a very basic
colour scheme and only including the artists name and the title of the album.
When deciding on an album name it was very difficult to choose, I wanted to ensure that the title reflected the music video.
As it was centred around a relationship and reflected an bad and good times I wanted to choose something that showed
this. I came up with “Complicated Love Story” as my music video shows the relationship of two people and how they are
going through a difficult time but also shows a memory where they were at their happiest.
But before I decided on “Complicated Love Story I did come up with a few others and the importance of a strong album
name which I spoke about on my blog.
Blog Post - Album name

8. Digipak influence
I looked into many different back covers so that I could fully understand what needed to go
into a successful album back. I looked into this one by Lana Del Ray as I liked the way it was
laid out. At this stage of my research I was unsure If I wanted put any photography on the
back of my album but I still needed to look at possible options so I knew if I was going to
what sort of way I would create mine.
The thing I liked about this album back cover was how the text is presented and how the
songs are fitted around the image of Lana Del Ray which shows that her music is as
important as her.
When creating the back of my album although I had the photography I decided to go with
just having the list of songs on its own, I used a subtle background that fit with the other
photography I have used in the digipak, The background I used has a refection in it and I also
used a glow technique to make sure the names of the songs stand out.
I wanted to make mine as realistic as possible by adding the correct conventions.

9. Digipak influence
When creating my CD disk and inner sleeve I looked at Lana Del Ray’s born to die CD disk
which was my original inspiration behind my CD disk . I love how on the disk even
though its quite simple, I like the cloudy effect and I liked that the title of the album was
included because It something I wanted to do and did, along with the artist name.
I decided to go with a faded white to black background for my CD as I wanted to
incorporate this idea but adapt it in certain ways by changing the background and
position of text. For the inner sleeve I wanted to stay simple by just including a picture
of Taylor and Chloe which compliments the CD disk as it follows the same colour
scheme.
I felt that this was a good choice because again it links back to the theme of
my music video and album and showcases to an audience what can be
expected, because they are featured on the album front I decided it would
be a great idea to use them.

10. Advertisement influences
For my music magazine advertisement I used Lana Del Rays advert as inspiration for my own. Of course
Lana Del Rays produces different music to James Vincent McMorrow, James interprets songs in his own
way, that’s one of the reasons his work stood out to me. So when creating my poster I wanted to make
sure my magazine advert was simplistic yet stood out for all the right reasons. I incorporated my
influence of Lana Del Rays magazine advert into my own creation. The layout is something that first
caught my eye, its very effective and easy to read, it only features the most relevant information which
Is something I wanted to ensure my advert had. I didn’t want to crowd it with pointless text so when
deciding what to put on the advertisement I wanted to ensure it was only information that was
important to the album. The album cover was featured on the advertisement, although its not
something I wanted to do it gave me an idea to feature some photography on the advertisement of
Taylor and Chloe who feature in the song for my music video. They layout of Lana Del Rays advert also I
thought was effective as the information other than the title and the album name is below the image
not to take away from her this inspired me when creating mine. I settled with small short lines ensuring
I only used the right information on my poster that was relevant and what an audience needed to
know. I reflected on this by using the same format that the text is displayed. Also by looking at other
posters that featured reviews it allowed me to understand that audiences like to know what other
people think of the album before they purchase it that’s why I decided to feature a review by Q a well
established respected music magazine.

11. Representation of people
My music video follows a relationship between two people a male and female. It shows them at a vulnerable stage in their
relationship but also shows a happier memory shared between the two. I deliberately made my actor and actress look sad
and emotional in the scenes where they were showing that they were going through a difficult time in their relationship.
Many people will be able to relate to the sadness presented after a break up or a difficult time in a relationship which I tried
to portray throughout my music video. At some stages I featured footage of their happy memory scene which included them
having fun and laughing together which represented the good times they had in their relationship. I featured this alongside
the emotional footage to show that not all things in a relationship are negative, they shared good times.
In my music video I also wanted to show that Taylor the male
character had feelings too and wanted to showcase that it isn’t
always just the female in a relationship that upset and hurt when
faced with a difficult situation in a relationship which goes
against the typical stereotypical perception of males being so
called emotionless.

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

13. Targeting an audience
An element of consistency in throughout my media products is the colour scheme. In my music video I made
sure all elements were consistent. As my music video has two scenes of a happier memory shared between the
two stars I wanted to ensure that everything down to the costumes were accurate in all scenes and matched as
I filmed on different days. By ensuring that Taylor and Chloe were wearing the same outfits on the different days
we filmed, I made sure this was done so that the music video was successful and flowed correctly.
In my ancillary products there is an effective use of direct address, as on the album cover while Chloe is looking
at Taylor, Taylor is looking towards the audience. I done this so that the audience can interpret and relate to it
in a way the want to and also interests them in the album as its an intriguing pose.
One main thing shared between my main product and ancillary texts are the camera angles, the camera angles
and close ups for my music video and medium close ups for my digipak. I wanted to ensure there was a link
between all my work.

