VIDEO + FEEDBACK.

I have now finished my music video :)


Here is a link to get to the video via: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kuNj9mJuPk

I have also taken the time to get feedback from my target audience on the finished product.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rANGcXSV_Vo


QUESTIONNAIRE

Did you think that the video met your expectations as a target audience member?

Yes I did, I thought it was very appealing and it was what I expected from this genre.

I thought it was good, it had a really good storyline and used a lot of great effects in it.

Yes, it was what I like to see from a video, lots of dancing! I liked the romance between the main character and I thought her costume was cool.

Did it fit the Indie genre?

I think it did as it was quite fast paced and it had a quirky story to it.

It wasn't very obvious what genre it was just looking at the video but I think because of the music you could tell.

I thought it looked quite Indie or maybe techno? But mainly because of the use of the robot made it look kind of techno.


What did the video tell you about the band?

I think they are probably quite humourous guys when you see the sped up parts and the use of animation, from their music I can tell their lyrics have real meaning because of the use of the narrative.

I think they are very lively onstage from all the use of sped up sections and jumpy changes of shots. I would also say they are quite unique as everything in the video was quite unexpected.

They are probably quite funny and outrageous, the way the girl is just stood there with all the people walking past not even caring what she looks like.


What could have been improved in the video?

Maybe some of the editing was a bit funny in places, especially the end. The song ended but the video carried on. I couldn't tell if this was supposed to happen.

I thought some of the sped up bits were unneccessary but I understood why they were used. I also didn't completely understand the neccessity of the dancer.

I thought it was all good really, maybe from the very beginning she could have worn her box head? Because she didn't have it on at the beginning which was a bit weird.

Wordle.net

I have compiled an image of the important words highlighted in my blog.

4

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


Within the research planning that I did for this project, I initially researched into the indie genre using Wikipedia and Youtube to find out more about the genre I was working with. I also used Myspace to reasearch Robot Disaster and to look at the sort of music videos they had used for past songs. Using Youtube was helpful for my research as I was able to use it to analyse music videos from Indie and other genres of music which I used to inspire my final product.
For my magazine advert and CD cover, the research I did was very similar, I used Google search engine to help me find existing adverts and covers to analyse, I also looked in Q magazine and through my own collection of CDs for inspiration.
 In the construction stages of creating my music video I used a still camera to get photos of me filming Ali as evidence of the work I have done. I used a digital camera with a movie setting to film my videos as I found this easy to work with on a tri-pod and when hand-held . I then edited the music video using iMovie and Windows Movie Maker to give certain effects I wanted to acheive that were accessible through both programmes.
Within creating my magazine advert and CD cover, I used a still SLR camera to take the images of the sparklers and I used print screen shots from the video to interlink the video and CD together. I then used Photoshop to edit my work, to add text and develop the images into the products I have created.
Within the evaluation stages I used a video camera to interview my target audience to get their final feedback on my finished video, I also used Youtube to upload all of my videos (feedback and final product) to enable them to be accessed on my blog. I used my blog to answer the evaluation questions and to evaluate the success of my finished products.

3

What have you learned from your audience feedback?                                                           


Getting feedback from your target audience is essential; for me it gave me a chance to explore the generic conventions of the Indie genre I chose for my project. From asking my target audience about the representation of the genre and assessing whether the video and ancillary texts fit their purpose and appeal to my target audience I have found that they felt it did appeal to them and they liked its unconventional nature and enjoyed watching it.
Throughout the process I tried to gain feedback as it gave me a chance to look at my product from someone else's perspective and ensure it was still fitting to their expectations of the video.
Preliminary feedback I gained was in the form of a questionnaire, which I used to gain initial ideas of what I should be aiming to create during the storyboarding process.

I showed the feedback I gained in the form of pie charts and using a graphics website called Wordle. These visuals gave me the chance to see a range of answers and analyse the information given in order to create something appealing.
I also filmed interviews with members of my target audience during the editing process to see what their expectations were having seen a glimpse of it, and if there was anything that needed fixing to make it suitable for the genre and audience. 
When I had finished editing the music video and creating the ancillary texts I filmed interviews with my target audience again, wanting to find out if I had created what they had expected and to know if it fit with the indie genre.

