The student's music video both uses and challenges conventions of narrative and genre in real media. To challenge conventions, the video begins in a state of disequilibrium and ends where it began, implying the protagonist's situation does not improve. It also features only one character rather than conventional character types. However, the video also conforms to conventions through its use of close-up shots, cuts that match the beat, and natural lighting and locations. The student took inspiration from other music videos and films to develop these experimental and conventional elements in a way that emphasizes the themes of loneliness and escapism.

1. A2 MEDIA
COURSEWORK
EVALUATION
By Chloe Bacon

2. Question One
In what ways does your media
product use, develop or challenge
conventions of real media products?

3. Music Video: Narrative
My music video both uses and challenges different aspects of narrative. Below are some of
the areas I have applied and subverted.
 Todrov’s Narrative Theory:
When in the planning stages of my music video I wanted to create a piece that subverted
the idea that all narratives are structured in the Equilibrium ➝ Disequilibrium ➝New
Equilibrium format. This was as my main theme was loneliness and I wanted to make the
audience understand the impact of this on someone. To do so I ensured that my narrative
begins in a place of despair through the use of a monologue. Including this would ensure
that my audience understands that my protagonist's world is already in a state of
disequilibrium. Furthermore, at the end of my narrative the footage rewinds back to the
beginning implying that the fun she was having was a dream and that she hadn't left her
home. Films such as Pulp Fiction were an inspiration for this concept. Personally, I think
this subversion works well with my theme.
 Propp’s Character Theory:
Propp’s character theory was another idea that I decided to challenge in my video. His
theory suggests that in every narrative there will always be certain types of characters e.g.:
The hero, the villain, the princess etc. Centering my theme around loneliness meant that I
needed to portray my character in a certain way. To achieve this I ensured that Emma was
the only actor physically featured in my entire music video. This isolates her making her
appear alone. Wide angle shots of Emma further emphasis this goal. This there fore means
I had to subvert this theory I order to fit with my agenda.

4. Music Video: Narrative
 Circular Narrative:
When in the planning stages of my music video I wanted to have my music video finish in a circular narrative. A
circular narrative is where the beginning and the end are the same thus coming full circle. This was again inspired
by the film Pulp Fiction which I had watched during my period of planning. Additionally, this kind of structure implies
that my character’s life doesn’t get better from her initial emotions and thoughts emphasising the theme of
loneliness.
 Objective Character Identification:
Furthermore, I have also used objective character identification to
allow my audience to view my protagonist’s thoughts and dreams. I
presented this through the use of overlays as the merging of the two
looks aesthetically pleasing and connects the two situations together.
Using objective character identification helps my audience to better
connect and engage with my protagonists emotions and dreams thus
making it more relatable and impactful to watch.

5. Music Video: Genre Conventions
 The research stages of my coursework provided me with an opportunity to not
only explore my understanding of real media texts in my chosen genre but to
also familiarize myself with the typical conventions. During this period I
created a blog post titled ‘About Music Videos’ and discussed the three types
of videos that are commonly used in the main stream media. These were
performance based (where the artist or band is filmed performing their song in
front of an audience), narrative based (where there is a clear narrative
portrayed through the visuals) and conceptual (where a typically obscure idea
is presented to the audience repetitively). Researching the three different
styles of music video helped me to decided which one I would develop in my
own work and I also considered which one would work best with the
conventions of my music genre.
 Understanding the conventions of indie-acoustic music came through my
analysis of professional music videos. In this set of ten blog posts I was able
to explore my knowledge of each section (eg: lighting, location, camera,
editing) to have a more well rounded concept of what I should include in my
own work.
 Examples of choices in my music video that were influenced by this analysis
were: minimal make-up, casual clothing, the park as a location, outdoor
lighting, and light leaks.

6. Music Video: Inspirations
 Inspirations for my music video came through two sources. The first was my research
stages. Here my analysis of music videos helped me gain ideas for my own work. I then
combined them with other ideas I had had and was able to create my piece.
 The music videos for ‘Sick of Losing Soulmates’ by Dodie and ‘Oceans’ by Seafret had a
major impact on my work. When first observing them I liked their use of natural outside
lighting and light leaks as this looked very dreamy and fit with the conventions of the indie-
acoustic genre. Additionally, Seafret’s music video was inspiration to have only one
character in my video for the entirety as it also focuses on one female protagonist. This
also inspired my themes of loneliness and escapism.
 My second source of inspiration came from my target audience feedback. One of my
questions asked if my audience had any good narrative based music videos that they
thought were good. In response someone answered with a link to the music video
‘Breezeblocks’ by Alt J. Although they are not an indie-acoustic band they do fall under the
umbrella of indie music. When watching their music video I picked up on the use of a blue
tone which helped emphasis the sadness in their take on domestic abuse. I was then able
to adapt this to my own work using a blue tone to connote the sadness and isolation my
protagonist feels when she is in her reality.

7. Music Video: Audio
 Every aspect of audio in my music video is inspired by another media text. For
example, the monologue at the beginning was an idea that came from the music
video for ’Hold Up’ by Beyoncé. This is a music video I stumbled across while
getting ready for school. The main concept I developed from this video was her use
of monologue at the beginning to create background to the song and forge a deeper
connection to the audience. Although monologues are a convention used in the pop
genre I applied this alternative convention anyway as the majority of indie music
likes to create meaning and substance for their audience. It could be argued here
that I both conformed to the indie genre but also subverted it at the same time.
 ’Golden Age’ by Valaska was the song I chose to be the main substance of my
audio. When selecting a song I wanted something that had an acoustic guitar in it
as many indie-acoustic songs feature this type of instrument. Additionally, I looked
for a song that would have some sort of meaning or message behind it that I could
portray in my footage. The lyrics to ’Golden Age’ talk about wanting to be in another
time period as they were inspired by the film ‘Midnight In Paris’. From this
understanding of the song I then developed my own meaning of the lyrics and
helped shape them to my themes of loneliness and escapism. Personally, I think
the footage and song work well together as they both present someone wanting to
escape from their current situation.