14. Applying theory
Uses and gratifications theory
I believe I can link the Uses and Gratifications theory to my music video as I believe that my audience will
interpret my music video in different ways based on their own personal experiences and how they take in the
music video.
I believe people will like my music video because it doesn’t just showcase one persons emotions in a music
video it showcases both sides and how they are both feeling in particular moments of the music video.

15. Successes
In my opinion I do believe that my main product and ancillaries are successful as I have effectively linked them
altogether to make them all recognisable to the audience. For example on the cover of the album it shows
both characters Taylor and Chloe and also on the magazine advert there is another image of them. This clear
link as well as linking the colour scheme and font styles etc. made for a successful overall project which allows
an audience to clearly recognise and link my main product and ancillaries together.
Also when I was shooting the photography for my ancillary products I ensured that they were wearing the
clothes that were featured in my music video so that the images the audience see on the ancillary products
show some insight on what they can expect to see in the music video.
Overall the combinations of my main music video and my ancillary products were successful as my products
show consistency through the colour scheme, representations and mise-en-scene. My audience would
definitely be able to identify the artist and the title of the song as it appears on the album cover, poster and
CD disk.
I believe my products were effective as it gave a sense professionalism as was able to correctly showcase
realistic conventions in my products.

16. Successes - Mise-en-Scene
To ensure there was a sense of continuity throughout my video I ensured that because we
filmed on different days they wore the same outfits so that the correct scenes matched as I
wanted my video to be as realistic as possible. Also in the memory scene as we filmed on a
different day and it was going to be a past memory the couple shared together that they
were refection on I ensured they wore a different outfit so that you could recognise the
difference from both sections of the music video.
When I took the photographs for my ancillary products to ensure that
an audience could recognise the music video to my ancillary products I
ensured that they were wearing the same outfits also, this was done so
that it would create synergy between all three products which was
important so that anyone looking at any of the products could gain an
idea of what they are about.

17. 3.What have you learned from your audience
feedback?

18. Music video feedback
I presented my first draft to my teacher and my peers, there were a few things I still need to film
at that stage as well as edit so I knew that there would be comments on those specific things.
Most of the feedback that I presented was positive which was encouraging apart from the gaps
were the memory scene was going to be placed.
Positives from my peers:
- Well planned shots
- Emotional scenes were effective
- Like that the footage was split between both actors, which showcases mutual feelings from
male and female.
- Slow motion effect was used appropriately.
Some thing I could change from my peers:
- Ensure the memory scene is faded in properly once filmed
- Slightly quicker edits
- Some footage could be slowed down slightly so it flows better between fades.
Music Video Draft Feedback

19. Audience Feedback - Ancillary Products
Before I finished my ancillary products, for my first drat I asked for any feedback before I
finalised them. I asked my friend for their opinion as I wanted to know if I had to change
anything or add anything to improve the quality of my ancillary products.
They gave me some valuable feedback with suggestions for improvement.
The response was very encouraging and allowed me to see minor ways of improving my
ancillary products. I was able to action this straight away and made me feel better about
what I had created. I was really happy with these comments as it was only my first draft and
I didn’t have much to change which was really encouraging.
I didn’t have many changes to make after showcasing my
draft ancillary products, the feedback I did receive was
very helpful and meant I didn’t have to spend much more
time on my ancillary products apart from making slight
adjustments.
Draft Ancillary Products

20. Audience feedback – Ancillary products
Final Ancillary Products

21. Music video feedback
Music Video Draft Feedback
For my first draft, the feedback was mixed due to it being uncompleted. Yet my
audience ensured to highlight positive sections of my music video that they liked
and also gave me useful detailed feedback which helped me when I came to
completing my music video.
I had two gaps in my music video where the memory scene was going to be
placed of Taylor and Chloe so I had to explain to my audience before hand what I
had planned on putting in these sections so that they could get an idea of what
the music video was going to look like.
Without being given constructive criticism on how to improve my music video, I
would not have made successful improvements and the mistakes in my music
video wouldn’t have been corrected.
This feedback was given to me through an app called Instagram, social media
allowed me to obtain fast feedback from people I asked.

22. Audience feedback – Final Ancillary Products
The feedback I received after presenting my final ancillary products was very
positive and encouraging. People commented on the overall layout, they said it
seemed realistic and professional which I was really happy to hear. In addition to
this someone commented on how the actors clothes went with the theme and
colour scheme of the overall products, something I was also proud of, I done this so
that there was a link between all products I created.
Overall im very happy with my audiences impression of my final products, as with
the slight improvements I made after presenting my draft to them, the feedback
was actioned and successfully improved the quality of my products.

