Final Music Video! 

Final Website! 

DJ Amnesia Official Website

Final Cd Digipak! 

Evaluation Task 4 Conclusion!

Throughout my media production processes I have used technological convergence to create three products for my music campaign. Technological convergence helped me to develop my project when it comes to the research and planning but also helped me to make my project more creative and interesting. The main device that I used which made my project possible was Black Magic Camera. It allowed me to film high quality footage for my music video. It also gave me the opportunity to become a prosumer, a creator of media products to a near professional standard. 

In my post - production process I used Adobe Premiere Pro to put together the final music clip. The use of this software has taught me how to select and organise a music video to a very high standard using semi-professional  media equipment. 

Another thing that digital technology has made available to me was the opportunities to upload, share and distribute my products using YouTube as a free online video sharing platform. For other prosumers like me to see the content, which I made and could leave any comments with feedback or simply get inspired 

The creation of this media campaign has broaden my knowledge about digital technologies and opportunities which they give but also it taught me how to be a prosumer and how to use these opportunities to make creative content, which then can be spread around the world. 

Evaluation Question 4 Video! 

Finished script for The Evaluation Question 4 

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

G - We used a large variety of media technologies in the production and post production of our media coursework. All examples mentioned were vital in the creation of the final product.

T - On the day of the shoot we used a Blackmagic URSA mini 4k this ultra high definition camera which has 3,840x2,160 pixels in comparison to 1080p 1920x 1080.

A - I was briefed on how to use the digital clapper board which played our chosen song through the speakers. The time code on the Ipad's screen at the beginning of each shot made editing far easier for Teddy when he needed to match the mp3 file to the shots we produced on the day. A short drumbeat followed by a snare gave a countdown for the artist and crew to get ready before the lipsyncing began.

G - We set up a Canon 5D on a tripod throughout the shoot day to capture a timelapse consisting of a picture every 20 seconds. This documented the shoot day for us in a small amount of time which was really interesting to see at the end of the day

T -  Manually adjusting the white balance was the next vital step so the colours looked as good as possible before shooting began. Zebra warnings informed us of areas in the shot that were too bright. I reduced the aperture so only the artists straight jacket was displaying zebras as this was the point of focus against the strong white padded walls. Using premier pro in post production I fixed these over exposed areas. Before we could start we needed to setup a TV to display our cameras footage live for the rest of the team to see. This was incredibly helpful when it came down to using the jib and being unable to look into the camera's viewfinder it was very helpful.

A - We used a composition app on an Iphone to make sure the shots were correctly composed. This saved time when it came to moving the bigger camera into position.

G - The first shots of the artist lipsyncing required a 85mm fixed lens to get up and close to capture his facial expressions. When we needed to capture more of the room we used the 25mm for a mid shot which really set the location of the shoot.

T - We set up a TV to display our cameras footage live for the rest of the team to see. This was incredibly helpful when I had to use the jib to pan up the hanging mans body. It is impossible to look into the camera's viewfinder whilst attached to the rig so the TV worked great for both me and the team mate on the back. This also helped Gabi work out how fast to push the dolly whilst I filmed and moved the camera.

A - YouTube enabled us to research existing real media texts, most importantly music videos. We took conventional themes that inspired us and when it came to planning our video It helped us to know what conventions we still needed. Additionally YouTube allowed us to upload our final music video into Hurtwood channel so it was a way of distributing our final product and making it more accessible for audiences to view.

G - Pinterest was also very helpful in the research stage. When it came to creating mood boards, which we used as inspiration for an initial idea this helped us to develop our ideas and find something original. I used wix to create a website for DJ Amnesia, Wix gave us the access to various tools which made our product far more creative and interesting.

T - When we edited our video we used colour grading to help bring out our music video. We used a slight hint of pink to show that our artist is girly as this would relate to our target audience. This made the video look more edgy and appealing to the audience. As our song is very fast paced we decided to make our cuts fast. For example, in the UV set the cuts are rapid, this helps as it goes to the beat of the song and is interesting for the audience to watch. We did this by using the arrow keys to slowly move along our footage,  and then we found the point at which the frequency was highest on the playback clip, then we knew to cut the video, using the blade tool at the point and then drag the clip back along the timeline in order for it to be correctly synced.

A - Adobe Premiere Pro is a professional of the shelf program that our group used to edit the music video. We had to look at all the clips and decide which shots were going to make the cut.

G - We needed all the clips to be in the preferred order and we also didn’t want to keep clicking on the same clips over and over again so we decided to name all of them after the types of shot they were which made the whole editing process much easier for Teddy later down the line once he finished the performance cut.

T - After naming all the clips we had to remove the audio and I began moulding this large set of clips into a fluent video. Using the timeline tool to zoom in on the arrangement of the clips.

