Note to examinor

Dear moderator,

I hope that you enjoy my coursework journey and able to navigate around it easily, thank you

Final Music Video

Final Magazine Poster

Final Digipak

Evaluation Question 4

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

Throughout the whole process of creating my coursework I was able to use an iMac when I was in school as they provided it and I also used a Macbook which was my own which allowed me to take to and from school so I could complete work easier. The softwares and applications that I used in this whole process was;

Final cut pro - I used this software to allow me to be able to edit my music video as it was already downloaded onto the iMac's at school which was easy to pick up and learn how to use. It took me a lesson or two to get to gris with it. This software was very useful as it was easy to navigate around once I knew how to use it and was the best software available to me for the creation of my music video.

Blogger - This piece of software was the most important out of them all due to the fact that all of the coursework had to be submitted on this website. It is very easy to navigate around and know how to use, and is very good for updated and publishing blog posts. Also, a big positive of this website is that nay work that is produced will automatically be saved which was handy in a few circumstances.

Youtube - I sed this piece of software to upload my music video to once completed. I have been using Youtube for years now so I knew how to navigate my way around the site straight away and was a good way of getting my music video out there and onto the internet. This upload was a quick and simple process which was expected. Plus, I used this piece of software for research and planning aswell as it has many videos on there which were useful for me to use.

Photoshop - I used the software last year for my AS coursework so I knew how to use it straight away. I feel this is the best way for creating posters and for the creation of my digipak as you can add so many features and it isn't hard to use either. This also helped with the desired look I was after which was to show my work in a professional light which I feel that I achieved.]

Google - This was very important in the whole of my coursework for many different reasons. It helped me greatly with my research and planning as anything I wanted to view was there ready to be searched for on Google. I used many websites that I found from google throughout the process of my coursework such as; UK Tribes, Twitter, Instagram and many more which are useful for the researching task.

Twitter - I used this application for the creation of a twitter account for my band and for free promotional purposes. This is a great way to get your band out there and is most of all free to use. This is a great way of advertisement as there are so many people who have the app and even people who do not follow you can still view your tweets and images posted which I feel is a great advantage over other bands / artists without the application.

I used all of these applications on either the iMac at school or my Macbook that I have. They were all easily accessible and the ones that you had to pay for were already on the iMac's at school so it gave me a great range of option to choose from. Overall, these softwares and applications helped me with the creation of all of my coursework.

Evaluation Question 3

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

The feedback that I received from my digipak was an an overall understanding that the audience liked it with one or two pointers of how to improve my digipak in certain areas. The comments include that they liked the colour scheme that I had chosen which was a minimalistic view to it and something that was very simple but extremely effective. The image that I had chosen was a positive in the feedback with the comments stating it worked well with the colour scheme which was the desired affect I was after. The conventional idea that I had chosen to use which was inspired by many was another good point within my digipak as I believe it suits the audience targeted and gives it the most professional look that I could have gone for. However, one of the improvements that was stated that I could use was to make the title bigger on the front cover so it can stand out mor and catch the viewers eye easier. Although, I believe the picture on the front catches the viewers eye straight away and the smaller text used gives it an intriguing edge and will entice the viewers even more and make them want to watch the music video that is being released. I did take this idea on board but chose to stick to my design as I believe it gives the desired affect that I was after throughout the digipak design which I think worked successfully.

What I have learnt from the feedback that I received is that I wasn't able to get everything right at the first time of trying and to gain a brilliant piece of work it will take time and constructive criticism along the way which are all positives throughout the process of making the digipak, magazine poster and music video. I also learned that asking other people for advice went a long way, although I would't always change my work to what they had said it still gave me other ideas and helped with further changes I wanted to make. However, there was some improvements people stated I could make which helped me gain the final piece of work that I wanted to achieve. Overall, the feedback given taught me to listen to other peoples views more as it is them helping and guiding you in other directions that I may not have thought have doing which helps with the overall look of the product that I had created throughout the process.

Evaluation Question 2

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

Digipak

The digipak that I created was a conventional idea which included many pieces of inspiration from other artists that I have shown in my final product. The reason behind this was because of the target audience in mind and the way I wanted my work to be presented in the most professional light as possible. The direct link from my digipak to the music video itself was very subtle in the way I went about this, this was because of the image in the digipak was a simple yet effective image that shown the effectiveness of little details. Also, the use of a clear background related to the video because of the all white background in the video helps the costumes and performers stand out which will be the same for the text and images used on my digipak. This is a slightly different convention to most indie bands approach on digipacks, but I believe it is good to stand out from the rest and be unique. However, the video used is a stereotypical video as it is the performers in a studio but I feel the shots used still show its uniqueness. Therefore, I believe this shows all of the qualities to be a successful music video which was the desired affect.

