Personal Evaluation Questions

1. JEM
PERSONAL
EVALUATION
SOPHIA MUSMAR

2. In what ways does your media product use, develop
or challenge forms and conventions of real media
products?
In my group’s music video we attempted to converge contemporary editing and
filmmaking techniques with authentic but ageless techniques of band
representation. During the post production, we were heavily influenced by The
Kooks, Arctic Monkeys and Jake Bugg on their works from their digipak and
website. The band The Kooks was my main outlet for inspiration for my music
video and digipak, I like that they used a noir colour scheme but in the digipak
used the colour red in the title of the bands name, so red would be relatable to
the band. It also gains attention if you were walking past it in the shop and looks
attractive. Similarly, I really liked the Arctic Monkeys ‘AM’ album cover because of
its minimal design and graphic on the front of the cover, it establishes the band is
well known and does not need the bands name written across the front. By
looking at other bands it helped me expand my creative interest and try to
challenge the conventions of the indie genre. We decided not to use a band for
our music video although our song consisted of four members, this allowed us to
emphasise Jem’s character and the effect he can have on the audience.

3. In what ways does your media product use, develop
or challenge forms and conventions of real media
products?
During the filming of our music video we tried to make it as easy as possible for our
subject, Jem, to feel as comfortable as possible. This meant that we tried to be as
prepared as possible and the filming process was smooth and meticulous, we did
this by rehearsing some of the scenes prior to filming and making sure that Jem
knew his lyrics off by heart so that we didn't’t have to keep stopping, we also
rehearsed Jem by making sure he knew what to do in front of the camera and that
he didn't’t feel awkward at any point; we told him to keep it casual and not to worry
too much. We also prepared the camera and made sure everything was working and
charged up so when we got to Brighton and our other filming locations we were
ready to film with no disruptions. However, when we got there we had to experiment
with different shot types, the places we were supposed to film in due to the harsh
weather conditions and editing techniques so we could test the boundaries of the
contemporary music video. For instance, instead we tried to cut to the beat so we
could follow the pace of the song and to emphasise the lyrics so we could amplify
the video and create a relationship between Jem and the audience. Also we used
projections when we were filming to create a more diverse and different video, and
to contrast with our scenes from Brighton and the roof top; this made the music
seem more contemporary rather than dated and organic.

4. How effective is the combination of your main product
and ancillary texts?
Our main product and our ancillary texts stemmed from and linked through the main themes of our initial brainstorms
and lyrics analysis; the struggle and climb to success in the music industry, self-promotion and self confidence, as well as
the theme of youthfulness. Through visuals, as well as text, we tried to connect the two products in a clear and effective
away. Our website was mainly used as promotional material for our artist Jem. This enabled the website did not have the
have the prominent task of portraying the ‘real’ artist as the video and lyrics to the song that are already raw and
exposing. The music video differs to the production of my ancillary texts, I tried to make the website and digipak more
sophisticated rather than conventional of the music video. I wanted an audience to note that our artist has an
experimental side rather than clinging onto the young boyband beach scene; the noir exterior for my ancillary texts is
conventional of the indie genre but creates a variety for the audience. I looked at bands like The Kooks and The Arctic
Monkeys for inspiration when researching into my ancillary products. The concentration on the colour black and white,
such as bold large texts was taken into consideration and evident in the bands I had researched. These techniques
helped to make my website look more clear, graphic and easily accessible.

5. How effective is the combination of your main product
and ancillary texts?
A similar colour scheme of black, white and red, taken from the artists I have looked at is used throughout
the website and digipak. The consistent colour scheme enables there to be a connection and significance
throughout our various products; it helps created a clear theme for the bands representation. The
connotations of the colours black and white signify dominance and masculinity rather then having an
ablaze colour scheme. This suits our subject Jem’s exterior, his rugged and manly appearance works with a
darker tone of colours, but the use of the red signifies passion and desire which is spoken through the
lyrics of the song. I wanted to highlight these colours as a way to emphasize Jem’s reliability in himself as
he is a breakthrough act in the music industry. It is important to me when thinking about the
representation that these traits were fully formed and noticeable throughout our products.
I promoted Jem through the shop on the website, selling merchandise
another materials to help sell the artist. I designed various different
logos and designs which appeared
on t-shirts and hoodies; having
other items might not have fitted
in with the indie genre and might
not have sold well to the audience.

