I used a range of different media technologies throughout my planning, production and evaluation process.
HD Camera
From my initial planning days I used YouTube to research different music video's to gain ideas. I looked at composition of shots, narrative, studio work, colouring, mise-en-scene, editing and other aspects key in any music video. I looked at the lyrics to the song and thought about what I wanted to film. I then drafted a story board for my first set of filming. After assessing the actual 'Louder' music video I wanted to produce a similar outcome with little use of effects and lots of different camera angles and cutting to different scenes more often. I then began planning by mind mapping my ideas for my own music video and did a monthly plan in my diary so that I had planned my work throughly.
Final Cut Pro
I knew I wanted good quality footage so I filmed my work using the HD Camera, which was the first time I had used this type of camera. I experimented with all its functions especially un focusing and focusing footage, its powerful zoom and moving filming using the dolly. As the HD camera uses tapes unlike the other handheld cameras that use SD cards I had to capture my film from the camera onto Final Cut Pro. I used Final Cut Pro to edit all my work. I transferred my audio onto Final Cut and altered the sound volume and fitted the audio correctly in time with my visual, which took quite a while to get perfect. I made use of the footage effects on the software such as overlapping footage and the colour corrector. I edited my footage mostly using the colour corrector by having my narrative footage in black and white and the studio/lip syncing footage in colour so that there was a clear distintion between the two to my audience. I found this to be a sucessful technique and I think overall it worked well with the storyline of my footage. I used a title sequence as the opening to my music video for a profeshional finish. I did this using Adobe PhotoShop to make a JPEG file which I then dragged and dropped into Final Cut Pro at the start of my timeline. For the end of my video I used the fade out effect to a black screen so that my footage finshed in time with my audio, as well as at the same tempo.
Apple Aperture 3
Adobe PhotoShop
For my ancillary task I initially completed my first photo shoot at my local skate park to include graffiti into my album artwork to highlight the 'youth culture' theme. After completing my final set of filming I did another photo shoot with my model against a brick wall I had used for a lot of my filming. I did this so that my ancillary tasks linked well with my media product and so that they were easily identified with my audience to my music video. I edited my images initially using software I have at home; Aperture 3. I used this programme to edit skin tones, increase definition and contrast and to overall polish my images to a good standard. I then used Adobe PhotoShop to edit my images further in a more graphical way. I included text and graphics in a creative and visually pleasing way to my images, to produce my final album cover and magazine advert.
For my evaluation I have tried different forms of presenting my work. I have again used Final Cut Pro and recorded my audio using Garage Band and converted the files to iTunes then dropping them into Final Cut for a finished product. I have included moving footage, still images, music and a voice over in my evaluation. Editing timing of each frame in time with the audio, altering the audio levels where needed so that it is clear and can be heard easily. For my audience research I have used the inbuilt webcam in the Mac for feedback from friends so that it fits with the relaxed blogging we have been doing over the course of this project and so that the videos have a 'video blog' feel to them. I have made use of the Internet and resources available to me. I have uploaded my work to YouTube for feedback and for views of my video. I linked my final music video to my Facebook page so that my friends and family could watch my video and give me feedback. I also linked the video to my Twitter page so that people outside my friends and family, a random audience could also view my work. This proved very successful as I received a lot of positive comments and after my video only being online for 2 days I have already received 105 views of my video, which is fantastic.
105 YouTube Views
I have overall learnt and built on a lot of skills from this coursework project and have found it very enjoyable. I have used software in more detail and at a higher level than I have before, I created my first YouTube account. I have used Facebook, a social networking site I use everyday to help with advertising my work and for feedback. I have changed my final outcome dramatically from what I began to work with an acoustic slow song with a totally different genre and audience. After changing from working in a group to working alone it did have some difficulties at times but I managed my time effectivly and kept editing my work and refilming footage at different locations with different costumes and extras so that I had a sucessful end result that I am pleased with and proud of myslef for giving myself the challenge of changing my idea well into the project and for working alone.
