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

Below is my response to this evaluation question, presented via greenscreen. The notes that I used during this presentation can be read here.

3) What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

Above is my response to this evaluation question, presented via greenscreen. The notes that I referred to during this presentation can be accessed here.

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

Below is my response to this evaluation question, presented via greenscreen. The notes that I used during this presentation can be read here.

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

Above is my response to this evaluation question, presented via greenscreen. The notes that I referred to during this presentation can be accessed here.

Journal - Greenscreen Post-Production

I began editing my greenscreen evaluation clips today. I began this process by firstly converting my clips from MOV to DV in order to ensure that they are in the correct format for Final Cut Pro. I did this using MPEG Streamclip which allowed me to drag my original files into the software and select the option to convert them to DV.

 After doing this, I imported my clip/s into Final Cut Pro and rendered them.

In order for me to edit my greenscreen, I selected the Chroma Key under the Effects menu. After dragging this on top of my clip, I ensured that the Chroma Key settings covered as much green as possible on the colour palette and adjusted the saturation and luma options until my background changed from green to black. I also adjusted the softening option in order to lessen the static that sometimes appears around me.

Then, I imported my music video and positioned it below my greenscreen to ensure that it played behind me whilst I spoke. For issues that I specifically referenced, such as our cuts or use of polaroids, I screened those exact clips behind myself.

After doing this for all my clips, I exported my video via QuickTime Conversion and then uploaded it to YouTube.

Journal - Filming The Greenscreen

We set up our greenscreen using the school's screen and our Fujifilm film camera and tripod. We positioned our camera so that our torso and head will be the only thing in the shot and tried to position ourselves as far away from the physical screen as possible in order to avoid the green glow that surrounds the person during post-production.

We shot our greenscreen clips in four different sequences, four per question. I plan to present at least two of my question via greenscreen and then present my remaining questions using the audio clips and Prezi. However, I filmed all four of my answers using greenscreen just in case of any later issues I could encounter with Prezi or editing my audio clips.

Filming using the greenscreen was successful as we encountered little errors, however I will have to cut out any pauses or verbal mistakes I made.

Journal - Evaluation: Planning Question 4

As preparation for answering question 4, I created a prezi in which I broke down each of the stages stated in the question and listed each form of technology that were involved in this project. I can refer to this prezi when I construct my full evaluation.

I have found that new media technologies were useful throughout my project, however feature most during the production/construction due to programmes such as Photoshop and Final Cut Pro.

Journal - Evaluation: Planning Question 3

I plan to present question three through a quicktime video that will feature an audio file of myself answering this question with visuals on screen. This question is about audience feedback so I included all of our past feedback and summarized how helpful it has been throughout this project.

Below are the notes I have prepared for this. I can refer to these notes when I construct my full evaluation.

Journal - Evaluation: Planning Question 2

I plan to answer question 2 of the evaluation again by incorporating the greenscreen skills that I learnt this year. This questions focuses on my digipak and digipak advert so I created an online brainstorm using bubble.us to initially plan and breakdown my question.

I plan to discuss my use of font and colour scheme and how that works together to communicate a consistent image of my artist. I will also reference the different effects that I used via Photoshop, such as the mirroring tool and lens flare effect, as they helped create my main product. I will also analysis my digipak (and digipak advert) in relation to marketing: for example, if they include the specifications needed and successfully market by artist to an appropriate target audience.

I can refer to this brainstorm when I construct my full evaluation.

Journal - Evaluation: Planning Question 1

Though I will verbally present this section of my evaluation, I have begun answering the first question in an essay format that I can then condense into notes. These notes will then assist me when I present my answer via greenscreen.

I have evaluated how our music video challenges and uses/develops forms and conventions of real media products, referencing the conventions of pop artists and Goodwin's analysis. I found that our music video mostly demonstrates these conventions and rarely challenges them.



I can refer to these notes when I construct my full evaluation.

Journal - Evaluation Planning

I plan to present our evaluation in a creative manner and incorporate green screen, a skill we learnt this year in media. This will allow the products that I discuss in my evaluation, e.g the digipak as a whole or a certain panel of it, to be on screen for me to specifically reference.