2

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

 Genre:I have maintained focus on the Indie genre I have chosen. Within the music video, CD cover and advert I have used iconography  in the form of props and mise en scene (sparklers that represent electric shocks and a robot box head) that represents the name of the band and semantically links with the lyrics of the song.

I have tried to use quite dark, edgy and exciting colours on the CD cover and the magazine advert as these stand out to the audience as they instantly grab their attention. I think the images of the sparklers also denote danger and risk, which can be linked with the excitement of being a teenager - getting into trouble and trying to be as daring as possible. This use of adhered conventions is intended to link with my target audience and make them impulsed to buy the CD with the knowledge it is intended for them.

Institution:

Robot Disaster fit into the Indie genre and therefore an independant company such as Domino Records would be appropriate for the band. I chose this specific recording company as this particular label signed up the Artctic Monkeys in 2005.

The Arctic Monkeys are one of the band's main inspirations and their recording label suits Robot Disaster perfectly as they are of the same genre of music. This particular label is also a London based company and as Robot Disaster are based in the UK this also makes the company appropriate to them.

Representation:


In the music video I have tried to represent  both genders, as the band is all male I felt it would be quite controverse to focus solely on a female character but I have given her a dominant role, and we see her with a metal chain necklace - semantically linking with the stereotype of a "knight in shining armour" and also the metal of a robot - and mainly in leggings and black boots which show her style as very masculine orientated.
My male character is shown only at the very end of the music video but his significance is that he is the one who accepts my robot character for who she is - compared to her female classmates who mock her (stereotyping the popular gossips represented in most high school/college based films/music videos).
I chose these actors also for their ages, 17 years old as this is within my target audience age band. I have chosen a plotline which features a heterosexual relationship as this is something which can be identified and empathised with by my target audience.
The main person I have tried to represent is someone who feels lonely and unaccepted and I have challenged this role by giving them someone who does accept them - the boy from my music video.
Within my ancillary texts I have tried to display the same representation especially with the image of the robot girl which I used on my magazine advert, in which I aimed to link the advert with the music video. The image I chose of her looking up shows her not in a voyeuristic manner, but as quite innocent and as if she is daydreaming.

I think altogether the products I have created work well together as I have maintained synergy between the main product and ancillary texts and I have made obvious connections and connotations that can be read by my target audience easily.

1

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


From researching into music videos of different genres I found aspects of the videos similar to the style I wanted to create. I have used inspiration from the music videos I analysed - such as Telephone by Lady Gaga for the editing techniques, transitions and jumps.
 Within my music video I used a lot of jump cuts to create the effect that my main character is almost supernatual fitting with her character.

The screenshots shown to the left display one particular jump cut I used at the beginning of my music video. I chose to make her sit up quite unnaturally fast, not only to fit with the pace of the music but, to give this impression that being a robot she is superhuman. As this is the introduction to the video I wanted to give the audience the initial impression that she is not just a girl, even though we cannot see anything visually different or unusual about her.

I also took ideas of referencing to superhero style films as The Hoosiers did in their video Goodbye Mr A; but I chose to reference to a recent comic book-based film - Scott Pilgrim Vs The World - as I thought it connected more with my target audience; teenagers, who have probably seen this film. 

 

I do think, however, that I have challenged the format of a music video by choosing NOT to include the band and to have a solely narrative based music video. I also feel that in doing this I have developed the idea of how a music video is perceived, as the messages portrayed in the video and the narrative I have chosen are just one way the lyrics can be interpreted. I have chosen this particular plot line for my music video as I think it is one of the most accessible to my target audience.

It is important that when creating a media product, you ensure that the social groups used are represented accurately - as these usually link to the target audience the product is aimed at. Within my music video I have tried to make my main character the sort of girl who is seen as different to everyone else. I wanted her to represent the 'outcast' amongst social groups who doesn't care what people think of the way she dresses. She challenges dominant ideology, part of the Implied Behavioural Normalcy within Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - people naturally feel a need to belong in a social group and my robot character challenges this by being her own person and not seeming to need to fit in.
The music video I made fits into the Indie genre - stereotypically the people who are associated with listening to Indie music, dress in a certain way and have certain characteristics to that set genre - this goes for all genres of music, that there is a stereotypical audience to each genre. They are seen as people that go out of their way to listen to obscure bands, dressing in skinny jeans and plaid shirts (Very similar to that of the band who's music video I am creating).

