Evaluation

IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR
CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA
PRODUCTS?
Digipak
From the broad research I conducted with the differing genres of the SIA, Lily Allen and Wolf Alice music videos,
digipaks and adverts, it became apparent that there were a lot of closeups (camerawork) displayed across the
board. I found that this is a feature that cannot be missed so consequently I complied to this convention as
shown rfgho. I have developed this concept by using a side profile shot of the actress and this was because I
thought the side angle will challenge Andrew Goodwin’s theory, the notion of looking, included in a lot of real
media products. The alternative nature of the band Daughter, is reflected by the subtle of pushing of boundaries
I have tried to capture.
Regarding the setting (mis-en-scene) of the main image, I have fulfilled the common Indie style, by taking
advantage of the outside and nature. The use and development shown ufdjf reveals that my version of this
media product simply doesn’t challenge these normalities. I think that it is equally as important to remain true to
these to ensure that the genre and band are still recognisable, although it is also beneficial to enhance them in
order to keep people interested.
When planning, I developed a style sheet to try and stick to when creating all of my media products. The editing
process allowed me to conventionally keep a style amongst all products attached to the band’s brand. I have
done this by …..

PRODUCTS?
Digipak
Due to the fact they are an alternative, indie folk band, their name is not well known globally like artist Rihanna
for example. They also don’t have as many singles and albums as those who are widely known. So, I have
challenged conventions by making an equivalent of a greatest hits album (layout). However, I have decided to
focus the album on the feature song ‘Youth’ so that the there is a DVD of Youth being performed live at a festival
and my version of the music video itself. I have tried to creatively develop the band and the genre by introducing
this new approach to selling albums for the alternative audience.
Something as simple as text (fonts), can define a brand. I have tried to do the same as with the style sheet
whereby there is mostly continuity across the three products. This is conventional and when looking at the type
of font I have chosen, it is simple yet stylistic like themselves as a group and their music.
Referring back to style, I have tried to adopt a documentary type concept across all three products. This can be
shown in the digipak with the photo of the cast and their names as it is intertextual to making
films/documentaries. I have done this because the media is becoming increasingly blended and synergised.
Whilst it may be unconventional, it is developing and adapting to the evolving world of technology and media.
The theorist Nicholas Abercrombie says that, “The boundaries between genres are shifting and becoming more
permeable”. The topic of hybridity is mentioned and I think I have adhered to this idea he explored.

PRODUCTS?
Advert
When looking at the images (camerawork), there is a representation of synergy because I have used the same
photo in the digipak as the main photo for my article. This isn’t particularly conventional in the sense that
magazines and celebrities have more scope and material to use, however, as mentioned previously it can be said
that it standard that the famous use the same or similar material to build their identity. The photo itself is a
picture of a polaroid capturing a medium shot of the lead actress. It ties the products together with relation to
the music video directly, continuing the motif of polaroid photos, in the music video. Also is continues to
reinforce the documentary style with the idea of documenting memories. Secondly there is the photo of the
band, a group close-up shot simply capturing their faces and expressions. I have used this because it ‘puts a face
to the name’ which is specifically important for those like Daughter who are not widely recognised and it is
generally conventional to feature the star appeal amongst all genres and advert types.
The language I have used is typical of a magazine advert from the knowledge I have gained in my research. As
shown fcswwfh, the language must be used and not challenged in order for it to keep it’s format. The article will
nee to be written formally. Advertising gimmicks shown rfgujyrg present that I have used imperatives for
encouragement. This shows that I have complied with the language style of real media products.

PRODUCTS?
Advert
It is unconventional for the article to have a stylistic font like the one I have shown, but I have used it because it
is in keeping with the rest of the concept I have tried to portray. It illustrates a less formal style which is a
reflection of their humble and folky character. Whilst challenging this stereotype, I have complied to the
traditional nature of having a very basic font when captioning the images. There are other varying fonts across
the two pages which I would argue is normal, because it separates the sections so that they each have enough
worth to be read. I have attempted to use and develop these forms to represent other real media products.
The layout is fairly traditional with the title at the top of the page, followed by the article. The page numbers are
located at the bottom as normal and other features are scattered typically appropriate with the rest of the advert
and article. I have replicated the usual format of articles by putting the text into columns.

PRODUCTS?
Video
“Different genres specify different 'contracts‘ to be negotiated between the text and the reader... which set up
expectations on each side for the form of the communication…” Sonia Livingstone
This quote highlights that each genre can communicate different messages to the audience. I think that my
video provides a clear message that young love can be complicated and that you’re lucky to be in love. However,
this next quote shows that whilst this is the desired message I intended to deliver, audiences can interpret things
differently.
“Texts need audiences in order to realise their full potential for meaning. So a text does not have a single
meaning but rather a range of possibilities which are defined by both the text and by its audiences. The meaning
is not in the text, but in its reading.” Andrew Hart
Regarding mis-en-scene, the settings I had chosen were conventional of the genre, very natural surroundings of
the home and the nature of the field, similar to those of the original video. Props featured to be more essential
when making my video than for those producing the original one. They were all significant to tell my story but I
used the polaroids as a motif in the music video and I have translated this idea across all three of my products. In
evaluation I think this is good because I have shown effective use of synergy. In addition, I thought it was
important to use a varying of demographics-age. This allowed me to successfully add depth to the narrative by
having grandparents and a baby feature.

