Evaluation: 4. How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Evaluation : 3. What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

Evaluation: 2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

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

Our brief this year was to create a music video using a song and artist from a genre in which we could choose. To compliment this product, I also created ancillary texts (a magazine advert and a digipak) to help promote the artist and their material. A music video is a visual moving image that compliments a single to portray a visual aspect to the music. Many music videos are different from one another, in order to create different intended effects on the target audience. I chose to create a music video for Adele's 'Hometown Glory' which is from the genre of soul. Our media product complies with the conventions of soul genre music videos from the particular aspects that have been included within the content. Music videos can be varied in relation to style, having one or more of the following - narrative, performance or concept style. My video follows the conventional style use of narrative and performance which I found in the soul genre music video of 'Not The Only One' by Sam Smith (where the artist also appears on stage in their performance scenes). By following this inspiration, this allowed us to portray the artist in different ways in order to show her as extraordinary and also ordinary, in relation to Dyer's theory. Having the artist be perceived in such a way makes her relatable to the target audience from the situation she is faced with in the narrative where she 'falls out' with her friends. This is relatable through the way that this is a common occurence that would have happened to members of the target audience. This relatable nature makes the artist seem more genuine and 'normal' to an audience member, which happens to be an appealing aspect of her. The performance scenes of the artist on stage and by the piano makes her inspirational, as it shows the audience that even 'ordinary' people can become successful and achieve what they want to. Therefore, audiences feel satisfied as they are more likely to want to buy into an artist who is perceived as genuine and emotive. This increases the views/sales of the artist and consequently makes the products more successful. 

The song itself is very reflective of the artist's past and demonstrates a deep, personal meaning to the artist. This personal and reflective idea of the song's content is typically conventional of songs from this genre - soul. For example, during my research, I analysed the video for Amy Winehouse's 'Back to Black' where she uses the editing technique of a black of white filter to not only create a sorrowful, sombre mood, but to also illustrate how the video is reflective of her damaged life in which she lead. I wanted to replicate this reflective and nostalgic idea into the visuals of my music video. We have done this by using a black and white filter on the memories that the artist is reflecting on: 

The monotone nature of the colouring not only illustrates events in the past, but also the negative and saddening emotion that the artist happens to feel. This helps to build a relationship with the artist from the way the audience can feel relatable to her but at the same time feel sympathetic towards her too, as well as making them empathise with her as best as possible. This makes the product more successful as the audience want to buy into something they can relate to. With this successful relationship being built between the audience, they are able to do this and are more likely going to increase sales as a result. Although we have complied with the conventions of the soul genre throughout the video, there are aspects that do not particularly, stereotypically comply and could be said to in fact challenge conventions of the genre. For example, soul genre music videos are very simplistic with the extent of most of their editing only ever reaching the use of a filter. However, in my video, I wanted to create interest and keep the audience engaged by including a couple of unexpected editing techniques. At the very beginning of the video, there is a layered effect used with the performance piano playing scenes and the scenes of London (the London Eye at this specific moment):

 This shows how the artist is being reflective of her past, but also connotes a deeper meaning of portraying how the artist has many layers of feelings within the emotions in which she is expressing. Although the editing technique itself could be said for being unconventional to the soul genre, the meaning behind it being reflective and showing emotion is very much conventional. In other scenes of performance, the artist is shown playing the piano, which is layered by black and white filtered clip of the artist singing the same part but timed differently, making the artist appear to 'lag' themselves:

This use of editing here is unconventional as it goes against the simplistic idea of a soul gene music video, however, still portrays emotion in a different way. The black and white layered additional clip shows that even though the artist is in their element, performing, the negative emotions are still existent beneath the surface. Therefore, the video as a whole does mostly comply conventionally with the soul genre. I have mostly followed the typical conventions of the genre, however have variated my own ideas from a typical convention here (black and white filter). By adding the clip on top but shortly after in relation to the timing, it means that it variates my video and ensures that I can engage my audience. By having this slight challenge to the stereotypical conventions of the soul genre, it prevents my video from becoming predictable and boring. Therefore, by adding variation, I am able to still create a conventional video, however, incorporate my own ideas in a creative way. 