Magazine poster

The intention of my magazine poster is to be similar to the digipak that I created because it shows a sense of continuity and professionalism. This was a simple yet effective design chosen as it has all of the qualities to stand out to the audience as also a sense of mystery of the band due to the graphic chosen. This is because I wanted the viewers to be intrigued by the band and for them to want to see who the band were and for them to be interested in their music, this was a selling point that I thought could help with my poster. This will mean that the audience will get a real life view of how the band are in concert or watching the music video created and give them a better representation of their music and attitudes. This utilises the simple idea I have chosen to use and brings it out in a positive and successful light I believe.

Evaluation Question 1

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

Digipak

For the creation of my digipak I gained a lot of inspiration from ASAP Rocky's album 'Long Live ASAP'. This was because I really liked the darker colours throughout as I feel it gives it an edge and something different than the usual in your face colour schemes used by artists and bands to catch the viewers eye. So I worked on this theory and started to create my own digipak. When I did this I did take a lot of inspiration from this album but I wanted my own twist on it and create something even more special than this. I did use a similar convention by using the grey, black and white colour scheme but I added a picture that ran through the middle of this digipak, I turned this picture from colour to black and white to keep this convention s I feel it looks better and will give my digipak its own selling point in an individual way. However, with the font on the front cover I took inspiration from Drake's album 'If You're Reading This It's Too Late'. However, I wanted to challenge this convention and instead of having the writing really spaced put and sort of look un-neat, I still had the effect of something writing this by hand but made it appear a little neater to give my digipak and more professional look but still taking the inspiration from this album.

Music Video

The music video that I created had aspects from many of the videos that I analysed in my previous blog posts. The main aspect that I took inspiration from was the Lil Wayne video because I really thought that the video was telling a story through the facial expressions of the artists and the use pf colours throughput the video. Therefore, I challenged this convention when creating my video because I didn't want different colours coming into the video at different times, I opted to keep the colour the same throughout but made facial expressions a big part of the video. I also took inspiration from Dan Croll's video because of the staring contest throughout the video and the way the actors are always look ing into the camera. I used this idea as I thought it was a brilliant way to present this song and to present the video as it will tell the story of the lyrics being sung. Dan Croll also kept everything simple but effective which was another idea I took inspiration from because I didn't want the video to be too complicated but still wanted it to be desirable, which I thought I achieved with the final viewing of my video. The Kanye West music video I thought was very unique but had a great convention which was to keep a black background throughout the video. I took inspiration from this and took it on board as believed it would have the effect that I was after when creating my music video.

Magazine Poster

For my magazine poster I wanted to use the same convention as my digipak to show continuity and so viewers will be able to recognise who's poster it is without having to ask about or research it, or even have to properly read into it. I used the same convention as my digipak because of the picture that is used on the front of both, also I used the same font in the middle of the cloud of smoke. Which is me changing the convention of Drake's album and hopefully succeeding it. However, I did do research on magazine posters and I found that I really liked posters with black background and white font over it as I feel it stands out the most and will have the best chance of catching the potential viewers eye in any situation. Also, I feel it brings a sense of professionalism aswell as it makes it look neat and will appear well edited. All of this was what I wanted to include in my magazine poster which I feel I achieved as well as possible.

Final Music Video

Music Video Inspiration

The inspiration that was used for creating my music video was a little bit of all of the videos that I analysed in my previous post. The Dan Croll video gave me inspiration with the colours used as the background and how to blend it in with the colour and style of the costumes used in the video. Also, the simplicity of it was a big factor while making my video as I feel the simpler it is then the more professional and sharp look it will have to it without over complicating it. The use of shots used the Dan Croll's video also had an impact of my music video as I liked the way that the frames were shot and the angles of them, so some of my shots are inspired by the From Nowhere video. The Kanye West music video also inspired me, mainly with the white background as I feel this would have been the best way to make the band stand out and show off their costumes and expressions in the best way possible. Also, keeping up with song is something I have tried to replicate in my music video which was taken directly from this video as Kanye West does it impeccably which I think gave the music video a real edge which I was after when shooting mine. The Lil Wayne video inspired me greatly due to the expressions shown on their faces within his music video as I thought this worked excellently and carried this straight over to my video as you will be able to tell within their facial expressions. Also, The use of colours was a big key aswell, and I have took this idea on board and tried to blend it into my video. Therefore, all of the three music videos that I chose to analyse were all big inspirations to me which is my I chose them.

Analysis Of Music Video 3/3

Lil Wayne ft. Bruno Mars - Mirror
The first thing that draws you into this music video is the tattoos on Lil Wayne and thinking of what they all mean. You start to get this picture in your head and the lyrics that come after describe all of this and I feel everything works perfectly here. Also, this entices the viewer to continue to watch and listen. The use of colours and facial expressions in this video have been used very precisely as these tell a story in themselves and help you with the message being created. The shots used in this video are captured excellently and carry on telling the story. I really like this video as it is different to the 'usual' Lil Wayne video or even the way he raps / sings. Therefore I will be taking many of these ideas with me when creating my music video, especially the use of emotion and colours.