The image below shows a stereotypical representation of the dress sense of Indie music audience members.

The boys are very feminine in their looks and the girls have a very "retro" style reminiscent of the sixties style shown in the image below.

The costume I put my character in, mainly related to her character (grey with a silver necklace which are metallic colours alongside the robot head prop) to show to the audience what she represents - how they read the meaning of her character is up to them as these messages conveyed in music videos can be interpreted in different ways.
I have however tried to keep her look quite rough, and the use of the Doctor Marten style boots that are very "trendy" lately, really fit with the idea that the Indie audience have a very retro/"niche" style.

Editing Stages

 Here is the target audience feedback, I have interviewed members of my target audience during these editing stages to get ideas on what they think is working well and what expectations they have.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7TXjKb7AUg

Editing

Within the editing I have done for this project I have incorporated Postmodern references, which  link my video to that of Goodbye Mr A by The Hoosiers - shown in my previous research, analysing music videos.

In the images below you can see my robot girl with an animated valentine heart emblazoned on her chest. This is the part of the video where she meets the boy and instantly falls in love. In the second image I have made the heart a little bigger and when put into the video and played together. these images create the effect of her heart beating out of her chest. This adds comic effect, and is an easily reconisable denotation to falling in love (cliched storyline).

CD COVER & MAGAZINE ADVERT

Today I created my final CD cover with an insert including the lyrics of the song + screenshot images from the video. We were given an introduction to Photoshop and given some tips on quick prompts to use with the software. We edited an image of a Japanese Geisha using different tools - such as the magic wand tool to crop the image  - and learnt about using layers to create an advanced looking piece of work.

After the refresher course on the software we then set to work on our CD covers. I took the image below and upped the contrast and lowered the brightness to create my desired look for the cover.                                                                                                                                              

 

 I then took another image of a sparkler I had, which shows the sparkler in motion creating a curve, and I manipulated the image into letters. I started off trying to find a suitable font for the cover but none really stood out and actually looked right alongside the image. I wanted something that stood alongside the image without overtaking the audience's attention but still interlinking with it. 

 

                                                                                                                                                                    

I then used the same image from the cover on the back, but a close-up instead and added in the song titles. 

 

 I also added small print in the corner which says the name of the band's myspace site, the production company (my name) and tells you that it is "manufactured and distributed in the UK. all rights reserved". I was inspired to put this text in the corner having researched the back of some other CD covers; I tried to make it as realistic as possible.

 I then worked on my magazine advert that I intended to be very similar to the cover of the magazine as I felt the look of them both was important to interlink as the purpose of the advert is to make the audience want to purchase the CD, and also so the audience could identify that one went alongside the other and make the CD easily identifiable if it were to be sold in shops.

I used the image of Ali - the robot girl - from my video  and edited it , changing the lighting to make it darker and erasing edges so it would fit just below the sparkler; as if she is looking up at it. Not only does this draw the audience's attention to the sparkler - as they follow her eyeline - but it also makes the advert fit with the video.

 Within the advert I have tried to use all elements that I have seen from my research into music adverts inside and outside of my lessons.  

I used the quotes I mentioned yesterday to grasp the viewers attention and to support the authenticity of how good the music and band are. 

 I also included information on where the music is available from and the date it is available to be purchased.  

I then  worked on my CD cover insert. This includes some images from the music video and the lyrics of the song Electric Shocks. I also placed some mini sparkler images to tie it in with the cover and back. I used a black background as it merged with the images to make them appear as if they fade into the background, and also white font as it stands out on the black background. I wanted it to all be black and white so it links with the cover with the only colour coming from the sparklers - giving them emphasis as they represent the shocks mentioned in the lyrics. I used different sized fonts to put emphasis on different words in the song, giving it an onomatopoeaic feel and also to make it more aesthetically pleasing to the target audience who might like to see something more quirky to fit with the quirkyness of the video.

