New Media technology was an integral part of the different stages of our media product. We used many different forms of technology in every part of the production of our media product to make sure that we could document our journey well.
During the research stages we mainly used the internet. We used general search engines to further our knowledge of the indie genre. We researched other bands of this genre and looked at their work for inspiration and give us our ideas for our own product. We recorded all of the research on to the group blog again using the internet and the web page ‘blogger.com’.
This research that we gained we used to help us in our planning stage which helped us to develop our own ideas that we had already thought of. With our research combined with our own ideas to get a fixed idea of what we want to achieve. We recorded every part of our research and planning stage on our group blog. We also used the cameras quite often to take test shots and record presentations of ourselves to then upload on to the blog and also give us ideas for the later stages. Our next step was to then go on and start developing our ideas in to a storyboard and plan how we were going to construct our media product.
For the construction phase of our media project we mainly used the HD camera t film our footage. Once we had captured all the scenes need we then began the editing process using imovie. If we had any queries we would use the internet for example when editing the opening we had the idea but were not sure how to carry it out so therefore searched online. We also made sure we updated our group blog as often as we could to document our progress.
During the ancillary tasks I mainly used a digital camera to take the various pictures that I need. I then took them and edited them using Photoshop to create the image I wanted following this I created the poster which involved my using Photoshop for a lengthy amount of time. Then finally once I was finished and happy with the end result I uploaded it on to my own blog using Blogger in order for others to view my image.
In the evaluation phase, I didn’t use as much technology as the earlier phases however I still incorporated some. I used a camera to film the some audience feedback of my music video then edited it using imovie and I also used the social networking site Facebook to get other people’s views and opinions. Finally I used blogger to show case my whole evaluation.
Our song and music video is from the indie genre so therefore our target audiences are people that listen and enjoy that type of music. Following the completion of our media product I asked other points of views and opinions of both my video and ancillary task.
The general view was that it was a good representation of the song and led well to that particular genre. Many said that the concept was well thought out and very strong which made the video keep up the pace of the song. One comment about our music video was from a fellow media student saying that she “loved the use of colour and bright lighting which reflected the genre well.” She then continued to say “the switch between performance and narrative was well balanced and the concept was cleverly planned out”. Others have said that it was different and original and that they like the reference to the actual lyrics of the song. Another fellow student said that my “video reflects the lyrics to the song in a way that provides more understanding of the lyrics for the audience.” She went on to say that she “liked the use of realistic settings such as the supermarket, it makes the video come across as a purposely low-budget indie video which reflects the bands genre of music. Also comments were made about the props being used very well for example the masks and the fridge as the audience feedback suggested it was believable.
From my audience feedback I have learnt that the concept was the most favoured part of our music video as it was seen to be different but still fit perfectly with the tone of the song and the genre of music. Also the feedback has shown that the concept and narrative cooperates well with the lyrics of the song and gives the audience a deeper understanding of the song lyrics as one viewer said that “at first (she) didn’t realise what the lyrics were going on about” and that our video helped her to understand the song, which I regard as a triumph as the ain purpose of not just our video but music videos in general are there to further develop ideas of the song.
The audience feedback I gained was mostly positive however some said that there were some shots that were not as creative as the others. From this I have learnt that we should have tried to keep all the shots at the same standard as each other. In hindsight as a group we should have looked at some of our more tame shots for example mid shots with no or little movement and thought about how we could have changed them to push ourselves.
In conclusion I think that we captured the wants of our audience both our target and non target as many agreed that the concept fit the genre and worked well with the lyrics. I think that the concept we picked was the right choice for the upbeat fun song that we had.
Our song was from the indie genre so we designed a music video to fit that. I decided to incorporate the concept from the music video and include that in to my ancillary task and make various links between them. I also had to think about the target audience and how to make sure that it would appeal to them.
The digi-pak I chose was to make the band the main focus so for the front cover I used a straight on band picture of the waist up. I took the picture in the same garden where the garage we filmed in is situated as I wasn’t it to all link somehow. I also had the band in the costumes that they wore in the video. For the inside front cover I used a picture of the lights that we used to decorated the garage and for the inside back cover I used a print screen of the woods scene through the eyeholes of the masked character. I used these pictures to link the concept of the video to the digi-pak to show continuity and allow the audience to see the link. Finally for the back page I used the same band photo as the front however this time they were wearing their masks as I believe the masks are the main motif of our video and I wanted to incorporate that somehow it also draws the attention to the music video as you see them with and without the masks on. When I edited the photos I used a film grain effect because then it mirrored the grain effect that we used on the performance scene in our video so again it formed a link between the digi-pak and video. The font I used on the digi-pak was quite plain and simple but I use a bright colour to draw attention and fit in with the indie genre as bright colours are a favourite of theirs.
