Evaluation

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

I have used the website Blogger to post all of my research and planning in a simple and easily accessible way. By using this, it has also allowed me to follow the blogs which belong to my other group members, meaning that I can view their blogs whenever I wish, which has been very useful especially in the research stages as I could see how they had laid out their work.

When we began to research into previous music videos of the Indie Pop genre, we used the internet to discover which well-known artists fitted into our chosen genre. As a group we came across a list of Indie Pop artists and bands on Wiki-pedia. Once we had shortlisted the artists/bands which we felt as a group represented the Indie Pop genre well, we used YouTube to search for their music videos. This website also allowed us to embed the videos onto our blogs, meaning that the videos were easy to view by anybody. We also used the internet to search in Google for digi-paks and posters of the albums by these artists/bands we had chosen to research.

The website unsigned.com was used to search for a suitable artist/band. This website allows unsigned musicians to share tracks on the website, meaning that people can access their music. We searched for artists/bands that fitted into the Indie Pop genre, and this is when we came across Bunny Lee. As a group, we listened to her songs and felt that the track ‘Jamie Please Come Home’ had the most potential to be successfully used to make an Indie Pop music video, as it very clearly fitted into the genre due to the upbeat tempo.

We used the website Dafont to search for suitable fonts to use for the digi-pak and poster designs. This allowed us to use interesting and professional looking fonts that are in a style which will allow us to target our audience effectively.

We decided to get a better understanding of our artist by creating a mood board. This was done on the website polyvore.com. Here we were able to choose clothes and accessories that we felt our artist would wear. By doing this we were able to represent our artist in a quirky and typically indie way by the use of items such as playsuits and unusual jewellery.

When creating the documentary on Indie Pop, where we summarised our findings of the genre, we used the website Zamzar. This allowed us to download music videos we had found on YouTube and then we were able to import them into iMovie to edit.

Facebook was used to allow us to communicate as a group outside of lessons. For example, when Jasmine had scanned the updated time-line at home, she told me and Charlotte when she had uploaded the images onto her blog so we could upload the images as well.

To film the music video, we used a digital recording camera. This allowed us to use the camera in interesting ways such as including camera movements .e.g. a pan, as the camera itself is very light so it is easy to carry round and move easily. We used a digital camera to take pictures for the storyboard of the video.

We then created the storyboard using the programme Celtx, which allowed us to import the images into the programme and add them into a storyboard layout with space to write which type of shot each image was showing.

As we have included stop-motion in our music video due to it being used in many successful music videos of our chosen genre, we used a SLR camera to make these sequences. I took responsibility for creating the stop-motion, as I have made other sequences before. However, the whole group was present as I shot them and all decision making was done as a group. When creating these, I set the camera to continuous shoot, meaning that I could take multiple images in a small space of time allowing me to capture all of the movement that was happening in the frame. To make the images into a video, I used Windows Movie Makers, as it allowed me to have control over the amount of time each image was going to be on screen meaning that I could make the separate images appear to flow together like we had discussed as a group. We then imported these videos into iMovie and we were them able to incorporate them in the video wherever we wanted, however, by using Windows Movie Maker these stop-motion clips appear obviously different as there is a black boarder around the sequences.

We also used a SLR camera to capture the images used for the digi-pak and poster. This meant that we could create images which were rich in detail and of high quality due to the camera having professional standard technology.

The music video was edited using iMovie, which was a programme each member of the group was familiar with, allowing us all to pitch in with this process. iMovie allowed us to cut clips and position them in a way that gave the edits of the video a pace that fitted with the tempo of the song. These fast edits immediately allow the viewer to understand the basic story behind the song as they can see the breakdown of the relationship clearly from the start. It also introduces the artist in an interesting way as the audience see her slowly. 

As a group, we wanted to show the artist as unusual and different, as well as not knowing what to do with herself. One way we did this in the video, was by cutting clips and placing them back to back creating the idea of time passing by. This made it possible to create the impression that the artist was lost without her love interest as she was the only thing moving in the frame as the scene did not change at all.

