Monday 10 December 2012
Against The Wind: Final Cut
This is the final cut of my music video, Against The Wind. I actually made numerous improvements from the feedback I received from members of my target audience who had viewed the rough cut. Firstly, I added in a more diverse mix of transitions, particularly cross dissolves to make the shot transitions smoother and to give a greater sense of continuity, this was in response to the comment that some of the shot transitions were too short, sharp and sudden. I also added in some more additive cross dissolves as I think the dream-like, ethereal style the transitions evoke follows the indie music video conventions.
When I asked my artist for feedback she said that she liked the low angle mid shots of her stood under the trees, so I've added in some more of these shots as they reinforce the representation of her authority and independence within the video. I have also lengthened some shots as a member of my target audience said that she couldn't really fully register what she was being shown in some shots as they were so quick. However I have only lengthened a few shots as one of the main conventions of music videos is the quick shot times, this has been proved in the research section of my blog as I created a timeline of Ben Howard's Old Pine music video. Looking back at the timeline of shots I found that the longest shot time within the music video was about 8 seconds and the quickest shot time was about 1 second, so I tried to keep my shot times between 1 - 8 seconds.
The other improvements I completed was cutting out some shaky bird shots as there was some noticably shaky footage which dis-orientated the viewer, thus improving the quality of the music video. I removed the first speedboat shot so the main speedboat shot is more spectacular as some members of my target audience said that it was too repetitive. I also trimmed the main speedboat shot as the speedboat goes out of shot at the end, so I edited it to make it smoother. I made the transition into the letter animation smoother by inserting a cross dissolve as it was originally quite an abrupt cut. I also lengthened the fade to black at the end of the music video as it was too sudden and members of my target audience said they wanted time to see more of the water washing over the sand in the end shot. The final aspect of the film I edited from the rough cut was enhancing the colour of all the shots by increasing the brightness/contrast filter, thus sharpening the imagery and brightening the vibrancy of the colours which evokes a summery, cheerful atmosphere that reinforces the typical conventions of the indie genre.
Overall I'm very pleased with the final outcome of my music video as I believe it appeals to the target audience of 14 - 19 year old girls, it follows the typical conventions of the indie genre, and it successfully promotes my artist and her song (which is essentially the main job of a music video). I've also found the process challenging but I've overcome the challenges and learnt valuabe skills while creating the final product.
Conclusion
Looking back at the final cut of my music video, if I were to start the whole production process again, I would probably go about it in a similar way with a few exceptions...
I am happy with all of the preparation and pre-production I have done, as I analysed several music videos within the indie pop genre which gave me a wealth of ideas to experiment with in my own music video. I also created a time line of shots based on a current music video (Ben Howard's Old Pine music video was my main inspiration) which particularly helped me to create my own storyboard, as I was aware of the length of time each shot should be. My research on Andrew Goodwin's book Dancing In The Distraction Factory was also helpful as I made sure my music video followed the conventions he outlined in his book, particularly the way the visuals reflect the music and the lyrics, which was a key positive comment within my target audience feedback about my own music video. I think my planning was very successful as the call sheet, shot list and filming schedule made the whole production process much quicker and easier as I was organised and knew exactly what I wanted to get done.
I also researched some prominent directors before I started creating my product which was extremely helpful as I could then emulate and develop the style which was my favourite. The specific style which influenced my music video was the style of Sofia Coppola's film making which have distinctive features such as, visually stylish mise en scene, an abundance of pastel colours, languid camera movements, an ethereal atmosphere and modern soundtracks. All of which has developed through Coppola's love of fashion, photography and art to create an aesthetically pleasing form of storytelling. The particular production from Coppola which inspired my music video was her advert for the 'Miss Dior Cherie' fragrance (although it's not a music video it's still aimed at a similar target audience to mine 14 - 19 year old girls), and I've used the prominent features within my own video e.g. the light hearted, fast paced story telling, which keeps the audience hooked through parallel editing in a montage style, as well as evoking a care-free, cheerful and quirky atmosphere. This demonstrates how I've conducted research of typical conventions and applied them to my own media product.
The actual production stage was probably the most stressful part of the project as I only had a limited amount of time in Cornwall (as I was just there on holiday) so I wanted to get all of the filming done with a variety of shots as I didn't have a second chance to go back and film again. However the filming was weather dependent so I spent a lot of time looking out of the window and checking the weather forecast on the internet. Eventually there was a glimmer of sunshine which I seized and luckily the nice weather lasted the duration of the filming. There is one particular long shot at the beginning of my music video where there is light rain, however I think this adds to my music video by creating a juxtaposition between the sunny shots and the rainy shot, which emphasises the change in tone from the woodland scenes to the beach scenes.