8. Music Video: Camera Angles
 When looking at the camera angles featured in professional music
videos I noticed that there were three types that consistently showed
up. These were close-ups, extreme-close-ups and mid-shots. Knowing
that this was a convention of the genre I applied some of these angles
to my own work to help conform with the genre. For example, near the
beginning of my music video I used a close-up of my protagonists face
as I had seen a similar shot in the music video for ‘Sick of Losing
Soulmates’ by Dodie. This shot types also brings the audience closer to
the character and their facial expression which can help them to better
connect with the emotions of the song.
 Furthermore, I also used hand-held mid-shots for the majority of my
walking scenes as these were also presented in the ‘Sick of Losing
Soulmates’ music video. My reasoning for this shot type was to make
my audience feel as if they were with my protagonist so they could get
a true sense of her emotions. The shakiness of the camera creates the
illusion of closeness which emphasises this point.

9. Music Video: Editing
 My research into the editing styles of indie-acoustic music videos helped me to
gain a better understanding of how I should edit my videos. Many of the
professional examples had the following: straight cuts, cuts in time to the beat
of the music, regular pace, natural colour correction. Knowing this I was able to
conform to and subvert these conventions.
 For example, I have challenged the normality of having natural colour
correction through my use of a blue tint. This tint signifies to my audience that
my protagonist’s life is sad and lonley and helped me emphasize my theme
this is therefore why I chose to go against this norm. Additionally, I have also
subverted the conventional pace of indie-acoustic music videos as my overlays
are edited to change very quickly. I decided to do this as I wanted these
overlays to be viewed as fleeting. This ties into the idea that my protagonist’s
life is only filled with short bursts of excitement.
 Furthermore, this style of editing was inspired from some of the vlogs I had
watched by a YouTuber called Cartia Mallan. Her editing style was very choppy
but still fits together well to provide a sense of excitement.
 On the other hand I have also conformed to conventions such as cuts that go
with the beat of the music as this makes the footage look professionally put
together.

10. Music Video: Mis en Scene
 My music video conforms to the typical mis en
scene seen in professional indie-acoustic music
videos. I took inspiration from sections such as
location, costume, props, and make-up as I wanted
my protagonist to look like an everyday person. This
would make her more relatable to my audience
allowing them to better connect to her journey.
Some of the music videos that I took inspiration
from for costume and make-up were ‘Please Don’t
Say You Love Me’ by Gabrielle Aplin and ‘Sick of
Losing Soulmates’ by Dodie Clark. Both videos have
female characters that wearing minimal make-up
and very basic costumes consisting of jeans and a
jumper. This look creates the illusion of some one
who is young and normal which will help engage my
target audience as the concept is relatable.

11. Poster: Layout
 The layout of my poster has been influenced by my research into
professional posters in the indie-acoustic genre. During this stage I
looked at a variety of posters and analysed their layout. This helped
me to get a sense of where each piece of information should be on a
page to create a professional looking product.
 Album posters such as ‘English Rain’ and ‘Long Way Down’ were
inspirations for the layout of my own poster. Both of these texts have
the artist’s name above the album title to place emphasis on who
has created the music. Furthermore, both texts also placed
information about the album such as the website and release date at
the bottom of the page in smaller font, as this ensures the focus is
on the artist.
 In my own poster I have positioned the release date and website at
the bottom of the page. This gives more emphasis to the title and
image in the centre of the page making it obvious to my audience
what my poster is about.

12. Poster: Genre Conventions
 Analysing ten professional album posters meant that I was able to develop my knowledge of the conventions surrounding the indie-acoustic genre. I split this research
stage into the three key elements of any poster: typography, images, and colour scheme.
 When assessing the common forms of typography used on indie-acoustic posters I came to the conclusion that a conventional title would use capital lettering with a
bold font. This style stands out on a page which makes it eye-catching for audience’s to look at therefore holding their attention. Additionally, the letters in the title would
often be slightly spaced out between each other as this further emphasises the title. In my own poster I used a font with a wide shape so that it stood out. Furthermore,
I chose to capitalise and space out each letter in my title as this conformed to the typography seen in my analysis. Personally, I think this worked well for my piece as
the titles are easy to read.
 The smaller information such as the date and website on the posters typically used a small but legible font such as arial or corbel. For such information on my own
poster I used the font arial and capitalised each letter. This was so that my audience was still able to read the words but not be distracted from the title and image.
 Looking at the images on many of the posters I noticed that almost all of them used a photograph of the artist or band they were promoting. However, I wanted to
challenged some of the conventions that I saw as I wanted my piece not not only fit with my theme of loneliness and escapism but to also stand out among other texts.
My main course of subversion was through my image as the majority of professional posters I analysed included the artist on the front cover. In my rendition of a poster
I featured a close-up of a phone and headphones. This decision was made as I felt that an image of the prop used for escapism was not only more fitting to the theme
but also created synergy as this is featured in the music video as well. Furthermore, having the band on the poster would distract my audience from the message of the
video and would symbolise a more artist focused product than content.
 Throughout the entire ten posters I analysed I found that there was no set theme in colour pallet. Many of the schemes that built up the posters came from the images
themselves. This was fascinating to me as it meant I could play around with different colours without having worry about any set rules. However, the only shades that
were used conventionally were either black or white for the text depending on the lightness of the background. In my poster I used white for my text as my background
was black. This helped the writing to be brought forward due to the contrasting colours. Although there are not set colours to my poster I believe that the main ones an
audience would pick up on initially would be; blue, green, orange, black, and white. These are colours all fairly close to each other on the colour wheel which is why
they look good together and is also why I chose them.