I have chosen to mostly follow generic conventions throughout my products to give the audience some familiarity and engage them within conventional elements however, slightly adapt them in a creative way. For example, using the black and white filter to overlap the performance scene of the artist in the piano scene. This adds variety, but also engages the audience through the use of the black and white filter implemented within the scene. By following conventions, it can appeal to audiences who like soul genre music, as well as the target audience as soul artists relate to the audience and connect with them further. They are more likely to buy into the artist if they can recognise particular typical should genre conventions but also appreciate how they have been included within the production.

All three of my products - music video, magazine advert and digipak work successfully together to represent my artist in such a way that enables the audience to build a relationship between themselves and the artist. The use of black and white is a common theme throughout all three of my products, consequently creating a clear link between the products. Although the effect is used in all products, it has been used to convey different emotions in some cases, for example, in the music video is it reflective and nostalgic of the memories with the artist and her friends. However, in the magazine advert and digipak it is more to convey negative emotions and connect with the emotion of the artist, rather than the  narrative that is being emphasised in the video. Having a clear link between all three products means that the audience can familiarise themselves with the artist and their current but also future products. This is because they can then associate the links between the products in future reference, making the artist more recognisable. 

Final Cut

Final Individual Ancillaries

Rough Cut - Miss Miller

To any production, audience feedback is vital because it allows a opportunity to improve the production and ensure that it appeals and satisfies the target audience. Audience feedback allows us to retrieve what was liked about the video and what wasn't so much, including how it could be improved. A better more audience satisfying production increases the chances of it becoming successful, and so having a rough cut ensures that in-particular changes can be made for the final cut. A rough cut also outlines from a producer's point of view what is liked and what isn't and what areas could possibly be improved in order to produce a successful and self-pleasing product. The benefit of a rough cut in relation to the music industry allows the producer to seek what could be altered in order to compete in the competitive market. It would also outline conventions of the genre and allow us to seek what target audience members want and expect to see - which could help others in the industry from the same genre. The rough cut ensures that the final cut can be as accurate and satisfying to the target audience as possible making it receive more attention and a bigger 'buzz' around its release. The more attention that is drawn to the video, the more successful it becomes for the production company and artist. The artist becomes more recognised and known in the industry and the production company becomes more valued and also known within the industry. If the video is to the best of its ability, it creates a good reputation for both of the production company and the artist.

Target audience feedback was retrieved in a number of ways. For example, we organised a screening in class where class members and teachers watched the video and shared their view with us. The general comments were that the video was good but there was the reoccurring feedback that the use of the overlapping editing technique was overused. So, from this being outlined by various members of the target audience through the feedback that was retrieved in this way, it has broadened our view on editing. It has highlighted that we need to include other editing techniques that could create a similar effect as to what we intend, but prevent the repetitive use of the same editing technique. We also managed to receive audience feedback through carrying out a questionnaire to discover the most favoured parts aspects of the video (what not to change) and the least favoured (things to improve on or change). This way of carrying out the feedback meant that people were more likely to be honest if they knew they could remain anonymous and wouldn't have to directly face group members, feeling pressure to be polite in their feedback. Getting honest feedback is important as it ensures the aspects that need to be changed are outlined and are taken notice of. Audience feedback was also retrieved through uploading the music video rough cut to YouTube. This allowed people to comment on the video, expressing their thoughts and feelings on the production and suggesting any ways in which it could be improved. The qualitative data from this type of audience feedback enabled us to recognise genuine feelings towards the video from a target audience member's point of view. This is vital in helping us make the video appeal to the target audience as this is what is going to make it a success. After uploading the video on YouTube, the link was shared to Facebook to reach a more mass audience type and retrieve further feedback. The general comments were positive ones which helped to highlight the good parts of the video and aspects that should stay present within the production.