The filming itself went quite smoothly as I followed my storyboard, however there were some spontaneous shots which I hadn't planned but worked well at the location, so that was pleasing. An aspect of filming I would do differently, is to film more close up shots of the artist lip syncing, as I didn't have enough and they are the most important shots within a music video as they allow the audience to make a connection with the artist while she's singing. Another aspect of improvement which came up from the target audience feedback was that the two animations didn't flow as well as they could have, so If I had more time I would have made a third animation to integrate into the middle of my video to make them flow more effectively. I also think if I were to film again I would definately film shots with a greater freedom of expression e.g. more flowing shots which evoke the key theme of freedom.
The post production stage of the project was my favourite part as I enjoy being creative and transforming the material into a finished product. I also learnt a lot about editing techniques such as changing the brightness/contrast of the shots which made the video look much more like a indie pop music video. An aspect I would have liked to include more of is the use of focus pulls within my music video, as when I looked back at the indie pop videos I analysed (particularly Ben Howard's Old Pine) they frequently used focus pulls to exude a quirky, ethereal atmosphere. I think I should have referred more regularly back to the indie music videos I analysed to make sure I was following the typical conventions of the genre which were present within the music videos I analysed.
Overall I am thoroughly pleased with the outcome of my coursework as I feel the products fulfil the purpose of promoting the artist and her song, it also attracts the target audience of 14 - 19 year old girls (as demonstrated in my target audience feedback) and follows the typical conventions of music videos within the indie pop genre which I identified at the beginning(e.g. creative/artistic touches, rural location, parallel editing, natural/tranquil atmosphere, etc). I am also pleased with the way I've developed my media skills as I've learnt a lot in terms of editing and using new technologies (iStopmotion, inDesign). It's been challenging at times because I've worked independently this year instead of working with a partner as I did for last year's coursework which was difficult at first, but I'm glad I did as my confidence and independence has improved hugely because of it.
I am happy with all of the preparation and pre-production I have done, as I analysed several music videos within the indie pop genre which gave me a wealth of ideas to experiment with in my own music video. I also created a time line of shots based on a current music video (Ben Howard's Old Pine music video was my main inspiration) which particularly helped me to create my own storyboard, as I was aware of the length of time each shot should be. My research on Andrew Goodwin's book Dancing In The Distraction Factory was also helpful as I made sure my music video followed the conventions he outlined in his book, particularly the way the visuals reflect the music and the lyrics, which was a key positive comment within my target audience feedback about my own music video. I think my planning was very successful as the call sheet, shot list and filming schedule made the whole production process much quicker and easier as I was organised and knew exactly what I wanted to get done.
I also researched some prominent directors before I started creating my product which was extremely helpful as I could then emulate and develop the style which was my favourite. The specific style which influenced my music video was the style of Sofia Coppola's film making which have distinctive features such as, visually stylish mise en scene, an abundance of pastel colours, languid camera movements, an ethereal atmosphere and modern soundtracks. All of which has developed through Coppola's love of fashion, photography and art to create an aesthetically pleasing form of storytelling. The particular production from Coppola which inspired my music video was her advert for the 'Miss Dior Cherie' fragrance (although it's not a music video it's still aimed at a similar target audience to mine 14 - 19 year old girls), and I've used the prominent features within my own video e.g. the light hearted, fast paced story telling, which keeps the audience hooked through parallel editing in a montage style, as well as evoking a care-free, cheerful and quirky atmosphere. This demonstrates how I've conducted research of typical conventions and applied them to my own media product.
The actual production stage was probably the most stressful part of the project as I only had a limited amount of time in Cornwall (as I was just there on holiday) so I wanted to get all of the filming done with a variety of shots as I didn't have a second chance to go back and film again. However the filming was weather dependent so I spent a lot of time looking out of the window and checking the weather forecast on the internet. Eventually there was a glimmer of sunshine which I seized and luckily the nice weather lasted the duration of the filming. There is one particular long shot at the beginning of my music video where there is light rain, however I think this adds to my music video by creating a juxtaposition between the sunny shots and the rainy shot, which emphasises the change in tone from the woodland scenes to the beach scenes.
