Final product: Music Video

Evaluation: Q4) How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Evaluation: Q3) What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

Evaluation question 3

What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

To gain audience feedback, as a group we used various research methods to ensure we were appealing to our target audience. This ranged at the pre-production stage and we also carried some further audience feedback sessions post-production. This was to initially make decisions from our audience feedback and then judge the performance of our product. Before being able to carry out various feedback methods, I had to establish who my target audience was for the ‘RnB’ genre.

The demographics of my target audience are:

Target audience:

Age/s: 15-35

Genders: Unisex

Ethnicity: Diverse

Occupation: E to C1 class bracket

Hobbies and interests: Popular and mainstream culture – Social culture, sports, socialising, relationships.

Why did we create questionnaire and graphs?

Creating a questionnaire and graphs enabled us to gain audience feedback that we needed, which would result in us meeting the demands and expectations of the intended audience. A questionnaire is a reliable source which is specific to the target audience that would give us direct feedback. It also allowed us to receive feedback and analyse decisions about our choice of conventions and what we planning to include and what we shouldn’t include. What was effective was that we had the power to hand it out to the audience that we thought we would receive relevant feedback from which helped us speed up the process to receiving relevant and beneficial feedback.

6 key questions from the questionnaire and the feedback we received which helped us make informed decisions:
 

Closed questions to receive quick feedback on ideas we already had in mind:

1.       Is ‘Star Image’ essential in an R&B music video?

2.       Do you think intertextual references would be relevant in an R&B music video?

Multiple questions to help us make the right decisions:

1.       What star image should an R&B artist have? Sexy, cool, political or controversial?

2.       What lighting effect would you find suitable? High-key, low-key, strobe or flashing?

 

Open questions to get more detailed feedback from the audience to make sure we were following the right conventions:

1.       What types of characters would you expect to be performing in the music video?

2.       Is ‘Star image’ essential in an R&B music video? Yes or No, if No, please state why…..

 

How this helped me make decisions:

The feedback that I received from various questions has enabled me to be aware of the conventions I should include in my music video. The questions helped me to identify what keeps the audience satisfied and the essential parts of the music video that I need to include. However, some people thought if the narrative was good, it would be enough and star image isn’t as important, this is something my group and I disagreed with. This was supported by Asena aged 18 that stated “Star Image is essential in R&B music video’s which was because  the artist should be the standing out factor of the music video and the R&B genre is very much based on mainstream popular culture and the artist represents this." R&B artists also have an image that is quite cool and others aspire to be like. I took this on board as she fits in the category of my target audience.

Graphs:

 

 

 

 

Analysing graphs enabled me to address the needs of the target audience. They also helped me to include the conventions that the audience were demanding. The graphs were a visual representation of my results that was easy to comprehend.

Questionnaire:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why did you put your video on YouTube?

YouTube is the most commonly used video sharing website as well as being internationally popular and known by many. All ages are able to access it which allows a broad audience to view our work and judge the work which would differ due to differences within age or interests. YouTube I felt was the best place for the group to share the video in order to get as many views and feedback comments as we possibly could.
 

2 positive comments:

1.       “The narrative that has been displayed complements the theme of the lyrics.”

2.       “Your artist looks conventional to the R&B genre.”


 





 

 





2 critiques:

1.       “The male character is not conventional to the R&B genre as he looks quiet young, and the theme of the song is not associated with someone of that age.”

2.       “Could have used a better range of iconography.”

 

What did you learn from this audience feedback in terms of whether you created a conventional and successful music video?

The audience feedback was generally good as we satisfied the demands of theaudience and understood that we addressed the target audience well. The audience was knowledgeable of the themes and characters which convey that we represented our genre and target audience well. However, we could have improved on some aspects such as the range of iconography and representing the male character in a more conventional way. Overall the audience feedback for YouTube was successful.

Why did you put your work on Facebook?

 

Face book is a massive social networking website in which we were able to showcase our work to our friends and family. This worked well as a lot of our friends were part of our target audience that we wished to appeal to. Therefore the feedback was highly relevant. We also were proud of our music video product and we wanted to share it. We made the video ‘public’ so friends of friends could see it if they wanted to.
 

2 Positive comments:

1.       “Location was really conventional, the graffiti made it conventional to the R&B genre.”

2.       “We really developed a relationship with the characters during the narrative scenes.”