23. Music video feedback
When I first showed my peers my music video they were very helpful when it came to
identifying what was successful.
Something that my peers really liked about my music video was the transition between the
more emotional scenes to the happy memory shared between Chloe and Taylor who are the
two main actors in my music video. This feedback was extremely helpful as the transition was
something I worried about, it made me feel that I had accomplished something positive.
The feedback was give to me by an 18 year old friend of mine who was within my target
audience, by them commenting and giving me this feedback it allowed me to carry on with
the way I was creating my music video and I felt as though I did this section well based upon
this feedback.
Final music video

24. Music Video Feedback
Final music video
Here are some of the positive feedback I gained from my music video after I completed it. These were
really encouraging to receive from members of my audience and made me feel better about my music
video. Once I completed my music video I was given direct feedback from my audience. The feedback I
received was very positive, and I gained them through social media making it easier to obtain them quickly
and directly from people I asked.

25. 4.How do you use media technologies in the
construction and research, planning and
evaluation stages?

26. Technologies used during research and
planning
Throughout the process of making my music video and ancillary products I used Blogger
which has allowed me to display my research and planning in different elements. I was able
to use hyperlinks, upload images and embed videos which helped me describe what I was
researching into. Blogger allows me to see my posts in chronological order showcasing my
progress into my project. Before uploading blog posts you can save them as a draft if you
haven’t yet finished them which allowed me to come back to my work anytime to complete
it.
Blogger also has a comment feature to it which allows other people to comment on a blog
post if they have any enquires, also the site has a view count where you are able to see the
amount of views certain post have.

27. Technologies used during research and
planning
I also used YouTube a lot throughout my research and through the
development of my whole project. YouTube allowed me to watch as
many music videos as I wanted to gain inspiration when I was creating
my music video. At As level I didn’t need to use YouTube but at A2 it
was a very important aspect as it let me find out what I did and didn’t
like and I could write about what inspired me and what didn’t. I could
also feature music videos on my blog to highlight what inspired me and
encouraged me to make certain decisions in my own projects
development.

28. Construction of video, poster and magazine
Music video
During the filming process I used a Nikon camera. This camera was very effective and allowed me to
take high quality shots, I used the camera to film and take my photography for my ancillary products
because of the cameras quality. It also came with a strap so it made it easier to get certain camera
shots including some tracking shots in the memory scene where I had to follow their move as Taylor
carried Chloe the quality of the shot maintained the whole way as I filmed it, it also allowed me to
get stable focused close up shots.
To edit my video I used Movie Plus X6 software, I was already comfortable with the program after
doing my research on it in a previous blogpost. The software was very easy to use due to its
simplistic layout and allowed me to import as much footage as I needed when editing my music
video. Also YouTube came in handy to look at previous tutorials on how to use some of the
techniques particularly using the effects properly.

29. Construction of video, poster and
magazine
Page plus X7
Advert and digipak
When I took the photography for my ancillary products I took it with the same camera I
used to shoot my music video due to its high quality, this allowed me to also easily get the
photos from the camera onto my personal laptop as it had a memory card I could put into
my laptop. I also used my iPhone 7s flashlight to improve the lighting of the images when I
was taking them.
This software was easy to use as it had all the appropriate features included in the
programme, from cropping, colour changing, fonts, filters, etc. this allowed me to use one
software to do all the corrections I needed. As I wanted to make sure my products were as
effective and realistic as possible. PagePlus was a very easy and fast process for me as I
used it at AS when creating my music magazine so I was familiar with the process.

30. Social media
Social media also allowed me to gather feedback from my
target audience I used a number of different platforms
including WhatsApp, Imessage and Instagram which allowed
me to gather important feedback to improve my products in
ways they suggested.
One way I used social media was to organise my actors
schedule, it allowed me to contact them directly to arrange
filming days and days to take photographs that they were free
and able to dedicate to my media. This sort of contact was
incredibly beneficial to my project.
Imessage also allowed me to send media files, which meant
that I could keep my actors up to date with the progress of my
project as its something they were interested in seeing.

31. Technology used during evaluation
I used Microsoft PowerPoint to construct my evaluation as it allowed me to layout
my work professionally and was a way of ensuring I had including everything in an
easy and understandable way.
It allowed me to save my work onto my own personal laptop so I could work on it at
home. It also allowed me to save my work if I hadn’t competed it which meant it
was easy to go back to and finish.
PowerPoint also allowed me to insert images and hyperlinks to improve the quality
of my evaluation and meant that I could showcase what I was talking about.

32. Technology used during evaluation
I used SlideShare to present my evaluation on my blog, this program is a very
effective way of presenting work in a very professional and easy way to understand.
To upload my evaluation onto my blog using SlideShare it was an incredibly easy
process, all I had to do was drag the file and embed to link onto the blog post.