Tuesday, 28 April 2015
What tasks did I carry out during A2 Media Studies
Although we worked as a group, we all undertook individual roles during the production and editing stages, in order to keep the tasks organised. I was actively involved in creating the storyboard, which laid out all the information we needed. I also took part in a lot of the filming, such as filming the dancer on the green screen. I also attended the filming sessions where we filmed our artist in the main location. I acted as a voice throughout the filming sessions, giving my opinion and ideas on what we could improve on. I also created some clips on iMovie, where I filmed people lip syncing to the lyrics. I then edited this using the green screen effect. However, these clips were not used in the final music video because of a lack of space. I still feel that this was an effective use of my time as I developed certain skills, and it it gave us inspiration for other ideas. I also contributed to the creation of of the digi pack, as I helped to chose the font, colour schemes and positioning. Throughout the whole editing process I gave my opinion on what could be improved and what things worked well. I was also a part of our first attempt at the digi pack. I was actively involved in the photo shoot, were we took pictures of the balloons. Although we did not use this digi pack idea, I still feel that this showed initiative and skill.
Monday, 27 April 2015
How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
Click to enlarge mind map
One programme I used during the research and planning stage was Slide Share, this is an interactive way of viewing power points. I created a slide share about Sven E Carlssons theory on music videos, I decided to create this as knowing the different types of videos was important. In my AS portfolio I used Slide Share a lot to carry our research, however I never created my own one. I feel that by creating my own power point, I was able to construct and lay it out in a way that suited me. I was able to choose which information I wanted to include, therefore allowing me to focus on certain aspects. Being able to include images was also useful as it made it more appealing to look at, and also made links between the text.
Another software that I was introduced to during A2 was Final Cut Pro. This is an editing software where we uploaded our footage, in order to arrange the shots and add effects and transitions. For our AS portfolio we used IMovie to edit all of the clips, we decided to do this as it was the simpler programme. However, in order to develop our editing skills, we decided to use Final Cut Pro as it is more complicated. The first step was to upload all of the footage we had filmed into the programme, so that we could begin editing. This was very simple, and I faced no difficulties with this task. Next, as a group we deleted the clips that we did not need or felt that the quality was not up to scratch. This was again very simple as we could look through the clips and simply right click then delete.
The next thing we done as a group was insert the audio. We felt this was vital to do at the beginning of the editing process, as we would be able to successfully sync the clips with the song. This was very simple to carry out; we had to click the music button in the tool bar, then choose the song that we had uploaded then drag it to the time line. This was very similar to using IMovie as both required audio to be dragged down to the time line.
Next we began to arrange the clips in the order we wanted, as some of the clips were slightly different to our original storyboard, we just tried different clips to see what fitted best. It was very simple to arrange the clips as you could simply move them around by dragging them into the place you want them. As we continued to do this, I began to understand more which clips fitted well together, due to the different lighting's. One of the biggest parts of the editing process was adding the different effects and transitions, Individually we all conducted our own research on different effects and transitions then came together as a group and compared ideas. I focused on looking at pop music videos, to see if there are any trends to what they use. I found out that most of the music videos that had effects, used very fun and bright effects. This is because it engages the audience and makes the overall production more interesting to watch. We did not want to overdo our video with effects, so made sure that we balanced them well. One thing I have learnt is how to make text appear in time to the beats of the music. We decided to have this as the beginning our our video as the black and yellow colour scheme would catch the audiences eye, and engage them for the rest of the video. We wanted to make sure that the text appeared at the exact same time as the beats, otherwise it would not look professional.
This is how we added effects and transitions
This is what our beginning sequence looked like
Another programme that we used a lot during A2 was Photo Shop. We used this mainly for our ancillary tasks, as this was the simplest way to edit the images. I had never used Photo Shop before as during our AS production we did not not need to edit any images. Although some of my group members took A Level Photography, I wanted to be involved in the editing process of the images, so that I could develop new skills. The first thing we did was upload the photos onto Photo Shop. This was very simple as all we needed to do was upload the images to the IMac then select the file on Photo Shop. Once the front cover image had been uploaded, we began looking at the different editing tools. We made the image lighter, and also tried it in black and white, however we felt that it made the image look too plain. The next step was to add the text, this is a skill that I developed as I had to practise editing the text, to make it fit the image.
