Written evaluation

1.) My music video’s genre is indie-pop, the codes and conventions of this genre is that they are mostly concept based videos therefore only showing scenery, and sometimes clips of the artist, but rarely. Due to the amount of passion, indie-pop genre artists have for their music, they normally feature live performance clips. The music videos tend to have a narrative partnered with performance, visuals, similarly linked to the lyrics. As well as this, there are also many filters/effects used during the editing process, to match the indie-pop theme (of fun) - they tend to use quite colourful filters to emphasise this. The costumes normally match the kind of theme/time period the actual music video is set in, for example in Charlie XCX’s video ‘Doing it’ it features a retro filter to match the 70’s inspired theme. The common camera shots/movements feature quite a lot of cutting between extreme close-ups as well as long shots, along with handheld shots, tracking, tilting and panning to highlight the artist. 

The different ways my music video, use, develop and challenges forms and conventions of real music videos is that through Andrew Goodwin’s codes and conventions of music videos there is a clear relationship between the lyrics and visuals. Indie-pop music videos are normally concept/narrative based (for example Lana Del Rey- Summertime Sadness). Most indie-pop songs consist of a love story narrative, whereas we have subverted and challenged the idea to it being a journey with friends. With this in mind, my music video develops the forms and conventions of this through having a clearer narrative which is then shown through the visuals amplifying and illustrating the lyrics. Most indie-pop music videos do not feature intertextual reference, whereas we have, by adding the symbolic image of the ‘fist pump’ which was seen in the renowned movie ‘The breakfast club’. We wanted to relate this image as the title of the song is ‘pumpin blood’- so therefore we thought it be appropriate.

I have picked out a few lines from the song and described how we have illustrated each line:

The music video begins with the band getting on a train, as the next lyrics are ‘Hey heart on the road again’- so therefore visually showing the start of their journey. ‘Moving on forward’- the view from the car, edited with the different scenes visually show them moving forward.

‘You're a catalyst to your own happiness you know’- with the band shown from a long shot from behind, and looking over the sea, it is symbolising that their happiness can be endless just like the sea, and that whatever happens your own happiness is in your hands.

‘And its whistling’- is a movement, so with the band running around under the bridges on the beach, it symbolises almost wind, and the quote ‘going where the wind goes’ is very relatable towards this symbolisation of enjoying life while you’re young and free.

‘It's the best of world's feeling, like nothing can go wrong’- with the visual of the lights and the arcade scene, it’s a lively atmosphere therefore emphasising the lyrics of what we were trying to highlight. That while you’re having fun, and your emotions are running wild, you feel unstoppable, and invincible.  

My music video has developed and challenged codes and conventions of existing indie-pop music videos- for example The xx ‘fiction’ and Bastille ‘Overjoyed’- both represent the concept side of indie-pop videos therefore through the visual and music linking, my video develops this as it emphasises the narrative side along with the concept side of the genre. For example in the beginning of the video we as a group discussed to include binary opposites of business people and the youth, which is the main reason why we had a time-lapse of busy places such as Canary Wharf and Liverpool Street Station, to symbolise the business people that commute through these stations. During the planning process of the music video, we had the discussion about locations, which would then relate the music and visuals. The theme of youth is seen through the different locations for example with the beach it symbolises water and that it can either be calm or wild emphasising life as it is. Along with the arcade, it clearly symbolises youth, with the sense of childhood memories. The other scene which was the open field was to symbolise that the younger generation has endless amount of opportunities open to them.

During the beginning of the video, there is an instrumental, where it shows the plane arriving (touching down) – revealing the beginning of their journey. The clips were cut to the beat in order to show the different steps of their journey. The scene where the band is shown in the green field is a cross-cut between two different clips. The base is the panning of a close-up shot of the band, cutting to long shots, which then show each of the band members, to get the sense of unity, and fun.

2.) The band is represented in a fun manner; therefore the colours are incredibly important to emphasise their theme of ‘youth’. The representation is incredibly consistent throughout the ancillary texts and the media product, for example the use of the smoke bombs as props, was consistent, and emphasised the theme of fun through the vibrant colours. This was seen from the album cover, as the smoke image was overlaid on top of the band’s image, almost as if they were emerging from the smoke, relating it back to the music video. The construction for the ancillary texts was that referring to the mise-en-scene the lighting and colour was planned to be high-key in order for everyone’s features to be clear and defined, as well as to adhere to the codes and conventions of the genre. The indie-pop genre is seen as an energetic genre, so therefore we choose to reflect this through the lighting. The costume was to be all black with the band’s signature leather jackets, as this was their basic trademark as a band together; also with the similar costume it is easier to advertise them as with the same style, they would look more collective as a band, almost as if it was their uniform.