T - I used Adobe Photoshop to create the Artists CD Digipack, using the empty CD Digipak template I worked with the bleed line and guides to place my set of underwater photographs on top. Using adobe lightroom I boosted the saturation and contrast in the set of images to make the colour ‘pop’ which matches what we did in the music video by overexposing the straightjacket. The layers and cropping function helped fit the different images into the shapes of the guide and using the layers pallet I was able to place the legal information such as disclaimers and the barcode.

Evaluation Question 4 Script

On the day of the shoot we used a Blackmagic URSA mini 4k this ultra high definition camera which has 3,840x2,160 pixels in comparison to 1080p 1920x 1080. Before we could start we needed to setup a TV to display our cameras footage live for the rest of the team to see. This was incredibly helpful when it came down to using the jib and being unable to look into the camera's viewfinder.

Manually adjusting the white balance was the next vital step so the colours looked as good as possible before we could start shooting. Zebra warnings informed us of areas in the shot that were too bright. I reduced the aperture so only the artists straight jacket was displaying zebras as this was the point of focus. Using premier pro in post production we fixed the over exposed areas. The first shots of the artist lipsyncing required a 85mm fixed lens to get up and close to capture his facial expressions. When we needed to capture more of the room we used the 25mm for a mid shot which really set the location of the shoot.

We then set up the digital clapper board which played the song through the speakers. The time code on the Ipad's screen made editing the lip sync in post production far easier. A short drumbeat followed by a snare gave a countdown for the artist to get ready before lipsyncing. I was also able to use the same sound to match the lipsync when it came to post.

We set up a Canon 5D on a tripod throughout the shoot day to capture a timelapse consisting of a picture every 20 seconds. This documented the shoot day for us in a small compact time

We used a composition app on a phone to make sure the shots were correctly composed. This saved time when it came to moving the bigger camera.

YouTube enabled us to research any already existing music videos that inspired us when it comes to our concept. It also helped us to see what conventions are included in   the videos that artists post. Additionally YouTube allowed us to upload our final music video into Hurtwood channel so it was a way of distributing our clip and make it more accessible for the audiences.

Pinterest was very helpful when it came to creating mood boards, which we used as inspiration for an initial idea this helped us to develop our ideas and find something original.

We used wix to create website for DJ Amnesia. Wix gave us the access to various tools which made our product more creative and interesting.

Evaluation Task 4 - How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages? 

Throughout the whole process of production I used various digital technologies to improve the quality of my music campaign but also to make it more creative and interesting. 

Here is a little mind map where listed  all different digital technologies, which I used, dividing it into three sections - software, hardware and online technologies. 

In Hardware section I mentioned all the technology that I used on the day of the shoot but also when it comes to the post production process, when editing and blogging.

 In my Online Technologies I listed everything that I used for my music campaign - every social media, the platforms that I used for blogging and research and when seeking for inspirations. 

In my Software section I mentioned all the programmes that helped me editing in the post production process. 

Evaluation Task 3 Conclusion 

Throughout the whole process of my A2 media production I have gathered various feedback from my targeted audiences. In general it I used the feedback to tailor my products to be more creative and interesting for my audiences to watch and enjoy it. 

I have learned from my audience feedback that I have created an intended star image, from an interview that I have prepared with my target audience I found out that the odd, unconventional and eerie star image was working through all the use of underwater worms on my cd digipak, the dead bird on the home page on the website and the hanging man in the music video. 

However I also got a feedback to change some aspects of my ideas. One from a teacher when presenting the initial ideas and the teacher says that I need to think more originally and outside of the box. Which helped me realise that the first of my ideas was not original and creative at all. 

Thanks to audience feedback my campaign was more likely to success. Just like Henry Jenkins claimed that both audiences are crucial to strengthen the media messages.  

Evaluation Question 3! 

What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

YouTube Statistics 

I've got an access to YouTube statistics of our music video audiences. The statistics were showing various data, who was watching our music video, foe how long, which gender, where, from what devices etc...

This table shows the percentage of people using certain electronic devices to view our music video. 

This table is showing how many males and females have watched our video in age groups. 

This table below contains information about the location of the viewings. 

Here are general information. 

These statistics were really interesting to analyze, since some of the data is quite intriguing as for example where was our music video played and additionally the big difference between the male and female watchers. 

 

Focus group 

What is a focus group?

Focus group is a group of people whose reactions are studied especially in market research in guided or open discussions. In our case it is going to be set of questions to get a feedback on our music campaign, which we later can sum up and generalise to bigger audiences. It is going to be a source of qualitative data since the questions are going to ask about general feeling or an opinion and perception towards our whole music campaign. 

In the lesson together with my group we started creating a questionnaire for our focus group.  We wanted to ask few general questions but most of them no be more descriptive and more in depth.