The poster is to advertise the band but most of all the new single therefore I wanted to use similar images from the digi-pak in the poster so that the audience were able to make the link and get an idea of what was being advertised. For the poster I used both the front and back cover from my digi-pak and created a new image with half a band member with a mask and the other half without, I did this for all three band member. I then added the grain effect again to keep that link present. The font and colour I kept simple as I wanted the band to be the main focus but I did add lyrics from the song around the edges to give it some depth and give the audience a taste of the song. Finally I added reviews, not only to make it appear more professional, but to capture the eye of the audience and show why it should be bought.
I think the combination of my music video and ancillary task is very effective. I think the strong link between the video, digipak and poster all work really well together and appeal to the target audience. It allows the audience to see what to expect before they even watch the video or listen to the song.
The link between the poster and the digipak was very important for me. Here are some examples of real media products that have a link like mine
Our media product comes under the indie genre. We researched this genre in depth to then help us discover the main conventions. We found out from our research that the common conventions of the genre were bright colours and quite simple storylines and generally don’t contain big expensive productions. This led us on to think of what the narrative could be and we came up with many suggestions to conform to the stereotypes of this genre. Our song is by a band that are not widely known so we wanted it to appear realistic and look like something they would produce which is why we went for the low budget feel that we would be able to succeed in. Also the lyrics of the song gave us a strong base for a narrative as it talks of ‘hauntings’ and ‘clean white sheets’ which straight away made us want to link the lyrics to the story which we also found to be a common convention of this genre. After hearing the song we also thought that it was quite upbeat and fun which made us have a story that had a lightheaded feel about it and not be too serious which again we looked in t and found that a lot of artist in this genre had.
One convention of real media products of this genre is performance scenes, and we conformed to this convention in our own media product. We had a performance scene as we found out that most indie bands have one in their videos, bearing this in mind we considered our band and that as they were small and unknown a more intimate and low budget setting for the performance would be better so we therefore used a garage. I think the garage work well as it shows off the band and avoids any other distractions as you are only looking at them. Performance elements are very important in the indie genre as most artists of this type of music want to promote themselves as a band and as musician not as celebrities so to incorporate the instruments was very important to us. Also it makes the audience appear closer to the band as they are seen in a garage which is very accessible and no out of reach. This led us to think about our other settings as we decided to not have it all performance based. We used the other settings of a kitchen, the woods, the park and the supermarket. All of these places were easily accessible which fit in with the homemade low budget feel we wanted to achieve.
Another common convention we found out about the indie genre was the attraction of being different and ‘quirky’ we there for tried to incorporate this into our own video. We decorated the garage with fairy lights to give it the low budget look we wanted and also add the quirky feel to make it conform. Another use of mise en scene that we used was the masks, these fit well for the lyrics of the song and the light hearted feel we wanted to achieve. Also the use of the masks fit again with the homemade low budget feel as they were easily accessible. We researched a number of different bands of the same genre and saw many parallels between our product and real media products as many used masks in their videos.
Another thing we learnt from researching other videos was that many had simple narratives and usually used the band to tell them. We therefore went on to construct a simple yet effective storyline that we as the band could act out. We listened to the song and it became easy to storyboards as we made strong links between the lyrics and story which we also found out was a common convention of other media products. Our narrative is performed by the band as it keeps the focus on the band rather than on others also as it is a simple narrative that links so strongly with the lyrics it doesn’t take the focus off of the song. We wanted to create the simple narrative as artists of this genre are trying to promote themselves as credible musicians and promote their music so we didn’t want to take that focus away.
Furthermore, whilst researching other artists’ videos of the indie genre we found that they use editing to fit to the beat, we therefore conformed to this convention. As we had a fast paced songs we had more than enough to use and we tried to make each cut on a beat and made sure that the pace of the song was never lost and that we kept it throughout.
However there were some conventions of the indie genre that we did not conform to. Firstly bright colours are a favourite of this genre and although we did use some in places we did not use in excess as many others may do but we felt that it didn’t tie in with our concept and song. Also, during the planning stage we were set on using green screen for our ‘head in fridge scene’ however we decided against it as if we were unable to pull it off it would not look as good, also that green screens are very complicated and that would not fit in with our simple concept and homemade feel as green screens are not widely accessible.
Ultimately, our group decided to conform to most of the common conventions of this genre and we feel it was right to do so as I think it make our video very effective.
Here are the two main examples of common conventions that are in our music video that are also used in other media products:
masks
performance
We took inspiration from both videos and many more once we had further researched this genre.
