Evaluation of my A2 Media work

1. Evaluation
Question1: In what ways doesyour media product use,developor challenge formsand
conventionsof real life mediaproducts?
Priorto makingmy musicvideo,Iresearchedall of the typical conventionsof real lifemusicvideos.I
didsome researchintothe conventionsof certaingenres,whichcanbe foundonmy blog.My
chosensongwas ‘Mushaboom’byFeist,soI specificallyresearchedindiemusicvideosandtheir
conventions,sothatIcouldmake sure I usedenoughof theminmyown video sothatit can be
identifiedasindie.
Specificallyforthe indie genre,Ifoundthattheyoftenhave anarrative aspectto the videowhich,
metaphoricallyorliterally,linkstothe lyrics.Itoo have useda narrative element,althoughitisnota
full, precise story,itisclearthatthe artistisexploringabeautiful townandenjoyingtime withher
friends.Forexample,there isalyricthatsays ‘How many acres,how much light,Tuckedinthe
woodsandout of sight,Talkto the neighboursandtipmycap, On a little roadbarelyonthe map’ so
I dida pan shot of the singerand herfriendwalkingdownalittle road,andashot of her walking
throughthe woodsand a field.
Most indie videosare performancebasedandinclude the artistsplayinganinstrument,somymusic
videoismostlyperformance basedasI gotmy actressto play the singerandlip-synctothe songand
someone toplaythe guitar.
I alsofoundthat theyare much lessflashythanpopand rock videos,somyvideoisdefinitelyquite
relaxed,partlybecause the coloursinitare all quite neutral andalsodue tothe fairlyslow editing.
Linkedtothis,thisstyle of video usually has natural colours and is set in natural, outdoor
settings. This is because the indie genre stemsfrommusicthatwasproducedbysmall independent
record labels,sotheydidnothave the resourcesof the bigrecord labelsmeaningtheyhadalower
budgetto findandrentplacesto shootvideos.Itoodidnot have a big budgetsoluckilythistiedin
withthe conventionswell andIsetmy whole videoinoutdoorlocations,andone inmyownhouse.
Also,asa resultof notbeinghuge conglomerate labels,theyhave alowerproductionvalue forthe
editingprocessthanpopvideos,sothe editingisnotveryextravagantanddoesnottendto use
special effects.
I alsomade sure that the mise-en-sceneconformedtothe genre,like the clothing.Indieartistsand
theirfansoftenwearverycasual clothing,withmostlynatural colours,ortheywear‘boho-chic’style
clothing. ThereforeIresearchedsome outfitsthatpeople wore toCoachella,abigindie festival,and
basedmymain charactersoutfitsonthose,forexample flowy,patterneddresses.Also,Ifoundthat
fairylightsandbonfirescanbe consideredindie,soIusedthese aspropsinmy videotofirstof all
make the visual more interesting,andalsosoindie fanswouldbe attracted.Ithinkthatoverall my
videousesanddevelopsmostof the conventionsof the indiegenre.
Separately,Iresearchedandthenusedsome of the more general conventionsof musicvideos;I
useda range of shots(long,midandclose- up),Iusedjumpcuts whichare verycommon inmusic
videosandI dida mix of performance andnarrative musicvideo.

2. AndrewGoodwinisamusicvideotheoristwhose theoryisbasedon6 mainprinciples:there are
linksbetweenthe lyricsandvisuals;linksbetweenthe musicandvisuals(complimentary,
contradictingoramplification);genre characteristics;intertextualreferences;voyeurism
(objectificationof women,directgaze,otherpeoplelookingatthe artist,screensandmirrors);
demandsof the record label (close upsof the artist).
My videousessome of these theoriesbutchallengesothers.There are nointertextualreferencesas
I feltitdidn’tfitthe theme/feel of the songandvideo,andalsothisisalsomore typical of popmusic
videosratherthanindie,forexampleTaylorSwift’s‘Love Story’videohasmanyintertextual
referencestoRomeoandJulietbyShakespeare.Also,thereisn’tmuchvoyeurism/objectificationof
womenasI feltitwasn’tright formy videoandI thinkthisismore typical of othergenres,like hip-
hopor rap,for example Nicki Minaj’sAnaconda.