Media Trip

Tomorrow I will be fully focusing on my CD Cover & Magazine Advert when our Media group go to the CLC to work on Photoshopping our images and creating the finishing pieces.

I have been researching on Robot Disaster's Myspace page ( http://www.myspace.com/therobotdisaster#ixzz15NcS1D1S ) trying to pick out some quotes from magazines and radio sources that I can use for the magazine advert. 

The few I think I will use are:

'Monstrous electro-popping experimentalism'
VENUE MAGAZINE

'Robot Disaster are on a schizophrenic musical mission to keep us dancing from dusk to dawn... and the look set to conquer'
CONVERSE MUSIC

 I have chosen these quotes as they stood out to me with their dynamic descriptions that I feel represent the band best - having listened to their music myself. I think these quotes will stand out and make the band appeal to their target audience.

The images I will be using have changed from my original sketches, I plan to focus more on the sparkler/shock aspect of the music video. I want to still link the images in with the 'robot' element however. In order to do this I will use images of the sparklers that I have taken...

 

POSTMODERNISM

 

Recently we worked on Postmodernism used in films, tv programmes and music videos. Postmodernism is a concept which has currently become popular, used as a way of describing & grouping styles of thought and culture. Most postmodern texts play with meaning and exhibit intertextuality (referencing to other texts that might be recognised by the target audience). They present a whole range of readings that can be interpreted by a diverse audience however the audience perceives the text - for example a children's film such as Toy Story 3 appeals to children for its funny characters and bright colours exhibited in the pictures below..

..however, the humour used is ultimately aimed at an older audience - maybe to attract the parents who take their children to watch the film - as exhibited in this preview from when "Barbie meets Ken". This interaction between the two characters shows stereotypical 'corny' romance which Disney is known best for, but pokes fun at the way these two famous doll icons were "made for each other". By using the humour to connect with an older audience, this makes the film appealing to a diverse audience and not just children for which it at first appears to be intended.

 Many sophisticated visual puns, as used in advertising, can be described as postmodern. This Burger King advert uses sexual connotations to appeal to an older audience - probably a more masculine dominated audience that would find these sexual connotations amusing with the references of this burger being a "super seven incher".

Postmodern texts also use referential techniques such as bricolage, using images or ideas that are entirely juxtaposed to their original function - such as the Stomp dance troupe which use every day items to create music.

With Postmodernism in mind, part of my task is to incorporate Postmodern references within my music video.

My Postmodern references come from the research I have done, looking into other music videos of similar and different genres and also from films I have seen that I think interlink well with my choice of audience.

Firstly I have chosen to link my music video with that of Telephone by Lady Gaga, previously analysed in my research. I liked the clever use of jump shots and transitions in her video which added to the narrative of the song. Within my storyboard on number 1 I have used a jump shot in shots 2 + 3 where my character sits up quickly in bed.

I will also use this same effect for the 'electric shocks' to exaggerate the reaction of the robot girl. I am aiming for my video to have comic book elements as I feel this relates well to my choice of target audience -teenagers aged 16-19. I have gained this impression of my target audience from my questionnaire after mentions that I should include humour and cliche's in my video. This lead me to the film Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, a recently released film based on a Canadian comic book about a 23 year old slacker who falls in love with the girl of his dreams. 

He then has to battle off her league of evil ex-boyfriends to win her heart. This cliched story line grabbed my attention and having seen the film it references a lot to the comic book it derives from; for example the use of comic fonts and onomatopoeia to exaggerate the action in this action-comedy.

   

This also goes alongside my analysis of The Hoosier's video Goodbye Mr A which also is set to look like a comic book and pokes fun at well known comic book heroes with the references within the music video.

Within my video I plan to use similar onomatopoeia such as in the first sequence from number 1 of my storyboard, where she yawns on the bed I might use a large font such as the one used above, but saying YAWN! and during the sequence shot outside with people going past her on the street I will use hearts to show the viewer the robot girl's reaction when she notices the boy watching her in the street.

FILMING GONE WRONG.