Once the front cover was completed, we began creating the inlays on Photo Shop,this was slightly harder than the front cover, however one positive of this is that I developed numerous skills and was also introduced to a range of editing tools and techniques. This first thing we did was upload the image of the brick wall. This was very simple as we had already learnt how to upload an image by doing the front cover. For the first inlay, we wanted to have graffiti on the wall. We were thinking about uploading images of graffiti, however to further develop our skills we decided to use the spray paint tool on Photo Shop to draw on the graffiti ourselves. This was very fun to do as I could be very creative, and use bright colours to make the inlay stand out.
Choosing our graffiti colours
Another programme I used to present my ideas and research in a different way was Prezi. This is a really creative and interactive way to present information, and allows you to add different transitions to get from slide to slide. I decided to create a Prezi on our chosen genre, to show that I have researched the different forms and conventions. I have used Prezi before as I really like how it collates all of the information, and presents it in a way that is engaging. As I have used the programme before, I decided to use different template and transitions in order to show how I have developed.
Overall, I feel my skills have greatly developed since AS, as I used a range of different programmes, which allowed me to progress my editing skills. I feel that learning how to use Photo Shop was extremely useful, as our digi pack images looked very professional once we had finished editing them. I also feel that I made good use of the different formats in which I could present information on. For both the planning and evaluation, I used a variety of websites that created fun and engaging power points.
What have you learned from your audience feedback?
The first set of audience feedback we collected was during the planning process, we decided to carry out this questionnaire in order to find out who we should be aiming our production at. We asked a range of different ages and genders, in order to make sure that the results we collected were fair. We felt that it was important to have a clear target audience to aim our video at, otherwise our video would have no continuous themes or features. Also, by finding out our target audience early on in the process, we found out what ideas would not work, therefore saving time in the filming/editing process.
Here are a few examples of the questions we asked
Audience feedback on final music video
One way in which I gathered audience feedback was through the use of the website Survey Monkey. This required me to create my own questionnaire, which could then be accessed on line. I made sure that the questions I asked related well to the quality of the video, and also that they varied in order to cover all aspects of the video. One positive feature of gathering audience feedback this way is that it was really simple for people to fill out, this is because the layout is very simple and the answer boxes are clear.
Making sure that we asked the same amount of males and females was important as we did not want our overall results to be hindered by contradictory typical likes/dislikes. However, from our earlier audience feedback, we found that both the males and females we asked liked our ideas. Therefore, we hoped that the results we collected would correspond with this view.
This was a very important question to ask, as we wanted to mainly aim the questionnaire at our target audience. We felt that this was the most effective age range to ask, as our aims at the beginning of the process were to appeal to a particular section of society. If we did not appeal to our target audience, our earlier planning and research would have no importance. However we did feel that it would be effective to ask some people outside of our target audience bracket, as if they liked aspects of the music video, it would show that our video appeals to more than just the younger generation, and that we have been successful in creating a video that would be popular across all ages.
This is another important question as it tells us whether or not we have succeeded in meeting the typical forms and conventions of our chosen genre. If we did not meet this criteria, it would show that our prior research had not been as effective. However, from the results I can see that the majority of the people we asked felt that we successfully created a video that suits our chosen genre. This shows that our production as a whole contains features that fit in well with the pop genre. Although, around one third of the people we asked felt that only some parts of our video fitted in with the pop genre. This means that there are certain aspects that we could improve, to further appeal to the audience. From the results below, one thing we could improve on to higher this questions results is the locations. If some of the locations were slightly more appropriate to the pop genre, more of the people we asked would feel more satisfied.
