Evaluation Question One

As part of my A level coursework I created a music video to 'Panic Chord' by Gabrielle Aplin with 'Kerry Boyne' as my artist. A music video is a collection of visuals that accompany a song. Each music video has a set of codes and conventions that belong to the genre of the music video. In order for a music video to be conventional it must apply to the codes and conventions of it's genre. I created a music video in the indie genre. Conventions of this genre entail personal lyrics and instrument playing. This is because artists of this genre are typically very talented despite being less popular than artists in more mainstream genres such as pop who may be less musically talented. Indie artists are talented in that they often play their own instruments and write their own songs. They are more independent which is why they often belong to small record labels.

Because the artists often write their own songs, the lyrics tend to revolve around personal thoughts and experiences inhabited by the artist. Therefore artists of this genre often appear relatable to their audience as the audience will feel that they are similar to the artist if they can identify with the lyrics. This allows a relationship to form between the artist and target audience which is why indie artists often have niche but loyal fanbases. To show this, a music video may show the artist as down to earth an ordinary by living there day to day life that is not much difference from the audiences. This would prove that the artist is not widely famous an therefore has a niche audience. However, stage performance scenes are often present in indie music videos which highlight how the artist still has a supportive fanbase that have invested in the artist by buying tickets to watch them live.


















You may see that an artist has written her own songs in a music video with use of narrative. If an artist is acting in the narrative in a way that fits the narrative and tells a story that suits the meaning of the song then it is made clear that the artist has written the lyrics about their own personal experiences. I showed the artist in my music video as talented and an artist who writes her own songs using this technique. When the lyrics say "You're just a box of souvenirs", a point of view camera shots establishes the artist opening up her own box of souvenirs and pulling out one of the items. The item then directly links to a memory with the use of a jump cut. The following shot is of the memory and so the audience understands that the song is written about the artists own personal memories and how she feels reminiscing them.

Another convention of the indie genre is that artists often possess a natural style. They are seen in often casual clothing with natural hair and makeup. This portrays them as laidback and ordinary which supports Richard Dyers theory of a star because he suggested  that a star must be both ordinary and extraordinary. Indie artists are ordinary through their appearance and relatable song lyrics yet extraordinary due to their talent and fame. As a result the audience can simultaneously relate to and be inspired by the artist which makes them an ideal role model. For example, in Nina Nesbitt's 'Apple Tree', she is seen in minimal makeup with relatively casual clothing and natural hair. This emphasises on her down to earth and laidback nature due to being ordinary and similar to the audience. However, hand held camera shots shows the artists journey for her career in music. The audience is shown the artist travelling and conversing with other famous artists etc. This adds an element of adventure and fame that the audience would not be familiar with and therefore portrays her as extraordinary.


















In my own production, my artist is represented as ordinary in similar ways. She was minimal if any makeup and her hair and clothing is always kept casual and simple. Through he memory scenes, the artist is also shown doing regular activities with the male character. She goes for a picnic, watches films and bakes cakes. This shows that she is down to earth and can relate to the audience as she is doing what most of them will have done and can therefore identify with.

My music video followed these conventions because the lyrics were about the breakdown of a relationship which you could tell was personal to the artist as a breakup was shown through he narrative with the artist portraying one of the characters. Therefore, if released into the music industry, the audience would feel closer to the artist by comparing her lyrics to a breakup they have personally experienced. Furthermore, the artist wore stereotypically indie clothes in that despite being quirky (eg a denim dress), they were also very casual such as jeans and jumpers. Her hair and makeup also remained relatively natural throughout. This means the artist appeared both ordinary and extraordinary so as well as applying to Dyers theory it develops indie conventions.

Evaluation Question Four

https://prezi.com/ojlkwh9qabk5/evaluation-question-four/

Evaluation Question Three

Audience feedback is important because it allows you to understand what to improve or change in order to please those who would buy into your product. It also shows you what was successful and went well so you know what to add more of or repeat in the future.  When the rough cut of my media product was finished, I uploaded the footage to YouTube whereby it received audience feedback in the form of comments. One comment I received stated that the narrative was interesting and clear to follow yet more varied transitions should be used between shots. Another suggested the same but to also add more filters. A third comment said that the editing techniques were interest but more performance based scenes of the artist should be added.

I found YouTube very useful for audience feedback because I have now obtained three direct instructions from my target audience on how to improve the product so it appeals more to them. I will make sure to add more performance shots, filters and transitions to my final music video.

points 3, 4 and 6  of question 3
egs of other ways u obtained feedback.

