Evaluation

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


As in our feedback, people felt we fitted and formed to the conventions well, however we also pushed the boundaries of music videos in general. It is quite different to what is around currently with the jerkier, quirkier, faster pace to it along with a different style of editing. It pushes the narrative and leaves the audience to make their own conclusion. We tried to delve deeper into the lyrics and take a different spin on what could have been a very literal song. The ancillary texts are also more exaggerated than what is around so forms well to the genre but in a more general sense pushes the conventions in place to adverts and CD albums. However the genre we have picked allows these boundaries to be pushed.  


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


I feel they compliment each other well, the same theme runs throughout both which I feel is key to keep the audience interested and so they are able to make connections between the two. Hopefully with the texts having the same theme it helps them to be distinguished more easily on a shop shelf for instance. If the consumer has already seen a poster and sees a digipak it would remind them of that poster (and vice versa) and would therefore increase sales if it has a sense of familiarity. I also feel the pictures I chose will emote a sense of curiosity and invite the audience in so they may then watch the video, visit the website or buy the CD and generally promote interest around the band. I used the same fonts, colours and similar photos, all to develop a brand and image for the band which gives them something to be known by and the audience something to relate to. Overall I feel the combination is highly effective, the main product fits well with the ancillary texts and moulds to the conventions. The theme is recurrent throughout giving it recognition with the audience.


What have you learned from your audience feedback?


We learned a lot from the feedback and it helped so much to have fresh eye and opinion of our video. We had become to wrapped up in it and it became difficult to see it objectively. However, we now know, we could have made it simpler and that it definitely needed to include some form of fight scene between the boyfriend and girlfriend to make it more clear that they had split up. We were pleased to learn people thought we fitted well with the conventions of the genre & that the lip syncing was done very well. Also we have learned that perhaps the audience need to watch the video more than once to really take everything from it and understand it.


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


In the planning and research stage we used the Internet and search engines to study other similar music videos and to gain information about our inspirations and the conventions of our genre. In the actual filming of our video we used digital technology. This included a variety of cameras, which consisted of a handheld to film the majority of the video and in the TV studio we took advantage of the facilities avaliable. We then used a software programmer called Adobe Premier Pro to edit and finalise the video. For our pictures of locations, make up and star image we used a Nikon camera. We often used our mobile phones (mine being a Samsung Wave) to send or bluetooth various necessary pictures to one another as well as e-mailing them and uploading them to social networking sites to share them. I used blogger throughout the project to document all the progress also.

Research and Planning

Digipak

Album Advert

Audience Feedback

We gave out questionnaires for people to fill in so we could get feedback on what other people thought of our video. One of the questions was a mark out of 10, 10 being the highest. We took an average of the marks and out of 10 it was 7.83 – which rounded up to 8.
A vital point we really wanted people to grasp was the narrative as we really took time trying to subtly getting across the narrative. Most of the feedback said they understood the narrative – however we could have made it clearer. A comment we were pleased with is that all the responses said we followed the conventions of the genre well. A lot of time went into finding our inspirations of the genre and we idolised a lot of people from the genre so we were pleased to find out other people agreed we fitted well into that niche. Peers commented saying it could have been improved by toning it down a bit and using more lip syncing. However the feedback said we didn’t have any syncing issues and they agreed that the editing was fitting with the video and was cut in time to the music. We were pleased with this as one of the key points is the lip syncing and how well it is cut with the music and being in time with the music so to have achieved this was a big success. People commented that after watching it they felt, entertained, randy, scared, excited and confused.

Freakshow - Funhouse

Above is our final edit of our music video "Funhouse".

Digipak Research

When looking into creating my digipak, I chose to study Paramore's second album "RIOT!". 

The front cover of the album is sketchbook like. It features scribbles of the word "RIOT!" in the background. However on closer inspection it is evident that the writing is credits for the album.

The album title, "RIOT!" stands out the most on the cover, it’s one of the few bits of text written in colour and in this case the chosen font colour of orange takes a very central position on the cover. An image of the band is located directly below the album title in black and white and has been edited to give it a sketch-like look which fits in with the rest of the cover.

It isn't possible to see the whole of the album cover as a promotional sticker has been added at some stage in the production process. However I found another more generic picture of the album cover.

I noticed that the band’s name (Paramore) is not in the album artwork as a main title. The band’s name is instead on the area by the hinge of the album. It is also featured in the top right hand corner where it says "Paramore is..." and goes to list the band members and their roles. This is perhaps because its their second album, their image has been developed and is well known enough for them to be known simply through a picture and the name "Paramore" was no longer necessary on the cover for them to be identified. However, the sticker may have been added as it was confusing and in turn hindering sales.

 

The "RIOT!" scribble theme is present on the back cover of the album with the word "RIOT!" written in black with some information written in orange. The back cover features a track listing in orange above another black and white image of the band with a sketch like effect applied. The band look very close together and this gives an impression that they all get on and are happy. The image takes a central position on the lower half of the cover with the band looking directly at the "listener" who is looking at the cover. The band and their record label’s web addresses are also featured on the back cover along  with the barcode and copyright information.

The album’s insert, pictured above, further cements the notebook theme. All the font is in a scribbly style and looks childlike. Images of the band are again present and in the same style as with the rest of the panels. The insert includes the lyrics to four of their most well known songs with extra notes and doodles alongside. It feels quite personal and as though they are sharing intimate details with their fans. The whole album package with it’s notebook theme gives the sense of envy, anger and frustration with the constant doodles and almost rigid font. This angst is reflected in the songs on the album, for instance in the songs "Misery Business" and "That's What You Get". It’s clear to the listener that the theme of the album as a whole is reflected not only through the music but also through the album packaging. From the black and white contrasted with the orange, to the way the band are dressed in the album’s photographs is reflective of the pop-punk genre and conforms exactly to it. This is something that a lot of the band's audience can relate to as the band are pictured wearing fashionable items of clothing and the font used is very reflective of the emo style which some of their listeners choose to take up.

I feel that the cover for "RIOT!" is one of the best I have seen and going through this analysis process has made me realise just how good it is and the amount of hard work and thought that has gone into creating it.