Evaluation

My music video is for the song ‘Safe to Say’ by a local unsigned alternative rock band called ‘Crayolar’. With my music video I wanted to make it mainly about the band and their music, therefore I tried to keep it as simple and as basic as possible with focus mainly being on the band and their music. I decided to set my music video in the bands recording studio in order to show them performing their song as I found that many new bands use performance based music videos in order to establish themselves as talented musicians and to show the audience who they are. I decided to stick to this convention and therefore the music video is mostly footage of the bands performance in the recording studio. Many music videos also contain narratives which help to tell the story of the song as well as making it more interesting for viewers to watch. We decided that a full performance video may not be interesting to viewers so we decided to have a small narrative intertwined with the bands performance. The narrative was very basic and didn’t have a strong story in it; instead it showed one of the band members, Joe, waking up and getting himself something to eat whilst clearly feeling depressed. We felt that this fitted well with the song because of its sombre mood and its unclear meaning. During the narrative Joe consumes alcohol and takes some pills, this is similar to many other rock genre videos which often show people drinking and partying and therefore the video conforms in this way to its genre.

My CD cover meets the conventions of its genre by making the band’s name its main focus point as well as making the cover interesting and original in its design. I decided to challenge the form of many CD covers by stretching the band’s name over the front and back covers rather than keeping it just on the front. This makes the digi-pac look more interesting and gives people a reason to pick up the CD and look at it in order to see who the band is. The extra large font on the cover, along with the contrast of bright coloured text and dark background also makes it more eye-catching to customers in shops. There is a convention with rock and alternative rock bands that the band members to not appear on the covers of the singles and albums. I kept to this convention of the genre as I have no images of the band or anyone else on the covers; however, on the inside of the digi-pac there are images of the band so the customers know who the members of the band are.

My ancillary texts were the digi-pac and Poster which I designed to promote the release of my music video. I wanted the three products to link together in their appearance and themes but found this hard to achieve once I’d finished filming the video. I wanted the poster and digi-pac to relate to the video and therefore thought about using a screen shot or photo from the video as the main feature on them both. However, I found that most of the shots of the band performing didn’t make very interesting still images and most of the shots of the narrative were either too dark or didn’t make any sense on so couldn’t be used. I decided that instead of directly linking the ancillary texts to my main product I would try to keep a regular theme between them. With the digi-pac and poster I used the colour orange to connect them both together as it is the primary colour in both pieces, this meant that people could easily connect the two through their similarities. I connected my video with the digi-pac by including photos from the music video on the inside on the case. Overall the digi-pac and poster had moved away from the music video and didn’t reflect its content and themes much but still worked well as advertisements for it through their use of bright colours and contrasts.

In order to research my project I used the internet search engine Google to find examples of digi-pac’s and posters as well as research music videos on video sharing websites such as YouTube and Yahoo! Video. This research allowed me to analyse existing music videos to give me a better idea of how to present mine. I also used the social networking website MySpace to listen to the band’s music and choose a song to use for our video. I used another social networking website, Facebook, in order to gather audience feedback on my music video. I uploaded the video to the bands page and then people could view it and leave comments and feedback about the video on the page me to see.

Last year I produced a website for a charity as part of my AS level media coursework. I was able to bring across several skills that i learnt during the process of building the website and use them in the production of music video and the ancillary tasks. During the AS project I learnt to research and analyse existing media products and then use this information to help my brainstorm and draft ideas for my product. In the AS product I researched and analysed existing websites of political party's and charity organisations and then used this information to create my own website by using the best qualities that I'd picked out of the existing ones. In my A-level course I used these skills again by researching and analysing existing music videos. I also learnt to produce sketched drafts of my plans and then evaluate and produce them once I'd chosen my favorite design. In my AS project I created elements of my website using editing software such as Photoshop Elements, I then used these skills again in the production of my digi-pac and magazine advertisement.