Unfortunately, even though my cast - both Ben & Ali - turned up for filming today, we were not aware however that there would be a market when we were filming. For the sake of continuity, we have decided to film on another day when the market is not there.

FILMING CONTINUED

After a week of filming my robot girl main character and the boy she discovers in town, I have started on editing the video sorting out transitions and trimming the clips to the correct timings. I have tried to make my final video as close to the storyboard as possible.

FILMING CONTINUED

Today I filmed Ali in her room for the introduction of my music video. This part is where she wakes up and gets dressed into several costumes before adding on her robot head prop. This part of the video takes inspiration from Lady Gaga's Telephone video which I previously researched - I particularly liked the use of jumps and transitions and thought they added to create a great effect that fit the plot and lyrics. Within my video I will use this idea but as Ali is waking up, where she sits up I will use a jump shot that shows a relationship between the visual and lyrics spoken "electric shocks"  amplifying the meaning so it represents a jump or shock sensation that you feel when this happens.

 

 These images show me filming on a digital camera, which I chose because of its high quality as it is a HD camera of footage and ease of use. 

FILMING

Today I started filming as on the schedule; with the help of Ali Smart playing my Robot Girl character. I filmed her running past the gate of a church yard and up to the school. I chose to do this part first as they are quite short shots but actually make up a lot of the video; there needs to be a lot of shots of her running to create the sequence and keep the pace of the video flowing well alongside the pace of the music. I took a lot from the side angle keeping the directly shoteyeline with the robot girl to maintain the connection with the audience. It was very bright and sunny outside and I wanted to capture her running into the sunlight where there was a slight lens flare.

The props we used were the cardboard box, silver robot head; which was slightly annoying for Ali to run in, but we overcame this problem as she held it as she ran. The costume I asked her to wear was a black top, black tights and boots and a cute grey netting skirt. The reason I chose these particular items were that they aren't too over the top, the netting skirt adds femininity to her character against the quite rugged and boyish boots. The boots are very military style which combines with the idea that a robot is similarly very military in the way it moves and that it is programmed to do things. I also felt the masculinity was important to keep prominant in the genre as Indie is a very masculine dominated genre and we do not have the masculine presence of the band.

CD COVER IDEAS

I have started thinking of initial ideas for images for my CD cover. I am still unsure about how the font of the title will look so I have just mainly focused on the image. I am trying to link the image to the song and the band; my first image is of a 'beware of electrocution' sign where I have drawn a robot in the place of a man. I chose to do this because it fits with the title of the song - Electric Shocks - and is an easily recognisable image with the added twist of the robot that interlinks with the video of the robot girl and the band's name Robot Disaster.

My second image is of the lead singer with a sparkler which I don't like as much as the first idea because although it interlinks with the video where I will have sparklers used in a dancing sequence of shots, I don't think it represents the band well or the song. However the sparkler links well with the video and uses mise-en-scene as representation of the song title.

I spoke to my teacher about these ideas and he suggested that I could use sparklers in images inside the cover sleeve. I am considering taking video stills from the dancing sequence or taking photos after filming the dancing sequence that could be used as he suggested.

 I also have been inspired by this image of Fox Base Alpha's cover for the album Saint Etienne.

I like the idea of someone holding the electric shocks sign I have created, so I have drawn some ways in which the sign could be incorporated within a picture rather than just a picture of it.

These two images of how the sign could be incorporated within an image on the CD cover I am pleased with and think I will show to my target audience and the band as I think both would look equally good on the CD sleeve.  In the first image I have used the sign as an embroidery patch that has been sewn onto G-Star's shirt. The canted angle of the photo suggests anonymity and "coolness" as the camera would be shot from quite a low angle suggesting he represents people of a higher status and appearing as if he is more important than the viewer of the image. The patch works well as it becomes part of his costume and not just a prop. By being something that he wears it makes the symbol become subtle and a part of his identity. In the second I have used the sign in a similar way to Fox Base Alpha but I have kept the sign to being triangular. My other idea does not use people though it is merely just mise-en-scene and use of the setting as the image. It shows the sign on a fence. I was inspired by a part of the Lady Gaga Telephone music video I analysed in my preliminery research.