During the photo-shoot, we as a group had a similar idea on how we wanted to present our digipak and album advert. So we had the same idea of how we wanted the band to be positioned- the body language and facial expressions. For the album advert we wanted the main singer in the middle with the two other band members turned slightly inward to have the sense of unity as a band. For the digipak I took close-up shots of each band member either looking to the side or down, as I was to overlay relaxed candid shots of the band over each head shot. The album cover is a close-up shot of the band, which is quite serious, and that is why there were relaxed shots of the band on the inside, almost showing two different sides of the band, presenting a closer relationship with the audience.

For the album advert the chosen logo design is used for their name, which is written on the album cover as well as for the advert, as that is their trademark. The font style design was chosen, due to its bold, black chalk-like effect style. It is almost seen as a handwritten font, so therefore reflecting the band as it is almost highlighting their personality. I have included all of the conventions for an album advert, for example the actual album cover- which is placed in the middle as that is the main focus/purpose for the advert. Either side of this is the writing which explains the needed information. For example when the album comes out, and what may feature in the album. I chose the magazines 'MOJO' and 'NME' as the reviewers for the album, as they associate with the same genre as the band, which is indie pop. I have also chosen the record labels 'Rough trade' and 'Columbia'- as many other bands, with the same genre as mine, are signed to them. I have also included the website beside this, if the audience would want to search for more information. I have also made an easier device by including the QR reader at the right hand corner, with the text 'scan for more information' to make it more interactive with the audience. As you can see I have designed two adverts; originally I put the yellow, white, and blue smoke- which was taken during the filming process for the music video- behind the mid-shot of the band. I then put a black and white effect onto the band members so they stand out more. I then thought it didn't quite work, so I decided to put the black and white effect for everything, which worked out well, as the smoke adds a nice effect as the background instead of it being just white- the whole concept of the constant theme of the smoke relates back to the digipak and music video. The linking of the coloured smoke to the overall representation of the band, highlights their personality, as there are three different colours for each band member, therefore emphasising their own individuality- With the different vibrant colours of the smoke bombs, it is a visual image of a bubbly personality.

This is my final digipak for the band 'Black Out'. I adhered to my plans, and used it as a guide. I have created the same house-style with the colour pink, and the black and white effect. I have also used the same font for the track-list. For the font cover of the album I chose a close-up shot of the band in order to make it more attractive, with the use of their direct mode of address. I overlaid a picture of the pink smoke from when we were filming the music video, to relate it to the indie pop genre, as it is normally seen as an energetic genre, therefore I chose vibrant colours to emphasise this. I again used the smoke images for the CD cover, and the track-list- to match the whole theme. As you can see I designed two different digipaks, where I only changed the three inside images. By overlaying the band pictures onto separate head shots of each member, I then put a black and white effect, as you can see on the first digipak. I then chose to experiment with the images, and overlaid the same pink smoke image, onto each image, which then created a faded effect; I also chose to leave one band member in colour, to carry on that house-style, so that when you open the digipak, there is a contrast. 

3.) Throughout the process of making the video, we as a group have gained feedback throughout the improved drafts from our target audience. Also during the early stages of planning, we as a group made an initial focus group in order to get other opinions on our ideas, and also, to help us improve any ideas further so that when we produce our music video, we will take into consideration any ideas from our peers.  The feedback received for the initial focus group, we have taken the idea of the dawn till dusk theme with the progression of time. They did like our ideas, and it appealed to them very much, seen as they are teenagers they can relate to our theme of fun. The thing they liked the most was the song and how our concept matched it, with its lively atmosphere and upbeat tune. The improvements they made were to make sure there is enough time to actually film all the locations we mentioned. They agreed with most of our ideas, adding that we might go to some music festivals, in order to get that live music atmosphere which would emphasize our youth theme.  Also with the help from my peers, I was able to choose my title block for the band’s name; the poll was presented on SurveyMonkey, which clearly reveals what design my audience preferred, by allowing them to vote.