2 critiques:

1.       “Could have used a further range of camera shots.”

2.       “Lighting was not constant.”

Overall, the music video was a success as it received largely positive feedback on social networking sites such as Face book, and in general the target audience gave positive feedback which implied that we appealed to, and fulfilled the demands of the target audience.

 

Why did you hold a focus group?

 

 

The focus group consisted of sixth form students which were a part of the target audience. We discussed within the group their opinions and attitudes towards our music video product. Each group member had discussed and commented on our music video.

2 Positive comments:

1.       “Relevant low-key lighting was used when necessary.”

2.       “Theme of the song was conventional to the R&B genre and was well represented.”

2 Critiques:

1.       “Better range of iconography could be used.”

2.       “The male character was not conventional to the R&B genre as he looks young.”





Sound cloud:


 

Discussing and debating the music video within a focus group was a reliable way of gaining true feedback which enabled us to reflect on our work even further. The honest feedback suggested that we did create a conventional and successful music video as the sixth formers were pleased with what they had seen.

To conclude, a various range of media formats had been used in order to promote my music video product. This was done in order to gain as much feedback as possible, taking into consideration the large amount of people that viewed my music video. Therefore, this would determine if my music video was conventional, and if I had met the demands of my target audience. The feedback I received for my music video was highly positive, however, improvements could have been made. As a producer, this was beneficial as I was aware of the aspects that needed improving of my music video. When looking back at my music video I understood what Asena Akyuz meant by the male character being young and not being a conventional character in my music video. I believe that if I had used a more conventional male character this would enhance the quality and success of my music video as the audience would be able to relate to the character more. The feedback was highly helpful because if I could create this music video again, I would plan and build on these elements with more detail which would enhance the overall quality of my music video for the target audience to enjoy.

Evaluation: Q2) How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

Evaluation: Q1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Onat - Evaluation question one from onathasip

Final product - Digipak

All the drafts for the digipak has been worked on and edited, from the audiences critisicms  which finally resulted in the final creation of my digipak.

The CD insert is mainly the image of the artist. This relates to and compliments my music video product as the star image of the artist is clearly being conveyed. This adds visual stimulation of the artist and a preview of what he would look like in the music video.
The back cover is a long shot of the artist with himself facing away from the camera. Album infromation such as other songs featuring on the album is seen on the back cover. This layout was used because if the songs were displayed across the back cover it would cover the artist and would hinder his star image.
The insert consists of half of the artists face with a blue colour background which is simplistic, and makes the artist stand out.
The front cover of my digipak is a long shot of the artist in which his whole body can be seen with a urban background. As well as the back cover, the album name is large in a way to catch the audiences eye.

Final product - Advert

After the drafts were created, I created my final magazine advert. All the feedback was taken on board to create a conventional final advert.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Viewing various magazine adverts from the R&B genre enabled me to understand that i created a conventional advert. My advert was visually appealing, and enhances the star image of the artist. The bold font outlines the cool aspect of the artist which the audience would be able to relate to. The font used is easy to read and also stands out which gives it a simplistic effect. Overall, this magazine advert along with the other promotional products worked really effectively in attracting the target audience.

Research and planning advert: drafts of adverts

To make sure we created a conventional advert that appealed to our intended target audience, it was important that we created drafts of our work and feedback on them. We created two in total and this process allowed us to analyse and review our use of conventions, what worked and what didn't. Below are the drafts that my group and I created.

Draft 1:





The positive criticism we got were:

• Artist representation was clear
• Key information in like album name, artist name etc. and this clear for the audience to see

The constructive criticism we got were:

• The typography needed to be clearer as it was getting lost in the background
• Some information was missing such as availability.

Draft 2:




The positive criticism we got were:

• Availability and other information is now evident
• The name of the album stands out more
• The structure and layout looks more professional 

 The constructive criticism we got were:

• The black font for the artists name, 'De'la Cruz' is not as clear
• No significant noticeable improvements have been made

Our next steps for final production:

• make the typography clearer against the white background
• correct any spelling mistakes

This process has been beneficial as it has allowed me to create something something that is most conventional to the target audience and reflect the genre.