We managed to retrieve a fair amount of positive feedback on the video from our target audience. The first comment was stated through Facebook. The audience member claims to have really liked the video, especially the variation in location and timing of shots. Having the artist being presented as normal and relatable, just like any other audience member, is important to come across in this way as this is a convention of the soul genre. This relatable nature that the artist has developed, means that the audience can appreciate the artist and understand them more easily in relation to them as a person and the emotions they are trying to convey. This particular audience member liked also the 'glamour' parts of the video, inferably because it shows the artist in their natural environment. It demonstrates the talent and glamorous lifestyle in which they lead, which inspires the audience - especially as they have seen her in a relatable state beforehand. The artist shows that even a 'normal' person can become famous and achieve their ideal career. This idea seems to have appealed to the audience and so we will ensure to show the artist in both states 'normal' and 'glamorous' in the final cut. The comment also refers to the location being London and at home - in a positive way. Because of the meaning behind the song, being very reflective of the artist's hometown, we needed to get this across through the visuals of the video which have clearly been achieved through this comment. The fast and slow timing of shots have also seemed to appear appealing for this audience member, most likely because it prevented the video from being uninteresting, as the viewer claims that they 'wasn't bored' and 'watched the whole video'. Positive feedback such as this particular comment gives us the confidence that reassurance our ideas are satisfying the target audience. Knowing how particular parts and the artist's representation is coming across to an outsider is very useful in making sure to achieve what we intend to. 

Below is another positive comment which has been retrieved from a different platform other an Facebook - YouTube:

Location is also praised again in this comment, likewise with the comment from Facebook. As well as location, the costume as part of mise-en-scene is favoured here, which pleases us as this shows that the costume is clearly helping to identify the intended representation of the artist - as the viewer has highlighted. They also state that these aspects are 'really conventional' to the soul genre - which is another positive remark that we intended to come across as. This particular audience member has specifically noted the timing of '2:12' in the video where the editing was particularly appreciated for the way it 'breaks up the shot of her singing and engages the audience'. Audience engagement is key, especially fgor a soul music video as the artist conventionally has to show passion and meaning when they are singing. The visuals have to be gripping and not become uninteresting, so knowing that the particular doubling editing technique that we have used here is keeping the audience engaged is satisfying. We have use tis technique elsewhere in the video also but we will not use it again, purely for the fact that we do not want to overuse the effect, for it would be at risk of becoming repetitive. 

Another positive comment was also retrieved from YouTube:

This audience member seemed to like the style of the music video as a whole and claimed that it 'fits really well with the soul genre'. We decided to use a mix of narrative and performance style in our video to demonstrate a narrative but also show emotion within the song through performance. We decided to use some performance scenes at a piano and some on stage, as well as some in London. Using the stage as the most prominent performance setting is conventional to the soul genre as it shows the artist exposed in terms of emotion and allows them to genuinely perform the way they would to portray emotion to a genuine live audience. This appeals to the audience as they are able to see the artist as if they were genuinely performing to them. The secondary setting for the performance scenes are by a piano where it shows another side to the artist. It allows the artist to be shown as talented with more to offer than just singing to the industry. Their passion for music is reflected through this secondary performance setting as it also allows the artist to reflect emotion in a different way. The narrative is a relatable one, based around friends and reminiscing on how things used to be and reflecting on the changes that the artist may have made. Being able to relate to the artist is important for an audience member as they are more able to build a relationship with the artist in a more effective and genuine way. This audience member has suggested to add more narrative scenes to make the narrative clearer. If the narrative is not being made clear enough to our target audience, it is going to work towards decreasing the chances of the video becoming successful because the audience will not be able to fully engage in the production. We will ensure to include addition scenes in the final cut to reinforce the narrative in attempt to make the storyline clearer. 

We also received constructive comments through YouTube:

The first comment seems to have shown appreciation on the music video as a whole, stating the favourite parts being the editing techniques that were used to show the reflection of the artist on her memories with her friends. However, they have stated that the narrative is unclear and that the addition of more scenes would help prevent this confusion by making the narrative clearer. Although we have managed to get across the fact that the artist is reflecting on memories with her friends in the narrative, because it is still said to be unclear, this lack of understanding would further lack the engagement that we intend our audience to have. Because of this, we will ensure to include more narrative scenes. The comment on the unclear narrative is mirrored by the second audience member's comment as they state to like the performance scenes but 'improve on the narrative because it was unclear'. Because this comment has been a reoccurring one throughout the feedback that we have received, it will definitely be addressed and worked upon, in order to satisfy the audience in the final cut. The editing is further praised in the second and last comment, particularly in reference to the transitions that seem to 'smoothly change scene'. Having good and smooth running transitions is effective in making the video flow well, so we will ensure that this is a consistent feature throughout as clearly the audience have seemed to favour the effect it has. 