Analysis Of Music Video 2/3

Kanye West - Black Skinhead
The thing that drawn me to this music video is the uniqueness of it and how well it all works together. This is a very upbeat song and the music video keeps up with all of the pauses, speed ups and drops within the song which is amazing editing skills. The use of black and white works well I think because it gives it an extra edge to make it unique but also gives it the professional look. The Kanye west figure makes it interesting and will lure the viewers in as they haven't seen anything like this before and because the figure is almost telling a story with the way it has been presented. I really like this music video and will be taking these ideas with me when creating my own video.

Analysis Of Music Video 1/3

Dan Croll - From Nowhere
The first thing that I noticed was how well the camera shots were taken, this is because of the people being central in the shot used which I feel gives the video a very sharp and professional look. Also, the outfits chosen work very well and fit in the mine en seen very well. I really like the use of colours in this video as they all compliment each other and the colour of the clothes worn blend well with the background used which leads to very good visuals. The use of different camera angles and shots will keep the viewer focused on the video due to how interesting it will be and the fact that all the shots are impeccable. The thing that amazes me about this video is the simplicity of it and how well everything blends in together, excellent directing and camera work. I really enjoyed this video and will be taking all of the ideas on board with me, especially the simplicity of it which gave it that professional edge.

Audience Profile 3/3

Name : Lynden Taylor

Age : 18

Gender : Male

Occupation : Lynden currently attends Lutterworth College and studies; Economics, ICT and Business Studies. He also works at Kilworth House as a waiter as it is close to home for him and he enjoys the satisfaction of it.

Interests : Lynden enjoys gaming and playing online with his friends, with Ark and NBA 16 being his favourite. When not working or gaming Lynden loves raving and especially going to underground shows. He has a passion for classic hip hop and modern rap. Also, Lynden enjoys chilling with his friends listening to indie rock bands.

Favourite bands / artists : Rejii Snow, Terror Squad, Eazy-E, The Maccabees and Everything Everything.

Audience Profile 2/3

Name : Dan Collins

Age : 18

Gender : Male

Occupation : Dan goes to Lutterworth College and studies; Media Studies, Politics and English Language. He also works at Pizza Express in Market Harborough which is relatively close to where he lives.

Interests : Dan is a big Leicester City fan being a season ticket holder there for the last 4 years. He also likes going to the away games with his friends who are all big Leicester City fans, and going to the pub before and after the match is a must for Dan. He is also a big lover of classic hip hop / rap. However, he likes indie rock music which goes in hand with his love for Football. Dan likes to go out clubbing and raving in his spare time every now and then aswell.

Favourite bands / artists : Biggie Smalls, Terror Squad, NWA, 2 Pac, Stone Roses, The Smiths, Oasis.

Audience Profile 1/3

Name : George Cartwright

Age : 18

Gender : Male

Occupation : George is currently studying at Lutterworth College where he takes Business Studies, Politics and Media Studies. He also has a part time job at the local Morrisons in Lutterworth.

Interests : In George's spare time he likes to go out with his friends whether it is to the pub or clubbing. He also enjoys watching Football and has a season ticket at Huddersfield Town. He is a big fan of festivals with Leeds being his favourite as he has attended it two years running now. George's favourite thing to do is to listen to music with friends while enjoying a few beers.

Favourite bands / artists : DJ EZ, The Courtneeners, Jamie xx, Foals and Stormzy.

George (right)

Band / Artist Name Biography

Name: The Stumbles
Musicians: Louis - lead singer   Tom - Drummer   Ben - Keyboard
Formed: 2014
Born: Leicester
Age: Louis - 19   Tom - 19   Ben - 20
Relations: Became friends at college, all studied drama and music which they began to come close within their lessons. Now all best friends and decided to form a band in 2014.
Shared Interests: Music which is their biggest passion, they also like going to the theatre as much as possible and they all share a love for football which they are all season ticket holders The King Power being Leicester City fans.
Ambitions: They want to become a well-known worldwide band and tour the world with Australia and America being the pinnacle for them. Louis would also like to venture into acting later on in his career as that is another big ambition of his, with Ben and Tom wanting to create a clothing line in the future aswell.

Louis (top)   Tom (middle)   Ben (bottom)

Location / Camera

The location that I used for filming my music video was at 151 studios in Leicester, just of Narborough Road. It is a studio that is measured up as 25 x 15 feet which was more than adequate for filming my video. I have photos that were taken in the process of recording the video which you can see the area used for filming my video and the camera used aswell, which was the Canon eos 550 D slr. The camera was of a high quality and made the final video look very professional due to the quality of the recordings and the shots taken.

Band Members Positions

The band members in my music video all had set positions as to where to appear in the video and what instruments to play. Louis had the leading role and was the singer in the band, while also plying the guitar. I believe this was the best position for him to be as he is confident and played the lead role which I think justified my opinion. Tom who was on the drums knew his was around a drum kit and could pick up the beat quite easily. He also had an edge to him as he suited the clothes chosen which featured in the video. Lastly, was Ben who was on the keyboard who I thought fitted into the bad well with his appearance and his confidence behind a camera.