PRODUCTS?
Effect Model
There are many factoring establishments and institutions which function as a hypodermic syringe to the rest of
society and it’s population. The state as an establishment influences the media to perform in a certain way,
feeding chosen information to everyone. So using the effect model, I am the state, my products are the contents
of the syringe feeding my audiences what I want them to know and to see. Through all three of my products I
have tried to present authentic material with close references and ties to that of the original pieces of the band;
challenging and obeying traditions.
Two Step Flow Model
This model is slightly different whereby the media produce and spread the information and there is then an
opinion made from that, which is translated to it’s audience. In evaluation, I think this model doesn’t fit with my
work as the opinion is made after having watched and looked at the products I have created.
To finish with, this quote seemed appropriate.
“A text cannot belong to no genre, it cannot be without... a genre. Every text participates in one or several
genres, there is no genreless text…” Jacque Derrida

HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE COMBINATION OF YOUR MAIN PRODUCT
AND ANCILLARY TEXTS?
To make the whole package work, I have tried to effectively create and develop the existing brand by using
synergy across all three of my products and by taking note of the conventions and codes used to make an
effective media text.. This allowed me to stay focused on the genre itself and it’s conventions. I have remained
true to my style sheet by using similar colours from the original album cover of blue/purple black and white. To
make all the products recognisable as their brand, I have synergised this concept with the advert as shown … The
video couldn’t be as restricted as these however, I would say that I have effectively translated this idea for the
main product because of the natural setting and any added colour effects, comply to those of the ancillary texts.
I would argue that this is one of the most important features because colour recognition plays a huge role in
how we identify with different objects, moods etc and this is the same with artists and their brand. Fonts is also
important as it is the literal method of communication. I think I have shown effort to create synergy with similar
font types which I would argue nicely match the band’s minimalistic yet stylish nature.
Moving on from colour, I have included a motif of the polaroid photos n the music video and I have replicated
this in both of my ancillary texts. I think this has created an effective combination of products because it is yet
another way to identify with the band, past colour and fonts. Doing so, I have stuck to the conventions and
intentions of many artists of different genres but I think this is particularly significant for the alterative style
because they aren’t as well known, it this aids their development and niche within the largely diverse music
industry.

It has been proven effective with all the products I analysed in my research, to capture the essence of the main
product and use it in all. So from this this I decided that closeup shots were very significant because it captures
the raw and simplistic notion of emotion which is what the song is all about. I made sure that this was included
in all three. For the video it is a technique that crops up a lot because it helps portray emotion and the narrative
in relation to the lyrics.
Regarding the digipak, I have used a closeup of the main character in the video as the outer layer for the cover.
The purpose of this is to directly tie the album with the music video and this is specifically important as the
purpose of this package is to sell the song Youth as a debut single alongside it’s live performance and music
video. The other songs are there as part of the greatest hits selling point.
For the advert, I approached this differently. Whilst I used the same photo of the polaroid as in the digipak, I
thought it was vital to use this opportunity to feature the band themselves in a closeup. Obviously I didn’t take
this photo myself, but it effectively portrays them as a band and their brand, with the in keeping theme of close
facial and emotional recognition. The article has been effectively tailored to fit the combination well because it
talk about the making of the music video and how that is possibly a reflection of a reality for some members of
the band.

An ancillary text which hasn’t been mentioned in depth is the DVD included in the digipak. Whilst this is not an
absolute requirement for the project, I think I have successfully combined this within the other texts. It is equally
relevant because it is a further selling point for the main song Youth. It captures the live performance which is
something that my music video can’t offer as it is purely narrative based.
In evaluation, the effective combination of the main text and three ancillary texts promotes the album and main
song Youth well because I have mostly conventionally followed codes and used synergy to make all the products
look branded and related so that my target audience of the alternative population and anyone else can
recognise each product as part of a fully developed package.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM YOUR AUDIENCE FEEDBACK?

Due to the actors asking for the video not to be put on social media, I decided to send it to a few random
contacts through my emails. All three responses have given positive feedback which I am very grateful for.
Interestingly, they have all talked about different aspects.

