Ÿ I think our media product is typical to the forms and conventions of other Pop Rock videos. This is because it includes lip syncing of the main female role who shows emotion which is also shown in music videos of the same genre including Pink and Miley Cyrus. We took inspiration from both of the artists and their music videos. For example the direct address from Miley Cyrus’s video ‘7 Things’ and the flashbacks from various music videos, including Pink – Perfect. Another convention that we have followed that also appears in music videos is the idea of flashbacks showing past memories. We saw this flashback element appear in music videos such as Perfect by Pink. The flashbacks would show a previous happy relationship between a couple. We liked this concept as we could change the colouring of the shots in order to show they were in the past. We also thought this idea would perhaps tell the story of our song a little better as there would be visuals confirming that the happy times were in the past.
We also applied some of Goodwin’s points. This included linking lyrics with visuals. We did this throughout our music video. For example with the lyric ‘there’s a ring around my finger, but will you change your mind?’ we showed the shot of a female taking off a ring. Another lyrics and visuals we used was by having the flashboard with the lyrics on, whilst they were being sung. By linking the lyrics with the visuals, this allows the audience to connect with the song and lyrics. We also covered genre characteristics as many of the elements we used can also be seen in other typical Pop Rock videos. For example, the shots of the lead female singing can also be found in most of Pink’s videos. Also showing musical instruments in the video is another element that is common in Pop Rock videos including Pink, Miley Cyrus and Maroon 5. We also looked at demands on the label as Pink has a recurring theme of being the dominant female role. We tried to portray this by getting the female singer to show emotion whilst singing. Another of Goodwin’s points that we looked at was the structure of the music video. We decided to create a fragmented music video as we would tell a story of ‘heartbreak’ but in different sections and not in a linear order. We told the story by showing flashbacks of a couple in between the lip syncing and flashboards with the lyrics on. By using Goodwin’s points, we were able to clearly plan our music video and cover the criteria needed.
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
· I think the combination of our main product and ancillary texts are effective as there is a consistent link between them. Certain elements are carried through the music video and ancillary texts. These features include the use of the prominent colour pink. We used this idea as the artists name is Pink as well as it being a good link between all of the tasks. In our music video the colour pink is shown on the lead singer’s top and eye shadow as well as on the nails of the girls holding the flashboard. On our DigiPak, this idea is shown by the image being in black and white and only the singer’s eye shadow and texts being in pink. This makes the writing stand out more and gives the image a more edgy look.
Another element we have kept consistent throughout the tasks is the image of the main female singer. She appears in the music video lip syncing as well as on the DigiPak and magazine advert. We have also kept the idea of “heartbreak” a common theme throughout. This obviously appears in the music video as lyrics are sung about it. However, we have also incorporated this idea into the visuals of our music video by showing scenes such as teenage girls tearing flashboards with the lyrics on. We have shown the title “Heartbreaker” onto our DigiPak and magazine advert as well which keeps in with the theme. We decided to keep these themes consistent as it allows the audience to make a clear link between all three products, making it easier to see that they are all from the same artist.
What have you learned from your audience feedback?
Ÿ We first received feedback on our initial music video idea presentation. For this task we pitched our initial ideas to the rest of the class. We received mainly positive feedback including that we had clear initial ideas, good audience review and a good idea of linking the lyrics with the visuals. This allowed us to gain constructive feedback on positive points and also how we could improve our ideas.
We also got some initial feedback from our first rough cut we produced. From this we gained information on what the audience liked, didn’t like and what we could improve on. Points that the audience liked included that we had good links between the music/lyrics and visuals. For example, the clip of the eye fitted in with the lyrics and the guitar playing went well with the music. However, the guitar was out of time with the music itself. People also commented that our camera work was steady and clear. Negative points about our initial rough cut included that the shot of the guitar being played was out of time with the music. Also, we needed to use a more diverse range of camera shots and angles. They also thought that the guitar scene went on for too long. We agreed with most of the negative points given to us and we took these on board. We tried to change these aspects of our music video but adding other clips in between the guitar scene as well as playing around with the guitar scenes to put them in time with the music. We also slowed down the blinking of the eye in order to make it not look as rushed as before. We incorporated the feedback we were given and carried on putting our music video together.
We also asked some of our friends to have a look at our final music video and asked for some feedback. This allowed us to get a clearer view on how the target audience portray our music video. Overall, the feedback was generally good. However, they all said that they would like to see more effects on the video to make it look more professional and of a higher quality. Therefore, we went back to Final Cut and added in more techniques such as editing the lighting on the guitar scenes and slowing down the blink of the eye.
How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
Ÿ We have used various media technologies including posting all of our research and planning work onto a blog. This enabled us to keep of our work and planning in one place, as well as sharing it with our class mates and teachers. The blog was a good tool in which we can put across the ideas and preparation for our music video coursework. During the research into our music video, we used basic technologies such as the internet in order to find images to analyse and research our chosen artist. We used YouTube to watch and analyse music videos of the same and different genres.
We also used key equipment such as the camera and tripod to film our actually music video. The more high tech camera allowed us to be able to film shots that we had planned, in a better quality. By doing this, our overall music video would be of a higher standard. The tripod again helped us to film better shots as it held the camera in a secure position. We also used the Apple Macs and software called Final Cut. Final cut ensured we could produce a music video of a higher quality by giving us the tools to be able to cut and edit shots to produce a video we were happy with. The tools on Final Cut included cropping the shots we had filmed, editing to black and white and slow motion. These various tools helped us to make a music video to our chosen song and genre. We also used QuickTime to convert our music video from FinalCut onto a format that was compatible with YouTube.
In order to produce our ancillary tasks, we used PhotoShop. PhotoShop enabled us to create a DigiPak and magazine advert. We were able to edit the pictures we had taken whilst filming to suit our chosen genre and theme we were aiming to achieve. PhotoShop gave us the tools to be able to change the images into black and white, add text and depict a certain colour we wanted to stand out, while the rest of the image was in black and white. By using this software we could create and DigiPak and magazine advert that fitted in with our genre of music - Pop Rock.
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