Overall, taking all the audience feedback that was retrieved into consideration, we will definitely make changes to the narrative. By doing this, we will ensure to add scenes to make the storyline more clearer, such as by showing why the artist is no longer close to the friends she once had. By showing this through an argument or something along the lines of this to show a hurdle in their friendship, will make sure to display the reasoning for their separation and therefore a more clearer narrative. This will make the audience feel more engaged in the video as they will have a better understanding of what is going on and a better chance to empathise with the artist and feel more relatable towards them. The final cut video will also be more successful, as we will have ensured to take on the feedback of the audience, complying with the suggestions that they have put forward and the improvements they have suggested. 

Individual Digipak Analysis - Miss Georgiou

I have created an individual digipak to display how I feel the artist can be promoted and portrayed through a product of their own. Digipak's allow the audience to have a better quality quality with more access to aspects created by the artist, for example, more exclusive pictures. An ordinary CD only has a front and back cover, however the digipak connects more with the audience through the particular elements that make it more personal to the fan, the artist's message to the purchaser, for example. I wanted ensure that the conventional soul artist that Amy is supposed to be is portrayed clearly across through elements within the digipak. I was very much inspired by Duffy's 'Rockferry' digipak through the way in which the colouring was consistent throughout, giving the digipak a running link but also, allowing it to display the artist's genre through this particular convention of the soul genre that is used to emphasise her style. The black and white really creates a sombre tone to the digipak, but also gives the audience a glimpse of what could be within the contents - negativity but raw, genuine emotion.  By using near enough the same colour theme through my digipak of black, white and red, I have displayed this soul convention also. 

This is my Digipak for Amy's album '18':

I have chosen to use certain elements within my digipak for particular reasons, baring in mind the representation that I want to give my artist and the genre they come from. The colour scheme that I have used throughout my digipak is black, white and red (mainly - the eyes are blue). The black and white is a consistent feature of colour throughout my digipak which reflects the past and a reflective nature of the songs and their content. This is very conventional to soul as the content of their material tend to be very personal and reflective of experiences of their own. Complimenting this black and white colour scheme, red is also a colour which is secondarily used as the next prominent use of colour, as it connotes love and passion. Having passion in their work and the industry as a whole, is conventional for an artist from the genre of soul. By having this 'splash' of the colour red, it helps to intertwine this idea and representation of the artist. From the input of this, the audience build a better relationship with the artist as they feel more appreciative at the fact that the artist doesn't take for granted the opportunity in which they have in the industry. Being passionate about their material and their work makes the music more genuine and raw to the artist, allowing the audience to understand the emotions of the artist a lot more easily. The audience are more likely to familiarise themselves with the situations and experiences that the artist writes about, which makes them more appealing. It also reinforces the monotone nature that mirrors the negative emotions portrayed within the content, showing how the experiences that the artist tends to write about is not positive - conventional to the genre of soul. The back cover includes a list of all the tracks on the CD. There is a small red heart that is overlapped by each track name as they are listed, which displays how personal to the tracks are to the artist. The hearts act as a way of demonstrating how each track has been created 'from the heart' and reinforcing the fact that the emotions portrayed within, are genuine and real. The redness of the hearts illustrate passion and love for the material that she has written and the way in which they are not full hearts (only outlined) could suggest that she feels there is part of her which is now missing due to the experiences that she is sharing on the album. This appeals to the target audience as it makes them feel as if the artist wants to be more open with them, giving them a better chance of building a relationship with the artist. The '18' and 'AMY' on the CD really stand out because of the black background against the contrast of white and red. By putting a white glow around the red '18', it makes it more prominent and gives the illusion that it is standing out closer. This ensures that the CD is simple, but also makes it effective and eye catching. On the front cover, I decided to enhance the artist's natural blue eye colour by altering the brightness and saturation of the colour and excluding it from the black and white filter affect. I included blue colouring of the eyes to not only contrast from the black and white but to also coincide with the experiences she wants to emotively express and share with the audience. Blue connotes sadness and upset, so having this colour emphasised for her eyes, illustrate the hurt and pain that she has been through, inferring literal tears in her eyes. It is also symbolic for the content and emotions felt by the artist within each song on the CD, giving the audience more of a better understanding of the artist and the emotions they are conveying. By including the blue feature here, it breaks up the strong theme of black, white and red, which actually makes its presence unexpected and pleasant. I slightly altered the black and white filter surrounding the blue by changing the contrast to 20% and the brightness to 30%, enhancing the features of the artist, and defining her stare more intensely. I have used the colour theme of black, white and red throughout all three of my products to link them in a visual way and allow the audience to acknowledge this link easily. Although the audience can then notice this link, it also means that they can recognise the consistency of the way in which the artist is represented and appreciate how they can feel relatable to her through not just one, but through all of her products. This is important because it means that audiences can feel satisfied in the way in which they see the artist and creates a better chance for the artist of becoming successful. It shows how they are just being themselves and are not changing the way hey are representing themselves just to satisfy every audience or fit into the industry. They are therefore more likely to hold a longer and more successful career from this by consistently featuring links between their products - here, my most prominent link is the colour scheme.

