Evaluation 4: How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

These different media technologies were a vital part in the pre production , production and post production process of creating our final products , these being our music video and the print products.

- Our camera : The Cannon DSLR 650 D  : 

Ultimatley this played the most crucial role in the process of creating our final product's without it we would not have been able to film the footage which ultimatley constructed the video because of this i would say the camera was the most vital peice of media       technology ,as without it we would have nothing.




- Media platform: Spotify:

I used spotify in order to find songs of the established genre we chose (UK rap), soundcloud shares thousands of people's music for free. Also the artists we chose their main platform of consumption is soundcloud.It was vital in the production of the music video as it gave us a song to make our video about and a basis to sit everything else on e.g what we were going to do , locations , costume ect.




- Social Media Platform : YouTube:

We used the streaming site Youtube as our platform of consumption for pre- production , production and post-production. Not only did we post our final product of our music video as it would reach our target audience more successfully we also posted our own evaluations and critical auidence feedback , which was vital in the     success of our video and print products.







Blogger is a key factor into why both our music video and print products are successful. We used Blogger in pre-production for important research into various different genre's , then developed                                                                                          this for our chosen genre. Aswell as this we used it to gain auidence feedback , which is something that moulded our products quite profoundly as we took on board everything we have been told along the process. Finally for post production we used it to present our final products and now blog our evaluations.




- Editing: Final Cut pro:
Final cut pro was vital into ensuring our music video conformed to it's conventions , as we had predominatley taken shots which were extremely long. Final cut Pro allowed us to cut and add in filter ect to change this , the outcome making it more professional.






-Photo Booth:

we predominatley used photobooth in the auidence feedback parts of production and post production e.g. anamatic feedback and digipak cover feedback. It shaped our products as it influenced how we edited each product.








Adobe photoshop- 

Used in the creation of our print products e.g graffiti on the digipak billboard , it was vital in creating synergy throughout all of our products.





Adobe Premiere Pro-


Used similarly to Final Cut Pro , we took what we wanted to utilise from each editing programme then combined the footage. It was vital in getting genric conventions of our chosen genre.

Evaluation 3: What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

Auidence Feedback:





Overall audience feedback made our final products better, this is because we worked on the feedback that people had given us and made improvements in order to make our video and print products the most realistic covering all generic conventions.

This was our rough cut , in which miss and felicity are analysing our video. They assesed that it was quite slow and did not fit the quick pased nature of other music videos in this genre. They advised that we make the cuts and shots very fast paced and different angles and shots.

 

Throughout the making of our print products , alot of our time was taken up by deciding wether we wanted to put graffiti on the background or not. When we completley put the graffiti in the background it made the writing completley fade and not standing out. Furthermore When it was completley plain it made it looked unproffesional ; and did not include the syngergistic element of the graffiti. As a result we chose the faded graffiti in the back as it incorperated both elements. 

We showed Ramnick and Marion both options and they deicided that the graffiti added something to it and made it look more professional but also the graffiti that completley covered was way too much and took away from the main focus of the artists. 

Overall audience feedback made our final products more realistic and therfore meant we fufilled the conventions of the rap genre. 

Here is an example of where audience feedback changed and shaped one of our final products for the better:

Before:

These were our first drafts of our magazine adverts, we felt like the image was too crowded with long lines of text which made the image less powerful and captivating.

The text of Semz and Zino were not bold enough and looked weak , however we wanted them to look powerful and effective in conveying the rappers to have dominance






After:





Generally the use of audience feedback was helpful in shaping our products as it guided us towards bettering our final products.

Evaluation 2 : How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

As a result of assessing what synergistic elements connect in our music video and print products . It is clear to see that our group effectively combines both and makes our overall final products more realistic.

This is because of the overall  clear links between the boldness of the colour red we wear in each scenes and the graffiti element , which follows through all of our products clearly.

It is what set's our products apart as there is a clear connection for our audience and target audience to make.

which may increase the likeliness of them wanting to buy the products; consequentially making  the song and album more appealing and therefore increasing the sales of our product .

Furthermore, i believe it is the combination of both our main product and ancillary texts which makes us overall more successful and  the synergistic elements which are  so clear and easy for our audience to see.

Evaluation Question 1 : In what ways does your media product use , develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Evaluation question 1 from Lauren Gilbert

Overall , our our music video is generally conformist to not only the coventions of a music video but the stereotypes associated to the uk rap genre.

This is done in the ways shown in the powerpoint above e.g. expensive cars, urban backgrounds , although the way we have chosen to portray our video challeneges some of the generic videos we see on social media platforms such as youtube.

we do this through a less diroagtory  attitude towards women and a focus on a love point of view, instead of having them half naked, dancing for the men. We done this not only because we felt it was the best fit to the beat/vibe of the song but because when we researched into that genre we felt it really objectified women. As a result we wanted to take the emphasis away from them being a sex symbol to a symbol of affection of love.