We were also able to slow clips down, allowing them to appear more significant and stand out against the rest of the quick shots used around it. By having the sudden slow clip, it also emphasises to the viewer that the artist is unusual.

The programme also made it possible to reverse shots, meaning that we could emphasise the quirkiness of the artist as she appears obviously unusual. This style of shots also helped to keep the pace of the song, as the audience were watching the same thing repeated, but it the shot reversed as the beat of the song changed.

The tone of the stop-motion clips were a lot brighter than the other shots before it, meaning that it appeared odd and broke the continuity. To overcome this, we changed the brightness and contrast of the clips to a level that was more similar to the rest of the shots in the video, however still having a noticeable difference to make these shots stand out for the reason of showing the artist to be quirky and unusual. This change of colour has kept the continuity intact but highlighted the differences in the artist.

To make these stop-motion clips appear different even more so, we decided to add transitions before and after these clips. As group, we felt that this effect made them stand out and allowed the audience to anticipate a change as they saw the transition, making sure that the continuity and verisimilitude was not fully broken.

The editing of the images used for the digi-pak and posters were done using Photoshop. This software was very useful as we wanted to have the background for the images to be white, which we were able to do using the levels adjustment tool. This allowed us to make the background completely white so the focus was the artist and the other objects included in the frame .e.g. the leaf back cover.

All of the sound was taken off the clips used in the music video, as the song was the only sound we wanted to be heard in the video. This helped to create verisimilitude throughout the video also as the artist appeared to be actually singing the song.

To record the song from unsigned.com, we downloaded a programme called SoundRecorderMacOSX, which allowed us to record the song and then add it into iMovie and position it over the clips.

We used the clip-trimmer tool to start and end the song at the points we wanted. This meant that we didn’t have to have a long black shot at the start so the video started at the right point of the song, allowing us to immediately introduce the fast pace edits of the video.

In what way do your media products use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

From our research, we discovered that the most frequently included camera shot and camera movement in music videos belonging to the Indie Pop genre were close-ups and handheld camera movements. Close-ups can be identified in Marina and the Diamonds music video ‘Hollywood’ where they show the artist to clearly be the focus and help create an identity of her for the audience. Handheld camera movements can be seen in Ellie Goulding’s music video ‘Under the Sheets’. The use of handheld camera movements allows the audience to feel part of the action.

We have conformed to this convention of Indie Pop music videos including handheld camera movements by using them in our music video. This allowed us to make the viewer feel part of the action as well as keeping the fast pace of the overall video as the handheld shots feel very rapid. We have challenged the convention of using frequent close-ups through our music video, although we have included some in our work. Instead we decided that mid-shots would flow better within the video as we wanted the audience to see where the artist is as she is in a number of setting such as her bedroom and outside on the street.

The style of framing in Indie Pop music videos usually shows the artist/band to be in the centre of the frame. We also found from our research that fast edits and straight cuts are frequently used in music videos of our chosen genre. For example in Florence and the Machine’s ‘You’ve Got the Love’ music video, straight cuts are used to create continuity and verisimilitude. The use of fast edits links to the up tempo beat of the song. By having the artist in the centre of the fame, she is clearly the focus and is portrayed as important.

We have conformed to this convention of the genre by frequently having the artist centred in the frame to emphasise her importance and make her the continuing focus point for the viewers. We have also included the expectation of straight cuts and fast edits, allowing us to create continuity as well as matching the tempo of the song with the use of fast edits.

The majority of music videos that fit into this genre use unusual props and quirky but fashionable style of costume. In Kate Nash’s video for ‘Foundations’, these elements can be seen to be used. Props such as toothbrushes, socks and watches have all been used to link with the lyrics of the song but create a quirky tone to the artist and also the music video. The artist’s costume is an old-fashioned vintage style dress, which is considered fashionable at this time, but this style of costume is dated and gives an unusual feel to the artist.