From my audience feedback I learnt that a lot of people enjoyed the variety of shots and angles used during the performance part of the video as they thought it kept it interesting and kept a pace to the video. People also said that the lip-synching in the video was done very well and the timing of some of the shot transitions with changes in the music. However I also learnt that people were confused by the narrative part of the video and weren’t sure what was going on. Many people also commented on some of the continuity errors during the performance video as the people sat in the recording studio changed between shots. From this feedback I would plan any future videos more carefully and be stricter about who is present during shoots to avoid continuity errors getting into the final video. I would also make sure the narrative has more of a direction and storyline in it so it is easier for the viewer to follow.
From the feedback I received on my ancillary products I learnt that people liked the use of bright and vibrant colours to attract the audience to the product and the interesting presentation of the band’s name on both products as it makes it more like a logo for the band rather than simply being text. The negative feedback that I received for both products was mainly about the lack of images of the band to show who they were and the images that were used on the digi-pac looked quite messy.

I used the photo editing software Photoshop Elements to design and construct my posters and digi-pac as it allowed me to easily import and edit images onto my media and create interesting and original designs manipulating the text and images on my designs.
I edited my music video using film editing software on an Apple Mac called Final Cut Pro. This software allowed me to easily cut my footage into small shots and play around with their position in the music video until I was happy with how it looked. It also allowed me to accurately synchronise the video footage with the audio of the song so that the band looked like they were actually performing their song rather than miming.

Audience Feedback

After I had finished editing my music video I uploaded it the bands page on the social networking website 'Facebook' so that fans of the band could comment on it. A screenshot of this page is shown below.

The comments left on this page wer'nt critical and didnt provide any analytical feedback but did show that the band members and fans of the band enjoyed the video and thought it was well made.

After deciding the feedbook from Facebook wasn't very helpful I sent the video to several friends and asked them give me thier opinions on it. One of them replied via email which is displayed below.

"Very good video for a very good song. I like the syncing, as it is almost perfect throughout, just falling out a couple of bit on the drums and guitar, but to an untrained eye, this would be un-noticeable. I liked the good variety of shots you used throughout, keeping the video fresh and managing to avoid repetitiveness. However, I did notice some things that i wasn't too keen on. Forgive me for sounding picky, but I noticed the person in the studio changes. I would have liked to have seen more consistency here to give the impression that it was all done with one take using more than one camera. Also, normally in music studio's, the band would face the technichians, for constant feedback. If they are looking away, they can't see if they are doing well or if there is a problem. I also thought the story line was a tad hard to follow but apart from this, very good effort."

Production Diary

We began work on our film by visiting possible locations to decide which ones would be best to use in our music video. We looked around three locations in our school, the theatre, the recording studio and the school hall. We decided that the theatre would be too complicated and time consuming to use as we'd have to book it and find someone to operate the lighting system for us. We decided the hall was too bland and empty to create an interesting video in. The recording studio however was easy for us to book out and use and also proved to be an interesting place to set the video. We then chose to film the narrative part at one of our group member house as it was easy for us to get to and had plenty of room for us to set up cameras and equipment.

We created a filming schedule and gave a copy to everyone involved so that everyone knew when and where they were required for filming. The schedule is provided below.

Date: 18th MarchLocation: Recording Studio, Music Block, NK schoolTime: 13.00 Start 14.00 EndActors:
All band members (Casual clothing)
Crew:
James Hann - Camera and directionJohn Hackney - Camera and direction
Tim Brooks - Music Studio operator/sound

Date: 27th March
Location: 307 Brant Road, Waddington
Time: 11.30 Start 16.00 End
Actors:
Joe Rudd (Casual clothes, preferably dark colours)
Crew:
James Hann - Camera and direction
John Hackney - Camera and direction

To help with the production we produced a series of storyboards to plan out what we would film. Scans of them are below.

Final copies - Poster and Digi-Pac

After creating three initial draft sketches of both Posters and Digi-Pacs I made the choices about which designs I would produce into full colour designs using the editing software Photoshop Elements and then use as my final pieces.