However,myvideodiduse anddevelopthe restof Goodwin’stheories.Myvideocomplimentsand
amplifiesthe lyricswithvisualreferences.The name of mysongis ‘Mushaboom’ whichisthe name
of a village inNovaScotia,Canada,andthe singerdescribeswhatabeautiful townitis.Iresearched
locationsformyvideolookingforasuitable village torepresentthe cute andprettyvillage described
by the lyrics.My videofeaturesmanylongpanshotsof the maincharacter/singerandherfriend
walkingarounda picturesque townandachurch. There are alsolinksbetweenthe musicandvisuals
as the song isfairlyslowandcalm,so the editing/pace of the videoisquiteslow.The visualsare
quite calmingasit issetoutdoorsinthe openfieldswithrollinghillsinthe background,indicatinga
peaceful rural setting.There are nobright/flashy colourswhichwouldbe jarringagainstthe
music/tone of the song.Since there isaguitar playinginthe song,Imade sure to include aguitar
beingplayedinthe video.
As I mentionedpreviously,thereare clearlylotsof indie genrecharacteristicsin the video.With
regardto the demandsof the recordlabel,there are several close upsof the artistwitha directgaze,
but nottoo many,as I believe thatthisismore typical of pop.Thisisbecause indie artists/labels
generallyare more interestedjustinthe musicanddonot pursue commercial success,anddon’t
reallytryto ‘sell’the artist,believingthatthe musicshouldseekitself.
Similarly,Ilookedatmanyconventionsof real life digipaksandmagazine advertsbeforemakingmy
ownancillary productsto findouttheirtypical conventions.Idiscoveredthatmostof them, or at
leastthe mostsuccessful ones,hadmajorlinksbetweenthe digipaksandmagazine advert,sothat
customerswouldeasilybe able toidentifyone fromthe otherandit createsa sort of brand.So I
made sure to use thisconvention,asinmy opinionitwasone of the most importantonesandwould
be importantinensuringthe successof my products.ForthisreasonI usedthe same image and also
fontfor bothmy digipakand the magazine advert.The outfitthe actressiswearinginthe image is
alsoone of the outfitsshe wearsinthe actual music video.Thisisnotoftendone,soIchallengeda
conventionhere,butIbelieve thatthisextralinkwill make sure thataudiences willbe able to
connectthemall,itgivesconsistencyandIthinkithas improvedthe product.
The conventionsforthe contentof the digipakare that theyusuallyhave the albumname andartist
stronglyfeaturedonthe front;thatthe track listgoeson the back;there is typicallyalogoof the
record label displayedsomewhere;the imagesonall of the pageswere similarorsomehow linked
together;andthat popdigipaksusuallyhadamessage fromthe artistthankingtheirfansinit
somewhere,whereasrockandindie oneshada message talkingaboutthe productionof the album.

3. I usedand developedall of these conventions,soIensuredthatthe artist name andalbumname
were boldonthe front andusedan interestingfontthatIdownloadedonlinesotheywouldstand
out.I put track listingonthe back page and I alsouseda verysimilarimage forthe back coveras the
frontcover,where the singerwasjusta little furtheraway.Forthe other2 pagesI alsousedother
imagesItook inthe woodsso that theyall linkedtogether.Iputa logoof the record label of the
artist(Feist) of the songI am usingformy musicvideo,whichiscalledArtsandCraftsProductions
whichisa Canadianrecordlabel.Ihada message fromthe artist,butas it isan indie album, the
message wasjustthankingthe people whohelpedproduce the albumandmentionedthe
instrumentsused.
As forthe contentof the magazine advertforthe album, the mainconventionsare thattheytoo
have the albumand artistname in bigfontto stand out;it includesthe release date;there are
reviewsof the album;maybe alistof singlesfromthe album, andthe detailsof where tofindmore
informationonthe artistsuchas theirwebsite ortwitterhandle.
