Evaluation notes

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

Well for our music video idea we opted for a soundtrack within the genre of electronic music which holds many typical conventions. First of all in our video we tried to create a balance between narrative and performance which in a way kind of comes away from the convention of an electronic music video as they mainly consist of performance. An example of this would be Mark Ronsons 'Bike Song'. Other than that we used many typical conventions of an electronic music video which include vibrant colours coding for excitement and freedom even though the lyrics suggest otherwise. From the footage we captured I felt we gathered a range of vibrant colours for example in the performance we used props such as siren lights and costumes such as different coloured morph suits adding to the vibrant colours used within the video.
Another convention would be that most electronic music videos include a sort of party scene as this is usually the typical setting you would hear this genre of music. Whether it be a nightclub or a house party. We tried to incorporate this within our music video through the performance where the setting is simply a living room set up as a party environment. We tried to include codes to create this convention through props such as flood lights and siren lights as well as a smoke machine giving off that party effect. Quirkiness is also a convention of an electronic music video as this is intepreted through the quick rhythmic edits. Our soundtrack allowed us to perform such quick and rhythmic edits as the beat changes throughout the song as well as adapting these edits towards the lyrics of the song which was themed around repetitiveness. This allowed us to play with the footage.
We discovered that rhythmic editing was another typical convention of an electronic video, we also used this in our video after researching Carol Vernallis a professor in film and media studies who suggested that every cut or edit should be in sync with the music so there is a rhythmic basis connected to the song. I felt that we addressed this in our music video as we needed to ensure quick rhythmic editing in order to create a sense of quirkiness about the video. Overall I felt we delivered on all conventions apart from slightly challenging the balance of narrative and performance.

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

As well as create a music video along with my group we also had to create two ancillary texts in which I chose to create an album cover and a magazine advert promoting our band. I felt I developed my album art and magazine advert appropriately as both relate to the genre of music. I incorporated many different codes onto both of the ancillary texts. Somes representing the band and others representing the genre of music. For example on my album art I created a spaceman with butterfly wings to represent that the genre of music is artificial as it is mixed using technology but also natural as the beats and lyrics are original. So I decided to use this as my bands logo in which the audience can identify the band. Other codes I used were Disco balls as planets representing that this genre of music is universal or global if you like as many celebrate it. I thought that I should create my magazine advert similar to my album art to keep consistency among my work otherwise it wouldnt look very professional. My album art and magazine together both celebrate a sci-fi theme which in a way is related to electronic music as both are experimental and creative just like my audiences demographic.
I also used typical conventions of a magazine advert by incorporating an image of the band themselves in morph suits which links our music video to the ancillary texts as the performance shows the band performing in morph suits. This also contributes to the name of the band being 'No Name' as it adds to the anonymous nature of the band. To conclude this question I feel that I have used the combination of my main product and ancillary texts effectively as all are related through different codes. I felt I kept to a consistent theme other than contrasting between the products as it would be confusing and unprofessional.

What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

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

During my coursework I used many forms of media technology from filming on a video camera to creating my album art on photoshop. When conducting research on music videos I performed it all whilst using an Apple Mac at school and when at home using a PC allowing me easy access to my blog. When planning I used applications such as Microsoft Powerpoint to show developments of my work which were later uploaded to slideshare where I could use the embed code to place in my blog. I found this helpful as it gave me the chance to explore other media outputs. When filming we used a video camera which gave m,e the chance to exlore the different shots and angles used when creating a music video adding to my knowledge of media. The footage would then be transferred to Final Cut Express an editing program which allowed me to get familiar with editing techniques and perform vital rhythmic edits within my music video along with my group. In my ancillary texts I used a different type of editing program being Photoshop which allowed me to create my album art as well as my magazine advert allowing me to explore different manipulations of images. For my evaluation I decided to film myself instead of blogging to show that I have used different multimedia versions in my coursework. Overall I have learnt a lot from this years media coursework adding to my knowledge of the technology I used in the past as I have got to know how to use editing programs such as Photoshop and Final Cut Express. Hopefully I can take this knowledge and apply this in the future whether it be at University or as a Job.