As my evaluation is split into four questions, I broke down each of these in order to help me answer the questions. 

Greenscreen will be incorporated in the presentation of question one and two. I plan to video myself analysing and evaluation my music video and digipak, using green screen to show the items I reference. These questions focus on the conventions of our media products and if they link to the genre of our artist and Goodwin's analysis, whilst also referencing if this image is consistent across my ancillary texts.

For question three, I plan to either use prezi, an online presentation website, or to construct a quicktime video featuring audio of myself paired with visuals.  Question 3 focuses on audience feedback so I will specifically reference my previous feedback posts, whilst question 4 asks me to evaluate the use of media technology throughout the stages of this project. I plan to use a similar method when presenting question four.

This is a more creative way of presenting my evaluation that also showcases my media skills and uses new media technology. 

Finished Music Video + Accompanying Ancillary Texts

Here are my finished media products (music video and digipak) for our artist, Isla Harris.

Isla Harris - Youth Knows No Pain - Music Video -



Isla Harris - Indigo - Digipak - Music Video -

Journal - End of Post Production

In response to our feedback, we revisited the footage we first shot in order to fill the gaps we had towards the end of our music video. We extended the mirror shot (our reference to notion of looking) and the shot of Isla wearing the flower crown as our sample group felt that sometimes our cuts were too quick, to the point where they had no time to process the shot before it cut to a new one.

We tried to include shots from all three of our locations -- Isla's bedroom, the arcade and around London -- as our video climaxes in order to summarise our music video by revisiting all our locations.

In regards to the gaps we had throughout out music video, the shots we have added in are:

Another mirror shot, instead this time with Isla singing a different line, to extend our reference to the notion of looking. The mirror shot provides a voyeuristic feel and also keeps the focus on Isla, our selling point.

We also included a shot of Isla singing with a polaroid to communicate an artistic, vintage feel. The polaroid also incorporates long exposure, linking back to our digipaks along with being visually appealing. Again, it has a doubling effect like the mirror and references the notion of looking: the polaroid Isla is holding features Isla looking through a vintage camera.

We also replaced our previous shot of Isla inside the simulator with a brighter one so that our subject matter (Isla) is clearer and it looks more natural. We also used this shot towards the end of our music video to represent our arcade location.

Before

After

Similarly, we used this shot of Isla by the window at 2:42 as a way of revisiting our first location before ending our music video.

We added in more text so that it became a reoccurring characteristics throughout our music video, as opposed to a random appearance. The use of this text makes our music video more visually engaging, though we have made the text smaller and positioned it lower down on the screen so it does not distract from the main image of our shot, be it our artist or an establishing shot of London.

We ended our music video with the shot of Isla closing her eyes (that is featured at the beginning) but in reverse. We did this because we felt the sudden action of Isla blinking mirrored the sound of the symbols in the song (link between music and visuals) but also as it appropriately closed our music video bringing the audience back to the beginning and climaxing the video.

As the song increases in pace towards its climax, we made our editing more choppy and used lots of quick cuts. Problems during editing included small, second long gaps but we resolved this by speeding up outtakes we had of Isla laughing and using them; these shots keep the focus on Isla as a selling point whilst also communicating a fun atmosphere. The last four photos we included were selected for their locations; the audience are reminded of the time in London and in the arcade before the music video ends where it started -- the most personal location, Isla's bedroom.

Overall, I am very happy with our now finished music video. The editing has matched the song very well, mirroring the pace whilst subtly remaining focused on Isla and marketing her as an artist. Despite its purpose as a marketing tool, our music video remains engaging and fun to watch, reflecting the initial purpose of our moodboard.

Journal - Digipak Advert Changes

After receiving feedback on my digipak advert, I made some changes to it. I increased the font and made it the same purple so that the song title also stands out, as opposed to just the album title and artist title. I also added a drop shadow and an outer glow to the date for the same effect. I cannot use my customised font for the date as including numbers is not an option therefore I used the Arial font.

However, I felt that this stood out too much and made the bottom half of the advert too crowded so I rearranged it to be below the artist's name. Then, I changed the colour to black to make it easier to read.

