Evaluation - Question 3

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

I think it is important to evaluate your work because it enables you to reflect on what went well and what things can be improved on. Through evaluating my work, it allowed other people to feedback on what is positive and negative about my music videos and ancillary products and enables me to make any necessary changes.  Once we finished our rough cut of our music video, we uploaded it onto YouTube. We decided to use YouTube to showcase our music video as it encourages the person viewing to leave comments. This is beneficial when it comes to evaluating our work as it gives us a different person’s perspective on our work.  YouTube is also suitable to showcase our work as it is a worldwide video-sharing website site therefore has a large viewing audience.

One comment we received from YouTube was “The artist is only present in the performance and it is not his situation he is relating to”. However in order for us to conform to Dyers star theory, the artist must appear absent for the consumer. In order for this to happen we decided to use a male and female to act within the narrative rather than use the artist himself. Therefore this enables the audience to relate to the artist as he is singing about a situation which most likely and individual watching has also experienced. Therefore this encourages the audience to relate to the artist through his facial expressions within the performance, on the basis that they have a good understanding of what the song is about.

 Another comment we received was “The performance should be more integrated with the narrative” However this relates back to the previous point as in for us to make the artist appear absent from the consumer the narrative and performance need to be separate. However we did show a relationship between the lyrics and visuals. An example is when the artist sings ‘I remember years ago’ he is seen to be in an isolated location. This is then followed by a flashback implying that the artist is reminiscing over his own memories. It also connotes that he is sad due to his own personal experience of a relationship breakup.

 The third comment we received from YouTube was “The music video displays elements that are typically seen in these kinds of videos” This is a positive comment as it highlights that by conforming to the codes and conventions a pop music video, it has attracted our target audience making our music video a success.

The comments made me feel positive as a producer as I feel that the audience responded well to the music video I created. Even though there were some negative comments in relation to the narrative and performance based element of the music video, I feel that this was constructive criticism that just gave us room to improve the music video even more. This was effective as through creating a rough cut we were able to get constructive feedback that gave us the opportunity to improve our final cut. The feedback I got would help me if i was working in the media industry as I have learnt that the audience prefer for the artist to feature in the narrative as they want to be able to relate to the artists lifestyle. 

Did you make any changes based on the feedback?

Evaluation - Question 4

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

Target Audience Feedback

Target Audience Feedback

• Why is audience feedback important to a production?

Audience feedback is important to a production as you are able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of our through the comments of the target audience. This is effective as it allows you to see if you have created a successful music video and whether it meets the audiences expectations. Depending on the comments received from the target audience we can take into consideration of what they have said in order for us to make any necessary improvements. These improvements could be to do with the way in which we have edited something or even the narrative. From doing this it enables us to ensure that we have created a successful pop music video that appeals to our target audience.

• How did you receive audience feedback from your target audience? (screening of production, focus group, questionnaires)

In order for us to receive feedback from our work, we uploaded our music video to YouTube. This is one of the most popular video sharing networks that reaches a worldwide audience. Another reason as to why we decided to showcase our music video on YouTube is because its a mainstream social network in which people around the ages of 14 - 30 use to view the most recent music videos and therefore through uploading our video, therefore it is likely be viewed by people of the same age as our target audience (14-24 years old). YouTube was also effective as it encourages the viewers to leave comments and to like the videos once they have been viewed. This was vital in the process as we wanted to see whether our music video was successful through the feedback. By looking at the the positive and negative feedback, I am able to identify the strengths and weaknesses within my music video and whether we conformed to the conventions of a pop music video. 

One comment we received from YouTube was “The artist is only present in the performance and it is not his situation he is relating to”. However in order for us to conform to Dyers star theory, the artist must appear absent for the consumer. In order for this to happen we decided to use a male and female to act within the narrative rather than use the artist himself. Therefore this enables the audience to relate to the artist as he is singing about a situation which most likely and individual watching has also experienced. Therefore this encourages the audience to relate to the artist through his facial expressions within the performance, on the basis that they have a good understanding of what the song is about.