This not only giving the females in the video and more respected, but the male protagonist's then are given a kinder and respectful side to them. Rather than being hard headed and lack of feeling. We got inspired by 'Yungen's - take my number', as it has a similar softer side.

However, there is a clear difference with the use of interacial couples because even though it's not uncommon and frowened apon anymore , in most uk rap videos you tend to see black boys with black girls or mixed race girls where as we have chosen to use two black boys and two white girls . So therefore it tends to divert what you may expect to see when a relationship is dipicted between girls and boys .Although you could infer it is also based on culture and background , who you grow up around is sometimes generally who you are attracted to therfore this may be reason for why generically black or mixed raced girls are used aswell as the fact that white girls may not be used to that culture e.g. types of dancing.

Although , there are alot of interacial couples today therefore we wanted to show this in our dipiction of our music video and how it may subvert what you generally expect.

Example's of genric Rap Music videos:

Conventions of a Digipak include: 

• front cover
• back cover
• inside panels 
• spine 
• leaflet 

overall my product was conformist of a generic digipak , not only this but it included a vibrant front cover with font and colours which would appeal to my desired target audience. Furthermore , the placement of the artists names ensured that they were the key feature and people would know exactly the product they were buying. Also the use of large font when designing the digipak was to ensure that the product would grab the attention of customers when walking past a potential retailers. 

Conventions of a magazine advert include: 

• the release date 
• album/song title 
• image of album cover 
• artists names 
• information about the album 
• where it is available to purchase

similarly my magazine advert was mostly conformist to generic adverts , this is due to the fact i included the key aspects in order for it to be successful. what differed in mine was the use of synergistic elements which flowed throughout each product. In the magazine advert the boys are seen in the colour red , in front of the car which is seen not only in the digipak but the video too. As a result this makes the products more successful. Not only this, but the use of displaying the platforms the music is available on makes it alot more accessible to the desired target auidence and overall hopefully more sucessful. 

EVALUATION: Aaron's Question 4

How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

In the following video I explain how the use of new media technologies influenced all aspects of the production process of our projects.

EVALUATION: Aaron's Question 3

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Using social media as a form of contact with our target audience has really been beneficial in receiving feedback on our products. We used Youtube, and Snapchat to see how the audience reacted to the products and also asked them for ways we could make the products appeal to them more.

EVALUATION: Aaron's Question 2

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

We chose to wear red for a variety of reasons. Firstly, because it is a vibrant colour and it stands out, making the protagonists easy to identify. The fact that we used this colour as one of our synergistic elements enabled the products to be easily identified also. The energy that the bright colour brings to the image is youthful and exciting, exactly what we anticipated.

Due to audience feedback, I learnt that my target audience were able to recognise that all 3 products were part of one project through the synergistic elements, especially my ancillary texts. They found that the colour scheme especially allowed them to recognise the products better and then know that it was an advertisement for Semz & Zino's album almost immediately. They also recognised that the two males are the main protagonist in the music video, and saw how that followed through into the print products which they found effective, and also recognised this was common within the genre to have the artists to represent the band.

EVALUATION: Aaron's Question 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

In a typical music video, the videographer or production company usually includes their name at the start of the music video. We also included this element in our music video 'Black City Presents'.

One thing that we didn't include in our project that challenges the conventions of film is the title of the song as well as the artists performing.

1) There is a clear relationship between the actual song and the visuals as the music video is representing the actual story told in the song (spontaneous date).

2) The music video included some scenes where the artists were rapping directly to the camera and performing the song to the audience. Due to lip-syncing, we were able to create a sense of verisimilitude.

3) The transitions and effects throughout the music video are in sync with the beat of the song which really exaggerates the liveliness and pace of the song.

5) The two artists are the main feature and synergistic element throughout all of the products. This is because the are wearing such eye catching colours and also due to the composition of the shots (using the rule of thirds).

 The woman are represented in a sexual way emphasised by the lyrics 'big back, posing for her snapchat'.

It is clear that the video is set in the heart of London which is an urban area, conforming to the conventions of the rap genre.

Money and materialism is seen through the expensive car and clothes

Digipak

We created out digipak with 8 parts, as it is the most commonly used layout for most digipaks, especially in the Hip-Hip/Rap genres.

Common conventions of a digipak include:

Front cover:

artist name

album name

linked to genre, music video (and film if its a soundtrack)

usually image of artist

Spine:

Artist name 

album name

institutional label

Back cover:

Image follows the front 

list of all songs on the album (in order)

Internal panels:

images of artists

linked to front and back cover

CD can be plain or colourful, has album and artist name

page where the CD goes on top of is often a plain colour 

Booklets/ postcards/ postcards:

details about each song on the album (producers etc.)

images watch the front and back cover, same colour scheme 

matte or shiny finish

images inside 

(most tend to be booklets)

Magazine Advert

Comparing our product to a real media product, you can see that it is evident that we have conformed to the conventions of a magazine advert.