The first response talks about how the visuals match the lyrics. I am pleased with this recognition because I
wanted to make sure that I was incorporating the codes of Andrew Goodwin and from this feedback, it
suggests that this has been done effectively. She has suggested that this has consequently developed a
story line of different time periods. I did try to represent these more obviously through editing techniques
regarding colour. For example, the flashbacks were in the traditional black and white theme, the present was
in a very subtly edited tint and the future was given a slight discolouration. On reflection of this feedback, it
suggests that the way I had matched the lyrics with the visuals, better illustrated these different time
periods, so the editing was perhaps not as effective as I had hoped.
The second respondent says that she likes my use of imagery. This is yet another pleasing comment as I had
tried very hard to develop the motif and idea of the polaroid photos, as a way of the main character
documenting her story. I then made sure this idea was translated well with the two ancillary texts. She
highlights that this was relevant too, which means that whilst my idea was recognised, it was also
understood with close reference to the song choice. It is mentioned that I have created a strong storyline
which is particularly important as it is conventional of this genre that the video can provide this. Finally she
discusses how it flows together well both narratively and visually which was my main aim to ensure that I
had a polished product which would be perceived as professional. From this I have learnt that I have
hopefully achieved these things, as I had researched and planned to; my communication is clear.

Lastly the third person. To start with he mentions that he likes the use of mis-en-scene which includes the
natural settings I had chosen alongside the varied cast I had selected. The credit of using the chosen settings
has been portrayed as I had planned in order to comply with the conventions of the alternative genre and
with Daughter as a brand. A varied cast was chosen for the exact reason he gave as feedback, to add depth
and from this it suggests that I have perhaps achieved my goals effectively. While the song was explicitly
about young love, I thought it would be important to paint a picture of the other types of love to aspire to.
By doing this, I added depth of perception of the song itself and the concept of love. Finally, intertextuality is
discussed. I was really pleased with this comment and I learnt from this feedback that the subtle references
of film that I tried to include, were noticed. When planning the video, I wanted to make sure that I was
adhering to this idea of Goodwin’s but I also wanted to make sure that this didn’t take focus away from the
fact it was a music video I was producing. But as the world and technology becomes increasingly globalised
and synergised, I didn’t want to dismiss it. I was unsure if I had done this effectively, but as he says, the
credits to the cast at the end of the video, makes this effort more recognisable and valuable.

HOW DID YOU USE MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES IN THE CONSTRUCTION
& RESEARCH, PLANNING & EVALUATION STAGES?
Blogger has been a vital media technology that has been used throughout all stages on my coursework. In
evaluation, it has served the simple purpose of being a place in which I can upload all my work in stages, for a
final product and realised blog.
Research
For the research stage of my product, I used both hardware and software. The hardware I used were computers,
which predominantly carried out the majority of the software tasks such as the research using Google/Google
Images and YouTube and a mobile phone, which I used to film the reason as to why I chose Youth as my song.
YouTube was an important feature because I wanted to make sure that the research into the band, wasn’t all just
text and that the use of another media technology, will make the reading of my blog more interesting. I used
Publisher as a technological way to express my ideas through the form of mindmaps, as it is very easy to arrange
text and images in this format. I would the save these as images and import them into the correct places of my
research. An example of when I used this is when I analysed the lyrics of the song as preparation for my planning.
Later on in my research, I had to gather data from other people. I chose Survey monkey to create two
questionnaires so that I could get an incite into what people like/dislike about all three products, before planning
and creating them. Photoshop crops up later as well, however, I used it for a mockup of a digipak after having
researched three different artist’s videos, adverts and digipaks. This allowed me to get familiar with the software
and idea of physically creating something with used and applied knowledge.

Planning
There were many little parts to fully planning the all three products. For the planning of the music video itself, I
had to Email college staff for the organisation of equipment hire. As a second step, I needed to complete an
online form on Blackboard (VLE). These didn’t directly add anything to my coursework but without these media
technologies, the arrangement of hiring equipment will have been much harder. Microsoft Word was used to
format a permission letter to the owners of the song. I then saved this as a picture and uploaded it to the blog
after having sent it. As mentioned on the previous slide, I used Publisher to continue making mindmaps for
developing and planning my ideas. An example of this is shown in the location scouting.

Production
Adobe Premiere is the most essential media technology used throughout all of my coursework as it was the
method in which I have created the music video. After having filmed all my footage on the college camera, I had
to import all of it into the software, to then be ordered correctly according to my plan and storyboards. Once
this stage was complete, it was a matter of editing, rendering and uploading to YouTube. By doing this, I then
put the link onto my blog so it can be viewed. Photoshop was the chosen software for the creation of my final
advert and digipak and I found that it was familiar due to having used it previously in my research. I imported
original and existing images into the pages and then authentically wrote titles, texts and an article. Having
looked at the end products, I think that this software served it’s purpose in producing fully developed and
synergised ancillary texts.
Evaluation
Ironically, I chose PowerPoint as the media technology in which I would express my evaluation after having read
the questions. It is a simple and neat way to present a lot of text and pictures on different topics. However, you
can’t just upload a PowerPoint onto the blog. So I had to use Slideshare as a to enable me uploading the
Evaluation Presentation onto my blog. This was a vital media technology because it without it, I wouldn’t have
the opportunity to add another dimension to my blog. Via Email I sent my music video to a few people for
feedback. I chose this method because while a few people were happy to be videoed, most didn’t want it shared
on social media. Using this method, as discussed in the previous question, has allowed me to get useful,
qualitative data.

Evaluation

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to Evaluation

Similar to Evaluation (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Evaluation