Evaluation Question 1

By doing this question, I have made it clear on how my video links to all the theories such as Goodwin, Archer and Vernallis and Hall. This makes my video more clear on how i've made and what theories I followed whilst filming and editing.

Use

Camera angle and composition- in my music video I felt like it was ideal to use different kinds of camera angles. This was to keep my target audience appealed, as if they was seeing the same camera angles in a different cut, they would become bored. I think the use of camera angles worked well due to the fact the song has a slow pace, I didnt want the music video to become slow as well as this would become repetitive. I also was sure to use a lot of close-ups of the artist. As Goodwin says it is vital to use them consistently in order to make the artist in the video the main character. - Inspiration used was Ed Sheeran as he is the main actor in all of his own videos. 

Fast paced editing and edited to the best-  As I wanted my music video to link with the story in the song ‘Grow Old With Me’. Synchronous sound is commonly well used in the music industry, I used this to keep my audience entertained by the upbeat music in some parts with the fast moving editing and pace in my music video. I wanted this to link to Vernallis as she says, words are largely transformed by image and sound. She also says the video must have the main lead singer in the video. I feel like I succeeded in this due to the fact the song may dazzle the audience users as they may not know what the lyrics are trying to intend. As I matched the visual to the target audience, I have let them have a better understanding of the meaning through the video. - Eliza Doolittle. 

Cultural stereotype- I followed the cultural stereotype of a teenage boy fashion sense. This meant that the boy was wearing skinny jeans and a standard top with trainers. In my video there was a numerous amount of characters as I was following Goodwins theory as he says, there are links between the lyrics and visuals. The cultural stereotype was a boy in the country, this is common in this day and age due to the fact more artists are recording their videos outside. Hall questions whether the media encode music videos with anything other than conventional representations, in the case of my music video, I feel that is important to do so, due to the songs lyrics shows itself to this kind of representation. - Passenger.

Develop

No choreographed movements- I didn’t want to use any sort of dance routine or moving in time as the other artists in the video. I didn’t want to use this method in order to make my video successful. As Archer says choreographed movements are common features of music videos. I went against this theory, I didn’t want my video to seem staged, but natural. I gave my artist very simple tasks on how I wanted him to move, this would usually happen on the spot. I decided what I think would fit in with the music would be fine. I liked the idea of the video not being prepared and organized not like a  One direction music video. - Birdy

 Intergrated performance into narrative- Vernallis says in a music video there should be connection to establish between the title and the activities of the character. I considered this and used her theory in my music video. As I wanted the audio to link in with the video, I had ‘flash backs’ which I used a grey and white effect on. This was parts of the characters past life. This made a connection to the audience to help them understand the video in a better way. The activities the character took part in whilst filming was parts of his child hood, for example, when he was running across the stepping stones and climbing through trees. - Calvin Harris.

Stream section- I used common themes however, I presented them in a different way. I used a cross dissolve cut when the location would change. I also changed the effect on most parts of the video to sepia.This was to bring more colour to the video and wildlife in the video. This gave more depth with regards to the narrative. - Bruno Mars

Challenge

 Split screen-The split screen was a challenge as it was hard to get both of the artists to sing in time. Another challenge was making sure the lip-sync was perfect and in time. This links to Goodwins theory ‘There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals’ I tried to make sure there was a relationship all the way through the video in which I feel I succeeded. I have rarely seen any others artists music videos where they have used a split screen in order to tell a story (Goodwins theory). An example of an artist who had indeed used a split screen is Frank Ocean, However he is not telling a story like I have tried to achieve in my video, he was simply showing the different locations in his music video. I think by using the split screen in my video it did in fact break up my video and didn’t make it boring and repetitive. 

I did not want to over-challenge the codes and conventions of real media products because it could potentially alienate the viewer. (Archer) I didn’t want my video to be too much to look at, this would make the viewers not want to watch the video as they may find it ‘dull’. I would also contain a lot of effort to have a video fast and upbeat with choreographed movements. - Fatboy Slim.