Common conventions of a magazine advert include:

• The artist/band in the centre
• The artist/band name is the biggest credit, and usually at the top
• Album title is the next credit, under the title
• Release date
• distributors

Evaluation Hannah's Question 4:

This is my post for evaluation 4:

Evaluation: Hannah's Question 3

What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

This is our feedback, from our rough cut.
What we did next:
After receiving this feedback, we decided to make the relevant changes. This included - getting rid of any footage that wasn't of high quality.
We also made changes to our colour effects as well as brightening and changing saturation on certain clips to make sure they are all as HD as possible.We also made our cuts fast, sharp and to the beat of the music making it more like other videos of the same genre.

What we learnt:
From our audience feedback on our rough cut, we learnt that our editing skills have really developed as our lip sync was completely effective. Our initial concept was also clear and we had filmed more than enough content to work with.
We also learnt how to edit quality of our footage such as saturation and brightness in order to enhance certain scenes.
Another thing that we learnt and realised, is that we could have been a lot more experimental with our shots of the artists, we could have experimented with different angled shots in order to create more variety, as due to our genre this is often lots of scenes of our artists singing to camera and this could have been made more interesting if we had included more variety.


Audience Feedback on Magazine Advert:

Initially our magazine advert, our image was not straight and included lots of scenery at the top of the image. Our feedback was to edit the image more effectively. We did this by using PhotoShop, we straightened our image and then edited it to make the top of the image white, we did this by using a blurred tool.

Audience Feedback on our DigiPak Front Cover:

From this we then created our final digipak cover:

We realised that our main focus textually, should be the artist's name rather than the album name "Fund Fetish", as you can see, in our audience research video, the main focus is "Fund Fetish".  We decided to change this due to our audience feedback and our own research, realising the majority of mainstream successful album covers have the artist's name in a larger size, as it makes it more marketable.  This also allowed our artists to have more recognition and allows the audience to identify the artist's name.

Here are some digipaks I came across when doing research on the conventions:

Looking at both of these, the band/artist name is the main textual focus. I am glad we changed ours to be more like these in the sense that our artist's name are now the main focus as it also makes it more marketable. For example, when a customer is shopping for a CD or browsing, they will see the artist's name in big print, making the product more identifiable, as well as the artist.

Other audience feedback:

We received a lot of positive comments and feedback due to our synergistic elements. Our costume colour scheme was very successful and a lot of our audiences picked up on it. Some audience members communicated how they thought the colour red was clever due to its connotations such as passion, anger and love. In the rap genre, the red could have symbolised anger however our video was not based on anger but more to do with fun, youthful - teenage life, a way in which we subverted from the stereotypical conventions.

Our locations were also complimented on as our audience members could identify our "urban" feel that we aimed for. The location of the graffitied skate park was also a huge success, from our audience as they felt it added a lot of colour to the video as well as conforming to the characteristics of the genre.

Evaluation: Hannah's Question 2

Here is a google slides presentation for my evaluation question 2:

Evaluation: Hannah's Question 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?


Goodwin's theories found in my video:

Labels/production :

Artist shown in video:


Genre Characteristics: RAP/HIPHOP

"Expensive/nice car"

Boys & Girls / Teens

Date Scenario

Urban Background

Social Media Links


Conventions of Rap/HipHop Genre:

Mise en scene:

Location - London based, underground stations, graffiti background: we decided to include all of these locations to create an "urban" feel to our video. Bowling/arcade, presents a "fun" atmosphere, and helps to highlight the sense of youth.

Costume: There is a theme of red, white and black in our protagonists costume, this presents a sense of synergy. We also conformed to the rap/hiphop genre, by having casual costumes.

Subverting the Rap/HipHop Genre:

A convention we did not include: was the way in which the genre sexualises and objectifies women, our footage was all clean, and not explicit. Our artists are also 17/18 years old so we wanted it to also be age appropriate.

DigiPak: 

Conventions included:
- Image of the artists
- Focus on the artist's name
- Parental Advisory label
- 6 Frames including a spine
- Tracklist
-Barcode
-Record label/institutional information

Graffiti - synergy created through the graffiti text which is also a convention of the UK Rap/HipHop genre.

Magazine Advert:

Conventions included:
-Main image of the artist
-Artist's name
-Relevant Information such as release date, title of album, links to download and website. 
-Links to social media

Synergy is also present in the magazine advert, allowing an audience to recognise the artist's name as well as identifying the genre. 

Our inspiration: Yungen - Take My Number Music Video

Yungen's video is of the same genre, and so we used this video as a basis of inspiration, e.g the nice car.

Similarly, we decided to include the underground setting and have our female protagonists travelling on the tube.

Various Shots of the Artists, we could have experimented a little bit more with angles, to give more variety in our shots of the artists.

Shots of the girls, we also had two female protagonists and included similar shots in our must video.