13. Poster: Inspirations
 When coming up for poster ideas I initially thought about having
the artist on the front as this was very conventional of many other
texts such as ‘White Winter Hymnal’. However, I gave this idea
further thought and eventually came to the conclusion that I didn't
want to conform to this but would rather subvert it. An article I had
read by Jake Bugg in an online newspaper inspired this as he
mentioned that the majority of artist’s we see today are copies of
each other. I wanted my poster to be about the music and themes
and not the artist. I therefore came up with the idea of having the
phone and earphones on my posters as in my music video they
are very symbolic of my protagonist's escapism.
 This article also inspired my choice of layout on my poster as this
too is very unconventional. Most posters have the title of the artist
and album at the top of the page however, I have placed the title
of the artist and album name on the face of the phone so that it
looks like it is actually on the screen. Doing so makes the images
and text look put together and also fills in an otherwise empty
space.

14. Poster: Camera Angles
 Mid-shots were the most popular shot type I came across in the ten
posters I analysed. Many of them photographed the artist as a whole
giving the audience a full view of who has created the music.
 Although I have not featured the artist of this song on my poster I have
used a mid-shot to illustrate the prop featured in the music video. I
decided to conform to the typical camera angle as this image give my
audience a full view on what the props are therefore helping them to
recognise their symbolic nature from the music video.
 Furthermore, this shot type allows for me to have enough space to
position my titles on the phone screen. This was something that I took
into consideration when constructing this ancillary as the size of the
phone screen on the page needed to be big enough to display the title or
else it would look small and not eye-catching enough.

15. Poster: Editing
 While analysing the ten professional posters I noticed that although some of
them had slight editing (such as the blue tint on the album poster for Ed
Sheeran’s ‘Plus’) the vast majority seemed to only have colour corrections
and lighting improvements. I wanted to develop this convention into a more
heavily editing product.
 I decided that as I was reflecting the escapism element to my music video
through my poster I would need to use the same type of editing to emphasis
this message.
 My music video displays my protagonist Emma escaping her reality. These
moments are signified through the use of overlays which feature light leaks,
fireworks and concerts. As I wanted to emphasis and continue this theme in
my ancillary I decided to use overlays on top of my base image.
 Personally, I think this development of editing worked well as it creates
synergy and illustrates my theme.

16. Poster: Mis en Scene
 From reading the article on Jake Bugg I knew that I wanted to
challenge the convention of having the artist or band on the poster.
The indie-acoustic genre likes to focus on being natural and
authentic through their music but often promotes the artist as the
main concept on many of their adverts. This was something that I
felt I wanted to challenge as it would make my poster feel more
authentic.
 To ensure that my poster had an intended meaning I used the
phone and earphones from my music video as they symbolize my
protagonists escape from reality. This not only created synergy
throughout my texts but also emphasises on of the main themes.
 Furthermore, the light leaks placed on top of the photography help
to reinforce the dreamy and otherworldly aspect.

17. Digipak: Layout
 The layout of my digipak has been inspired by many of the digipaks I analysed in my research stages. Upon
further inspection I noticed a set of rules that the designer typically follows in the layout. These were:
o Titles at the top in the centre of the front cover
o Photography in the centre of the front cover
o Song list in the center of the back cover
o Bar code and copyright information at the bottom of the back cover
o The title of the album and artist on the CD goes at the top in the centre
 These were all conventions that I applied to my own digipak in its construction stages. Notably the digipak
for Passenger’s ‘Young as the Morning Old as the Sea’ was a big influence in how I presented my text.

18. Digipak: Genre Conventions
 My analysis of the ten professional digipaks from my chosen genre allowed me to develop my understanding of the typical conventions. I split my findings into
three sections that cover the digipak as a whole. These were; typography, images, and colour scheme.
 The front cover of many digipaks use a very large and bold typography. This immediately draws the audience’s attention towards it as it is easy to ready and eye-
catching. However, on the back cover the font used for information such as the copyright law and record label is a lot smaller and is typically in a different front
such as arial or helvetica. In my own digipak I ensured that I used two different styles of font. One for my titles and one for my information. Personally, I think
conforming to this convention helps to diversify the styles of font making my product look more dynamic and professional.
 Almost every digipak I analysed in my research stages used a mid-shot or close-up of the artist/band’s face. Clearly, this is to promote the creator behind the
music as todays record industry tends to focus more on the person than the music. However, I decided that while I still wanted to conform to the convention I
also wanted to subvert it. This meant that for my own digipak I photographed my actress in a mid-shot. My decision to do this came from the themes and ideas
that she evokes through my music video. Furthermore, the way she is positioned is very similar to some of the shots in the video that express the theme of
escapism. Having this image on my digipak creates synergy in regards to angles and themes creating a more professional looking media text.
 On the back cover of every digipak the designer used an image or pattern that reflects the one on the front. For example, the digipak for Passenger’s ‘Young as
the Morning Old as the Sea’ uses a photograph of the beach on the front while on the back they use an image of the same beach but from another angle. This
creates consistency in the mis en scene while keeping the photography interesting. I decided to conform to this idea in my own digipak as on my front cover I
have an image with my actress in and on the back I have the same image but without her in it. Not only was this done for diversity purposes but removing the
actress on the back allows room for the song list. The images used on the CDs also tended to use the same images or patterns as the one on the back cover.
This is another areas that I applied to my projects.
 Colour scheme was an areas that I found to be very varied in my genre. Many of the digipaks used a variety of colours which made it hard to pin down
conventional colours. However, many of them did use either black or white for their information and titles. This varied depending on the lightness or darkness of
the background as a contrast was key for making the text legible. In my own digipak I chose to use white as the background I had selected was fairly dark. This
created a contrast which creates an eye-catching effect.