Appealing to my target audience was very important in producing a successful music video. I firstly began my research by looking at the Rinse label my artist Katy B is signed with. I found that Rinse began as a pirate radio station from a tower block in East London by 16 year old DJ Geeneus. Straight away I knew I was aiming for a teen to young adult target audience. The pirate radio was powered by a homemade transmitter balanced between a sink and a cooker and more importantly by the love for music and for it to be heard. It had countless brushes with the law but became the most influential pirate radio station on air.
From this I gathered that youth culture, rebellion and uniqueness was a key theme throughout the music played, which is what I have tried to capture in my media product.
I conducted my own audience research using a survey I created on SurveyMonkey.com. It was a seven questioned questionnaire looking at gender, age, music genre and music videos in general. I found that a 10-30 year old audience were into the genre electro and dance which outline my target audience. The use of special effects and narrative and lip syncing was a very important feature to appeal to my target audience which I have included in my own media product.
YouTube seemed a popular place for music videos to be viewed according to my audience research. So after my music video was complete I uploaded my video to YouTube. After my media product was complete I asked for some people from my target audience for their feedback.
Jo: “I really liked Katie Looker’s video, I loved the song and all the special effects she did and I thought that it fitted in well with the style of Katy B’
Emma: “I really liked Katie Looker’s interpretation of a Katy B music video. I thought that it worked really well, it was really similar to Katy B’s style and all her thoughts were really thought out and it really appealed to my audience.”
Poppy: “I thought Katie’s music video was realistic as it resembled a modern video you’d see on TV and it was also interesting as it had a storyline.”
For my audience feedback I have uploaded my final A2 music video to YouTube. In less than a day I already had 86 views on my video and 4 ‘likes’. After two days I received 106 views, I had also received some comments from friends on YouTube as well.
I also linked my video onto my Facebook page so that my friends and family on the social networking site could give me some feedback. I received 16 ‘likes’ for my video and 14 positive comments. I also linked my video onto my Twitter page so people other than my friends and family who I don’t know could view my video. From this I got a re-tweet so that other peoples followers could also view my video. Overall I have learnt a lot of beneficial information from my audience research and feedback, from friends and fellow media students throughout my production process. They helped my to initially develop my ideas and to overall produce a successful final piece.
For any music video it is important that the products behind the artist such as the album cover, posters, advertising and so on link clearly to the genre of their music therefore making it easier for the audience to relate to. My artist Katy B is an English singer/songwriter. She is a dubstep, RnB, funky house and UK garage. She is signed to Rinse record label, which was originally London’s biggest pirate radio station that brought urban sounds into the mainstream.
UK garage is a genre of electronic dance music, which came about in the UK in the early 90’s and later brought other styles of music to the mainstream such as grime and dubstep in the mid 2000’s. In my eyes UK garage is not only a genre but a theme which is what I have tried to represent through my ancillary tasks.
Youth Culture is a very apparent theme to the relatively new UK garage genre. For my ancillary task I have focused on a theme throughout my products so that there is a clear link between them.
For my CD cover I have gone for an image that links to the footage used in my music video. I have taken the photo of my model relaxed with a stern look on her face to portray her attitude and personality. The model is holding a pair of sunglasses which is a prop key in many parts of the footage. The album is in colour to draw attention to my models unique style. I have added a flower design to the bottom left hand corner of my CD Cover to add to the design and to make it more feminine and graphically appealing and stylistic. I have also included the actual ‘Katy B’ font and the Rinse record label logo to give my CD cover a more professional finish.
My back cover carries on the same brick wall theme used in the front cover and in the video itself. I have edited the image to highlight the definition and have used the same colour tones as the front cover. I have also included album information seen on other albums signed by Rinse, at the bottom of my CD back cover, again for a professional finish.
My magazine advert is very similar in design to that of my album cover. I’ve used the brick wall as the background image and similar colours and lettering so that my ancillary tasks link well together. I have again used the Rinse label and the iTunes and HMV logo’s so that my audience can easily recognise where the album can be purchased.