Research and planning advert: Creative brief for advert

Oasis Academy Hadley

5 South Street

EN3 4PX

Onat.hasip@oasishadley.org

Date: 13th January 2014
Project Manager: Bryan Osango, Kemal Kargin, Onat Hasip
Dept: T.V. Graphics Design
Album Title/ Artist: Cruzin' To My Life
Release Date: 14th February 2014

Product Overview
De'la Cruz is American rapper who started from performing on street corners with his friends he used to record at his local studio. One day the studio director witnessed his raw talent and decided to sign him on to his own record label it wasn't big but he started of doing supporting acts. This then enabled him to expand his reputation and name. When performing in front of large audiences it enabled people to know what his music was about and he then developed his own fan base. Sean then created his first album and went on tour. His latest album was his biggest success and the song ‘Battle scars’ has already received a lot of positive criticism and the media hype for a music video is under way.

The Magazine Advert Concept
What is it?
We need aim to create a magazine advert which best represents the artist De'la Cruz star image which will not only appeal to the target audience but also market and promote his upcoming coming album 'Cruzin' To My Life'. We aim to create a conventional R'n'B magazine advert which will appeal mainly to our target audience and also target a wider mainstream audience also. For this task I am planning on using a single main image of my artist 'De'la Cruz' standing infront of a simple white wall which will convey his costume and promote his star image enabling me to appeal and encourage the target audience.
Why are we doing it?
The magazine advert will support De'la Cruz's debut album and I believe that the artwork is as important as the artist image and information shown within this advert to help bring success and attract the targeted audience as well as a further audience also. The magazine advert created has to be a clear representation of the R'n'B genre in which the audience will immediately acknowledge what type of music to expect from this artist, as well as this his key singles, especially 'Battlescars' will be included.
Comparable products:

Released: 6th October 2008

Sales: Over 1 million to date

Consumer
Both females and males from the ages of 14 to 30.
In relation to audience categories my audience will be from the E to C1 class.
What is the reaction I want?
We want the audience and the consumers to feel like they can understand the artist. The target audience should be able to build and develop a relationship that is different from other artists.
How Will We Know It Worked?
We will know if it was successful from the sale targets. We will compare these alongside our sales figures to enable us to see if our targets where hit. If this is met or higher than the target, we will know it was a success. Following on, we will be hosting a focus group to allow fans and consumers to look at our first drafts and give us there feedback. From there criticism we we will know ways in which we can improve.
Sales Target: 25, 000
De'la Cruz campaign dates:
Press campaign: 21st January 2014
TVC Launch: 25th January 2014
Album Release: 14th February 2014

Research and planning advert: Advert information

Planning the information that will be used on my magazine advert is essential as it enables the viewers to be awars of the information that would be on in the advert. Also as i have knowledge of what it may consist of to come up with final information to finalise our ideas is better and allows our productivity to flow much easier through my group and I. Also this makes us more organised and makes our production team more efficient. It is also important to contain as much information as possible to ensure that we have everything listed.

Artist name:

-De'La Cruz

Album name:
-Cruzin' To My Life
(Signed to Atlantic Records)

Key Singles:-Signs
-Poppin Bottles
-Battlescars (Most important)

Album release date:
-14th February 2014

Parental advisory:
-Yes

Typography:
-Sketchy, urban look

Colour scheme:
-Navy, white, black

Available for download:
-Spotify
-Itunes
-Amazon

Research and planning advert: Generic conventions and analysing magazine adverts

What is a magazine advert?
A magazine advert is a form of print medium that is used to sell and market a product. in the case in which we are focusing it is a music single or album.


Purpose:

• A marketing tool that accompanies a singles/albums release.
• Provides visuel information about the artist and the album.
• Display key information such as main song,after songs, where its available.
• Creates, adopts or feeds into the represntation of the 'star image'
• Appeals to the intended target audience.
• Buy into artist lifestyle and ideas.

Impact:

• To attract the target audience into purchasing the product.
• Attracts a wider audience.
• Reveals key information about the artist
• Audience to feel a stronger relationship with the artist.

Conventions:
A magazine advert carries various conventions including:

• Main image
• Title of album
• Artist name
• Features of the song such as the song list
• Audience infprmation if neccesary e.g. parental advisery
• Key dates
• Availibility ( E.g. itunes

What to identify:

• Main image
• Star image - Dyers theory
• Colours
• Sub-images
• Typography
• Layout
• Artis and label information

Analysis of existing magazine adverts:






Main image:
The main image is a medium long shot of the artists upper body and face. We can see him looking to the side so we can only see the side of his face, he looks confident and bold which would appealing towards the target audience.