I believe that my digipak conforms to the conventions of the artist's genre - soul, through many different ways in relation to particular features that are included. For example, the artist is not looking into the camera in any of the images, apart from the front cover. This is very much a typical convention of a soul artist as they tend to display a lacking of confidence through insecurity. Not being able to look directly into the camera suggests a lacking of comfort in relation to eye contact. If you're talking to someone who doesn't make much eye contact, this shows a lacking of confidence - the same is applied here. Even though the front cover displays the artist looking directly into the camera, insecurity is still retrieved through the way that they are still covering up part of their face as if they feel the need to hide away or cover up. This conventional use of pose for the artist is appealing to the audience as it makes them feel empathetic towards them. Insecurity is a common feeling amongst many of the young target audience members, and so if someone famous demonstrates having the same feeling, it creates a common ground between the audience and the artist. Audiences feel more engaged and appreciative of the artist then, because they feel they can relate to how they are showing to feel. I have demonstrated this theme of insecurity through all of my products to carry this representation of the artist throughout, strengthening the relationship between the audience and the artist for they can feel that this is an ongoing emotion and one that could only heal overtime. In the music video, the artist is shown in an insecure way from breaking up with her friends and not displaying the confidence to heal the friendship. She is shown only to reminisce on the memories and become upset when thinking about the past. In my magazine advert, the artist is looking down which demonstrates how she is lacking the confidence to look at the camera. A further convention of the soul genre is the simplicity featured throughout the digipak, especially for the CD. Soul artist's tend to promote themselves in a plain and simplistic manner in their promotional materials. This allows them to be fully exposed in terms of emotion and for them as an artist, as well as allowing own interpretation to be transferred through. The audience therefore, can interpret the artist ihn their own way from the raw and exposed artist that is shown, rather than having influence from elaborated text, or major effects, etc that could scatter the digipak. The target audience is also a young one, meaning that they tend to be lazy in reference to reading elaborated texts. The way in which this digipak is simple means that it appeals to the target audience as well as conforming to the conventions of the genre because they are more likely to be engaged and take more notice of the visuals shown. This is important because the visuals are the part which will initally attract an audience member to pick up the digipak and draw their attention. 

Having a close up shot of the artist on the front cover, I think, helps to attract someone to the digipak because it 'stands out' against other digipaks. In compliment with the stare directly at the camera, the front engages the audience and tempts them into picking it up to see what it has to offer. The close up nature of the image also allows the audience to witness the intricate detailing of the artist, making them more familiar with them and feel more connected with them in terms of their relationship. Exposing the artist in such a way, suggests to the audience that the artist is trusting of the audience, allowing them to share the emotions and themselves as a whole with them. The target audience therefore, appeal to the artist because they appreciate how open the artist is being with them and respects the emotions in which they portray. The second slide of the digipak shows the artist in London with a typical London telephone box in the background. The way in which the artist is seen closer to the camera, with this feature blurred in the background, it reflects the past and the way in which London clearly has a personal reference to the artist. Having the telephone box behind her infers that they see this setting as part of their past now, or, in another way, it could show that she is not comfortable with being in this setting of London from the insecurity that is displayed from the fact that Amy is looking down. The personal nature of the setting is conventional to the genre of soul as the songs are normally based on personal experiences and meanings, which is mirrored within the visuals of this particular image. The audience tend to appeal to this because it's as if they are getting an insight into the personal life of the artist that is normally hidden or not mentioned by the media. In the fourth slide of the digipak, it demonstrates the message that the artist has personally wrote to the fans. The way in which the image shows a hand holding a piece of paper that the message is written on illustrates just how personal the message is. It gives the impression that the artist has just hand written the message themselves which has more of a meaning towards the audience. They feel as if the artist is more considerate of them and comes across in a way that the artist genuinely cares for the fans in which they have. This appeals to the audience too because the artist has dedicated time to them and time to appreciate them and all of the support that they have given the artist. The audience instantly feel to carry on supporting the artist from the appreciation that they have retrieved from their ongoing support already.