I usedall of these conventionstomake sure myadvertlookedlike areal life magazine advert.Imade
the artist andalbumname in bold,andusedthe same fontthat I didon my digipaks.Insteadof an
actual release date,Iassumedthatthe albumwouldbe alreadyreleasedsoIput‘Available Now’in
bold.I includedone writtenreview fromNMEsaying‘beautifullymoving’,andthentwo5-star
reviewsfromThe GuardianandQ Magazine.Thiswouldencourage someone tobuythe albumasit
showsthat criticslike itsotheyprobablywill too.Ialsolistedtwoof the singlesfromthe album, one
of whichwasthe song formy musicvideo,thismeansthatpeople whoaren’tstrictfansof thisartist
mightstill recognise these songsfromthe radioorthe music videoandbe more inclinedtobuythe
album.Finally,Iwrote the artist’swebsite andtwitterhandle atthe bottom, thoughina fairlysmall
fontbecause althoughthese are quite important,theydon’tsellthe albumandsoI decidedto
prioritise otherthingstokeepthe advertquite focussedand nottoobusy.
Overall,IthinkIusedsome conventionsandchallengedotherseffectivelyinordertomake
successful andprofessional lookingmediaproducts.
Question2: How effective isthe combinationof your main product and ancillary texts?
While I was creatingmyproducts,I understoodthe importance of themall beingcohesivelylinked
withsome kindof synergy,because Ihadresearchedthe conventionsbeforehand.Thisenablesan
audience toidentifyanyof the productsfromthe other,forexample, theymightsee myadvertina
magazine andthenrememberthe videoanddigipak,makingthemmore likelytobuyit.I was
essentiallycreatingabrand,so while creatingall of myproductsI keptthisat the forefrontof my
mind.
The advertand digipaklink verydirectly,andthiswaseasyto do as theyare both printproducts.
Theyhave the same lookand general feel astheyhave asimilarcolourscheme andimages.Ihave
usedthe same image of a girl runningthroughthe woodsonthe advertand frontcover of the
digipak,andthe restof the imagesonthe digipakalsoare in the woods,andof the same model.I
have alsousedthe same fontfor the albumtitle onboth the advertand digipak,andthe same pale
yellowcolour.Also,onthe advert,there isa line sayingthatthe albumincludesthe hitsingle
Mushaboomwhichisthe song that I’mmakingmy musicvideofor,sothisiseffective inhelping
people rememberitandittheylikedthe songandvideo,theywouldbuythe album.

4. It was a little hardertotie inmy videobutIthinkinthe endI didso successfully.Firstly,Iusedthe
same actor from the musicvideointhe imagesonthe digipakandadvert,andI made herwearone
of the same dressesfromthe videointhose imagestoo.Lastly,the mood/aestheticof the videoand
ancillarytasksisquite similarasthe videoissetoutside,some of itina fieldandwoods,andinthe
picturesforthe advert/digipakare inthe woods,furtheraccentuatingthe natural feel.Thisisalso
fairlycommonforthe indie genre sothistiesthemtogethermore andmakessure thatthe audience
knowthat all of these productsare indie.
I thinkthat thissynergyinthe combinationof all myproductsisveryeffectiveastheyall give off the
same kindof mood.I thinkI have done thiswell soitwouldattract a certainaudience,forexample,
not onlyfansof the singer,butpeople wholike indie music.Theywouldthenrememberthisartist
fromany of the products,therebycreatingaverystrongbrand.
Question3: What have you learnedfrom your audience feedback?
I askedsome of my friendsforfeedbackaboutmyproducts,onbothwhattheythinkworkedwell
and anythingthattheythoughcouldbe improved.Iaskedbothfellow mediastudentsandnon-
mediastudentssothatI couldget a range of responsesfromdifferentperspectives,likesome for
whatwouldspecificallymake myproductbetterfromatechnical side,andalsoa more general
opinionthata typical viewermighthave.