This was a very successful result as 100% of the people we asked felt that our video suited our target audience. This result shows that all of the research and planning we conducted, was effective as we made sure that the things we included in our video, would appeal to people between the ages of 16-23. The fact that the majority of the people we asked, fell into our target audience bracket, further confirms the validity of these results. As their opinion is vital to the overall view of the video. However, the fact that people outside of our target audience bracket find that we successfully created a video that appeals to 16-23 year olds, is also satisfying, as it shows that all ages are noticing the features we added.
This was another successful result, as 100% of the people we asked felt that we included a variety of shots. We spent a lot of time researching what types of shots are included in a pop music video, and also what types would suit our planned ideas. We used a range of shots such as; wide shots, close ups, mid shots and cutaways. I believe that the variety of shots in our music video contributed a lot to the overall successfulness of the video, as they engaged the audience and allowed us to include different locations.
This was one of our less successful results, as over half of the people we asked felt that only some of the locations were good. I feel that as a group we did conduct enough location research, however we could have improved on the shorter parts of the video where the locations do not entirely flow well with the rest of the video. Although, none of the people we asked did not select 'no' for the question, which shows us that they did enjoy certain aspects of the locations that we chose. The result we received may also be because of the range of ages we asked. It is no surprise that the younger generation liked our choice of location, as we included locations such as the graffiti wall. However, people in the older bracket may not find all of the locations appealing, as their idea of locations in a 'pop' video may differ. This is something we could improve on next time by trying to balance the types of location we use more, in order to appeal to a larger section of society.
For this question we felt that it would it would be effective to use a scaling response, as a simple yes or no answer would not be useful. This was a successful result as the majority of the people we asked said that they found our video engaging, this response involves all aspects of our video, from the camera shots we used to the overall performance. None of the people we asked felt that our video was not engaging, this also shows that our planning was effective, as we made sure that we included things that would appeal to the audience. This successful response may have been due to the type of people we asked, because we asked mainly young people, and our video was aimed at young people, it could be said that this response was expected. One thing we could improve on to make our video more engaging is the locations, this has been a trend throughout the responses, if our locations were more suited, the audience would find the video more engaging to watch.
The majority of the people we asked felt that our music video fitted in 'very well' with our chosen song. This shows that we were successful in creating a video that suited our genre and also that we understood our song as a whole. We spent a lot of time analysing the original music video, to find inspiration and gain an understanding of the narrative. When it came to creating our interpretation of the song, we made sure that every decision we made, would appeal to the audience. One person answered that they found that our video fitted in the with the song "quite well", taking into account the section of society we asked, this person may have been in the older bracket, therefore changing the way they understand the link between a video and a song. To improve, we could have a closer look at the meaning of the song, and try to filter in some of the ideas to make a clearer link. Overall, I feel that we successfully created a video that matched the song, as we spent a lot of time during the planning process making sure that we used the conventional forms of a 'pop' song.
Again, this was a very successful response as 80% of the people we asked liked our use of effects. When we were researching other music videos, we found that some used effects more than others; due to the different narratives and performances. We decided that apart from the green screen, we would use different filters and transitions, in order to appeal to the audience. We felt that we used the right amount of effects, as if we used too many, the audience may loose focus. Two of the people we asked said that they liked 'some' of the effects we used, this shows that improvements could be made. If we were to start the process again, we could collect more audience feedback on what effects they like/dislike, as this would give us an idea as to what our target audience like.
From these results, I can see that the majority of the people we asked found our lip syncing satisfactory. During the filming process, we had a lot of trouble trying to make sure that our artist was in sync with the whole song, however due to the songs change of pace and quick lyrics, we found it hard to make it perfect. I do feel that this slightly effected how professional our video looked, however as a whole I feel that the other features of our video really stand out.
Overall, I found these results very helpful in understanding how well we carried out the task, as we have gathered results on a variety of aspects of the video. I also feel that by the audience highlighting points we could have improved on, we were able to understand what the weaknesses were of our video. To know the weaknesses of your product is important as it allows you to develop and make effective changes that would benefit your video overall.