The filming itself went quite smoothly as I followed my storyboard, however there were some spontaneous shots which I hadn't planned but worked well at the location, so that was pleasing. An aspect of filming I would do differently, is to film more close up shots of the artist lip syncing, as I didn't have enough and they are the most important shots within a music video as they allow the audience to make a connection with the artist while she's singing. Another aspect of improvement which came up from the target audience feedback was that the two animations didn't flow as well as they could have, so If I had more time I would have made a third animation to integrate into the middle of my video to make them flow more effectively. I also think if I were to film again I would definately film shots with a greater freedom of expression e.g. more flowing shots which evoke the key theme of freedom.
The post production stage of the project was my favourite part as I enjoy being creative and transforming the material into a finished product. I also learnt a lot about editing techniques such as changing the brightness/contrast of the shots which made the video look much more like a indie pop music video. An aspect I would have liked to include more of is the use of focus pulls within my music video, as when I looked back at the indie pop videos I analysed (particularly Ben Howard's Old Pine) they frequently used focus pulls to exude a quirky, ethereal atmosphere. I think I should have referred more regularly back to the indie music videos I analysed to make sure I was following the typical conventions of the genre which were present within the music videos I analysed.
Overall I am thoroughly pleased with the outcome of my coursework as I feel the products fulfil the purpose of promoting the artist and her song, it also attracts the target audience of 14 - 19 year old girls (as demonstrated in my target audience feedback) and follows the typical conventions of music videos within the indie pop genre which I identified at the beginning(e.g. creative/artistic touches, rural location, parallel editing, natural/tranquil atmosphere, etc). I am also pleased with the way I've developed my media skills as I've learnt a lot in terms of editing and using new technologies (iStopmotion, inDesign). It's been challenging at times because I've worked independently this year instead of working with a partner as I did for last year's coursework which was difficult at first, but I'm glad I did as my confidence and independence has improved hugely because of it.
Evaluation Question 4:
How did you use media technologies in the construction, research, planning and evaluation stages?
Evaluation Question 2:
How effective is the combination of your main product and the ancillary texts?
Evaluation Question 1:
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge froms and conventions of real media products?
This is a powerpoint which adds detail to the annotations within the music video you've just viewed...
Monday 3 December 2012
Finished CD magazine advert
I have altered the colour of the fonts so that they flow with the colours within the background image by complimenting them. The artist's name is now in a dark green with a brown outline to highlight the colours in the trees - the darker colours also make the words easier to read. I changed the name of the album font into a pale pink colour to compliment the pink colour of the artist's skirt, with a blue outline to make the words jump out of the page. I also altered the layout of the text 'Against The Wind' to make it easier to read by putting it across two lines in the centre of the advert at the top, so it's directly in the reader's eyeline and it's a lighter background colour, instead of the dark foilage which made it hard to decipher the 'Wind'. By centring the text it draws the reader's eyes down the middle of the advert which is where all of the vital information is positioned; the photo of the artist, the name of the artist, the name of the album, the album's status and where its available to buy.
I added in some secondary information at the bottom of the advert telling the reader what is being advertised and where they can buy it. I think this information is vital because without some sort of information it is unclear what exactly is being advertised. This text is in the same font as the name of the album to reinforce the continuity within the design. The blue colour of the font reinforces the natural feel of the imagery as it represents the colour of the sky, which also relates to the name of the album 'Against The Wind', thus following the typical natural conventions of the Indie genre.
Finished CD digipak
My main alteration to the CD digipak was changing the colour of the font so that it complimented the colours which were already present within the imagery. I changed the artist's name into a green colour with a dark brown outline which highlights the colours in the trees and also makes it easier to read than the original purple colour as it's darker. I changed the colour of the album name into a pale pink colour which works nicely with her skin tone in the background image. I also changed the layout of the album name so that it's over two lines and centred in the middle, as the word 'Wind' was difficult to read due to the dark foilage in the background, now it's easier to read due to the light background.
I made the font on the back panel (with the track list) larger and thicker so it's easier to read and I also changed the colour to dark green to make it flow well with the typography on the front panel. I created a pink outline around the green font to make the text stand out and also to compliment the pink colour of the artist's skirt in the background image. I also altered the colour of the font displaying the lyrics on the inside panel to a pale pink as I wanted to link the panels of the digipak together and create continuity within the design. I made the outline a darker blue so the text stood out as it's quite small - but it has to be small otherwise I'm unable to fit the whole song on the page.
Overall I think the CD digipak is successful as I've not only gathered feedback from my target audience but also feedback from an Art teacher/designer and my artist. As Alex (my artist) and myself are both members of the target audience we both agreed that the CD digipak is appealing and we would definately want to purchase it if we saw it on display in a shop.