Some people inmymediaclasssaidthattheyreallylike the locationsIfoundandthattheyfitinwell
togetherbuttheysaidI shouldframe myshotsbetteras sometimespeople’sheadsorsomething
were slightlyoutof shotandthiswouldmake itlookmore professional.Someone else saidthatI
shouldhave usedatripodin more of my shotsas some of themare a bitshaky.If I get another
chance to re-film,Iwill definitelydothese thingsbutif not,I will trytore-edititsothat I can cut
these partsout or onlyuse parts of the shot where everythingisinview anditisn’ttooshaky,or I
will use the warpstabilizertool tostabilize the footage.Anotherone of mymediafriendssaidthat
the props andcostumesI usedwere verygoodandfitin withthe indie genre of myvideobutshe
saidI could improve myeditingsothatit wentalongwiththe tempoof the music.Some people liked
the way myvideostartedandendedwiththe same shotas theysaidit gave ita circularnarrative,
and that there wasa good range of shotsandmovements.Iwasalso toldthat I shouldcolourcorrect
the footage sothat it lookedmore professionalandaestheticallypleasing,
Some of my non mediastudentfriendssaidthatthe propsandsceneryI have usedreallysuitthe
genre of my musicbut some of themsaidthat I couldmaybe putthe name of the song or artistin
the video.Iwill playaroundwiththistosee how it looksbefore puttingitinasI thinkthisismore
typical of pop butI will see howitlooksinmyvideo.Someone suggestedthatIextendthe visualsto
the endof the songas the videoendsandthere isa few secondsof a blackscreenwhile the last
instrumental partsof the songplays.IchangedthiseasilyasI justextendedthe panupwardsshotof
the treesand skya fewmore seconds.
From myaudience feedbackIlearnedmanyspecificthingof how toimprove andchange particular
parts of my musicvideotomake it betterwhichwasveryhelpful.HoweverIalsolearnedthat
everyone hasadifferentideaof whatwouldmake agood musicvideo,butitisalwaysmore useful

5. to have otherpeople give youadvice astheymightspotsomethingthatIwouldneverhave thought
of andit wouldvastlyimprove myproduct.
Question4: How did you use media technologiesinthe construction and research, planningand
evaluationstages?
I usedmanydifferentmediatechnologiesthroughoutall the stagesof mycoursework,both
hardwaresandsoftwares.Obviously,myonline blogshowcasingall of myworkis the first
technologyIused.We usedthe bloggingwebsite WordPress whichIhadneverusedbefore,aswe
usedBloggerlastyearfor our AScoursework.However,Ifigureditoutandmade a professional-
looking,presentable blog.A small disadvantageof WordPressisthatitdoesn’tembedEmaze
presentations,soIhad to work aroundthis bytakinga screenshotof the presentationandaddinga
hyperlinktothe image tothe presentation.
I alsousedthe internetformanyof my researchtasks,as it isa veryimportantmediatechnology
that givesaccessto all kindsof informationsoit’sveryusefulfordoingresearch.Forexample,Iused
YouTube to lookat othermusicvideos,Ialsoresearchedotherdigipaksandmagazine adverts.Italso
helpedme findconventionsof musicvideosandparticulargenres,publishingplatformsandmusic
labels.IalsousedwebsiteslikeEmaze,Prezi andSlideSharetopresentmyresearch,andmostof my
otherposts,clearlyandina waythat is easyto navigate.
For manyof my planningtasks,Iagainusedthe internetandwebsiteslikeEmaze butIalsoused
programslike MicrosoftWord andPowerPointformyProposal,PersonnelDetails,RiskAssessment
and Treatment.Ihave usedWord andPowerPointmanytimesbefore sothiswaseasyforme to use
effectivelytopresentthe informationinthe waywanted. Ialsohadto do a ResearchintoEquipment
postso for thisI usedmyphone to take picturesof all the equipmentandthenIuploadedthemto
the computerso I couldputthemin the post.Thisis alsosomethingthatIhave done before soI was
easy,anda smart phone isveryuseful andimportantpiece of technologythatwe use today.
technologies,firstlyacamerato shootthe videoandtake picturesforthe digipakandmagazine
advert,I useda Cannon550d, whichI have onlyeverusedtotake pictureson, but afterlearninghow
to use it,my camera skillsfromAStoA2 showeda significantdevelopmentasI understoodthe
functionsof the settingsandwhatto adjustinorderto create the bestpossible footageformoving
image.Iexperimentedwiththe range of aperture,ISOsettingsandshutterspeed.Ialsohadto
adjustthe focusfor some shotswhere Iwas shootingsome scenery,Ididsome pull focusshots
where Ihad to focuson differentthingasthe camera movedtothem, like the bushesinfrontof the
houses.