As a group, we decided to conform to this convention, by using quirky props such as the teddy bear to give an unusual and childlike feel to the artist. We also chose to use props like the can of lynx to link this stop-motion clip to the lyrics of the song as the can disappears, connoting that her love interest has done the same. The artist’s costume is stereotypical of the Indie Pop genre as it consists of a fashionable playsuit with black tights which gives a quirky twist to the outfit. 

The artists and bands which belong to the Indie Pop genre, usually represent youth, by the use of on-trend costumes, quirky props and the artist/band are normally young themselves. These are all elements which can be found in Ellie Goulding’s music video ‘Under the Sheets’. We have conformed to the conventional representation of youth by including a fashionable costume, quirky props and by using a young woman as the artist. By using these elements, the artist very clearly represents youth and this means that we can appeal to young people easily.

Women can also be represented as strong and independent, for example in Lily Allen’s music video ‘The Fear’. The use of low-angle shots and an unrevealing costume emphasise this idea as well as the fact she is a female solo artist.

As a group, we decided to represent the artist as independent, but not in this conventional way. Instead we chose to show the artist on her own frequently and showed her dancing in her room, which connotes that she is happy and doesn’t need a man to be content. However, as the artist gets a new love interest at the end of the music video, it could be interpreted by audience members that she is dependent on men as she goes from one love interest to another.

From our research, we found that Indie Pop music videos do no tend to have clear, linear narratives. They also do not follow either Todorov or Propp’s theory. An example of where this can be seen is in Florence and the Machine’s music video for ‘You’ve Got the Love’. The video does not have a clear narrative and is more performance based in content.

We have conformed to this convention in our own music video, as there are sections of the video that are narrative like, for example the pan movement of the last image of the couple, which clearly shows the breakdown of their relationship. However, the overall video has no clear linear narrative and is more performance based implying the music is more important than the story behind the song.

The lighting style used throughout music videos of chosen genre created a bizarre feeling to the artist/band, usually through the use of back lighting. This can be seen in the music video ‘You’ve Got the Love’ by Florence and the Machine. The use of back lighting, adds to the impression that she is important and unusual.

We have challenged this convention in our work, as we felt that we wanted to use natural lighting to create verisimilitude throughout the video, and if we included unusual lighting then this would not be done. If we had included quirky lighting I feel that it would of took away from the unusual feel of the artist that has been created due to the other elements used, such as her costume and the props included.

Our research informed us that the images used on the front cover of a digi-pak belonging to this genre tend to be of the artist/band, an unusual image and a patterned background. The style is usually simple when an image of the artist/band is used for the front cover of the CD, which allows the artist/band to be the focus and identifiable to the audience creating a connection with the viewer. An example of where an unusual image is used is on the Two Door Cinema Club album cover for ‘Tourist History’. The image of a cat used creates intrigue around the band as the viewer will want to find out why it has been used.

We have conformed to the convention of having an image of the artist as the front cover of the CD, as it shows her has the focus and allows audiences to identify with her quickly.

The inlay of the digi-pak usually contains a recurring theme that can be seen elsewhere on the CD such as a colour. This style can be identified in The Kooks album ‘Inside In Inside Out’, as the colour red is used all over the CD. One side of the inlay also tends to include the artist/band which emphasises that they are the focus of the whole album.

We have conformed to the convention of having a recurring theme throughout the whole digi-pak, by using the colour white as the background for all of the images. We have also included a second image of the artist in the inlay which highlights that she is the focus and the audience can connect with her easily as they repeatedly see her.

The back cover of the digi-pak shows the lists of tracks featured on the album and often consists of an image which links to the album name, for example the back cover of Florence and the Machine’s album ‘Lungs’, the back cover image is an illustration of lungs which clearly links to the album title.

As a group, we have conformed to this convention by using an image of a autumnal leaf with the track list above it, as it clearly links to the album name ‘Autumn’.