The layout and design of my digipak is that the first side is the front cover, the second is an exclusive image of the artist, at the third slide the CD is displayed, the fourth is a personal message from the artist to the fans, the fifth is another exclusive image of the artist and lastly, the sixth slide is the back cover. For the front cover, I placed the artist's name and album name at the top to ensure that the artist and album name still stand out but without taking attention away from the image. Having just the image and the simple 'AMY 18' is also conventional to the genre of soul as they tend to go for very plain designs. This also engages the audience into picking up the digipak as it intrigues them to find out more about the artist and what they have to offer. My CD shows a large '18' that is spread across and actually laps off the CD, however you can still see that it says '18'. At the side I have put the artist's name to clearly identify the link between the two. Having this layout still makes it simple but also ensures that it is effective and prevents it from looking boring or unprofessional. In one of the exclusive images (slide five), I have put a quote from the artist's debut single that is included on the album and placed it above the artist's head. This could inferably show that it is  thought of the artist's from the place it has been placed and still shows how the artist isn't looking at the camera. Having the telephone box behind the artist and the artist themselves central, means tat all the attention is on the artist and this is emphasised through the way the artist is in colour. Placing the artist at the bottom could also show the position of her emotions and reflect the fact that the content within could be about the 'low times' in her life and the negative emotions that she once felt. This is appealing to the artist as the quote gives them a glimpse of what the album has to offer and the positioning of the artist infers what type of emotion they will expect to find, especially as the artist is looking down - further reflecting insecurity. This intrigues the target audience and engages them enough to want to know more about the other songs of the album.

The typography is very simple throughout my digipak in order to comply with the typical plain conventions of the soul genre. For the artist's name and album name I have used the classic font of 'Times New Roman'. This is clear and simple that could reflect the relatable nature of the artist and show how she is plain and simple just like another audience. It also suggests how exposed the artist doesn't mind being, as the clearness of the font portrays the way in which the artist is open with their feelings and open with who they are. On the front cover the font is very large in order to seek the initial attention of a potential purchaser. On a shelf, the digipak needs to stand out against the rest of what is to offer. By using large font, complimented by a close up of the artist, this instantly attracts attention because of the boldness of the cover. For the personal message from the artist, the font is more hand written like, which shows how personal the message is. The audience appeal to this as it seems as though the artist has just written it themselves and doing it in a letter format makes it more personal to the audience member as it seems as if the artist is directly writing the artist to them. By having the 'Amy x' at the end of the message/letter in a more signatured font, it makes it seem as if the artist has generally signed it. As well as this, audiences are more likely to be familiar with the autograph of the artist and so by doing this, they familiarise themselves more with them.

The language used within my digipak is very simplistic. Soul artist's do not have much information in their promotional products due to the way that their music expresses how they feel and what they have to offer. The simplistic nature makes them seem more versatile and welcoming as an artist as it ensures they come across more genuine and not a forceful way through cramming lots of information in which sometimes can come across as needy. The only part of the digipak that is less simplistic in terms of language, is the personal letter to the fans. This is elaborated and demonstrates exactly how the artist feels towards them, expressing how much the fans mean to them. Soul artists are very expressive in their music and when it comes to the fans, they are very appreciative of the support they get - like any other artist. Soul artists tend to be more genuine and relatable which makes them also more appealing. When mentioning fans and support they tend to be more open with how they feel and very appreciative as the genre is such a wide variating one that not every soul artist is the same and therefore, different people will like or not like them depending on individual taste.