Planning Cinematography - Miss Miller

Cinematography is essential within a music video because it makes the video more interesting and engaging if a variety of them is used. If a music video consistently used a limited amount of simple camera techniques then it will be very boring for the audience to watch and they may lose interest. In order to avoid this, a music video needs to entail a variety of different cinematography techniques consistently throughout. This will allow the music video to portray certain connotations, meanings and emotions. For example, a high angle shot makes the subject look small and inferior compared to the audience which will make them feel dominant and powerful. A low angle shot has the opposite effect of making the subject appear dominant and audience feel superior. Camera techniques are also useful in regards of the narrative. They can establish a setting or situation using a long shot or establishing shot as well as emphasising on a subject/object to show its significance using a close-up etc.

In my group, we discussed the camera techniques we would like to include in our music video and made note of five. The first is a point of view shot of the memory box from the artists perspective. This will be used in one of the first shots of the music video. The artist will pull a memory box onto her lap and open it. The camera will be looking down into the box as if through the artists eyes. This shot is conventional to the indie gene because artists of this genre tend to be very honest and willing to show their audience exactly how they are feeling in a situation because their songs are often written about subject personal to the artist. Therefore by allowing the audience to relate to the song by understanding how the artist felt/feels then they will be able to build a relationship with the artist. This relation ship will be formed on the basis that the audience will believe that they are similar to the artist and also understand that the artist trusts them with personal details about their life. This camera shot represents the artist as sentimental and nostalgic as it will show she is focusing on a box filled with memories. This also suggests that the artist is unable to let go of the past which is conventional to the music video theme of breakups.

Point of view shot

Close up

A close-up of the artists face will be used when the artist is singing. This is conventional to the indie genre because it will put emphasise on the artists emotions so they are easily readable for the audience. This is conventional because indie artists tend to sing about personal and relatable experiences that are high in emotion because they write their own songs and are honest about their lives and problems. In my music video this will represent the artist as honest and emotional for revealing her feelings so vulnerably. It will also portray the artist as sad and regretful about a past relationship.

Thirdly, my group discussed using a long shot. This will be regularly featured in our music video mostly during the memory scenes because this will establish the entire setting and situation, making the narrative clear to the audience. This is conventional to the indie genre because indie artists are known as being quite honest and therefore do not hide anything from the audience. This so why everything in the shot will be shown clearly. This portrays the artist as vulnerable as she is not given the opportunity to hide anything as about herself.

Shallow focus

Shallow focus will be used when the artist is standing in front of the bonfire. The background will be made blurry so the audiences entire focus is directed onto the audience. Also the blurry effect has connotations of being confused which could suggest that the artist has a muddled mind in which she'd not know what to think or do in her situation. This is conventional to the indie genre because indie artists will often sing about their own personal experiences and get them across in many ways including camera angles. 

Zooming in will be used each time the artist is looking into the souvenir box and pulls out an item. The camera zooms into the item putting emphasis on it before flashing to a memory connected to that object. This is conventional to the indie genre because it puts emphasise on the sentimental value of objects and how with mundane items a whole memory can be attached. This is conventional to this music genre because the meaning of songs tend to be personal to the artist yet relatable for the audience. Sentimental value is something that everybody is likely to relate to and the video may remind the audience of past memories of their own. This camera effect represents the artist as nostalgic and possibly confused due to the blur of the zoom which could represent her thoughts and how they are unclear.

My target audience consists of teenagers and young adults. They will be able to build a relationship with the artist throughout hess cinematography techniques in several ways. Zooming and long shots add to thew narrative and make it easier to understand so the audience will understand the story line and be able to engage with the meaning of the song more. They will be able to put themselves in the artists position through the point of view shot which will allow them to empathise with her.  This planning has helped me make sure that my music video will be received well by my target audience through deciding how they will build a relationship with my artist, engage with the narrative and find my video conventional.

Music Video Rough Cut and Audience Feedback - Miss Miller

Audience feedback is important to a production because it allows the creators to understand what went well about their media product so they know what elements are received well in their audience and what they should continue to replicate in other media products in the future as it was successful in this one. Also feedback teaches the creators what did not go well and what should be improved. From this feedback the creators then know what they should do to make their product even more successful and therefore more enjoyed by the target audience. 