Memories- I wanted my music video to link in with Goodwins theory of having the visual link the lyrics. I done this by having some parts of the videos as memories which would be seen as the artists past and childhood. I made this clear by having parts of the video in black and white which are supposed to be ‘memories’.  This is like Ed Sheerans music video ‘Give Me Love’ he has scenes of a girl in his music video which is supposed to be a memory and he’s having flash backs. This has been followed by Goodwins theory.

Evaluation Question 2

I created this video to answer this question because I felt like it was a good way to answer the evaluation question in as much detail as possible. There is also pictures from my construction in the video to help the audience get a better idea on what I am trying to put across. I have also included the transcript of the video as sometimes it is blurry and can not be understood.

How do you think the branding of your new album came together through the digipak and video you released?

I have known from the start that I wanted my album cover and music to be different compared to other musicians albums. I also wanted to give it an outdoor theme as this is different from other artists albums as they are usually found to be a green screen background. This is also in their videos too which doesn’t make it look natural, this is why I chose to have an outdoor theme for my music video. This is where my inspiration comes from. My music is usually written in the country where I'm from has a lot of outdoor scenery, so obviously there is a lot of green, this is what has inspired me for most of my videos. I thought this would be appropriate for my audience as they are getting a glimpse of my personal life. 

How do you think all three pieces come together to promote your music?

I am happy with my three pieces as I believe they all connect with each other. I think this has been promoted by using the same outdoor setting which is surrounded be trees and green scenery. My first video that was realised from the album was also shot at the same place on my digipak and my digipak poster.  This makes the audience clear of the setting which means they can understand why I have chosen this, it will also help them understand my lyrics. I find that it also links in with the music I wrote, they go together. The setting in my video is important to me, it’s where I grew up and where I would play with my friends when I was young. I feel like this was a positive move to make as I am giving my viewers an opportunity to see my past life and get more involved.

What made you use the image of the feet in the leaves and the stepping stones? Do you think this was the right image to use in order to promote yourself? 

It was really hard to find and pick the pictures which perfectly suited me and my upbringing, this is what I wanted my album to be look like, my past and future… this is why one of my songs is ‘Grow old with me’. I came to the decision to use an image that fitted in with the message from my album. I chose the feet in the leaves because that represents my childhood, me and my friends would go down to the field and mess around in the leafs when we were in our teens. This has always been a peaceful memory from my childhood. My life was a lot different back then, I was young and care free, I didn’t have any weight on me to do well. I think editing the leaves to a  darker colour made the digipak more successful as it stood out more, if I had all the other pictures edited the exact same contrast, it would become repetitive. As for the stepping stones picture I decided to have my personal message on there as it was plain. I chose to have the background in green to blend in with the rest of the digipak. I think the image I chose and the way it was edited the same on every other photo is powerful and would be eye catching amongst other artists. I decided not to show my face in all the photos as I thought it would make my target audience more appealed to what’s inside the digipak rather than just judging it by the layout. This is also why I made my digipak look eye-catching, so the audience would notice it first- you don’t see many albums that are green. 

What other features of the digipak, poster and video link together?

They all link together because they are all the same tone and contrast. I think this is what makes it successful, due to the fact they are all very similar I believe that the audience will not have a hard time remembering. Rather then other artists who have different location in the video, poster and digipak.  I used the same Font throughout the digipak and poster, I think this made everything come together quite well as it all blended in and didn’t look out of place. I also changed the Transparency of the text to make it blend more into the green in the picture as I found it difficult to find a font colour that would go with the green. I have linked them all together by promoting the same editing technique, This is because I would use the same brightness and contrast in all the images. This makes it look like they were all made at the same time. It brings them all together, I used the same picture for my digipak and poster for the front cover because it links the two products making it easier for the audience to find. This will make it easier for the audience as they will know what to look for when buying my digipak. 

Evaluation Question 3

This video evaluates the audience feedback that is important when making judgements about what could be improved and how well are music video was received.