Final Poster Design
This is the final copy of my poster, it is based on my third design although it has changed quite a lot from the original design. I changed the position of most of the writing and the streaks of colour as the streaks look like they are framing the text in their new position which makes the poster easier to look at. The contrast of the bright and dark colours makes the poster stand out really well and also makes it more interesting to look at. I decided to alter the shape of the band name at the top of the page as the text was the only thing to look at on the poster and therefore I felt it needed to look more dynamic. I used a variation of text sizes to add some variation to the poster as I felt when the text was the same size the poster looked dull and bland.

Feedback:

• Very bright and cheerful - nice to look at



• Interesting design and variation of colours



• The green and orange colours don't work too well together



• The contrast of the white and black do work well



• The name of the band is made the centrepiece by its size, position and the contortion of its shape

Final Digi-Pac Design
This is my final design of the digi-pac, it is based on the second of my three preliminary designs. I decided that the design looked better when there was a coloured background on the outside covers rather than a plain white one. I decided to use a parcel style wrapping paper as it gave the impression that there was more to the CD than just a box with a disc in it due to the connotations of parcels and gifts created by the wrapping paper. I also decided to put a background image behind the CD as a plain background looked to dull. I chose an image of the band's drummer, Corey, in the recording studio, this relates to the music video and also the image on the opposite cover which shows Joe singing in the recording studio. Together the two inside covers show a scene similar to the performance part of the video.

Feedback:

• The size of the band's name over both covers is interesting and original
  


• The orange writing is quite difficult to see with the brown background of the parcel
  


• The colours on the CD work well together
  


• The images on the inside covers could be better as they look a bit chaotic
  
  
• The colours used are similar to the colours on the poster which creates a link between them
  

Planning: Poster Designs

Part of my task was to create a magazine advertisement to promote the release of the single and the digi-pac, in order to do this I came up with three draft designs out of which I would choose and design one.

Design 1. My first design is split into two halves. The top half of the poster shows the three members of the band with the central member holding a piece of card with the band’s name written on it whilst the other two members stand either side of him. The picture resembles a police mug shot of a criminal and therefore gives the band a rebellious appearance. The piece of card with the band’s name on it show the bands independence from record labels and low budgets for promotion as they have had to write themselves a sign and pose with it to shows who they are. The bottom half of the poster has text advertising the release of the single written over it. Amongst the text are reviews from various music magazines to convince potential buyers that the single is worth spending their money on.
I like the picture on this design as it is interesting, shows who the band are and shows that they are a independent band without the backing of a major record company. The thing I disliked about this poster was the amount of empty space which makes the poster look too plain on the bottom half.

Feedback

• Good image of the band - makes them look interesting
• Too much white space
• Bottom half is very messy and chaotic

Design 2. My second design features the band's drummer, Corey, performing in the recording studio. Above the image is the band's name in large text along with the name of the single. Beneath the image is information about the singles release and reviews from critics.
I think this design is too plain and not very interesting. However the image is quite good as it would link in with the video as it is a photo from the video shoot.

Feedback

• Logo looks good at the top
• Doesn't look very professional
• Very plain and not very interesting

Design 3. For my third design I decided I wanted something that looked completely different to the other two posters and was very eye-catching. I decided to simply create a colourful poster with the band's name and the release details of the single as its main feature. The band's name, Crayolar, is very similar to the name Crayola; a famous brand of colouring crayons, this means the name of the band will often have connotations of colourful images for many people. This design plays on that connotation by being very colourful and bright.
I liked this design due to its simplicity and its eye-catching colours. However it doesn't show the band and who they are or reflect the video in any way.

Feedback

• Stands out easily and is very memorable so consumers remember the name if they see the CD later.
• Interesting and original design
• Doesn't have much to do with the band or the single

Planning: Digi-pac designs

Part of my project brief was to create a 'Digi-Pac' for the release of the single. A digi-pac is the package which comes with the CD/DVD release of media, they often include booklets about the media, posters or other printed media. I decided my digi-pac would include a classical style CD case and would then include a promotional poster and a booklet about the band and it's members .