I alsolookedatthe lightsasit isveryimportanttohave good lightinginthe musicvideosasthiswill
alsomake sure that the footage ishighqualityandnotdark and fuzzy.Ifoundthat there are 3 types
of lights,the keylight,the fill lightandthe back light.Inthe endthough,I justuseda small LED light
that attachedon topof the camera as I was shootinginmostlylightplaces,apartfromthe bonfire
scene whichIshot inthe evening,soIneededalittle bitof lightjusttomake sure my footage didn’t
some outblurry.

6. Once I had shotthe video,Ithenhadto editit,usingnew softwareslikeAdobe Premiere Pro.This
was difficultatfirstbutI watchedmanytutorialsonYouTube (againa veryuseful technology) forany
effectsIdidn’tknowhowtodo, andin the endI was able tomake a good,professional-looking
video.Forexample,Iwantedtocolourcorrect all of the midshotsand close upsof the singerlip
syncingto make the skylookbluer.SoI lookedthisuponthe internetandfoundmanytutorialson
howto do thisusingthe RCB curvestool,and inthe endthe colourcorrectedfootage lookedmuch
betterandhigherqualitythanbefore.
To editmypictures,I usedAdobe PhotoshopwhichIhave usedbefore inmyAScoursework
magazine,soitwas easyenoughtoget themto lookthe wayI wanted.Iplayedaroundwiththe
brightnessandcontrast,I turnedupthe saturationa bit.I triedto do the same effectsonall of the
picturesformy digipaksotheylookedsimilarandfitintogethernicely.
ThenI usedInDesigntomake the actual digipakandmagazine advert,whichIhadagainusedlast
yearfor the magazine.Forthe digipak,Iuseda template soI knew whichpageswouldgowhere and
the sizingof them,sothismade itmuch easy and made itlookmore realistic.Ithenjustinsertedthe
imagesthatI had edited,downloadedthe fontsIwantedfromthe internet,sothatitlookedexactly
howI wanteditto. I downloadedthe font‘PeasandCarrots’fromthe website ‘DaFonts.com’ asI
thoughtit fitinwell withmydigipakandIusedit forthe title of the album.I alsodownloaded
‘TapeFont’touse for the name of the artistas it looksverysimilartothe fontusedinthe actual
artists’logo.
For the advert,I didprettymuch the same thing,Iplacedone of the editedimagesthatwasalsothe
coverof the digipak.Iusedthe same fonts‘PeasandCarrots’ forthe albumtitle tomake sure it
linkedtothe digipakevenmore.
For my evaluation,Ifirstlyusedwordtowrite outall of my answerstothe questionssoIcould
organise themproperlyanddeicidewhichformatsIwantedforwhichquestion.Ione questionasa
magazine style documentonInDesignasthenIcouldput inimagesthat relatedtoanythingIwas
talkingaboutinthe question.Thiswasfairlyeasyasitis similartowhatI didfor my evaluationlast
year,I thenexporteditasa PDFand uploadedittothe website ‘Issuu’,sothatI couldpresentit
professionallyonmyblog.ForanotherquestionIdecidedtorecordmyself readingoutthe answer
on myphone and thenI uploadedthe videotothe computer.IuploadedthistoSoundCloudwhichis
a well-knownaudiosharingwebsite,andthenputthaton myblog.For the audience feedback
question,Idecidedtouse the videosIhadtakenof people givingme feedback,butthenputmy
response,andalsosome otherpeople’swrittenfeedbackinaPrezi presentationonline.