Here are some of the comments they have made:

·         It’s a very fun video

·         The whole backdrop, projection scenes were used creatively

·         It’s clear the video is concept based

·         Some of the scenes look a bit empty and could be filled up with more people

·         The projection scenes could look even better if there was some sort of wind blowing the artist’s hair

·         Overall, it’s a very good first draft

·         You guys have a very creative concept and I really enjoyed seeing what you did with it! The whole theme with the group travelling around and enjoying themselves was interesting… But it disappeared halfway through the video in favour of shots of the artist alone. I think the video would really be helped by keeping this idea consistent within the video – a lot of the shots in the later half linger for too long, so a faster pace in general could help things a lot!

·         There are enough close up shots of the artist.

·         In terms of the camerawork, there were a range of camera angles (close up shot, low angle shots, etc.) and shots which relates to the genre.

·         Relates to the genre

·         Mise-en-scene is excellent. It relates well to the genre and conveys the star image appropriately.

·         Location is also great!

·         Props are well-used and effective conveys the concept.

·         Concept and Performance – EXCELLENT!

·         Overall, it was really good!

·         The music genre is very clear. The shots used are very clear and fits the music video. The angles used are also good. The editing fits the beat of the song. The costume and location fits the genre of the music. Maybe add more shots of different angles. Overall your music video is coming along really well. Good luck on your next draft. 

In response to this we have made a feedback response, where my group and I had a discussion on what in particular the target audience wanted, and so therefore agreed with some of the improvements they asked for in order to appeal to them. The improvement points that we picked up on was that there was not enough shots of the band members together, as there was quite a lot of scenes with just the main singer. There was also the point about a more variety of shots to be used, so therefore we chose to re-shoot some parts, as we needed more band scenes. We also had to have a wider range of editing techniques as there was not enough of the fast pace editing which was cut to match the beat.

We also did a final target audience feedback for the final music video, and most were positive feedback as we met their expectations. They understood the message we were trying to convey, which was the energetic theme, we were trying to get across. They have noticed and taken into consideration everything we have done, from the mise-en-scene to the kind of editing that was improved from the previous drafts.

4.) During the process of filming the music video, and editing the digipak and album advert the use of the wide range of media technologies assisted me through the construction and research, planning stages. One of the main technologies that helped me was ‘Blogger’- by posting all of my planning onto this website, all of my ideas are uploaded, making it easy for me to access my previous work, if I needed to link it to work I was currently doing. With the use of blogger, it presents and organises my work to show the various stages of the planning and research I have done over the period of time. The use of blogger, also allowed me to embed other technologies onto blogger, such as presentation websites.

Alongside Blogger, Youtube was incredibly important for the planning stages as it was easy to use, with the uploading of the different drafts for the music video; also it was an easy way to access, and assess how to improve the music video next time. The uploading of the vlogs was incredibly useful also, as all of the videos were on Youtube, making it accessible for our peers to watch, and deliver feedback.

To actually edit the video the software me and my group used was ‘Final cut pro’- It was easy, with the tools such as blade, and the marker to pin point the exact time we needed to cut the clip to the beat. We also got the chance to experiment with different clips, for example reversing, decreasing and increasing the pace of the clip. We experimented with some of the actual effects provided on Final Cut Pro, for example the kaleidoscope effect which we actually kept for the arcade scene. We also featured the mirror effect towards the end, to make the whole video more dynamic, and visually suitable.

iMovie/Windows movie player was also software’s that was used during the research and planning stages as with the use of iMovie, it was a much simpler and easier way to edit videos we needed to produce quickly, such as the vlogs, which was our video diary of behind the scenes footage from our music video, we also got to comment on how the day went and what went well and what didn’t. It was a perfect way to discuss and refine our ideas as a group. With the use of iPhone/Digital cameras, it was very handy as it was easy to carry, so therefore it was an ideal object to film the vlogs.

The DSLR cameras helped me and my group a lot, with the high definition quality to make it look as professional as we could possibly get. It was also a quick and easy way to review and refine the previous shots, so that we would not have to re-shoot anything again.

Photoshop and other online editing websites (e.g. picmonkey) helped me construct the images, for example overlaying the image, as well as putting the whole digipak together by placing it within the digipak outline. I also used other different tools such as the magic wand to cut out the background for example for the band logo. I also used the software to edit the actual images, for example the brightness, or to put a black and white effect on top of the image. 

In order for it to be easy and organised I have used many presentation websites for my work during the planning and research stage. The websites include Powtoon, Emaze, Slides, Slideshare, Prezi, SurveyMonkey, Thinglink- I found it more interactive and interesting to see my work being presented in a whole different way.