Design 1. This is my first plan for my digi-pac. On the front cover (bottom right) is a road stretching across the cover with a no-entry sign in front of it. I thought about having the band travelling down the road against the no-entry sign either on foot or in a vehicle to represent them trying to enter the difficult world of being professional musicians. As I was unable to decide how they should be travelling I decided to leave them out of the sketch and would include them later if I chose to use this design. The back cover (bottom left) has a picture of the band performing on stage with the track listings written in front of them. The inside cover (top right) shows a larger version of the back cover that includes the crowd watching the band perform. The CD would be on a plain white background and would be plain white itself with the band's name written on it along with the song title.
I thought that this design contained too many photos and may have provided the digi-pac with a messy and chaotic look to it. However I liked the idea of showing the band on the front cover but couldn't decide how it would be best to show them. I also thought that this cover may seem too serious and not reflect the song at all.

Feedback

• Back cover doesn't look professional


• CD is a bit plain


• Front cover image is interesting but doesn't relate to the video
  
  

Design 2. My second design was very simplistic. It had the band's name written in very large text and stretched across the front and back cover with the singles title written just on the front cover. The back cover also has the track listing underneath the title. The inside cover would show a photo taken from a band recording session in which Joe, the bass player and singer of the band, was singing into a microphone that was decorated with some plastic flowers. I thought this was an interesting image to use as it showed the bands sense of humour and playfulness and showed that they didn't take themselves too seriously. For the CD I decided it should reflect the front cover and have the same text displayed across it. This design was meant to be very simple but also eye-catching and interesting compared to other CD's.
I liked how this design challenged convention by having the name of the band only partly shown on the front cover. However I disliked the amount of the amount of white space on the front cover and thought that this may look too plain and dull.

Feedback

• Front and back covers are original and eye-catching


• CD looks good but could do with a background behind it


• Plain white background might look boring on the front and back covers
  

Design 3. My third and final design has the same photo on its front cover that design 2 had on its inside cover. I decided to use this image again for the same reasons I had last time but this time I thought it might be better on the front cover to draw people in as it is an interesting and strange image that will catch people attention. For the back cover I decided to have a simple block coloured background with the track listings written on it along with the names of the band members and their role in the group. The inside cover featured a picture of the band's equipment in an empty recording studio, this would link in with the bands performance in the same room in the music video. In this design I decided the CD would be placed on a plain black background which would contrast with a plain white CD with black writing on it.
Although I liked the image on the front of this design I thought that it highlighted one member of the band in a way that would be unfair to the other members and may give the impression that 'Crayolar' was a solo act rather than a band. I did like how the inside cover related to the music video though as this is something the other designs didn't do.

Feedback

• CD sleeve is too dark - looks dull and boring


• The back cover is too empty


• Front cover image shows a sense of humour and is very original

Planning: Camera shots and angles

In order to help me produce my music video I took some photos demonstrating key types of camera shots to help me decide which ones to use in my video.

Establishing Shot (Est) - Often used to set the scene and provide context of the location to the viewer.

Long Shot (L/S) - Used like an establishing shot but provides a more detailed look at a smaller area.

Mid shot (M/S) - Still provides some context whilst providing more detail on what is happening in the scene.

Two Shot - A type of mid-shot that shows two people and is often used to show conversations.

Close-up (C/U) - Focuses the audience's attention on a single character, often used during conversations to switch between characters involved.

Big close up (BCU) - Used to show emotion in a person's face or provide detailed looks at objects.


Framing

Head Space

BAD- There is too much room between the persons head and the top of the frame which makes them look small and leaves too much empty space in the shot.

GOOD - The room above the subjects head is about the size of an apple, an give the subject a more balanced position within the shot away from the edges.

Looking space

Looking space gives a character somewhere to look into within the picture and makes the image appear more balanced and natural.

GOOD - The subject has plenty of room to look into and the picture is well balanced, easy to look at and more interesting.

BAD - The character is at the edge of the frame and the shot looks cramped