 Another comment we received was “The performance should be more integrated with the narrative” However this relates back to the previous point as in for us to make the artist appear absent from the consumer the narrative and performance need to be separate. However we did show a relationship between the lyrics and visuals. An example is when the artist sings ‘I remember years ago’ he is seen to be in an isolated location. This is then followed by a flashback implying that the artist is reminiscing over his own memories. It also connotes that he is sad due to his own personal experience of a relationship breakup. 

The third comment we received from YouTube was “The music video displays elements that are typically seen in these kinds of videos” This is a positive comment as it highlights that by conforming to the codes and conventions a pop music video, it has attracted our target audience making our music video a success. 

• How would this feedback benefit your production and the industry?

The feedback I received will benefit the music industry as social networking sites are often used as a key source for promoting new and popular artists. Therefore through using one of the most mainstream social networks (YouTube) it successfully promoted my production. The feedback will benefit my production as I am able to evaluate my work through considering the positive and negative feedback. I am also able to see whether my video was a success in appealing to the target audience of 14-24 year olds by creating a conventional music video.

• Explain how you have followed the aims of the brief by creating a music video

The brief for the media coursework was to construct a music video of a maximum of 5 minutes, and to create ancillary products such as a magazine advert and a digipak. This required us to work as a group in which I joined up with three other group members; Jagoda Jasionowska, Dipika Sharma and Jamie Gregory. I have followed the aims of the brief as I created a music video that was in the given time limit. We also carried out research as a group to find out what the target audience expect to see within the music video before creating it in order for it to be successful. Before creating our group ancillary products, each group member conducted research on pop magazine adverts and digipak and designed their own. This was so that our products would all be conventional to the pop genre appealing to our target audiences expectations. Overall I think that my group and I created a successful music video as we conformed to the expected codes and conventions of a pop music video which received positive comments from our target audience.

Evaluation - Question 2

Evaluation - Question 2

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

Evaluation - Question 1

Question 1-

Introduction

The brief for the media coursework was to construct a music video of a maximum of 5 minutes, and to create ancillary products such as a magazine advert and a digipak. This required us to work as a group in which I joined up with three other group members: Jagoda Jasionowska, Dipika Sharma and Jamie Gregory. My role within the group was to film our music video using the equipment provided. Through doing this, I learnt how to film a variety of 3 second camera shots whilst using the tripod to keep the camera steady. I also took the responsibility of creating the storyboards for our music video which required me to plan the micro elements of each scene; this included the camera shots, lighting, actors, location etc. I found this effective as the roles I took on within the group enabled me to have a clear understanding of the story line and what needed to be filmed. Throughout the process of filming, we encountered problems that made it difficult to film as not everybody was free at the same time. Due to this there was an unequal division of work between each group member as not everyone was present whilst filming. Overall, I believe that my group created a successful music video and ancillary products as they conform to the codes and conventions of the pop music genre. Through prior research we conducted, we found that conforming to the convention of the music genre is effective in attracting the target audience therefore making our products successful.

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

For my A2 media, I was asked to create a music video for my chosen artist (James Arthur). The purpose of a music video is to appeal to an audience as it improves the chances of the audience remembering the song, in turn increasing the artist’s profits and success. Each music video consists of a narrative, performance and concept based. The narrative story helps sells the artist’s song as it gives the audience a better understanding of the meaning. A music video also enables the target audience to build up a relationship with the artist as the performance based section shows the artist facial expressions conveying their emotions. This is effective as the audience are able to relate to the artist.

When conducting research, I analysed two theories one of them being Goodwin’s theory. Goodwin suggested that a music video should show a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals as depending on the message of the song, an illustrative narrative gives the audience a better understanding. Therefore the audience are more likely to be able to relate to the song and buy the album. Through analysing real music videos I found that this was conventional to see within the pop music genre as well as other genres and so I conformed to Goodwin’s theory by using the same technique. In my music video, when the lyrics say ‘I remember years ago’ flashbacks are shown of the couple when they were happy. I believe that this is one reason as to why my music video successful as it provides the audience with a good understanding to what the song is about and shows them how the relationship started off as positive and they were happy and further along the song they begin to argue and eventually break up.