As I have referred to youth culture in my ancillary tasks, I have included a different aspect of youth culture in my main product. I have done this through the use of narrative filming, with the model and her friends relaxed and unscripted so that the filming was natural, as I believe it was a good representation of youth.
Also is very prominent in youth today which I found in my research as dance is a type of garage music I have included a lot of dance footage in my main product.
My media product uses conventions of real music videos through similar effects and techniques. I initially analysed Katy B's 'Louder' video by recording notes and planning my own ideas for my own set of filming so that I could use similar concepts from her video such as, using a lot of narrative scenes, having the filming quite basic with little editing enhancement and by using similar framing and compositions.
From these ideas I began planning and researching so that I could develop the conventions used in the original Katy B – Louder music video to make it my own. I looked in more detail at my artist herself, and at the Rinse record label and its pirate radio history.
I concluded that 'youth culture' is a theme very apparent throughout my artists work, the record label's history and similar artists signed to the label. From the original video I took the idea of using narrative footage to connote the personality of my model ‘Katy B’ with her friends. I did this by filming my model and extras in a relaxed environment and doing things that would highlight this. This can be seen in my video where my model is seen to be in a shopping trolley pushed by her friend, where they are laughing and it is seen as a rebellious thing to do, which is like my artists personality and character. I also channelled this into the studio and outdoor scenes to focus my models personality with lip syncing to camera. With the studio footage I focused on appealing to my audience through editing of these scenes, which I found was a key factor after completing my audience research. I have used alternative editing techniques such as overlapping footage in the instrumental parts of the audio and altering the colour palette controls.
I have challenge forms and conventions of real media products in my own media product by adding my own style and ideas. I have reinterpreted the original ‘Louder’ music video and added studio footage and more lip syncing and editing effects and techniques to make the video of a higher quality and standard. I have focused on using different camera angles in a sequence of my model lip syncing. This proved a successful effect with I felt added character to my video. I have focused on the lyrics and combined footage that links the lyrics of the audio to the visual to engage my audience through the use of mise-en-scene. I have used various different crops and compositions in my framing, I have filmed in different locations and I have used colour footage for the lip syncing and black and white footage for the narrative parts of my filming.
Overall I feel that my media production has used ideas from the original real media product and has developed upon this and in some cases challenged it. I am pleased how my media product appeals to my target audience through the low budget filming and locations used that my audience can relate to. I have used concepts and ideas that make the ‘dance’ genre apparent in my filming through the dance footage, the body language and movement of my model and the overall atmosphere and personality put across in my music video.
I uploaded my video to YouTube to get as much audience feedback as I could.
After the video only being online for less than a day I already had 86 YouTube views:
And 4 'likes':
I also got some comments on YouTube from my friends:
I also linked my video onto my Facebook page to get feedback from my friends:
I also linked my video on my Twitter page as the 'followers' you have on Twitter are a wider range of people who aren't your close friends and would be able to share my video also:
One of my friends also re-tweeted on her own Twitter page:
For my evaluation I have tried different forms of presenting my work. I have again used Final Cut Pro and recorded my audio using Garage Band and converted the files to iTunes then dropping them into Final Cut for a finished product. I have included moving footage, still images, music and a voice over in my evaluation. Editing timing of each frame in time with the audio, altering the audio levels where needed so that it is clear and can be heard easily. For my audience research I have used the inbuilt webcam in the Mac for feedback from friends so that it fits with the relaxed blogging we have been doing over the course of this project and so that the videos have a 'video blog' feel to them. I have made use of the Internet and resources available to me. I have uploaded my work to YouTube for feedback and for views of my video. I linked my final music video to my Facebook page so that my friends and family could watch my video and give me feedback. I also linked the video to my Twitter page so that people outside my friends and family, a random audience could also view my work. This proved very successful as I received a lot of positive comments and after my video only being online for 2 days I have already received 105 views of my video, which is fantastic. 
