The student designed a CD cover that incorporated conventional features like the artist name, album title, and song list, but challenged conventions by rearranging these features. The CD cover image was edited to have a sketch-like appearance inspired by Andy Warhol. Feedback from a survey showed positive responses for the music video's editing, use of locations, and lip syncing. The student used various software like Fireworks and Movie Maker in constructing their media products and learned new skills through experimenting with features. Overall, the main products and ancillary designs like the magazine ad and single cover maintained a consistent retro-inspired image that was assessed to be bright, unique, and effective at catching customers' eyes.

1. Evaluation
Beth Dobson

2. How do my products use, develop and
challenge forms and conventions or
real media products?
The CD cover that I designed have all of the recommended/conventional features that you’d expect to
find on a standard CD cover. The conventional features that my CD case has is the artist name, the
album title, the song listing, the barcode, copyright information and the image of the artist. I have
challenged these conventions by rearranging the key features in a different formation than usual. The
image has been edited to look more like a sketch, originally I change adjusted the hue and saturation of
the colour of the image, it used the colours purple, green as the main colours (the image is shown
below. I designed the cover in this way because I admired Andy Warhol’s work and I wanted my design
to be unique and attractive, I also achieved this design by styling the models hair in curlers, this gave the
image a 60’s housewife look. It was influenced by Andy Warhol. Usually the song list is listed vertically, I
have challenged this by categorising it into 2 columns horizontally . This makes the layout interesting
and attractive to customers. On a conventional CD cover, the song list on the back of the CD which is
what I have followed out, I designed/practised the font size and layout a number of times until I was
happy with the final one which is show on the right. The design of the back of the CD cover is looks like
a parcel, the lines look like ribbons wrapped around a present, this could represent a gift and encourage
people to buy the CD as a gift to there friends or family.

3. Continued...
In this section I will be comparing my project to the conventional features of a real media product.
Below shows 6 conventional features I have used in my music video:
1. Dancers
2. Props
3. Main focal point (artist)
4. Fast Cuts
5. Vast scenery and locations
6. The artist is portrayed to look good and important
The song a Kiss with a Fist by Florence and the Machine gives off a fun vibe, the genre of the song is Post-punk
revival, indie rock and pop. My music video follows the conventions as it is staring the main artist who is seen
as the main focal point who is seen all the way through the video. Florence and the Machine is predominantly
“popular” in style. The locations I have used in the video are ambiguous as the audience will never know exactly
what the building is, the locations are outside, in a theatre and then in a large and small room. I have also added
dancers in my video, the choreography is influenced by the famous dance routine called Rosas Danst Rosas
choreographed by Anne Teresa de Keermaeker. I decided to add dancers because I like the way that the dancers
compliment the artist and it makes the image on screen look more fuller and exciting to watch.

4. Survey
A few weeks ago I researched existing music videos that follow the same genre I
have chosen for my music video. Over the past few days I have set out a survey
asking 20 members of the general public on there opinion on my final designs.
Here are survey questions (rate out of 10) alongside the results (average score):
What did you think about the editing (cuts/pace/quality)? 8/10
Was there a variety of costumes used? 6/10
Is there a good use of locations? 7/10
Did the lips move at the correct timing? 9/10

5. My Collections
CD Cover (Front, Back and
Side), Magazine Advert and Single
Cover

6. CD Cover

7. Magazine Advert

8. Single Cover

9. Development
CD Cover (Front and Side), Magazine
Advert and Single Cover

10. Stages:
CD Front Cover

11. Stages:
CD Back Cover

12. Stages: Magazine Advert

13. Stages: Single Cover

14. What have you learned from your
audience feedback?
Most of the project was independent however at times I did
work in groups for a few different reasons. One was help for the
filming, I needed someone to play the music and someone to
star in the video. Another time was for positive feedback and
constructive criticism. I made sure I helped others as much as I
could by commenting on there blog the positives and negatives
of there products. By observing the faults of others work it
helped me to avoid making similar mistake on my projects. Also
when observing I saw difference admirable ideas that I could
then incorporate into my own work. Finally receiving feedback
from my peers helped me to achieve the best that I can do, each
one of us were very honest because we all wanted to do well in
this project.
On the right is a comment I have sent to a
fellow pupil. I have gave her constructive
criticism as well as positive feedback.

15. How did you use media technologies in
the construction and research, planning
and evaluation stages?
During the construction of my media project I have used 4 different types of software. For
the image I used Macromedia Fireworks and Microsoft picture tool and for the video
editing I have used Pinnacle Studios and Windows Movie Maker. For the construction of my
media product I have used two software's that I have used predominately for many
projects in the past. Although I was familiar with the software's I was still learning and
adapting new skills, the main editing techniques that I used were the brightness, contrast
and colour of the image. I experimented a lot with the colours until I was happy to consider
the simple yet effective black and white which falls perfectly against the green and pink
banner alongside it.
When editing my music video I used an updated version of Windows Movie Maker which
was something that I wasn’t use to, it was a complete transformation from the original
Windows Movie Maker that I had used in previous years. This software was very time
consuming as I needed to learn how to use all of the features, fortunately after a couple of
practices I then soon picked it up, and have made all of my video with Movie Maker.
Pinnacle is a more advanced software compared to Windows however Pinnacle takes a
while to load up so now I only consider Pinnacle when I need to download my filming off
the camcorder onto the computer.
Below is the Microsoft Picture Tool Bar that I used for editing photos:
Here is a print screen of Windows Movie Maker:

16. Overall how effective is the
combination of your main products
and your ancillary products?
My main product and ancillary products are bright, unique, attractive. My
ancillary products follows a consistent image with the artist wearing the
curlers in her hair, this look represents a 1940’s house wife look. The aim of
this image is to re invent/modernise the 40’s look which will catch the eye of
customers and increase the sales of the product. The products all include
conventional features such as the main image, title and sponsors. Another
convention that is seen effective is the title/name that I have consistently
used on all of the ancillary features, the title has a unique “signature”
look, the A is the key feature to the title, I have designed it to look bigger than
the rest of the text and it has a more handwritten affect with the flick.