Goodwin’s theory also suggests that there is a relationship between the music and visuals. This is where the editing is either parallel or contradicting to the beat of the song. Within pop music videos it is conventional for the editing to be shown parallel to the music as it creates a continuous flow throughout making it more enjoyable for the audience. Therefore we incorporated this into our music video. Towards the end of the music video, the pace is increased conveying the artist’s emotions of anger and sadness in which we used fast paced editing. This correlates to the card burning scene connoting the pain and hurt cause from the breakup of the male and female.  This was effective as the fast pace editing contributed to the chaotic intense atmosphere enabling the audience to relate to the artist through his facial expressions. This represents a conventional pop music video as they usually use the same pace editing that correlates to the beat of the song. It is conventional for the editing to be shown parallel to the music as it creates a continuous flow throughout the music video making it more enjoyable for the audience to watch.

My video also conforms to Dyers Star Theory, which consists of two paradoxes: The first one being that the star must be simultaneously ordinary so that they are relatable and extra-ordinary for the consumer. The second paradox is that the star must be presented in the media and absent for the consumer. Therefore when creating my music video, the artist wore casual clothing such as jeans, and a chequered shirt. This was effective as the audience perceived the artist to be an ordinary person rather than being represented superior to them. This is successful as it encourages the audience to relate to the artist as he is portrayed to be a down to earth and therefore they are able to build up a relationship, in turn they invest into the artist’s music. My music video also conforms to the second paradox as the artist only appears in the performance element of the music video rather than both performance and narrative. This means that he is absent from the consumer as the audience isn't provided with a video that shows the artists day to day life and relationships. Therefore this is where the star starts of as a 'real person' and eventually gets transformed and constructed into the idealised role model.

The codes and conventions of a pop music genre consist of the artist’s representation as being ‘ordinary’ as suggested in Dyers Star Theory. This is evident in Demi Lovato’s music video ‘Give your heart a break’ as she is seen to be wearing a black dress with a jacket and boots. The artist being represented as an ‘ordinary’ person prevents the audience feeling that the artist is superior to them and makes them relatable. However through her clothing, Demi is portrayed to be stylish, and a fashion icon in which she appears ‘extra ordinary’ for the consumer. The audience are therefore more likely to view her as a role model and imitate her clothing, in turn increasing her popularity and success. Within my music video, I constructed the artist’s representation as an ‘ordinary’ person as I felt that it would attract a larger mainstream target audience.Through conducting prior research we discovered that our target audience will range from 14- 24. This is the most popular age group that listens to pop music videos and therefore our artist 'Callum Blake' will appeal to them.  This artist is seen to be wearing jeans and a shirt; however in the white cliffs of Dover the artist wore a Super dry jacket. This is effective as the artist promotes other designer clothing connoting his wealth as status. This makes him appear extra ordinary for the consumer showing that my music video conformed to Dyers Star theory.  In turn this means that my music video also conforms to the codes and conventions of a pop music videos as the artist is seen to be an 'Ordinary' person with a down to earth, friendly personality however through micro elements such as clothing, he then transforms into the audiences role model in which they aspire to be him.

Another convention to the pop music genre is a narrative story of a relationship breakup. This is also evident within Demi Lovato’s music video in which she is seen to have broken up with her boyfriend and is reminiscing over the happy memories they once shared.  Mise-en-scene within a pop music video is significant as the different elements all have various connotations. Within a pop music video it is conventional to see the artist performing in an isolated location as it connotes their importance. This was evident in James Morrison’s music video ‘Broken strings’ where the artist was seen to be singing in an empty hotel room. This is effective as it makes the artist the audience’s main focal point and detracts their attention from the location. Within my music video I conformed to these codes and conventions as I filmed the artist performing in the White Cliff of Dover showing that the artist is isolated and vulnerable due to the relationship ending. r  Close up camera shots were used to show the artist singing the song in which his emotions were conveyed. Therefore the audience sympathise with the artist and build a relationship with him. Due to this my music video conforms to the stereotypical conventions of a pop music video.