We posted our video onto YouTube in order to gain more audience feedback. This method differed from Survey Monkey as people gave comments and ratings instead of having multiple choice options. This meant that the feedback varied, as people had control over what they commented on. We chose to upload it onto YouTube as it is a very popular website for younger people. As our target audience is young people, we felt we would be able to reach more by using this website.
This audience feedback focuses on the editing and the lip syncing of the video, they said that the editing and lip syncing synchronises well with the audio track, which shows that our work on Final Cut Pro was effective. Their comment on the lip syncing differs from our results on the Survey Monkey questionnaires, as some people said that our lip syncing was satisfactory. From this, I can suggest that some of the audience did not focus on the lip syncing as much as the others, maybe because other features caught their eye or they did not see the slight mistakes as major. However, from this comment we can see that the lighting of our video effected the audiences response, as they compared it to the original.
shot that was made lighter
In this comment the viewer focuses on the beginning of our music video. We spent a lot of time planning the beginning, from the colour scheme to the pace of the letters appearing. We done this because the beginning is the first thing the audience will see, therefore we want to appeal to them from the outset. We edited the letter appearing so that they appeared to the five beats of the song. This comment says that they like how the video cuts to the beat, therefore the audience has enjoyed our decision to edit it this way. They also say that they enjoyed the different camera shots and movements. This is another thing we planned in detail, and I also created a rough diagram of how each shot should be positioned.
Again, this viewer enjoyed the variety of shots in our video, which shows that they were engaged throughout. One thing that has been highlighted throughout the feedback stage is that some of our locations do not match the quality of the others used. I did put a lot of effort into researching and planning the locations, however due to resources and time, we could not film all of our shots in our original ideas. However, to improve next time I would make sure that despite the obstacles we face as a group, we would be more organised when it comes to choosing locations, and take more practice shots to check it is suitable. This viewer has stated that the video suits our chosen genre, which positively highlights that we used the correct forms and conventions to appeal to the audience.
One location we could have improved on
Here are a few examples of the questions we asked
Finding out this information in questionnaire form was effective, as they were simple to distribute and was a clear, visual way of looking at the answers. We feel that our questionnaires were successful, as when we collated the results, we had a clear idea on what ages we should aim our music video at and also additional information that will aid the production process. When we looked at our results, we found that both male and females enjoyed 'pop' music videos, this gave us more opportunities when it came to creating the music video as we could balance both masculine and feminine features.
Audience feedback on final music video
One way in which I gathered audience feedback was through the use of the website Survey Monkey. This required me to create my own questionnaire, which could then be accessed on line. I made sure that the questions I asked related well to the quality of the video, and also that they varied in order to cover all aspects of the video. One positive feature of gathering audience feedback this way is that it was really simple for people to fill out, this is because the layout is very simple and the answer boxes are clear.
This was a very important question to ask, as we wanted to mainly aim the questionnaire at our target audience. We felt that this was the most effective age range to ask, as our aims at the beginning of the process were to appeal to a particular section of society. If we did not appeal to our target audience, our earlier planning and research would have no importance. However we did feel that it would be effective to ask some people outside of our target audience bracket, as if they liked aspects of the music video, it would show that our video appeals to more than just the younger generation, and that we have been successful in creating a video that would be popular across all ages.
This is another important question as it tells us whether or not we have succeeded in meeting the typical forms and conventions of our chosen genre. If we did not meet this criteria, it would show that our prior research had not been as effective. However, from the results I can see that the majority of the people we asked felt that we successfully created a video that suits our chosen genre. This shows that our production as a whole contains features that fit in well with the pop genre. Although, around one third of the people we asked felt that only some parts of our video fitted in with the pop genre. This means that there are certain aspects that we could improve, to further appeal to the audience. From the results below, one thing we could improve on to higher this questions results is the locations. If some of the locations were slightly more appropriate to the pop genre, more of the people we asked would feel more satisfied.