19. Digipak: Inspirations
 Out of all the digipaks I researched I found that my biggest source of inspiration came from Kodaline’s
‘Coming Up ForAir’. All three of my front cover, back cover andCD had taken at least one aspect of
the digipak and used it on my own.
 When analysing the front cover of ‘Coming Up ForAir’ I liked the way the editor had used a line to
separate the band name from the title of the album.This was a feature I found in many other digipaks
and so I decided that I wanted to use it on my own. In addition to this, I also liked the way the editor
distorted the original image of the band using overlays negative effects.This style of editing helped
me come up with my idea of using overlays on my front and back cover.
 The screen shot comparison to the right displays the same use of layout on the back cover. I liked the
way this was presented as it looked very polished and professional with all the information at the
bottom and the song list at the top. However, I didn’t like the fact that the barcode was at the top of
the page so I decided to have mine at the bottom along with my copyright information. Furthermore,
I have also again used a line to separate the song list and copy right law.This use of line on both the
front and back cover creates continuity throughout the product.
 The CD for ‘Coming Up ForAir’ is again very similar to my own. Many of the digipaks I looked at used
a circular line on the rim of the the CD for decoration. I decided to use this convention on my own
work. Personally, I think it makes my CD look put together as it not only continues the use of lines but
also separates the copyright information on the edge of theCD.The titles on the CD have also been
inspired by the Kodaline version as the positioning of the band name and album title is the same.

20. Digipak: Camera Angles
 Almost all of the front covers I analysed in my research stages used either a
mid-shot or a close-up of the artist’s face.This is so the audience knows exactly
who has made the album and can therefore decide of they are going to buy it.
 For the front cover of my digipak I used a mid-shot.This style of camera angle
ensures that my audience can see the actresses earphones which are a big
device in her escape from reality. Additionally, this shot also captures her face
and upper half of her body while leaving room for the dark areas around her.
Having dark space around the actor was something I was inspired to do from
the front cover of Ben Howards ‘I ForgetWhere WeWere’ .This was to be
symbolic of the dark and gloomy nature of her reality.

21. Digipak: Editing
 Throughout my digipak I have editing overlays on to my images.This was inspired by the
digipak for ‘Coming Up For Air’ by Kodaline. My use of overlays was also inspired by the many
vlog of Cartia Mallan who is aYouTuber. I liked the way she faded footage on top of each
other as it creates a two dimensional and whimsical feel.As an extension of the themes
portrayed in my music video I also decided to use overlays in my digipak.To create
consistency in my editing I ensured to use them on all of my images and not just the back and
front.
 I also edited the original photography that I took so you could not see the black sheet I used
for the background.This was done by turning down the brightness so the texture of the fabric
was not visible. I felt that conforming to the convention of having the artist or band fit
seamlessly with the background made the overall product look professionally edited.

22. Digipak: Mis en Scene
 Every image I chose to display in my digipak has a meaning that relates to the music video. Many of these
photographs were inspired by examples I analysed in my research stages.
 For example, one of the images I used was of the beach. My analysis of Passenger’s ‘Young as the Morning Old as
the Sea’ inspired me to include this in my mis en scene as not only does this conform to the naturalistic aspect of the
indie-acoustic genre but also acts as a place that my character would escape to.The beach is also one of the many
overlays I included in my characters objective character identification.

23. Question Two
How effective is the combination
of your main and ancillary texts?

24. Overlays
Throughout my main and ancillary texts I wanted to create synergy. Many professional
media texts use this method so that their audience recognizes the links between each
piece. By doing so the three texts appear more professional together suggesting that
perhaps the content of the main product is also high quality.
One way in which I have utilized a sense of consistency throughout my texts is through
the use of overlays. In the narrative of my music video I faded footage of blurred lights
over footage of my protagonist to create the illusion of a daydream. This was to signify
her dreams being in another place and escaping her reality.
To transfer this concept of daydreams over to my poster and digipak I used the same
style of editing. In both ancillaries I used an image of blurred lights and faded it over
my original photography. Having all three texts use overlays helps my audience to
recognise the visual aesthetic as something that links the three texts together while
reinforcing the concept of dreams.

25. Typography and Actress
My use of typography across my texts has also created synergy. When in my
target audience research stages I asked people to select their favourite style of
font out of a selected few. My results proved that the one titled Dream Orphans
was the most popular and that this was on one I should choose.
I applied this style of typography to both titles in my digipak and my poster. As
Dream Orphans is a style of font that is recognizable using it across my texts
would allow my audience to understand that they are linked. Furthermore, the
way I have structured the typography in both texts is exactly the same. Each title
has a line separating the artist’s name from the album name. As the titles are one
of the first things my audience will see having a recognizable and consistent
choice of font will make my texts more memorable for my audience. This means
they will be more likely to view my music video.
My digipak and music video also work well together due to my consistent use of
actress. Throughout the narrative of my video Emma is the only character who is
physically presented to the audience. I wanted to continue this concept through to
my digipak. To do this I have used the same actress in a mid-shot presenting her
to be entirely alone. Using the same actress across my texts creates consistency
and almost creates a brand for my products as she acts as the face representing
the media. Furthermore, the way I have positioned her on the front cover is very
similar to a shot in the beginning of my music video. Having similarities in the
framing and mis en scene of my shots also reinforces the links between the texts.

26. Escapism
Escapism was a theme that I wanted to portray in both my main task and ancillary
texts. This was important as the indie-acoustic/folk genre is very focused on
emotion and meaning and I wanted to conform to this convention.
In the narrative of my music video my protagonist Emma escapes her reality using
her phone and earphones. I decided to have this as her form of escape as I was
inspired by the Uses and Gratifications theory by Blumler and Katz. There are many
shots throughout my video where Emma is illustrated using her devices for
escapism however, there are also times where they bring her sadness at the things
she no longer has.
As I had given the phone and earphone props a lot of meaning in my music video I
felt that to continue the escapism theme it would be best to include them on the
poster. For someone who has not yet seen the music video my poster would signify
that music is an important part of video due to the earphones. It may also suggest
that there are themes of being in a era of high achievement or flourishment as the
title ”golden age” is often used in this way. However, my poster does not give away
the fact that my character is longing for this “golden age” which leaves the main plot
unspoiled.