Editing ancillary products
Adobe Photoshop:
Before I created the ancillary products in Adobe inDesign, I edited all of the photos in Adobe Photoshop; I enhanced the Brightness/Contrast by going on 'Image' and then clicking on 'Adjustments', so the colours are brighter, sharper and more vibrant. To layer the coffee stained paper underneath the photo for the magazine advert I put the photo on the top layer and then selected 'Overlay' on the drop down menu (I've highlighted this on the right hand side of the screenshot), which made the paper show through around the sides of the image, thus evoking an authentic, rustic style which follows the typical conventions of the Indie genre. I then exported the images off and transferred them on to Adobe inDesign.
Adobe inDesign:
Editing the magazine advert
This screenshot depicts me editing my magazine advert for the CD in Adobe inDesign. I had never used the programme before so the tools were all new to me, but I have learnt a lot over the last few days and I've managed to transfer the background image from Photoshop (where I layered the image of coffee stained paper under the photo) to inDesign, and I then added text. I put the image on the programme by going to 'File' then 'Place', I then went to 'Object' then 'Fitting', then I clicked 'Fit content to frame' so the photo fits the box without being stretched. To insert text I clicked on the 'Text' tool in the toolbox on the left hand side of the screen and then simply typed in the text I wanted. I chose the style of typography from a copy right free font website after doing a lot of research as I wanted the typography to reflect the genre, and then I downloaded it on to my computer. To change the colour of the text I clicked on the 'Colour' button (which is highlighted on the right), selected my colour and then clicked 'add to swatch', so I can refer back to the colour later on. To make the typography stand out I added in an outline by clicking on the 'Stroke' button on the right hand side of the screen, I then thickened the stroke and changed the colour, so it made the text easier to read.
Editing the CD digipak
To create the CD digipak I found a template on the internet with the exact dimensions of a six paneled CD digipak and then I downloaded it to Adobe inDesign. I then inserted each image into the panels by using the 'Place' tool and then clicking 'Fit content to frame' so that the images are the right size (I had to rotate the three photos at the top as they will be folded over when I print it). To insert the text I clicked on the 'Text' tool on the left hand side and then typed the text, I also used the 'stroke' tool to make the text stand out.
Ancillary products 2nd feedback
Professional feedback:
I have asked the head of our school's Art Department to give me feedback on both of my ancillary products. I printed out both products and gave them to Mr Childs, he said; the colour of the text needs to compliment the colours within the photograph e.g. pink to match the artist's outfit, or green/brown to match the trees, thus ensuring that the design flows and the text stands out. He also said there needs to be information on the magazine advert telling the reader what is being advertised and where they can buy the CD, so I will add in 'The U.K's best selling album, available from all good music retailers' as this information is common on CD magazine adverts which I've researched.
Mr Child's said the layout of the text 'Against The Wind' may need to be altered so it is easier to read, which is the same for the lyrics within the CD, so I will make the colour darker. He also said that the white outline makes the text difficult to read - so I will try out a darker outline colour as I think an outline makes the text stand out more.
Artist Feedback:
Alex had positive comments on the imagery and layout for the digipak and magazine advert, she particulary liked the choice of photo for the CD front cover, as she liked the way the sunlight frames her head making her appear angelic. Alex also thought the typography was effective but she suggested that the lyric font should either be a darker colour or have a lighter colour for the outline to make the text easier to read.
I have asked the head of our school's Art Department to give me feedback on both of my ancillary products. I printed out both products and gave them to Mr Childs, he said; the colour of the text needs to compliment the colours within the photograph e.g. pink to match the artist's outfit, or green/brown to match the trees, thus ensuring that the design flows and the text stands out. He also said there needs to be information on the magazine advert telling the reader what is being advertised and where they can buy the CD, so I will add in 'The U.K's best selling album, available from all good music retailers' as this information is common on CD magazine adverts which I've researched.
Mr Child's said the layout of the text 'Against The Wind' may need to be altered so it is easier to read, which is the same for the lyrics within the CD, so I will make the colour darker. He also said that the white outline makes the text difficult to read - so I will try out a darker outline colour as I think an outline makes the text stand out more.
Artist Feedback:
Alex had positive comments on the imagery and layout for the digipak and magazine advert, she particulary liked the choice of photo for the CD front cover, as she liked the way the sunlight frames her head making her appear angelic. Alex also thought the typography was effective but she suggested that the lyric font should either be a darker colour or have a lighter colour for the outline to make the text easier to read.
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