This was a very successful result as 100% of the people we asked felt that our video suited our target audience. This result shows that all of the research and planning we conducted, was effective as we made sure that the things we included in our video, would appeal to people between the ages of 16-23. The fact that the majority of the people we asked, fell into our target audience bracket, further confirms the validity of these results. As their opinion is vital to the overall view of the video. However, the fact that people outside of our target audience bracket find that we successfully created a video that appeals to 16-23 year olds, is also satisfying, as it shows that all ages are noticing the features we added.
This was another successful result, as 100% of the people we asked felt that we included a variety of shots. We spent a lot of time researching what types of shots are included in a pop music video, and also what types would suit our planned ideas. We used a range of shots such as; wide shots, close ups, mid shots and cutaways. I believe that the variety of shots in our music video contributed a lot to the overall successfulness of the video, as they engaged the audience and allowed us to include different locations.
This was one of our less successful results, as over half of the people we asked felt that only some of the locations were good. I feel that as a group we did conduct enough location research, however we could have improved on the shorter parts of the video where the locations do not entirely flow well with the rest of the video. Although, none of the people we asked did not select 'no' for the question, which shows us that they did enjoy certain aspects of the locations that we chose. The result we received may also be because of the range of ages we asked. It is no surprise that the younger generation liked our choice of location, as we included locations such as the graffiti wall. However, people in the older bracket may not find all of the locations appealing, as their idea of locations in a 'pop' video may differ. This is something we could improve on next time by trying to balance the types of location we use more, in order to appeal to a larger section of society.
For this question we felt that it would it would be effective to use a scaling response, as a simple yes or no answer would not be useful. This was a successful result as the majority of the people we asked said that they found our video engaging, this response involves all aspects of our video, from the camera shots we used to the overall performance. None of the people we asked felt that our video was not engaging, this also shows that our planning was effective, as we made sure that we included things that would appeal to the audience. This successful response may have been due to the type of people we asked, because we asked mainly young people, and our video was aimed at young people, it could be said that this response was expected. One thing we could improve on to make our video more engaging is the locations, this has been a trend throughout the responses, if our locations were more suited, the audience would find the video more engaging to watch.
The majority of the people we asked felt that our music video fitted in 'very well' with our chosen song. This shows that we were successful in creating a video that suited our genre and also that we understood our song as a whole. We spent a lot of time analysing the original music video, to find inspiration and gain an understanding of the narrative. When it came to creating our interpretation of the song, we made sure that every decision we made, would appeal to the audience. One person answered that they found that our video fitted in the with the song "quite well", taking into account the section of society we asked, this person may have been in the older bracket, therefore changing the way they understand the link between a video and a song. To improve, we could have a closer look at the meaning of the song, and try to filter in some of the ideas to make a clearer link. Overall, I feel that we successfully created a video that matched the song, as we spent a lot of time during the planning process making sure that we used the conventional forms of a 'pop' song.
From these results, I can see that the majority of the people we asked found our lip syncing satisfactory. During the filming process, we had a lot of trouble trying to make sure that our artist was in sync with the whole song, however due to the songs change of pace and quick lyrics, we found it hard to make it perfect. I do feel that this slightly effected how professional our video looked, however as a whole I feel that the other features of our video really stand out.
Overall, I found these results very helpful in understanding how well we carried out the task, as we have gathered results on a variety of aspects of the video. I also feel that by the audience highlighting points we could have improved on, we were able to understand what the weaknesses were of our video. To know the weaknesses of your product is important as it allows you to develop and make effective changes that would benefit your video overall.
We posted our video onto YouTube in order to gain more audience feedback. This method differed from Survey Monkey as people gave comments and ratings instead of having multiple choice options. This meant that the feedback varied, as people had control over what they commented on. We chose to upload it onto YouTube as it is a very popular website for younger people. As our target audience is young people, we felt we would be able to reach more by using this website.
