The document discusses a media production project involving a music video for the band Red Ocean Nectar. It summarizes: 1) The music video uses conventions of the rock genre, including live footage and close-ups of the band. It tells a narrative about domestic abuse that relates to the lyrics. 2) Feedback from an online survey informed major rewrites to the storyboard to include a stronger narrative and alternative interpretation of the lyrics. 3) Media technologies like YouTube, Premiere Pro, and Photoshop were used at different stages for research, production, and promotion. The final video was shared online and received generally positive feedback.

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products?
Displaying the title is conventional among most music vids; ours opens with a dark
frame and title of the band and song in the bottom left which fades into the first shot –
we did all of this using Premiere Pro. This first shot is the silhouette of Stevie (aged 18)
mourning and thus foreshadowing the narrative that follows. We used a cast of people
this age as it relates to the primary age of our audience, this may enable them to
connect or empathize with the characters more so than if they were older or younger.
Converging to characteristics and conventions of the rock genre – as identified by
Andrew Goodwin – we embedded a significant amount of live footage and close ups of
the band to promote identity. In fact it was almost evenly cut between that and the
narrative which is incidentally similar to the bands own ratio style. Andrew Goodwin
also identifies the frequent notion of looking, and close ups. Both of which we have
embed and I have displayed in screen shots below. One of the car wing mirror - edited
for circumstantial effect - and the other of the door being unlocked. We also include a
close up of a mobile, referencing social media in general and again the generation most
relevant to our genre as they are closely connoted with being technology and social
media orient.
In the shot to the right we see a worms eye shot of the band (Red Ocean Nectar)
performing. The reasoning for this shot was based on angles used in legitimate music
videos, symbolising a power or leadership over the crowd.

2. “It kills me not to know his, but I’ve all but just forgotten, what the colour of her eyes were, and her scars or how she got them”
*
“So tell me now
If this ain't love then how do we get out?”
This is when the idea came about that maybe this was a mans note of apology or explanation
for the unravelling narrative. This makes use of yet another convention dually noted by Andrew
Goodwin where in the lyrics and visuals hold a relation to one another. And so the concept
behind this video became that of domestic abuse and conflicting emotions, raising awareness if
you will. Which complies to Rise Against members advocacy of progressive organizations such as
Amnesty International (supporting women's rights in places like Afghanistan) It Gets Better
Project (supporting young people being harassed - LGBT) and PETA (animal rights) which
awarded Rise Against for being the most animal friendly band. We could also suggest it is
controversial in comparison to the bands image. This is as cultivation theory would suggest we
have exposed the audience to violence and moral instability, influencing their behaviour
negatively. However bands of this genre are reputable for mosh pits and aggression regardless,
thus in the live footage we included clips of the crowd ‘moshing’.
The original song Saviour does have an official video, however it doesn’t have a particularly
strong narrative. Unlike ours – with themes of violence and jealousy – exercising intertextuality
of domestic drama and the social media. Other songs by this band however, such as “Make it
Stop” target bullying and so are far more emotive. Our initial ideas for the video were
predictable but due to audience feedback we scrapped and rewrote the storyboards to meet
demands (such as “an alternative interpretation of lyrics”) And so going back over our
storyboards; we started a fresh.

3. Excluding the very start and end to which we applied fade
transitions; the majority of our music video used jump cuts.
Cutting rate carefully following the beat and intensity of the
song. The highlight of timing - in my opinion - was when the
first chorus came to a close and a crowd chants “whoooa,
whoooa” simultaneously we get a motivated shot of me
picking up the glass of water succeeded by the throw of it over
Stevie. Now we have linked not only the lyrics to the narrative,
but the rhythm to the action/intensity of the situation.
We used elements of the album cover as a basis for the ad; setting the tone for the album with washes of grey and white . The
recognised band logo of a fist rising up into the backdrop of a black heart was situated in the centre just below the bands black and
white image - following the connotations of violence reflected in our music video, and a synergy of colours. The simplification and
colours used accentuates and radiates a similarly grunge hostility.
This simplification and the colours used accentuating that, give away just enough to stir interest, but not enough to by any standard
oversell it, personifying honest and down to earth traits. To the left of our digipak I have displayed the album produced by the band
themselves. The doodle like style of drawing isn’t mirrored exactly into our own; but the concept of artistic expression is.
The digipak of course follows a not dissimilar theme and many common conventions of an album pack. Such as featuring a track list
on the back, band name and album title on the front, and use of the bands image and logo within. For the cover we scanned and
applied hand-drawn artwork; all of which is demonstrated above. This gives the album a more personalised and less industrialised
tone.

4. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
Throughout the three products we have themes of
violence. For example the band logo of a rising fist on both
the advert and digipak – matching the conflict narrative of
the video. This can be connoted to aggressive stereotypes
of the genre such as ‘moshers’, which we see as near
silhouettes in the music video. There is also a very
dominant presence of shadows and highlights as appose
to generally well lit frames, which converging with other
ancillary texts portrays a shrouded mystery that
corresponds with the domestic drama sociologists refer to
as ‘the dark figure’, as most incidents go unreported.
Synergy is also displayed through our use of the album cover as a basis for the ad; setting the angst
hostile rock tone with washes of grey and white . The reputable band logo of a fist rising into the
backdrop of a black heart was situated in the centre just below the bands black and white image -
following the connotations of violence reflected in our music video, and the photograph reinstating the
bands identity as a group.
The digipak of course follows a not dissimilar theme and many common
conventions of an album (i.e. title on the front, track list on the back). For
the cover, exerting some originality, we scanned and applied hand-drawn
artwork as for mentioned in the previous slide. Giving the album a more
personalised anti-industrialised tone that fits well into the minds of
rebellious teens. The interpretation of the drawing is subjective but as the
illustrator I can state it was done with the intention of implying life is short,
thus a stopwatch in place of an old mans eye. This is a concept many
teenagers take note of, which I can illustrate alternatively with the word
“YOLO” – You Only Live Once.

5. Due to the fact they are a practised and professionally recorded band they’re confidence on stage came
naturally which worked in our favour. The members also represented the kind of audience this genre
and song would be directed at in terms of age, class, clothing, interests and hobbies.
(15 – 18, flannel shirts, play an instrument, attend concerts, working class)
Through the process of developing our three artefacts we also completely
changed the advert. Initially it was of it’s own theme and would seem
unrelated to other ancillary texts. The original - as shown to the left - was
produced prior to the digipak (as shown in the bottom middle). After we
formatted the grungy washed out monotone colour theme, hand-drawn
album cover and band image to suit; we developed the advert
accordingly. The developed one as shown on the right of this text.

6. What have you learned from your audience feedback?
It was due to audience research – conducted on survey monkey – that we
completely rewrote our story board in attempt to captivate an
“alternative interpretation of the lyrics”. This caused set backs in our
schedule but in the long run was worth the work and development. By
utilising this site we were able to reach a wider audience – sharing a link
to the survey on social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr –
providing quantitative (numerical) data that we could stratify and draw
conclusions from. We backed this up with an interview providing more
qualitative in depth research – although not wholly representative – with
Nathan Wilson.
.
Generally speaking the audience feedback since making the music video has been
positive. Drawing attention to and praising our use of live performance – “relative to the
genre” – and also the range of experimental shots such as in the car wing mirror at 2:35
(1). Although the narrative was slightly too emotive and “strange” for some, others note
that it had “good acting and a deep link to social realism”. Reviews were also left
commenting on how the narrative fitted the music well – referring there more to the
way in which jumps made between the live performance and narrative fit the rhythm
and intensity of the music resulting in a more engaging watch. Unfortunately fewer
people than I had imagined picked up on the literal relationship between lyrics and
visuals but regardless both were credited. Highlighted by several people was the use of
flashbacks beginning at 2:50 (2). Clearly this effectively summarised and refreshed the
narrative in peoples minds, tying any loose ends in their understanding. It was also
timed in sync with the silence of all instruments but the guitar (3), the synchronised
sound and visuals keeps focus on crucial points.
*Facebook screen shot*
(1) (2) (3)