27. Birds
Birds were a big motif throughout my music video. They symbolized the element of
freedom that my protagonist does not have and play into her want for an escape.
Choosing to illustrate this theme through birds also conforms to the naturalistic aspect of
the indie-acoustic genre making my music video conventional while still holding
meaning.
My portrayal of bird did not only come in the form of video footage but also through
audio. In the background of the monologue there are the sounds of birds chirping. In this
section I wanted to contrast the tone and feeling evoked through my protagonist’s
speech with the sounds of birds as I believe this creates more dimension and emotion
behind the words.
To transfer this motif on to my digipak I took a photograph of a glass bird ornament at
my nan’s house. Although this photograph signifies to the audience freedom and liberty
the fact that it is made out of glass and isn’t real implies that the ideas behind it are also
unobtainable. This links well with the end of my narrative as my protagonist eventually
goes back to where she first started suggesting that she has reached no stage of new
equilibrium and therefore has not been freed.

28. Question Three
What have you learnt from
your audience feedback?

29. Target Audience Survey
 Figuring out the interests of your target audience is of vital importance no matter what kind of media product you are creating.
It is a process that helps a producer to make good decisions in the content they include and discard for the entertainment of
their audience. Without understanding exactly what a target audience wants the media text will fall flat and hold no
engagement. This is why I decided to create a target audience survey for my production. I created a list of ten questions that
covered different aspects of the product from typography to colour scheme. From my results I would learn how to shape my
product into something entertaining for my audience to watch.
 Question One: What is your gender?
My first question asked what my audience’s gender was. I
decided to include this question so that I could have a better
understanding of who would be watching my product. Evidently
60% of my target audience were concluded to be female while
male came in at 33% and other came in at 7%. As females were
the most prominent gender of my audience it influenced my
decision in having a female protagonist as this is relatable for the
majority of my audience. This means they will engage with the
content on a more personal level.

30. Target Audience Survey
 Question Two: What is your age?
My second question asks what my target audience’s age is. I decided
to ask this question I would know what kind of material would be
appropriate to feature. Given that the vast majority of responses came
from the 18 to 24 category I knew that I should base the diegesis for
my music video around some one who is a similar age as this yet
again would be relatable for my audience. Additionally, this influenced
my casting stages as I ensured to take on an actress who was a
similar age to my audience. Furthermore, knowing the minimum age
of my target audience would help me to ensure that I didn't include
and material that would be deemed upsetting for them to watch.

31. Target Audience Survey
 Question Three: What is your favourite aspect of the indie-acoustic/folk genre
and why?
My third question asked about my target audience’s favourite aspect of the indie-
acoustic/folk genre. I wanted to delve into this area to know the main factors that
pull my target audience towards these kinds of media products. Throughout all the
responses that I received these two made the most impact on my music video.
The first stated that they liked the aspect of naturalism because it makes the
footage look nice. Given that naturalism is a main convention the the indie-
acoustic/folk genre I ensured that I incorporated this into my music video. I believe
this was done in the opening few shots of my video as I have footage of different
flowers and plants.
In the next screen shot the respondent states that they like the emotions that come
with the song. Knowing this I ensured that the song I picked had some sort of
emotional meaning before I used it. ‘Golden Age’ by Valaska is about wanting to be
in another time and being unsatisfied with your present situation. Analysing the
songs meaning meant that I was able to portray this in my narrative through the
contrast of isolation and escapism.

32. Target Audience Survey
 Question Four: What narrative based music video have you watched that you enjoyed and why did you think
this was good?
My fourth question asked my audience about their favourite narrative based music video. I decided to ask this
question as this would be a good source of inspiration for my planning stages. Additionally, this question could
bring up influences that I may not have otherwise seeked out.
One of the most valuable pieces of feedback I got from this question was the screen shot below. This audience
member suggested that I should watch the music video for ‘Breezeblocks’ by Alt-J. Taking on this advice I
watched the video and liked the directors use of a blue tint to signify the sad tones to the narrative. I also liked
the fact that the entire piece was reversed from the end to beginning. I therefore decided that I wanted to also
include these kinds of elements to my own piece as they would work well with my themes.

33. Target Audience Survey
 Question Five: Out of these four styles of typography which do you
think is the most appropriate for an indie music video?
My fifth question asked about the kinds of typography my audience
wanted to see. This question was more focused on my two ancillary texts
as I felt that research into my audience’s view on them was just as
important.
To create this question I used the website dafont.com to select four
different types of typography. I ensured that they all conform to the typical
conventions I had seen in my analysis of professional posters and
digipaks.
From my results I learnt that the second option titled Dream Orphans was
the most popular among my audience at 68% then both Bludhaven and
Normafixed at 14% and finally Neoteric at 6%. Dream Orphans was
therefore the style of typography I would use on both my digipak and
poster.

34. Target Audience Survey
 Question Six: What types of lighting do you enjoy in an indie-
acoustic music video?
My sixth question asked about the kinds of lighting that my
audience would like to see in my three media texts. I decided to
ask this question as this would help me not only to decide what I
wanted lighting I should use in my music video but where I should
film.
From my results it is evident that the top two kinds of lighting my
audience wanted to see were natural and light leak. With this
information in mind I was able to make decisions during my
location scouting and storyboarding stages to fit with the needs of
my audience. One way in which I did this was filming on a sunny
day in the pond scene. The natural flares from the sun created
streaks across my footage which gave them a hazy and dreamy
feeling.

35. Target Audience Survey
 Question Seven: Out of the following forms of nature which do you enjoy and what emotions
would you associate with them?
Being aware of the fact that the indie-acoustic/folk genre leans
towards being emotional and natural I decided to ask what forms of
nature my audience would like to see and the kinds of emotions that
they thought would go with them.
The top three answers from my results were the rain, the sea and a
river. In addition to this many of the audience thought that the rain
evoked feelings of sadness and would work well if contrasted with
more positive weather such as the sun.
Taking this idea on board I decided to feature shots that contrast my
protagonist’s emotions through the weather. For example, in one
shot she is looking out of a rainy window longing to be somewhere
else and in another she is walking down her street with the sun
shining while listening to music.