This audience feedback focuses on the editing and the lip syncing of the video, they said that the editing and lip syncing synchronises well with the audio track, which shows that our work on Final Cut Pro was effective. Their comment on the lip syncing differs from our results on the Survey Monkey questionnaires, as some people said that our lip syncing was satisfactory. From this, I can suggest that some of the audience did not focus on the lip syncing as much as the others, maybe because other features caught their eye or they did not see the slight mistakes as major. However, from this comment we can see that the lighting of our video effected the audiences response, as they compared it to the original.
shot that was made lighter
In this comment the viewer focuses on the beginning of our music video. We spent a lot of time planning the beginning, from the colour scheme to the pace of the letters appearing. We done this because the beginning is the first thing the audience will see, therefore we want to appeal to them from the outset. We edited the letter appearing so that they appeared to the five beats of the song. This comment says that they like how the video cuts to the beat, therefore the audience has enjoyed our decision to edit it this way. They also say that they enjoyed the different camera shots and movements. This is another thing we planned in detail, and I also created a rough diagram of how each shot should be positioned.
Again, this viewer enjoyed the variety of shots in our video, which shows that they were engaged throughout. One thing that has been highlighted throughout the feedback stage is that some of our locations do not match the quality of the others used. I did put a lot of effort into researching and planning the locations, however due to resources and time, we could not film all of our shots in our original ideas. However, to improve next time I would make sure that despite the obstacles we face as a group, we would be more organised when it comes to choosing locations, and take more practice shots to check it is suitable. This viewer has stated that the video suits our chosen genre, which positively highlights that we used the correct forms and conventions to appeal to the audience.
One location we could have improved on
Quotes from friends and family members
" I really liked the male dancer in the video, as his moves matched the song" Elle White, 16, Female
"I feel that some of the lip syncing is slightly out of place, however the performer makes up for it in enthusiasm!" Leanne Savage, 32, Female
"There is some repetition however the editing skills displayed are good" Spencer White, 46, Male
" I could quickly tell that this was a music video in the pop genre, as the shots are fast paced and the beginning is very bright!" Tyler Foster, 18, Male
Audience feedback on ancillary tasks
In order to gain audience feedback on our ancillary tasks, I interviewed a range of people asking them set questions about each individual production. I made sure to ask both males and females, so that my results were not unfair. Although our target audience is young people, I felt it would be effective to ask a range or ages, to see if the changes we made to the typical conventions appealed to them. From the results I collected it is clear that a majority of the people we asked felt that our album was very professional looking, due to the image and text choice. I am pleased that we had this response as we all put in a lot of time researching different font ideas. Another thing the audience feedback told us is that they really liked the use of the graffiti on the inlay. They felt that it was very original and made a clear link between the album and the music video. One person commented that we could of improved on our lyrics inlay, by making it more eye catching. They said that we could of included an image, however from my research I found that typically images are not included on inlay sheets.
Audience Theory
Stuart Hall's Reception Theory- This theory focuses on how an individual receives or interprets a particular text, and how different factors can affect their response such as; age, class and gender. His theory also focusses on the idea that a producer 'encodes' the work, then the audience 'decodes the work'. This happens because the audience may have a different approach to the producer. However, if a producer uses recognised forms and conventions to fit the genre, the individual will agree with more of the features used. This is why in many music videos there is a trend on things like the artist, outfits and locations. As the audience will be expecting the typical conventions.
Overall Conclusion
After looking at all of the audience feedback we gathered from the different formats, I can clearly suggest that we succeeded in creating a music video that appeals to our chosen target audience and also fits in well with our genre. Taking into account the different demographic groups, I can see that the females commented more on the dancers/dancing. This was expected as it is typical for females to be engaged in this part of the videos. Age is also a factor that affected the overall response of our video. Audience feedback that was gathered from viewers in our target audience bracket strongly suggests that they were engaged in the video, and also liked the features that we included especially for their age group. However as a whole I feel that we did not conform to stereotypes associated with gender, as we balanced a range of features that would appeal to both male and females. We decided to do this as we did not want to isolate people by not making the video engaging for their particular gender.
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