Question 3: what have you learned from your audience feedback?

To gain some insight on what people thought of my music video I had gathered a focus group based on my target audience. The age range was between 16-20 and all were females. I had created a questionnaire which consisted of 8 questions, one of which was close ended and the others were open so I could get a clear insight on their opinions. The questions that were asked included:

1. What genre would you place the video in?

2. What do you like about the video?

3. What do you dislike about the video?

4. Do you think that the digipak and advert compliment the video?

5. What improvements do you think should be made?

6. What do you like about the digipak?

7. What should be improved on the digipak?

8. What do you like about the advert and what improvements should be made?

Examples of the feedback I had got:

Overall I had found that most people that filled out my questionnaire thought that my video would be placed in the r&b genre, this was positive feedback as it was what I was aiming to portray. However, there were 2 people that thought it could also be placed in a pop genre, this means that I could have added more aspects that make it more clear it is r&b.

From the feedback I had got from my music video these are the likes and dislikes that I had collected:

I had gathered what my focus group liked about my digipak and what they thought I should improve on:

Evaluation question 2

Evaluation question 2

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

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

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

Evaluation question 2

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

A media technology I had used to construct my music video was final cut express. I found that this programme was very useful in the making of my video as there are many tools included to make it much easier to create. I had used final cut express before and so I found it quite familiar in some

aspects but I did have to refresh my memory on how to use certain tools but this was a quick process. Final cut express allowed me to create effects such as black and white over any scene that I wanted. I was successful in this as I placed this effect on the flash backs that are portrayed in my video. The programme was also easy to cut scenes out that was not needed to make the video suitable to the time limit which was set for us. Furthermore, I was able to show my work to others from this programme and get feedback so I can improve on it and develop it further.

Another media technology used to construct my digipak and also my magazine advert was Photoshop. Again I had used this programme before so it was familiar to me, however there were certain tools I had forgotten how to use. One tool that I had found the most useful was the 'free transform' tool and the 'quick selection tool'. These made it very easy for me to cut out an image that I wanted to use and then to move it around and adjust it to the position or size I desired. Furthermore, through Photoshop I could add effects onto my digipak and advert such as a black and white tone on the image of myself on the cover. 

Blogger allowed me to make various posts throughout the year to track my progress and other tasks that needed doing. It was very useful as I could go back onto posts from last year to use again for other work such as my evaluation. It was also a very easy and useful way to communicate in order to set a date on when to collect equipment that was needed when filming. Problems came with blogger as it does with most programmes and so I had to improvise and use word for example to type up my post and then update it on my blog when it was working again. 

A further media technology I used was Youtube. This was used a lot in the research and planning process of my music video. Youtube allowed me to look at videos and get ideas for my own, it also allowed me to place a link on my blog so that it was easy to see what video I was talking about. This allowed me to also see the conventions of an r&b video such as rihanna's take a bow and incorporate them into my own.

Magazine advert

For my magazine advert I had decided to stick to the theme of pink to make a feminine image and also to target my audience who are females. The images of the birds are used to relate to the album name which is 'emancipation', this is because it connotes freedom and birds have that freedom to fly. Furthermore, the hand on the face of the artist portrays a vulnerable image and contrasts with the name emancipation. The black and white tone on the artist makes her stand out so she is the centre of attention and so that the audience can become familiar with her as it contrasts with the pink background. In addition, I decided to use a glow around the main image to add a softer touch to the artist and add to the femininity. 

digi pak

Conventions of the magazine advert form

1) What is a magazine advert and what is it's function?

 

A magazine advert is usually on an A4 piece of paper and it's function is to promote the product of the artist/band. You can find it in a variety of magazines depending on the genre, for example, one direction would generally be found in a teens magazine.

 

 

2)What do we usually find on this advert? Does it differ between genres of music?

 

We find that is generally on A4 paper and there is an image of the artist/band or key logo so that the audience becomes familiar with who or what is being promoted. There is also an image of the actual album, however some artists/band may not include this as their magazine advert is just a larger version of their product. Special features may be added to this advert, for example, the making of the video or an interview with the artist which could draw the audience's attention further as there are extras involved. There could also be a consistency of the same image/font/colours from the album added on to the advert to create a sense of identity that the audience can familiarise with. It does differ between genres of music, for example, an indie band may not include an image of themselves on the cover but would have a certain image that represents them, whereas pop artists usually have a close up or just a distinct picture of themselves to show their identity.

 

 

3)Does there need to be connection between the digipak and the advert?

 

There does need to be a connection as the audience need to be familiar with the brand identity. The artist/band will have a consistent convention of either themselves or a logo to create this brand identity.

 

 

Location recce

I had used locations in my music video which set the scene of my lyrics and also the song in general.

• Home: using my own house as a location to film made it very accessible for my actors to get to and also made it comfortable for me to film them. I was aware of the risks at this location and it made it easier for me to follow the risk assesment as I am familiar with everything around me. A home setting is somewhere the target audience can familiarise with also as it is a cosy setting in which a couple would spend time in or just somewhere to be alone. 

•  School: using my own school as a location was also very accessible as I was able to get my classmate to film me during free periods and lunch time. The fact that I used the school grounds to film was a good idea as the scene was suitable to the song and was a natural setting that the target audience could familiarise with.

Photoshop tutorial

I had begun to use photoshop and play around with the software in order to become familiar with it once it comes to creating my own digipak. I am comfortable with using many buttons from photoshop, including the quick selection tool. This is evident in my practice piece as I have cut out carefully a picture of Alicia keys and also a wing which was part of a pair, therefore the quick selection tool allowed me to precisely cut out these images with what I would like to use. I can use the free transform button to move the images in any position and making it fit in with the background. I am also able to insert a background and a text on top of that, editing and altering it to the way I would like it. Practicing using photoshop will really help my knowledge on the aspects of the software when I create my digipak, also it gives me ideas on what to use on my own work.

Digipak research

Conventions of a digipak form

A digipak is is a type of packaging that is used for CD singles or CD albums which include special editions. They consist of having a gatefold which is a book style and includes one or more plastic trays in order to hold a CD or DVD. Digipaks commonly include a DVD, lyric book, artist photo or imagery and list of songs. It is similar to an album cover as they are both used to promote the sales of an artist and the record label as it is marked on both. They also both include a CD, however they differ as an album cover does not include more than one CD or digital extras such as behind the scenes or an interview with the artist. 

A digipak net usually consists of a 4 to 8 plate folded piece with a CD in the middle. The number of faces is decided by the designer and then agreed with the record label, it is important that it stands out so the audience finds it eye catching and therefore contributes to the sales for the artist. On the various faces of a digipak we find that there is a cover which is usually a close up of the artist, we also see the artists name and record label throughout the pack. The list of songs are included and there may be lyrics that come along with this.

Target audience

My target audience generally involves females who are going through a break up due to the relationship not working. This is specifically aimed at the age range of 16-21. The relationship that they have experienced would be their first serious one and would have gone through a number of issues throughout this time as most young relationships do.

This age group would be not spending a lot of money in everyday life and still enjoying themselves as they are young. The places they visit is generally low price restaurants such as a pizza express and clothes stores such as Primark which sell modern items of clothing that reflect the generation of young girls. They shop in these places as they are either studying and do not have time to look in higher ended shops or they do not earn enough through their job as they are young. This is portrayed in my music video as the female actor and the artist are wearing clothing such as leather jackets that are very popular in the fashion industry and everyday life but is still kept quite casual.

They would also be generally listening and watching music videos of an r&b genre or pop genre which they can relate to or look up to the artists that are involved. 

Targeting my audience