Reflection

Looking back...

Looking back on this entire process, I've discovered parts of the production process that I enjoyed. Directing and editing were my favourite things to do and I found this because these were my main roles when producing the piece. Both Helen and I created the narrative and planned the storyboard, however I was mostly in charge of editing and directing. It was great playing different roles in the process, as I learned who was the strongest at what so we could finish quicker. It also gave the opportunity to excel and improve on our hobbies.

What I have learned

It is fundamental audience feedback must be conducted and acted upon as there is always room for improvement. The target audience can help when casting actors, input likes and dislikes, or even offer their encouragement.


I've come to understand it takes a lot of time and effort from all participants, including the producers and the actors, and that filming time will depends on each other's schedules as we all have had work and personal commitments. Reflecting on this, it would have been better to plan a few weeks in advance, instead of telling a few days before filming. It is important to stay organised.


As an aspiring film maker, one of the most important parts for me physically putting the video together. Using Premier Pro gave me a lot of confidence when editing as I feared the video wouldn't turn out as good if I used iMovie.
Even though it took a lot of time and re-drafts, storyboarding was crucial and incredibly helpful when filming. Some shots we were unable to do, however the majority we stuck to.


Here are some screen shots of my video and the story board:

Evaluation Question 2

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

back                                         front

inside left                          inside right, disc background

I wanted to be consistent in what my ancillary products featured. I achieved this while taking photographs while filming on different locations, like at the bonfire, in the studio with the live band, in my back garden with the sparkler. 

My purpose for my digipak was to represent the band as a whole, and share qualities from our music video but not all of them, as including the narrative wouldn't be link the other songs on the album, and would be difficult to portray through one image.

The front cover has a lot of typical conventions, such as the band name and what hits the album includes written in different fonts and colours. The white stands out against the grey as a contrast, like the fire on a black sky behind the disk on the inside right.

The back of the digipak holds all the conventions, such a the records label, legal and copyright statments, barcode, track listing, and an image. I used this close up of Keira because there is space for to write the track names downs the side, and because the background is grey I could carry on with the theme of white on grey.
On the inside left of a digipak there is usually a thanks from the band members to their fans, family and friends which makes this digipak very personal. This photo was chosen as it has all the band members in it, which is effective as we get a chance to meet the band who played live in the video.

These are screen shots from my music video that link with the images used in my ancillary products:

                   

The image of my front cover is shared with my poster, again using the binary opposition of light and dark, creating an emphasis on the warm colours. 

My poster denotes the lead singer holding a sparkler in front of her face, connoting anonymity, so it isn't just her involved in the album's story. It is a mid-shot, showing her upper body, to focus in on the sparkler, and yet we are still able to identify her as she is wearing the same costume as she is in the video and digipak. The continuity of her costume is effective because the audience can recognize that she is the lead singer and the role model. 

I have put in 5 star ratings from rock magazines NME and Kerrang! to advertise and recommend the album. It is these two magazine industries where I would want the poster to be in, as they are renowned for promoting old and new artists.

Like my digipak my poster has the record label, Fueled by Ramen and their website, paramore,net so those who want to can get more information if need be.
All of these are conventions I have adhered to. However something I would have like to have explored with is illustrated artwork, but that wouldn't have any link to the video or connote meaning.

 This technique is called 'Chiaroscuro', meaning light-dark and is a commonly used technique used. Surrounding this are already existing media texts with chiaroscuro. I used this because it is easy for audiences to pull apart the meaning and understand the oppositions, making my product combination effective on my audience.
I like these two pieces because one is artwork and one is a Freddie Murcery.

Evaluation Question 1

Ancillary and Video

These are my ancillary products next to screen shots of my music video.
All the shots in my video inspired the picture included in my poster and digipak. The sparkler, Keira, band and the bonfire link them all together.

my poster

my digipak

the band

keira with a sparkler

keira with light

bonfire

Secondary Digipak Feedback

I asked my mother to comment on my digipak. This was very useful as I understand what appeals to female adults and what does not. However I understand that this feedback can be biased as she is my mother!

Primary Audience Feedback and Reactions

Digipak & Poster Feedback

I printed of my poster and digipak and taped it to a wall along with sheet that says 'Bro's pls give feedback'... This is what I received:

• Digipak + poster > same image is good for audience
• Good image. Reviews - maybe have actual ***** rating? Have name of album as well not just hits
• <3 the font! again the text in well distributed and a decent size
• make font a little thicker so clearer
• paramore is hard to read
• blank space at the bottom, needs filling (though the printer did cut what was there off)
• love digipak

Those who commented are all teenage girls so it's appealing the target audience. The cover photo on the digipak is also on the photo which works for the audience, so this could be symbolic for the album or band.

Final Video

This is the complete music video. I'm really proud of how it has turned out even though there are still a few things that I have noticed that may affect continuity, like when Janet walks down the stairs, she begins to walk down twice.
I have learnt so much while making this video. I was worried at first that the idea was a little too out of reach to achieve, but it does prove that risk assessments and thorough planning of set and storyboarding and costume does have a positive effect on the outcome.
I've realised that some people can be unreliable, unless they're doing something for their own benefit. That's why it was a good idea to use Janet for the narrative piece because acting is one of her passions.

I shared our video on twitter and facebook and got this feedback:

It's important to note that these are all comments from girls; age ranging from 17 to their early 20s.
And also no member of the audience on social media has recognised any mistakes or continuity errors, which is a good sign because I know now that the audience, unless trained, won't look into greater detail.