6. How effective is the combination of your main product
and ancillary texts?
I used hyperlinks to social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat to
direct our potential audience to a more personal and intimate level with the band. The main
concern for my digipak was making sure it was not as similar as our music video, I wanted to
base Jem in the future so we could have a more sophisticated approach to his music. There is a
de-saturated indie look rather than the use of vibrant colours, I have had a much different
approach to the rest of my group members because I wanted to keep it monochrome; more
sleek and conventional of the indie genre.

7. What have you learned from your audience
feedback?■ During the editing phase of your music video, we carried our multiple audience feedback sessions with
several focus groups consisting of a wide range of people who had never seen the video before. This
helped in giving us direct feedback during the editing process, allowing us to always be making sure our
tailored decisions were towards out target demographic. Through different research into other indie-pop
artists as well as researching more into the concept of our music video, we decided very early on that
our target audience would range from 16 through to the age of 25. As a group we started the feedback
process by interviewing a selected group of 16-18 year olds, whom gave us direct feedback and
suggestions to change or improve; this will be important because they are positioned in the centre of
our target audience bracket. Some of the first feedback that we received was really positive. Everybody
loved the song and found it really catchy; even singing and dancing along to it which was a good
reaction for the first time of listening to it. There were multiple words that were current throughout the
questionnaire’s like “fun”, “happy” and “enjoyable” which helped us gain confidence in making sure the
video was having the right desired reaction on the audience. Our older audience feedback members still
had a connection with the song and compared to our younger audience feedback it was still similar.
Most people compared our music video to the works of ‘indie-pop’ bands such as the Arctic Monkeys
and Coats and Jake Bugg ,vwho were equally on their outgoing personalities. We wanted our video to
strongly portray our subject ’Jem’ as charismatic and have no problem exposing their personalities on
camera, this was a reassuring source of information too.

8. How did you use media technologies in the
construction and research, planning and evaluation
stages?
■ We used multiple technological devices throughout every stage of the production of our advanced
portfolio. During the post production of our video we were certain that communication would be
essential for us to put all our ideas together; we made a Facebook group chat and a google drive
so we could use Dropbox so we could share and transport all our videos and into one place and
decide plans for meeting. Our progress was very transparent and each member of the group was
able utilise these social media formats to update on any of the new ideas that sprung in our head.
During the construction for the music video we created an in depth story board that annotated
specific camera movements and subject movement for our music video. We used a manfrotto
tripod with which enabled us to get shots without the jolting movement which would have jolted
our footage. We used a canon 7D, camcorder and Canon XF 100 and these cameras proved to
hold unique footage from valid perspectives, with the former following more traditional music
video conventions, such as establishing shots and still camera, later on enabling us to experiment
with different camera angles and shots. We also used a shoulder mount so we had more control
when we were filming and we could be more experimental with our shots; not having to worry
about having jolted shots. This also enabled there to be amore in intimate feel with the audience
and the subject, having it hand held could make the audience feel like they are more involved and
there is more of a connection.

9. How did you use media technologies in the
construction and research, planning and evaluation
stages?
■ During the editing of our video we experimented with various techniques to enable us to make our
video as good as we could. In certain scenes like the sea, we used slow motion to create an emotional
connection with the music and the audience. Similarly, when the music quickened up, the pace of our
editing became more rapid; so after the climax we wanted something that would finish the video well.
Throughout the beginning of the music video there is a consistent speed which is used throughout, so
we needed towards the end for it to be more upbeat. The production of my digipak closely followed the
rubric we had set for ourselves once we had finished the music video. I used Wix for the production of
our website, although I did not use the same colour palette as I used a more sophisticated
monochrome look. During the fine tuning, evaluation part of our work we constantly kept recording our
different audience feedback groups so that we could maintain an outside view on our work. Most
people agreed my colour scheme and the design of the digipak didn’t match the video but agreed the
design and layout seemed professional and excaimed you can differ your works.

10. By Sophia Musmar