1. What is your gender?
2. How old are you?
3. Have you seen a concept of a hanging man in any other music video?
4. Is the hanging man/underwater worms putting you off?
5. Do you think that the mad theme is presented in a good way?
6. Do you think that the hanging man is the artist or the DJ?

The questionnaire is not yet finished but these are the main questions that we have for now.

Evaluation question 2 Conclusion

I believe that we were successful and effective when it comes to the transcending a particular star image of our artists throughout our music campaign. We wanted to create a star image of our artist that would be on one hand mysterious, odd and eerie but on the other hand to be original, unconventional and outstanding. In our music video we used a lot of unconventional aspects and themes like mental hospital, the presence of the straight jacket and madness. The way in which we shot it with various fast and jump cuts makes it a bit overwhelming and at some point repulsing when it comes to the performance of the main character. It is not a music video convention, which makes the artist more original and surprising which was our aim. 

Also the pictures that we put on the album cover - close-ups of undersea water warms, which is not pleasurable to look at for some people but it indicates the confidence of the artist that he is sure when it comes to his music that it is not about the design and aesthetics but the actual work, which would indicate that our artist is organic. 

The website also contains some unconventional themes like death of an animal, which is not something that audiences would expected to see on an official website, but it communicates the original aspect of the music campaign and something that is outstanding in comparison to other artists.

Evaluation question 2 

Evaluation task 2 Introduction 

In this Evaluation Task 2 as a group we will analyse every part of our music campaign and see if we managed to send a certain information and transcend a particular start image of our artist to his audiences throughout the campaign that we created (music video, cd digipak and website). 

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

Conventions are the generally accepted ways of doing something.  Conventions can be used, 

supported or challenged.  Looking back at all my campaign products I feel that I have mostly 

followed the media conventions when it come to rapid editing to the rhythm in my music video or 

setting a low lighting in my thriller to create a feeling of abundance and mystery. However I did also 

challenge the conventions by making the hanging man the main concept in my music video as it is a 

very rare aspect to follow. I have achieved this is to differentiate my product in a competitive music 

industry market and I  have attempted to challenge audience expectations, bring something new to the media forms. 

Conventions are ultimately relied upon for communicating the right message to the intended 

audience, but also deviate from these expectations helps sell the star image that I wanted to promote.

Audiences produce meaning from the interaction of the conventional material in a text, and their 

understanding of conventions, for example in my thriller we used a convention of a plot twist when 

the main female character disappears. Or in my music video there is a fast editing to fit the rhythm of 

the song  or various shots of lip sync so the audiences feel more like this music product is a live 

performance. 

Evaluation question 1: In what ways does the my digipak use, develop and challenge forms and conventions of real digipaks. 

What is a digipak? 

A digipak is a modern design to a CD packaging. The digipak creates the illusion to provide more information about the band/artist. 

Here is the whole digipak for our artist:

The main convention of the cd digipak is that in the front there is a logo of an artist and the name of the album. However the name of the album needs to be smaller than the artist name. These information are crucial for the recognition of an artist.  

This is the front cover of our album. The name of the artist is the most visible aspect of the cover and therefore it is easy for people to recognise the artist. This front cover is very similar to the album design of Flume, which I used in my blog to analyse the star image. 

This is Flume's album cover, it is using different colour scheme however the design is very similar to ours. 

It is crucial in a cd digipak that there is a picture of an artist.  We included a picture of our dj in the back cover together with the track list, which is the next convention of a cd digipak, so it is clear for the funs what tracks are included in the album. We also included a bar code in the back of our album, which is an institutional convention determined by the industry. 

Here is a an example of another existing album of an artist called G-Eazy, the picture of the artist however is placed on the front cover. 

On the whole we did follow the main conventions of the cd digipak. 

Evaluation Question 1 : In what ways does my website use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real websites?

Here is a presentation that I made analysing my website!  

Evaluation Question 1 part 2 

In what ways  does my music video use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real websites?

Evaluation Task 1 - Introduction to media conventions

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

What are media conventions?

Media conventions are set of concept and ideas that would be expected to see in a certain genre. Conventions are the norm, which are typical and expected to see in a specific genre so the audience/consumers can understand a certain media product. 

When it comes to my music video there is a group of music video conventions as well as conventions of the genre that we use that we need to full fill to 'sell' our product. 

Together with my group while filming and editing we needed to remember about the music video conventions that are required for our audience to understand it. We needed to include a wide range of camera shots so we could have a variety of material to choose from and while editing it was possible for us to include jump cuts to the beat of the music, which are the next music video conventions. 

There is always a particular group of mise - en - scene features like props, costume and make - up that fits a given genre of music video. Therefore we needed to make sure that we complete the costume, make - up and props conventions in our media product. 

Also there are expected features of a special lighting techniques and sound that audiences will hope to see in the clip. 

I will analyse my music video and draw conclusions if we support or challenge the music video conventions!