As my feedback said I needed more links to social networks, I added in a link to the record label website. As this wouldn't fit in the right hand corner, I placed it on the left, above the small album cover preview.

However,  I then felt that this was too crowded  on the left side so I moved the Polydor logo back to the right. 

Unhappy with the amount of text, I added in some more visuals (social networking logos that can be recognised universally) above the text links.

This is my final digipak advert. I am happy with the changes I made as I feel all of the information stands out, however the most important (artist title and album title) are the clearest.

Journal - Final Digipak

One of the issues that featured in my digipak feedback was that I had not included the copyright information so I included this information on my tracklisting panel. I added in the record label information/address in addition to the barcode and Polydor logo. This demonstrates the presence of the record label.

I then replaced my previous version of this panel with the updated one to complete my digipak.

Here is my finished digipak following last lesson's feedback:

Journal: Music Video Feedback

Following the screening of our music videos, we posted our music video on social networking sites such as YouTube and Facebook and asked for positive/negative feedback. The feedback we have received has so far been positive:

People have complimented our editing techniques and generally felt that the video and song went well together. Our music videos appears to remain entertaining and fun throughout as our feedback mostly includes positives reaction, with many stating that they enjoyed watching the video. Our ending was also complimented, particularly the pairing of the shot and last drum beat.

I am happy with our music video as our feedback has overall been positive and I think it captures the fun, artistic image we wanted to communicate.

Journal - Music Video + Digipak Screening

We screened our music videos and digipaks to our class yesterday. Our music video feedback is below.

The group responded well to the different locations we used, feeling that it helped ensure that our music video remained engaging. They felt the fast-paced editing fitted the song and matched the fun, upbeat atmosphere of our track -- to the point where the editing was sometimes too fast and they requested that we prolonged the length of some shots, e.g our shot of Isla singing in the mirror.

An issue that was addressed was the timing of our lip synching. I personally felt that we matched them up appropriately however it is important that our music video looks professional so we will revisit this.

They also enjoyed the time lapse effect at the beginning of the song; this feedback was very useful as we were concerned that the sped up footage was on screen for too long, however this sample group responded positively to it.

They suggested that our studio background shop may look better with an effect on it, such as black and white or even purple as it will link in with our digipak. One shot during the stimulator had to be lightened up in post-production so that Isla's facial features were visible, however this stood out from the music video and so (as the natural lighting is too dark) we plan to take this shot out.

This feedback also helped with the gaps we have at the end; suggestions to fill these gaps were to revisit all our of previous locations as a way of summarising our music video. Our on-screen text should be more prominent in our music video or removed completely, according to our feedback.

Journal - Music Video Post-Production

We have exported our unfinished music video to showcase the editing we have done so far.



As storyboarded, we began with the long exposure shots of London. In order to ensure that these shots were not on screen for too long and did not become boring, we added in bold text that swiped on screen in time with the music. The text used is the same text from my digipak - Harbell - as I think it resembles handwriting yet remains easy to read and bold.

We kept the opening shots of London the same speed so that the long exposure would have more of an effect -- the purpose of the suddenly sped up shots is to reflect the sudden pace in the music. The majority of our editing is fast-paced to match the speed of the song.

The pan of the hair is to match the build-up in the music, almost leading up to a grand reveal of our artist.

As soon as the music begins, the first two shots are of Isla on her own and are close-ups/mid shots. This is to bring the focus on Isla from the very beginning of the video. We sped up the footage of Isla and her friends walking as the shots at normal speed were on screen for too long and contrasts with the fast-paced nature of our song.

Though we include shots around London, we deliberately kept the bedroom shots at the beginning as they focus solely on Isla and so establish her dominance within the music video. The bedroom shots also showcase more sophisticated editing skills, such as reversing our clips, and so ordering these at the beginning immediately attracts the audience.

We decided to split the line "here and now" into two different clips as we thought it would be a good way to introduce our second location of London. It reflects the lyrics as it the location changes as soon as "and now" is sung. 