From our research we found that the album name of an Indie Pop digi-pak is normally short and simple, such as Ellie Goulding’s album ‘Lights’, allowing the name to be easily remembered by audiences.

We have conformed to this convention by naming our album ‘Autumn’, as it is short and simple, as well as showing our artist to be in a changing time of her life, going from youth to adulthood.

The style of text which frequently can be seen on Indie Pop digi-paks is a handwritten, feminine style or a block, simple style. This can be seen on Florence and the Machine’s album ‘Lungs’, as the artist’s name is a elegant feminine style whilst the album name is a simple block font. This contrast gives an unusual feel to the artist as normally there is one font style used on a digi-pak.

We have conformed to this convention in our own digi-pak as the artist’s name is a handwritten style which is clearly feminine and we have also used a simple font for the album name, as this allows the artist to appear quirky due to the mix match of styles used.

From researching into our chosen genre of Indie Pop, we discovered that the image used on the poster for the album is usually the same image of the band/artist which is used on the front cover of the digi-pak, or an unusual image that links to the album title but does not feature the musician(s). An example of where an unusual image can be found is on the poster for Arcade Fire’s album ‘Neon Bible’. This helps create intrigue around the album as the band/artist cannot be fully seen and the image clearly links to the album name.

We have conformed to this convention as we felt by using an image which did not involve the artist, it would create an enigma around the album and make it appear interesting and stand out to audience members.

The fonts and colours used on the poster are usually that which are used on the digi-pak which keeps a theme throughout the whole package and makes it easy for audience to recognise the album in a shop.

We have conformed to this convention as we felt it would make the artist appear in the same way throughout all of the products and make it easy for audiences to connect with her. To make sure that audience members can identify the album in shops, we included a small image in the bottom right hand corner of the front cover of the album, meaning that viewer can see the artist and recognise the album easily.

The use of star ratings from trusted critics on some of the Indie Pop posters we analysed, such as Ellie’s Goulding’s poster for ‘Lights’, makes the artist/band appear respected in the music world by well-known reviewers and this will help to persuade people to buy the album even more. The poster often includes popular songs which again help to persuade audience to buy the album.

As a group, we have decided to conform to the convention of using these elements to persuade people to buy the album when seeing the poster advertising the album.

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

Our questionnaire told us a lot about what the target audience (women aged 16-22) expect to see in an Indie Pop music video, digi-pak and poster.

The questionnaire told us that audience members prefer to see a band in an Indie Pop music video; however, a solo artist had a very similar amount of results, meaning that we can still attract audiences as they also expect to see a solo artist in this genre of music. The audience also said that they relate to the artist/band through eye-contact with the camera, so to meet their expectation and target our audience we included many of these shots throughout our video. The questionnaire informed us that audience members prefer to see a narrative in the music video, however, as a group we felt that this wouldn’t make our music video stand out and we preferred to not take the lyrics as completely literally. Even though this means we have not met our audience’s expectations in terms of the questionnaire, there are many successful Indie Pop music videos which follow the same idea, indicating that there is a market for our type of music video within our target audience.

The target audience also said that they expect to see dark, simple colours such as black, green and red on the digi-pak for an Indie Pop album. We have not met this need, as we decided that a white background would fit better with the way the artist had been represented in the music video, and if we had used dark colours it would have made the promotional package as a whole not appear to link. The questionnaire revealed that our target audience expect an Indie Pop album name to be simple or unusual and we have met this expectation by using one word for the album title ‘Autumn’.

The audience members also said that they expect the image used on the poster to be the same as the image used on the front cover of the CD. We decided it would be better to use the leaf image that features on the back cover of the digi-pak for the poster image, as this links to the album name, whilst also creating an enigma and makes the artist appear more interesting as the audience cannot see her fully. The questionnaire told us that viewers prefer to see the same font style and colour which is used on for the digi-pak to be used for the poster, which creates a theme throughout the whole album. We have met this expectation, as we felt it was important to create this link clearly.