Evaluation Question 4

Click here to see the website  http://danniward2.wix.com/question4

                                                               Question 4

iMovie really helped me improve my editing skills. From doing little tasks and choosing iMovie to complete this task really helped me understand how to use this software. From having practice on iMovie I believe definitely helped me whilst I was making my music video, this is because I had already found out what iMovie has to offer which meant I knew how to edit, use effects, add music etc. I think iMovie is a good software to use as it can be considered challenging at times but you can easily over come this. I think it is a pretty straight forward software.

iMovie has also helped me whilst doing my Evaluation. I have used iMovie for 2 of my evaluation questions. iMovie the software fitted in for these questions as I had to include clips of music videos, pictures, music and a voice over. iMovie helped me to do this and would have took me less time on iMovie rather than if I chose a different software. The editing process on iMovie is easy to understand, something that also helped me on iMovie is how clearly labelled everything was. You could easily find something if you was looking for it, if you was patient.

Final Music Video

Editing Our Video

So far we have come up with this. We spent an hour on one part of the video because the lip syncing wasn't fitting in with the music for the video. We finally got the timing right. We then decided to edit the clips and we found an effect that we liked- we did this by using the effects on iMovie.

Asking Permission To Film

We wrote an email to our teacher asking if she could seek permission to the other teachers around the school as we had no way of doing this. We have till Tuesday to decide on another person we can film if one of our chosen choices say no. 

Filming

We was going to film today (5.12.13), however, the weather has turned out to be very window and we don't feel like we will be able to get good footage as the tripod won't be able to stand on it's own without support. So we have rescheduled the filming shoot for tomorrow as we looked at the weather and it indicates that it's going to be sunny from 9:00 am - 14:00pm. These are the times when we will be going filming.

Editing

This is the first part of our video that we have edited. We have played around with the editing techniques to create an old looking effect on the first part, this signifies the idea of memories in the video and I think this works well with the song. The effect also goes with setting, the old fashioned building along with the effect that matches. We have put together the bits of footage we have and looked at how we can get them in time with the music. After editing this clip of the video we have found that some of our footage is out of focus, therefore we have set a new filming date in order to get some better footage. This is important to keep the overall quality of our video up.

Editing Continued

We carried one editing the footage that we had today. We used the skills that we've already learnt through making movies on iMovie. We learnt how to make sure the footage was in time with the song. We also found that we might need to film again and when we can do this. We have also planned dates to finish filming and finish editing so that we can make sure our video is finished in time for the hand in date. We should whilst editing that playing around with the effects on iMovie will make all our footage come together and look as professional as we can.

Editing Our Video

We have started to edit our footage and play around with iMovie to get used to working with the footage. We used this video to help us edit our track so our lip synching and timing will be precise. We also played around with different clip effects to see what looked good and what would fit in with the genre of the music. 

Final Product- Digipak Poster

This is my final poster that goes with my digipak to promote my artist new album, 'The Another Love'. When creating this poster I tried to make it as simple yet eye catching as I could. This is why I included a bold dark title as this would get my audiences attention. Many artists albums will have a dark background and maybe a green screen with just a close up of the artist, I feel like my digipak is different and works well as it's the artists in the whole picture with the setting used in the music video I created- this gives my audience an insight on what to expect. I used Pages to create this advert because I felt comfortable with the skills I had for this program and knew I would be able to create this poster with every understanding I needed. I played around with the effects on Pages to get the light/mysterious contrast as seen above. I changed the opacity on the bottom advertising the album on iTunes, although it has faded in with the background, it is eye catching with the white faded background. This will prompt people to go and have a look for the album on iTunes. I chose to advertise the album on iTunes because that is a common software for people to download their music, compared to something like Amazon. I chose not to make a poster full of information and make it look busy, as this would make it look messy and I don't think anyone would be interested in looking at a poster full of information as they would have to hunt for the information they needed, e.g. where to buy the album. 