Here

Now

We decided to use the singing shots of Isla on the bridge overlooking the Thames and by the London Eye as the backgrounds are the most picturesque, however we did have to lighten these shots to make them more visible and less dull to look at. The shot of Isla on the bridge, in particular, is one of my favourites as the lighting behind her creates almost a lens flare effect that looks artistic and links in with my digipak.

We brought in our text again during the chorus as we didn't want every shot of the lyric "youth knows no pain" to be Isla singing in case it became too repetitive and boring. We paired our text with the iconography of London as the scenery looks high definition on camera. The font size and colour also attracts the eye of the audience, keeping them engaged even towards the end of our music video.

We shortly returned to the arcade as we had some remaining shots of Isla on the dance mat that we wanted to include and we wanted to summarize all of our locations as we bring the music video to a close. Again, we sped these up to match the pace of our song.

We included our shots from China Town and Trafalgar Square at the end to ensure that we have a variety of locations. The arcade shots are visually more stimulating and so it made sense for the middle of the song to consist of these shots, whilst the less bright shots with quicker cuts to be positioned at the end as our song's pace increases towards the end. Again, many of these shots had to be sped up and we used jump cuts during the climbing and telephone box scene to keep the shots snappy and engaging. We chose Trafalgar Square, China Town and the telephone box as they are significant landmarks within London that will be recognized internationally. As our artist is a British artist, it also reflects her personal life.

Trafalgar Square

China Town

Again, we wanted to include an artistic, vintage vibe to our music video and, as we used polaroid photos at the beginning of our video, we revisited our quick cuts of photos again. Towards the end of the song, the beats increase and we felt it made more sense to show quick snapshots of photos (considering some of our footage shows Isla with her polaroid camera) rather than to show moving footage where the audience would not have time to register what they had seen. The presence of Polaroids provides artistic, vintage connotations.

I am very happy with how our music video currently looks. Though we have still gaps, it heavily resembles our storyboard and suits the pace and fun mood of our song.

Having edited the arcade scenes earlier this year, they are discussed in detail in my previous posts:

Arcade post-production

Other post-production

Journal - Reshooting on Location

Following the bad weather on our last shoot in London, we were forced to postpone the shots for our music video around London. These shots will make up the last portion of our music video and will focus on Isla and her friends sightseeing around London.

Significantly shorter than our last shoot, the locations we shot at on Saturday 25th January were Chinatown, London Southbank and Trafalgar Square.

We started shooting at London Southbank in the morning where we got several shots of Isla singing the entire song against the bridge with Big Ben in the background along with Isla singing/laughing with a background of the London Eye. The purpose of this iconography is to emphasise Isla's central London upbringing.

Further down the bridge, we set up our tripod for long exposure - we had to film the moving traffic and people for around ten minutes in order to ensure we have another footage for post-production as it will be sped up. Originally, we set up our camera on the the right side of the road however had to relocate to the left side due to the positioning of a bus top near us -- buses constantly stopped in the middle of our shot and ruined the atmosphere.

Due to the sun being positioned behind Isla on the bridge, we will have to lighten up some of the footage. This portion of the shoot, however, was successful as we were left undisturbed and the weather was suitable.

Our next location in London was Trafalgar Square, the fountain being the the main focus of our shoot. We again chose this location because of the iconography it holds -- it will be a recognised location among our audience. The title of our song is "youth knows no pain" so we were eager to focus on Isla and her friends having fun. We filmed Isla and her friends climbing on the lions in Trafalgar Square along with sitting and laughing around the fountain.

Our last location was Chinatown. We chose this location because of the colours and again the iconography within London. We didn't linger in this location as much as the others though did find an arcade in Chinatown that we took some photos and shots outside to link in with the earlier shots in our music video. We took one particular photo at the entrance of Chinatown and then shot a still video of Isla and her friends for a few second before they walked away from the camera; we hope to create an effect in the music video of showing a photo then suddenly cuts into action.

We also took several photos of Isla and her friends around London -- including on the train -- that we can use in the video to match up with the drum beats to create the illusion that photos are being taken. We attempted to make Isla the focus of these by positioning her in the middle.

 

Overall, our last shoot in London was successful. We got all of the shots that we needed - and some additional shots -- and the weather allowed us to get through all of it. The next part of our construction should solely be focused on post-production.