By using most of the elements which the audience told us they expect to see in an Indie Pop music video, digi-pak and poster, we have been able to target them easily and make our products appear appealing as we have met their expectations in most circumstances.

Our main product which is our music video portrays the artist as representing youth, through her fashionable costume and the youth associated love problems she is having. The artist is shown as being quirky and unusual through the props used such as the bear.

This representation of youth can be identified in the digi-pak also, as the artist’s costume is again youthful and on-trend with a young age group. The bear prop has again been included in the digi-pak, as it is clearly associated with youth and implies the artist is leaving her childhood behind as she is changing, which links to the album name of ‘Autumn’. The white background on all of the images connotes innocence and this links to the artist’s name as well as emphasising that she is representing youth.

The poster has reflects the young theme that has been portrayed through the digi-pak, by the use of a white background again. By using the same font for the artist’s name and album title as on the digi-pak, the two texts clearly link and represent the artist in the same way.

Overall the artist has been sold in a youthful and quirky way due to the costume, props and colours used throughout the products. We have also shown a clear theme throughout the overall promotional package, by using props that were seen in the video in the digi-pak, as well as using colours and fonts that feature in the digi-pak on the poster.

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Our audience feedback for all of the products we have created have been very positive overall, as well as allowed us to understand where we could have been clearer in some parts.

Audience members said that in the music video ‘The use of costume and props clearly linked to our genre as the representation of the artist being independent comes across clearly.’ This is a point that I agree with as I felt that we represented the artist as stereotypically Indie through these elements. Another viewer said ‘The teddy bear was effective as it is clear it represents Jamie.’ As a group, we decided to use the bear as a motif, as we felt that by having the artist walk around holding a bear that was given to her by her ex-love interest, made her appear unusual. One audience member commented on the use of stop-motion, saying ‘it made the video quirky, therefore fitting in with the Indie Pop genre.’ This is another element that we found made the genre very clear to the audience, as it different and represents the artist in this way. A negative comment we received was that ‘the shot of the artist tapping her fingers on the wall is too long.’ We noticed this as a group, however, the use of having this shot longer than other shots was to keep the pace of the edits in time with the beat of the song, as well as allowing us to lead into another scene in a way that didn’t seem abrupt.

One audience member said that in the digi-pak ‘the artist is portrayed as quirky due to her young costume, the bear prop used and her friendship bracelets.’ We included these elements in the images to achieve this response, as this was a representation of the artist that was portrayed in the music video. Another viewer said that it was ‘effective how the artist and album title are different fonts, as it is clear to differentiate the two.’ This was the effect we wanted, as we felt it was important to make each title stand out, as well as when we researched into previous Indie Pop digi-paks, this was a style that we picked up on. Audience members said it was ‘clear the artist is representing youth by the props and costume style used.’ Again, we chose to use these to represent the artist in a youthful way and we feel we have achieved this. An criticism we were given was that the ‘inlay image is less effective as you can see where the image has had to be extended as there is a clear line in the frame.’ We picked up on this as a group and although it is noticeable, we don’t feel that it takes away from the image as a whole, as the image is still effective.

When asked about the poster an audience member believed that the leaf image ‘draws interest immediately because it is unusual and it clearly links to the album name.’ We wanted to create a link between the album name and the image used for the poster, and by using the leaf image, this has been achieved. Another audience member said ‘the poster is minimalist and creates an enigma as the viewer cannot see the artist except for the small front cover image.’ This is what we decided to do as a group because we felt it would create more interest around the album and artist. Viewers felt that the poster was ‘simplistic and conforms to the conventions of an Indie Pop poster as it clearly gives a quirky feel.’ As a group, we felt we wanted to continue this idea of showing the artist as being quirky in the poster and by creating it in this simple way this has been achieved. Some advice we were given by an audience member was ‘Might have been more effective if the writing and images were lower on the poster as the album name is close to the image.’ This is something that I had not considered before; however, I feel that if the information on the poster had been any lower down it would have created an unusual amount of space between the album title and the information.