Our Roles

I think it's fair to say we shared an equal amount of responsibility when producing the video.
For example, it was mostly Helen doing camera work and myself directing and suggesting shots.
We both did a lot of editing between us, even if there were moments when we'd disagree over when to place clips.

A concern of mine was that Janet walk diagonally from a fence, passed bushes and then a lamp post.
It annoyed me then when we had another shot where she is walking alongside the fence, bushed and lamp post again as this was just the same shot just from a different angle.
Janet also begins to walk down the stairs twice, something I don't think should happen. However only one person another than myself has noticed this.

Re-casting

Filming the narrative was becoming increasingly frustrating for the both of while trying to create this video. Our main idea was to use Keira for both star image and the narrative. However due other priorities it was difficult to film and complete this. 

So we began to reach out to other girls who could replaces Keira subtly. I suggested my friend Maddie Smith, as she had the same hair and style as Keira. She was well up for helping us out and starring in the video. A problem occurred when Maddie lost all of her coursework for her studies, so understandably we had to let her off, leaving us to find someone else.

Janet is 18 and wants to study Drama at University. It was to both of our advantages to to use her, as it would complete our narrative and give her acting experience in something other than live drama.

There were minor changes in our storyboard, mainly that Janet wasn't able to sing and leave it to the star. Other than that the storyboard remained practically the same. 

I think time keeping was main issue with Keira, as we were only able to use her for two hours maximum because she had more important places to be. When filming with Janet we planned and filmed from 5pm to 9pm. These four hours were really valuable because we were able to complete so much.

Asking Janet was definitely the right decision, however there is a part in the video where she leaves the house and then disappears for the next minute or so.

Ancillary Tasks

For my ancillary tasks I decided to make a poster and a digipak. I chose these two because I feel that these are what the audiences look at most when a new album has come out. The target audience of teenagers would stereotypically have posters all over their bedrooms, and buy or download music. So I think, not only is it interesting for me, but to give the audience what they want too.

Firstly I changed the digipak layout:

This is because I thought it was more accurate like other digipaks.

This is what my digipak looks like right now:

I chose the most important photos for this digipak. The cover of Keira holding the sparkler and the band name connoted the entire music video and song. Because the sparkler covers her face, it shows anonymity, showing that she ins't the only one who needs to the spark.

The back has Keira's face with a grey space for the track names. This could suggest that the focus and light is on her.

The inside left in a photo of the actual bonfire that we filmed at. It hints at the music video and the fiery attitude. Lastly where the disc goes is a photo of the band, with Keira and Janet. We all love a good band photo. 

Next time you see this digiback you with see the photos of the disc section and inside left swap. I'd like for the audience to open to CD case and instantly see the band happy. There will also be more information on the cover, including a price and a barcode. 

This is my poster:

(FEEDBACK YET TO COME)

Sparklers

Tonight and thursday night we plan to complete filming. To fill in blank bit in the video, I had an idea of having Keira dancing around in the field, holding a sparkler and singing. In contrast to the rest of the video, Keira will be wearing bright clothes and make up.

I take style inspiration from these:

During this, I want to take photos of Keira for my poster, as I'm not happy with the image it currently has. It was my idea either for Keira to spell out 'Last Hope' with the sparkler, or for a close up Keira's hand holding up the sparkler. Tonight will be an interesting experience as we will get to experiment with different colours, weather and atmosphere.

Poster Progress

This is what my poster for Paramore looks like:

It hold the convention of the band name, website, magazine reviews and hits. 

To link with the music video, the background is fire. I aim to have this motif in my other ancillary task.

The Revered Gaze

"Gothic cathedrals (and IMAX theatres) provide instructive examples of the conscience us of artistic media - space, form, light, sounds - to produce religious-mystical, i.e psychedelic experiences"  - Timothy Leary

This video proves that media is almost a religious movement to be mesmerised by, to worship.  What was once physical constructed visual media like Cathedrals, are to a modern audience, what watching a film in IMAX is, it holds that same awe and appreciation despite the advances in technology. This is what media is all about, to capture this breath-taking feeling through creativity and originality.
This is what I want to achieve in my video.

Update

Yesterday (30th January) was the date we had planned to finish all of our narrative filming. However our lead actress canceled at literally the last minute, leading us into a bit of predicament.
Though we grasped this chance to re-storyboard, and we did so in even more detail. While drawing this out we came up with more ideas and became even more accurate when timing shots.
I was concerned about the amount of space which needed to be filled at the ending of our video, as it has already been edited to how we like it. So after watching several other music videos I noticed that it's okay to have more than two locations. We thought of our lead dancing and miming with a sparkler. I'm excited to finish our video.

Block Dye

Usually a new year fills you with the feeling of a new beginning, and generally wanting to achieve better things.

However Helen and I hit a dead end when our lead actress in our music video dyed her hair blonde.
We wanted to run with the theme of warm colours, we thought her reddish-orange hair would work.
Now there are two solutions: 

1. Dye her hair back to its needed colour (with the risk of it not resulting as we want it)
2. Re-film the narrative all over again with a different hair colour

Personally I am not happy with the narrative parts we have already filmed, I am prepared to do these again. My partner in crime however isn't really up for it, as we have done it a few times before and we did warn our actress, which I totally agree with.

Stay tuned for our over all solution...

Digipak Ideas

This is a simple layout of a typical digipak:

I was experimenting with shots and photos on Photoshop, making four of six pages of the digipak. I was testing the colour themes, keeping a warm orange vibe through out. I wrote track names in different colour to see what would show up the best, and sticking the the colours. I switched the top image and the right image as I felt it worked better for the writing.