36. Target Audience Survey
 Question Eight: Which three locations do you believe would feature in an indie acoustic music video?
Question eight asked my audience about the types of
locations they would expect to see in an indie-
acoustic/folk music video. I crafted this question with the
knowledge of the typical locations used in the music
videos I had watched in my research stages.
My results displayed that the bedroom, pond, forest and
park were the four most popular among my audience.
This then shaped my location scouting as I looked for
places such as these.
In the end I chose to film in my nan’s bedroom, my local
park ,and my local pond. However, I chose not to include
the forest at a location my protagonist goes to as I felt
that it didn’t fit into my narrative right. Albeit I have
included overlays of a forest in her dream sequences.

37. Target Audience Survey
 Question Nine: Do you think that a narrative based video should have jump cuts from one storyline to
another and why?
My ninth question asks my audience if they would like to see
jump cuts from one narrative to another. I decided to ask this
question as I was considering intertwining two stories that
eventually link together. Many of the music videos I had
watched displayed only one narrative and this was something I
was considering challenging.
Evidently, my results came back with the majority saying they
would not prefer for a double narrative as “this may become
confusing” and that “it’s just easier to follow one story”. This
helped me narrow down some of the ideas I had in my
planning stage and eventually drove me towards my chosen
narrative.

38. Target Audience Survey
 Question Ten: Out of these five colour schemes which is your favourite?
The final question in my target audience research survey
asks about the kind of colour scheme that my audience
would like to see. This was a question targeted for my
poster and digipak. My research into the typical colour
schemes in my chosen genre was very varied as I
found that there was no set colours used.
Although my survey came back with the combination of
gold, blue, and white being the most popular out of the
five options I decided to go against this. My reasoning
for this was as the idea I had created turned out better
with the colours I chose rather than my audience. This
was a risk that paid off in the end as during the
feedback from my final drafts of my ancillaries many
members of my target audience said they liked it.

39. Feedback On My Music Video
(Survey)
Constructing my music video meant that after each draft I would need to gain some
form of feedback from my target audience. I decided to gather this through a survey.
After showing my first draft to my class I asked them to fill out a survey asking about
the strengths and improvements. The first question of my survey asked what my
audience’s first impression on the music video was. I decided to ask this to get a
general sense of how they felt in response to watching it. Luckily, all of the responses
I received said they thought it was cool, emotional, funny and deep. This was very
pleasing to hear as these were the types of tones I tried to portray throughout the
footage. One response said they thought that my piece was a short film at first due to
the inclusion of the monologue. This clearly suggests that my narrative form was
delivered clearly to my audience.

40. Feedback On My Music Video
(Survey)
My second question asked what my audience’s favourite
part was. Many of the responses commented on the fact
that my editing looked very professional in the escapism
scenes. This was something I’m very glad my audience
picked up on as the short bursts of overlays took me almost
three hours to edit.
In addition to this, one response said they also liked the
message behind my video. As the indie-acoustic/folk genre
often portrays a strong message or meaning I believe that
my piece worked well in illustrating its chosen themes.

41. Feedback On My Music Video
(Survey)
The third question in my survey asked what improvements my audience would
make to my first draft. I decided to ask this so I could improve certain aspects
to make a more professional music video.
Although many of my audience said they liked the music video overall there
were a few issues they picked up on.These were things such as clips of my
protagonist walking for too long and the narrative being too dull. Clearly, my
audience were expecting a little more excitement to my story line which when
looking at it defiantly could have been modified. However, knowing that these
areas needed to be reshot or re-edited I ensured to improve on them in my
second draft. Learning how I could improve my piece in future drafts helped
me to develop not only my piece but my skills as a video creator.The mistakes
that were spotted for me by my audience will now be things I look out for in
any future projects I work on.

42. Feedback On My Music Video
(Survey)
The fourth and final question in my first draft survey asked if my audience understood my
narrative. I wanted to be sure that I had accurately depicted a piece of work that would fall
under the category of being narrative based as this was my aim.
Although the vast majority of people did understand the events in the video there were a
few people who felt confused at what had happened. Personally, I think this was in regards
to my ending as my footage rewinded with no explanation as to why.The reversed footage
was supposed to signify to my audience that everything they had seen so far was a dream
and that she was about to wake up.To make this more apparent to my audience I added in
a shot of my protagonist with writing on her hand that says “wake up”.These two words
imply that she is in a day dream and made the latter footage less confusing.

43. Feedback On My Music Video
(Written Feedback & Focus Groups)
Other ways in which I obtained feedback for my music video drafts was
through written feedback and focus groups.Around the time of my second
draft I asked some of my target audience is they would write down the
strengths and improvements of my piece. In the screen shot below I was
told that although my use of diegetic sounds was good I needed to fix some
of the lighting issues in the interior scenes.This resulted in me having to re-
film some of my footage.
In the majority of my latter music video drafts I used focus groups to gain
improvements and general feedback. Personally, I liked this method of
feedback as I was full able to understand how my audience felt in person
rather than behind a screen. Being face to face meant many of their
opinions were better expressed which made the improvements more
valuable.
Getting regular feedback on my drafts in regards to both the strengths and
weaknesses has helped me to learn what I should focus on and priorities in
order to make a well round music video. Furthermore, understanding my
strengths also helped me to appreciate the hard work that had gone into
creating my project.

44. Feedback On My Poster
(Focus Groups)
For all of my poster drafts I used the method of focus groups to obtain
my strengths and weaknesses. Using this technique for the drafts of my
music video proved to be a very beneficial way of truly understanding
my audience’s views as it offered a face to face exchange rather than an
online one.
In total I held four focus groups for my poster. Each session gave me
advice on how I could improve and helped me to develop my poster to
have more of a professional outcome. Some of the various
improvements I was given over the course of the four session were:
• Add light leaks
• Fix the textured background
• Make the light leak stronger
• Fix the alignment of my text
From having consistent feedback I learnt that my target audience liked
the final outcome of my poster.They thought it fitted well with my
other texts and promoted my music video in a way that looked
professional. I have also learnt the importance of this step as without it
my poster may not have looked quite so put together.