I received audience feedback from my target audience in several ways. Firstly, I constructed questionnaires asking my target audience about my chosen music genre to find out what they thought to be the most successful elements in this genre and what they would like to see in an indie music video. For example, I asked my target audience what conventions you would expect to find in an indie music video and 'narratives about love' was an answer given which helped encourage us to base our music video on the theme of a relationship.

Throughout the production of the music video, i would regularly show it to other people including teachers, friends and other students. This was to determine I got a lot of feedback and so had a clear idea of what I had to improve at all times to make my music video as successful as possible. When my group and I were happy with our rough cut we showed it to our other class members and asked them to write down positive and constructive feedback  on a piece of paper. This screening of production was useful because we were able to obtain the honest opinion of others in the same position as us - students creating a music video. After improving our rough cut in terms of this feedback, I uploaded the video onto YouTube and put the comments section on public so anyone can comment and leave feedback.

The feedback obtained benefits my production because it game me and other members of my group the opportunity to look at our music video from different perspectives and understand what we could do to improve it and therefore possibly raise our grade. In terms of the music industry, feedback is beneficial because positive feedback shows artists and producers what the target audience find enjoyable to arch and therefore they know what guidelines to follow in the future. Negative feedback similarly shows the, why the audience does not like and what they should avoid in the future.  I received both positive and constructive comments for my music video rough cut.

Based on these comments, I now know what changes I should make to my music video before submitting it as a final piece. I will start with filming and record more performance scenes was the target audience seem to believe there is not enough performance despite enjoying the narrative and finding it clear to follow. In terms of editing, I will use a wide variety of transitions between shots to keep the music video interesting and despite it being repetitive by using the same or similar transitions throughout. Also I will make sure to add the artists name and name of the song somewhere within the video. I will probably do this at the start of the video whereby there is a time-lapse of moving clouds.






go through each comment and say how it made you feel about my production, how took feedback ON BOARD AND INTERRETTED IT INTO production, examples,


relate feedback to rough cut and music industry

Individual Digipak Analysis - Miss Georgiou

I have created a digipak to advertise my artists album and represent her in a way that would entice her target audience to buy into her music. The colours, images and text on my digipak will all help me to portray my artist in a certain way to sell her music and make her conventional to her genre.

I decided to use limited colours in my digipak with focus on only one. The one colour I chose was blue and the rest of the digipak was grey scale. The black and white has connotations of being dull which represents to location and situation surrounding the artist as depressing. This is conventional to the indie genre because it suggests that the artist has experienced negative emotions and moments in her life but remains happy and positive as she is in colour. This shows her as a good role model for the audience and helps the, build a relationship with her because she is singing about personal experiences which creates a layer of trust. The colour blue has connotations of sadness and loneliness which represent the emotions the artist may have felt in the relationship being sung about in our chosen song. Furthermore blue can portray integrity which may show the artist courageously ending the unhealthy relationship. Again this portrays her as a good role model.

The images used are very simplistic yet hold several connotations and meanings. The front cover image shows the artist looking up to the side. This suggests that she could be reflecting on her life and past experiences which is common for an indie artist as they stereotypically write their own songs and so would reflect on their own life for inspiration. The second to last image shows the artist walking across a bridge with her back to the camera. This could suggest that she is overcoming her fears and moving onto the next part of her life. The camera being positioned behind her creates the effect that the audience is behind her and so being invited to follow her actions and face their own fears. 

The layout of the digipak has been kept simplistic and similar throughout. This shows the audience that it is all relevant to the same project and it all makes sense. There are direct links between the magazine advert, artist image and digipak which can be seen through the simplicity of it all. Writing has been kept minimal also so the focus is mainly on the images and the audience do not know too much about what to expect from he artist. This will make them want to buy the album to find out more. However, the typography that is used is bold so it stands out as well as being quirky and unique which is relevant and conventional to the indie genre and style.

I found Photoshop difficult and easy in different ways. I struggled with adjusting the colours and layering because I wanted some elements to be black and white and some to be in colour. This did not always work and I would often by mistake make the whole image black and white or in colour etc. However, I found cutting and pasting images easier than expected. it took some time to crop an image and blend it on to another one while making it look professional but I feel I did this well in my digipak.

I think my digipak conforms to my genres convention because it portrays my artist as reflecting on her own personal experiences and being a role model which both allows the artist to build a relationship with the audience and be conventional to the genre. I think my digipak appeals to my target audience because they will be inspired by the artists positive nature and intrigued by the fact that not much is given away and so will want to see more.