Final Product- Digipak

Here is my final digipak. I have also included a flipped version of my digipak to show you what it would look like once it has been printed. I feel like I have made a digipak that shows the genre that i'm trying to go for which is indie pop genre. I feel like I have succeeded this through the use of nature and light effects. I am pleased how all the pictures are different and in different locations however they go well together and blend in. They don't look odd and don't match. I stuck to my plan through out making my digipak however made some changes due to the fact I was able to experiment and mess around with photoshop and the effects in pages. I felt like it was easier to edit the photos in pages as I could have the exact effect I wanted by changing the settings of the photo. I decided to include a message from the artist to show his appreciation to his audience- this would make the audience feel good about themselves as they would feel like he is reaching out to then specifically as they are reading the message on the digipak that they have just brought. I made sure that I included his twitter name and main website because media and social network sites are most probably the best way of advertising himself. This could help sell the album more as a lot of teenagers use the social network and in order for them to go on the website and enjoy what they see, they could also share this with family and friends which would make the album well known. When I researched indie genre songs and digipaks I seen that most of the artist have a personal meaningful message within their music or on their digipak. This is why I included a short summary of him thanking his fans and showing his gratitude, to show how much his fans mean to the artist. 

Making My Digipak

                                                                  Front Cover

This was the final edit I decided to choose, I like this effect because it looks wintery, and thats the effect i'm trying to go for within my digipak. I think the background colours have good contrast as it goes together with the chosen font that I picked, it also goes well with the colour of the background. 

              

                                                                   Back Cover

I found it really difficult finding a colour to go with the font. It was hard because most of the colours I had chose complexed the whole picture- you couldn't see the font through the brown leaves. After playing around I noticed that the brown went well, however, from looking at the contrast and colours a few times, I realised that it doesn't go with the 'wintery' vibe i'm trying to set. From this, I decided to play around some more with the colours, and chose black and white. This works well with my genre as it's 'indie' and these are seen as typical indie style colours.

                                                                        Inside Flap

With this flap I found it difficult as I couldn't find a background for the writing that would match with the background as everything was blended in. I edited the photo to be a soft yet dark colour, I then chose a different font to what I have been using on my digipak to make it stand out more and not be to repetitive. I think the black and white worked well together as they are the opposites yet stand out and to look too out of sync with my background.

Inside Flap

I decided to choose a simple background for the inside of my CD, I had to choose a background that would be effective and work well with the other pictures so I decided to crop some of the nature out of the photos I took. I then went onto edit the trees to be more of a lighter colour rather than a green- this fitted into my digipak as it had the same effect as all the other photos.

With this photo I decided to keep it short and simple, I didn't want too many photos of the artist as I would loose attention and focus with my target audience. I found this photo the easiest as all I needed to do is edit the photo to the effects of all the other photos in my digipak. Then I decided to move the writing to the bottom left- this is different to the other photos in my digipak as they are all centred in the middle or on the right, this gives more of a boost to my digipak. I had the same problem with this photo as the last, the font and colour didn't go with the background, so in order to make this work, I tried a lot of different coloured fonts and then I tried using a background with the font. I realised that none of these was working with the font I chose originally, so I had to change my font, which was a really good idea as I found that the font fitted in more with the chosen picture (as the background). I then changed the opacity of the font to make it blend more into the picture, this works well as it looks more settled in with the whole image.

As I have chosen to have a lot of photos in my digipak I knew I had to make one photo different. So with this photo I went on photo shop and edited it on there, I decided to choose the effect above as I thought it was different eye catching. Not a lot of digipaks will have this effect without making the whole digipak like it.  I think I made this look effective and blend in my editing the picture to be the same colour and contrast as the other photos. 

Making Digipak Poster

This was my first session designing my digipak poster, I tried different types of colours and contrasts until I found the best one I found stood out and looked different. This is the outcome of the effect i'm going to use on my main digipak poster.

I decided that this didn't look right so I made my digipak first to get more ideas for my poster, I changed my whole idea completely by changing the image and changing the colours and contrast on the photo.

I liked this idea for my digipak poster and thought it went well with my actual digipak, however, by the time I was done and finished with this there was too much blank space and there was nothing I could put in the space to make it look okay- without making it look too busy and packed with pictures/settings.

This is my final digipak poster. I edited the picture to look the same as my digipak- this would appeal to the audience more as when they seen the digipak they would be able to know who it is through the simple lay out of the poster. I changed the subheading and logo to be at the top as I found it looked too messy before. This worked well as it is now more simple and not all over the place. I then added information at the bottom of the photo to let my audience know where they can purchase the music.