Another convention to a pop music video is that artificial lighting is used. This is usually created to enhance the artist’s appearance making them appear in the best possible light. This technique is commonly used in pop music videos when the artist is seen to be performing in which the lighting changes parallel to the beat of the song. This is effective as it creates a continuous flow throughout the video and makes the artist stand out from other people or other mise-en-scene elements such as location. An example of this is in Justin Timberlake’s music video ‘what goes around’. The artist is seen to be performing in front of an audience with backing dancers in which a spot light is used to make him stand out.  This further connotes the artist’s importance and focuses the audience’s attention on him and his performance. This is something that my group considered when filming the music video as we filmed Jamie performing in a drama room with only a spotlight focusing on him. Therefore this prevents the audience from getting distracted by the location and encourages them to build up a relationship with the artist by looking at his facial expressions. At the beginning of the music video, the lights are seen to gradually brighten as the lyrics begin to start. This is an additional example as to how my music video conforms to Goodwin’s theory as there is a relationship between the music and visuals. Overall my music video conformed to the codes and conventions of a pop music video in order to attract the mainstream target audience and to make it a success. 

Rough cut

Rough Cut

Why is a rough cut important to consider?
A rough cut is important to consider when creating a music video. This is because it allows you to evaluate your first draft and enables you to make changes in order to improve it. Through reflecting on your work, the rough cut is a good opportunity to get other peoples opinions on the what you have created so far, and to collect positive and negative feedback. Therefore depending on the comments it gives you a chance to improve on your work my making an necessary alterations which you wouldn't have considered if you hadn't created a rough cut.

Why is it important to consider audience feedback
It is important to consider the audience feedback as it gives you an understanding of what your target audience expects to see within your music video. Through the use of feedback from the audience, you are able to make any changes that suit them, in turn increasing the popularity of the music video. This therefore would make it successful as it meets the criteria that the audience want to see in a pop music video and more people are likely to watch it.

How did you receive your audience feedback? Youtube, interviews?
We received our audience feedback through uploading our rough cut onto YouTube. We decided to use Youtube as it is one of the most popular video sharing sites that enables viewers to comment and like the videos easily. This is what we needed in order for us to improve our work in which we gain both positive and negative feedback. Once we got this feedback it allows us to make any necessary changes upon the elements of the music video that they didn't particularly like.

What feedback did you receive?
Through uploading our work onto YouTube, we received both positive and negative comments. This was beneficial to the process of making our music video as we could identify what went well and what didn't. Therefore taking in consideration of the comments we was able to make and necessary changes.One comment we received was ' The artist is only present in the performance and it is not his situation he is relating to'. However in order for us to conform to Dyers star theory, the artist must appear absent for the consumer. For this to happen, we decided to use a male and female to act within the narrative rather than use the artist himself. Therefore this enables the audience to relate to the artist as he is singing about a situation which most likely and individual watching has also experienced. Therefore this encourages the audience to relate to the artist through his facial expressions within the performance, on the basis that they have a good understanding of what the song is about.

Another comment we received was “The performance should be more integrated with the narrative” However this relates back to the previous point as in for us to make the artist appear absent from the consumer the narrative and performance need to be separate. However we did show a relationship between the lyrics and visuals. An example is when the artist sings ‘I remember years ago’ he is seen to be in an isolated location. This is then followed by a flashback implying that the artist is reminiscing over his own memories. It also connotes that he is sad due to his own personal experience of a relationship breakup.

The third comment we received from YouTube was “The music video displays elements that are typically seen in these kinds of videos” This is a positive comment as it highlights that by conforming to the codes and conventions a pop music video, it has attracted our target audience making our music video a success.

How will the feedback assist you with finalising your final music video?
The feedback will assist me with finalising my final music video as I will use the comments from the target audience to make improvements to my music video. I am going to add editing effects to show the differences between flashbacks of the male and female when they were happy, so the audience can see that it is a memory and that the artist is singing about the different memories you go through within relationships.