45. Feedback On My Digipak
(Focus Groups)
Similarly to my poster drafts I also used focus groups as a way of receiving
feedback for my digipak.Again this is due to the more efficient and clear nature
of communicating in person. I also held four focus groups in total for this
ancillary text as I felt this would give me enough chances to better my work. In
these focus groups I also made sure to switch up the people I was asking for
feedback from as this would give me wider perspective on my strengths and
improvements. Asking the same crowd of people may result in my products
being tailored to only their individual desires.
Some of the improvements I received over the course of the four sessions were:
• Separate the band name and album name with a line
• Fix the lighting in certain photos
• Vary the kinds of light leaks I use
• Change some of the images so they reflect the themes in the music video
better.
Taking these critics on board I was able to learn how I should improve my digipak
to make a more professional product.The consistent use of focus group as a
form of feedback also helped me to understand the value of regular
improvements as the difference from my first draft to final draft is very drastic.

46. Question Four
How did you use new media
technology in the research, planning,
construction and evaluation stages?

47. Research (Music Video, Poster, and Digipak)
 In my initial research stages I used a number of different media technologies to find and collect information on the various music videos,
posters and digipaks I would be analyzing. I also used media technologies to create, share and document my target audience research.
 When gathering information about the artists and bands I would be analysing I used Google. This search engine is an extremely
valuable source of information as it allowed me to educate myself on the backgrounds of people including the albums they had released
and the awards they had won. Additionally, Google provided me with websites that gave information on the typical conventions of the
indie-acoustic genre and narrative based music videos. Having this resource ultimately helped shape my product into a more
conventional and professional text as I was able to understand what I should include and what I should disregard.
 Finding digipaks from my chosen genre was hard for me at first. I felt myself struggling to find anything on Google images let alone in
real life without having to pay for it. However, I discovered a website called Discogs.com which provided me with an array of different
digipaks to analyse including the front, back and CD. This helped me immensely as it mean I could see the layout of a digipak in full
form. Furthermore, having a website that had an abundance of selection meant that I was able to find lots of digipaks in my chosen
genre.
 As an outlet for my research stages I used the blogging website Wordpress,com. This site provided me with an simple to use format
which made blogging not only easy but fun. My AS coursework blog was also created using the same software which meant that this
choice of website was appropriate as I was already comfortable to navigate it. Furthermore, having a place where I could publically post
my research made it very simple for me to refer back to it in my planning stages.
 Knowing that I also needed to do research into my target audience to make a professional quality set of texts I utilized the website
SurveyMonkey.com. Here I created a ten question survey that covers different aspects of my three tasks. Using this website to create a
survey was efficient as I had already had previous experience using it for a survey in my AS coursework. This meant that I wouldn’t
have to learn anything new.
 Finally, to collect responses from my survey I shared it using the social media sites Facebook and Twitter. Knowing that many people in
modern society use social media as a way of communication and promotion I decided that these technologies would be a great way to
get my survey out there. I believe this idea was very effective as I obtained a large number of responses after doing so.

48. Planning (Music Video)
 As I had never previously created a music video I decided that it would be best for me to find videos and websites that teach me how
to plan concepts such as a story board or shot list. To do so I mainly used the video website YouTube as this is a platform that offers
creators such as myself a space to learn new skills. Personally, I think this helped me a lot as I learn best when I can both visualize
and hear information. From this I felt that I was better versed in the creation of elements such as lighting, scripting and more.
 The planning stages of my music video also required me to produce an animatic from my storyboard. This is essentially where the
images from my storyboard are photographed and edited together to create a foundation for how the music video will look when fully
assembled. When photographing my storyboard I used a cannon as this camera is able to produce extremely high quality images.
My previous experience with this device from my AS coursework also meant that I found working with it effortless as I didn’t have to
learn anything new.
 Once I had photographed all of the images on my storyboard I transferred them to my MacBook Pro using a SD card. Being the
owner of a Macbook Pro meant that I had already had previous experience in how to transfer footage from an SD card to a laptop.
This came through projects such as my AS media coursework. Additionally, this also meant that I didn't’t have to research how to
complete this process which could have taken up more of my time.
 To edit the images, voice over and music together I used iMovie. This is software that comes with my MacBook which meant that I
didn’t have to pay for it as editing programs can be very expensive. Additionally, iMovie is easy to use for beginners which meant
that I was able to navigate the app without any issues. However, as I was a first time editor I decided to create a side project that
documented my villages local firework display. In this task I wanted to get used to the editing techniques I could use so that I would
be more confident in my real editing stages. Moreover I used YoutTube videos to assist me with some of the more complex features
such as exporting. This was again very simple to understand as the process was explained in a way that benefitted my learning
style.
 I used YouTube once again to upload my animatic so that it was available for anyone to watch. This also provided me with a place to
revisit my animatic for reference when I came to edit my footage in the construction stages. As YouTube is an application that can be
used on many devices it meant that I didn’t have to open iMovie to re-watch the video.
 Finally, I used WordPress as an outlet to document my animatic and the process of its creation.

49. Planning (Poster and Digipak)
 Planning my ancillary tasks was a slightly different process than my music video. In the
beginning I drafted up some initial ideas as I wanted to explore a variety of options. To do this I
created a mind map for each task and circled the ones that stood out to me most. My way of
documenting this stage was by photographing the mind map using my cannon camera and
uploading the image to my WordPress blog. This brand of camera is notorious for being high
quality which would make my blog posts look professional. Furthermore, both of these media
technologies were easy to use as I had previous experience using them from my AS
coursework. This meant that I didn’t have to learn something new as I already had previous
experience.
 The next stage of planning my ancillary tasks was to create mock ups of my favourite ideas so I
could see how they might look. From them I would be able to judge which one had the most
potential and develop it into my final product. To create the mock ups I used the photo editing
software PicMonkey. Previously, I had used this program for other projects meaning that
navigating and editing was easy. I was also able to incorporate my chosen typography into my
mock ups through the website DaFont.com where users are able to download creative font
styles for projects. This made my mock ups appear similar to the final product meaning I was
able to have better judgement over which one I should pursue.
 Once edited I documented my work through my blog on Wordpress.com. This media
technology was again very easy to use as it stored all my work in one place for everyone to
view and became a good source of reference in my construction stages.