Colours:
Black and white colours being predominately used. they go well together and the colours relate to the artist. There is also a element of light colours such as blue being used to cancel out the dark effect by adding balance.

Typography:
There are varied large and smaller forms of typography. 'Wretchrospective'  is the largest wording used and it stands out as it is the the album name. The other writing is doesn't in smaller font as the information is viewed not as important as the album name.


Layout:
The image of the artist is conveyed as the most important aspect as it is big and bold, and its the most eye-catching part of the magazine advert. Under the main image all the see the writing in order of significance.

Artist and label information:
Done clearly to notify the audience about any information that is relevant.

 






















Main image:
The main image is 50 cent facing away from the camera and we can see only his back. His back is the dominant feature of the advert as it takes up the vast majority of the space. We can see all of his tattoo's and a gun as well which would interest the target audience even further.

Colours:
Mainly white and black colours used with an aspect of red. The 'Get rich or die trying' has been done in red which makes it stand out from the other colours,. The red being in the middle of the advert enhances it from standing out and being a significant part of the advert.

Typography:
All Large texts have been used. The name of the artist '50 Cent' is the largest text which makes it the most significant.

Layout:
The artists name is shown as being the first thing which conveys that its important that the audience is knowledgeable of the artists name first. The writing is well structured as it follows and compliments one and other.

Artist and label information:
There isn't any label information which doesn't make the magazine advert stand out very well and makes it looks less professional.

Research and planning digipak: Drafts of digipak

We mocked up a few designs to get a understanding of the digipak and what the digipak required. We had to pick a specific layout that was conventional and we thought it would enhance the audience feedback.

The drafts:

We followed right convnetions and looked at audience feedback, and created the drafts of our digipak. We analaysed the possitives and negatives of each draft in order to improve and have a better end product for digipak.

                                      

Possitives of draft 1:

• Artist representation was clear
• All the images complimented each other
• Most details were visible

What needed to be improved draft 1:

• All very text based, not other essential info
• simple layout, needed to make better use of space

 Possitives:

• Changed the colour filter to make it look more urban.
• Good font.
• Back cover - good positioning of layout, images and texts.

What needed to be improved:

• Front cover - text looks too small and doesn't stand out.
• Still some key information missing.

 Possitives:

• Happy with what we produced, so people from our target audience had a look at it and gave possitive feedback.
• The key information that was missing had been included.

Negatives:

• Typography had changed and the colour of the typography changed.

 For our final product we needed to complete our final digipak which we had done by improving sand working on the drafts of our digipak. The impoving process enabled us to have a more conventional digipak, which was essential in the overall production of our music video work.

Planning: Lighting & Colour

Lighting and colour plays a important role in the music video product as it contributes in gaining a reaction from the audience. Lighting and colour also enables the audience to gain a better understanding of the scene or camera shot. For example if Low-key lighting was used this would convey a dark and negative aspect of the music video and the audience would be able to understand the concept of what is happening more clearly.

Low-key lighting would be evident throughout my music video as the theme of my music video is around relationships & break-ups. The theme has elements of heart-break and sadness and low-key colours and lighting would illustrate this in the best way.

From the music video for 'Nelly - Just a dream' Persistent Low-key lighting is being used. This is because the song is based on Nelly experiencing problems with his love life and ex-girlfriend. This theme is also really similar to my own music video idea.  Low-key lighting is very much relevant as the hurt the artist is going through is clearly conveyed by the colour and lighting throughout the music video. Especially in the close-up shot of Nelly's face the emotion shown enhances the effect that the Low-key lighting has.

 From the music video 'Grenade' by Bruno Mars consists of some scenes with natural/high-key lighting  some scenes where Low-key lighting. When he scenes with Low-key lighting are being used, there is also fast rain coming down with thunder and lightening. The trouble regarding love is outlined. This has been done in the same way that I would want to portray my music video through the same use of lighting and colour.

Planning the lighting & colour of my music video enabled me to understand the different moods that can be portrayed through the lighting and colour effects that could be used. i now am sure that Low-key lighting would be evident throughout my music video as this works well with the theme of my music video. This is also shown through the music video examples by both Nelly and Bruno Mars.