7. How did you use media technologies in the construction and research,
planning and evaluation stages?
Our coursework has been heavily influenced and assisted by our ability to apply digital technologies to it. Initially we each (Harry,
Stevie, Emily and I) set up accounts on Tumblr - a popular site for operatively sharing pictures and videos through - run primarily by
the age range applicable to this particular genre (rock). This is where we frequently updated our coursework progress and can be
viewed publicly.
We also used Survey Monkey to see exactly what people were looking for in a music video. The survey was taken almost equally by
men and women, the majority of which aged 15 – 18 years old, and half of which from a British ethnicity. Of 43 responses, 38 say
they watch music videos, and 86% conclude this is primarily through the online services of YouTube. And when asked why, the
overruling majority chose for a strong narrative. However other elements such as live footage and an alternative/unexpected
interpretation of the lyrics where also highlighted demands. 65.4% of people either somewhat or strongly agreed that when listening
to the lyrics of a song they relate to what they are watching. Which in a convention identified by Andrew Goodwin.
YouTube provided the foundation to look at pre-existing music videos by several bands in or around the Rock genre. And once we
had selected our song it provided a place to further research the bands published work. Watching these we dually noted impressive
shots, angles and effects to later embed in our own piece. For instance a shot from Red Hot Chilli Peppers – Cant Stop which
effectively references the notion of looking (another convention highlighted by Andrew Goodwin) which we mimic loosely in the shot
of the car wing mirror. The clear difference being in our shot there isn’t a persons reflection at the other end, instead it is looking
behind, symbolising the move away from an event or attempt to do so. Another example is in Rise Against – Satellite where Tim
McIlrath stands higher than and facing the crowd displaying a leadership over them. Within our video I chose to take this
live shot from the perspective of the audience emphasising their status.

8. When the music video was finally completed which took roughly 2 weeks; we shared it on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter,
YouTube and Tumblr. Thus lending ourselves to wider audience and a wider pool of feedback that in turn is more representative of
the general verdict on our work. Audience feedback since making the music video has been generally positive; drawing attention to
and praising our use of live performance – relative to the genre – and also the range of experimental shots as for mentioned in
previous slides. Although the narrative was too emotive for some, others note that it had good acting and link to social realism.
Reviews left also commented on how the narrative fitted the music – referring there more to the way in which jumps made between
the live performance and narrative fit the rhythm and intensity of the music resulting in a more engaging watch. Evaluating our own
piece myself I would add that more clear and energetic crowd shots would have amplified the connotation of the rock genre and
steady frames would have made it more professional.
After configuring a brief story board to account for the shots and give us a structure to begin filming from; we collected required
equipment from Gary the media technician. These included a Canon 650, a light to fit the camera for filming live performance in
highest possible definition, and a mac book for uploading and compiling the shots into our end product. The mistake we made here
was to not also obtain a tripod to steady the shots as these were primarily hand held and noticeably so.
To compile shots we used a program on the Mac called Premiere Pro. Initially having no experience with the software – but a little
guidance from Harry – I did most of this myself. Learning in the process how to use tools such as ‘Razor’ to shorten clips, ‘Bins’ to file
and organise shots - amplifying organisation and ease - and also the route to take when adding or editing colour effects on frames as
seen in the car scene. It was within this period we realized taking longer shots from each angle would have made nit picking shots
easier as some favourable ones were short lived.
While that was in process however, we were simultaneously creating an advert and Digipak. For the Digipak cover we used a hand
drawn picture of an old mans face, half skeletal. To get the high quality we transferred its image via scanner onto the computer and
edited it further on Photoshop. On which I learnt to use the Magic Wand tool, Which will, on mouse click, select any and all pixels
(depending on the setting of the wand) of the colour of the pixel that you clicked on. We also made use of the very basic crop tool
(you select the tool, click and drag on the area of the photo you would like to keep).