50. Construction (Music Video)
 When beginning to construct my music video I first used my blog on WordPress.com as a reference for how I should film my video. Having my
animatic uploaded to a space that was easy to access meant I could quickly view it when needed. This is something I also did for my AS
coursework which meant that this process was familiar to me.
 To capture my footage I used my Cannon 3OS 700D. This camera is able to film in high definition which meant that my video would look
professional in its quality. My camera is also easy to move around from place to place which helped a lot as I filmed in many of the locations on
the same day. Although I didn’t have much experience in filming from my AS coursework this aspect of creation fascinated me and I found it
easy to practice. The construction in my A2 coursework has developed my basic understanding of operating a camera to the point where I now
feel confident in the functions of my equipment. These are aspects such as using the grid to help align shots using the rule of thirds.
 I used a tripod(…) to ensure that all of my static shots were stable and avoided shaking. Using this kind of tripod was helpful as it had a section
connected to the camera that can unclip if I needed to take my camera off. This avoided me unscrewing the camera from the tripod which took
up a lot of filming time and became an annoyance at the beginning. However, the only down falls to using this tripod were that in some of the
smaller spaces such as the hallway the legs of the tripod didn’t have enough room to open fully. This meant that some of these shots had to be
filmed without stability although in my opinion they look just as good. If I were to film these scenes again I would be sure to use a handheld tripod
as this is able to fit into tighter spaces.
 Once I had filmed all of my fooatge I used iMovie to edit together my film and audio. Researching the basics of how to use this software on
YouTube came as a big help to me as I was able to navagate the program easily. Although iMovie proved to be a very good form of editing
software in future projects I think I will use more advanced software such as Premier Pro and Afer Effects as these have even more options for
editing techniques.
 Having a platform on which my audience could critic and enjoy my music video was of importance as I needed this for feedback oppertunities.
To share my creation I used YouTube. This is one of the most popular video sharing websites on the internet which means the liklehood of
gaining view is high. Furthermore, many professional music videos are also shared on this site which would make my piece professional even in
it choice of output.
 Finally, to ensure that my target audeince would have a link to the video, I created a post on my Wordpress blog. This would help me to
document drafts of my video and have a clear space to refer back to when I was editing in my improvements.

51. Construction (Poster & Digipak)
 The first stage of constructing my ancillary texts was to take photographs. For both my poster and digipak I
used the Cannon 3OS 700D. This is a camera this is able to take pictures in extremely high quality resolution
making the outcome of my projects look professional in their quality. Having used this camera prior to the shoot
I was able to choose the correct setting for my shot types and fit on the appropriate camera lenses. Doing so
ensured that the style of my shots would be in the preferred format. As my digipak used a mid-shot of my
actress on the front cover I needed to use a tripod. This would make sure that my image wasn’t tilted to one
side as this would look unprofessional. Applying both my tripod and camera to these sessions helped me a lot
with the overall quality of the images I had taken.
 Once I had captured the perfect images to make up my ancillary texts I transferred them from my SD card to
my MacBook Pro. This step was very easy to me as I am used to this from other projects such as my AS
coursework. However, unlike my AS project I made sure to this time create a folder so that my chosen
photography wouldn’t get lost. Personally, I think this is something that helped me greatly when it came to
being organized as many of the images I took looked exactly the same and I didn’t want to confuse two
together.
 To edit on effects and text I used the photo editing software PicMonkey. This is an online site that is free to use
and allows you to use overlays. As overlays were something I planned to include this site seemed ideal.
Although I had not had too much experience in editing images PicMonkey was very easy to navigate as it gives
the user advice on how to use features such as crop, brighten, and contrast. This was perfect for a beginner
like myself. However, I believe that I could have challenged myself more and used a more widely accredited
software such as Photoshop as this may have offered me even more ways to edit my texts.
 To document the drafts and final drafts of my ancillary texts I created posts on my A2 media blog. From this I
was able to gain vital feedback and improve on many of the areas I would have otherwise not have noticed. In
addition to this, my blog provided me with a platform to refer back to any mistakes to I could compare my
newer drafts with my older ones.

52. Evaluation
 In the evaluation stages of my A2 media coursework I again used a plethora of different media technologies
to help critic, improve, and document my work. Upon the completion of my music video, poster, and digipak
I created an evaluation survey to assess my target audience’s views. From this I was able to change certain
elements such as typography and shot types to create a more engaging piece if media. Using
SurveyMonkey for this part seemed appropriate as I had previously used it in my research stages.
 To ensure that I got as much feedback as possible I shared my survey using two social media platforms.
These were Facebook and Twitter. I decided on these two as they are very popular among my target
audience meaning that I will stand a higher chance of getting my survey answered. Furthermore, I believe
that using these two helped as I reached a very high count of responses on my survey.
 To create this evaluation I have used Microsoft Powerpoint. This software is a classic platform for creating
professional and interesting presentations in an easy to use way. Additionally, I have used this software for
countless other projects meaning I have sufficient abilities to create a presentation that is informative yet
engaging.
 Finally, I have been able to share this presentation online through the use of both SlideShare and
Wordpress.com. SlideShare is a website that offers users a chance to upload presentation for people to
view online. This concept was perfect as I needed a way to share my evaluation publically. Using
SlideShare played to my advantage as I had previously used it in my AS coursework and to upload the
presentation about my idea.
 Furthermore, to keep my evaluation in the same place as the rest of my work I created this post which will
conjoin onto the rest of my research, planning, and construction evidence. This will all be documented on
my Wordpress blog.