Final Digipak

Digipak for Palms

Final Music Video

Luna Music Video

If you cannot access the music video click this link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYkqiZ9Wtfs

Final Band Website Link

Band Website

http://cdeabr1.wixsite.com/palmsthebandofficial

Evaluation - Question 4

Question 4 - How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

What I said-

Question 4 - How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Process of research –

In terms of research, I used YouTube to watch music videos, so that I could learn the conventions of my chosen genre. I would also analyse each video, to see if there was anything I should mirror in my own work in order for it to fit the genre conventions. I found that YouTube was useful for my initial research. Alongside this I used the internet to further my research into the codes and conventions of the genre and also to research digipaks and websites. We used different softwares such as glogster and prezis to present our work on our blogs. Blogger enable me to use multi-media platforms to present my work; such as uploading Youtube videos I had watch, so I could apply multiple different theories to it.

Process of planning –

When planning I used the website surveymonkey to formulate different questions into a questionnaire which people will be able to fill out online. I saw this as easier and more convenient way to find out what the audience would like to see rather than having to film individuals at different times and put together a clip to later upload onto the blog. I initially intended to go to central London to film our video, however myself and my partner decided during this process that it would be better to stay local for reasons such as being able to meet the group quickly, not having to carry so much equipment and being able to re-film easily if something were to go wrong. This still fit the genre and so we decided to change this idea.

Process of running a shoot –

When filming the band shoot, we used a lot of hardware equipment. We used a dslr camera, a tripod and a lighting kit. As well as this we used musical instruments from the music department, in which we needed just for the band shoots. In terms of the schools cameras, neither me or my partner knew how to use, neither of us had ever used this camera before. During this process we had to again research on how to use the camera. We also used the tripod for close ups of the band, as it enabled us to get steady shots at the same height and position for all of the band members. This helped with creating star image within the band. For the majority of filming, we used the camera in the tripod, however there were times which we needed to use the camera handheld, this was so that we could capture movement and make the music video realistic. The lighting was easy to use, and helped us create the effects we wanted. We wanted to create an effect where the band were clearly lit against an extremely dark black background. With the lighting this was easily done. It was easy to assemble and adjust.

When filming the outside shoot we did not need as much equipment compared to the studio shoots. We only needed the camera and the tripod. We used the tripod and handheld camera because we wanted the video to look professional as well as having a realistic element to it. We knew our locations so it was about time keeping and making sure we filmed each scene correctly the first time round after having to re-shoot some of the studio clips. We set up the tripod and were easily able to carry it around as we were local and knew where we were going. When filming we also needed band photos for our ancillary products. I again took the cannon dslr camera which I also filmed in, to produce extremely good quality HD photos. It had the choice of an auto focus or a manual focus. For the majority of the time whilst taking photos I used the auto focus as it recognised faces quickly thus helping me create good quality images quickly to promote star image.

Process of editing-

We used adobe premiere pro to edit, which having used the last couple of years I have become recognised with. Therefore it made our editing process a lot easier. The adobe premiere pro software is easy to use. The footage was filmed locally, so to me, it lacked an interesting element to the overall clips. So using colouring techniques on adobe premiere pro we were able to brighten the images, change the contrast and saturation and even add a colour filter. This also helped me stick the genre conventions of an indie pop music video.  Alongside this, we wanted to add animation to some of the clips in the music video. However, myself and my partner faced problems as neither of us knew how to animate videoclips. For this we turned to youtube to watch a step-by-step guide on how to animate using both the programmes adobe premiere pro and adobe after effects. Without this tutorial we would have struggled and may have changed our minds on using animation. From previous experience I was sceptic about using the programme after effects as I thought it was difficult to use. The tutorial however showed me how easy it was to animate, and we ended up animating more clips that we anticipated.

Process of ancillary products-

For my digipak and to create the band log o I used Adobe photoshop. I was extremely familiar with this software. This gave me an advantage as I could be more creative with what I could do on the software. I was able to change colours on the images that I took and edit the quality, I was also able to edit the text and shapes to however I pleased. I used 4 colours as a guided which were blue, pinks, orange and green. I knew how to transform my pictures easily, thus I was constantly changing the design to however I liked as long as it was synergetic to my music video. The colours that I used a guide was significant as these were the main colours that I used to colour correct and grade all of my clips so I thought it would be fitting to transfer these colours over to the digipak. This would in turn help the audience recognise and link the products together. Again, I used both the colours black and white to make the 4 colours stand out. The reason behind this was because these 2 colours would help enhance the impact of these colours, just like I had done in the music video. I used 3 main fonts on my digipak for 3 different things – 1 was the band logo, the other being the album logo and the last font style was used for the track listing, and legal information. This seperates all the information on the digipak. This is typical for indie digipaks to do. I made the logo on adobe illustrator, as I wanted it to be particular and individualistic. I replace the L in ‘palms’ with a palm tree in order for it to be recognisable to fans and the public. In photoshop I used layering as I wanted to be specific as to what I wanted to do with different items on the digipak e.g. the images of the band, I wanted to move them and edit them individually.

Process of evaluation-

For my website I used WIX. WIX was incredibly easy to use. WIX already had several features in its tool box that I could apply to my website. It already had the desired social media links, which have become a necessity in the music industry. I was able to set up a twitter, Instagram and Spotify account then directly link them to my website. Wix also had link buttons that you could link to other websites. This was key for my tour page, I added a link to the festival – reading and leeds as my band was planning to perform on one of the days at the festival. I was able to upload my images that I made, edited and created on adobe photoshop and use them in my home page photo slideshow and for the bands gallery. I was able to upload videos directly from YouTube and vimeo, so I uploaded the music video from YouTube and the tours video from my vimeo I was also able to the link Spotify song that I used for my music video. The website was very easy to use thanks to the tools bar on the side. WIX also allowed me to create a store for my merchandise. Myself and my partner created different pieces of original merchandise items using different merchandise websites and created images using adobe photoshop. We then imported these images onto wix where I could price each item, link to a checkout where they are able to be purchased.

Evaluation-

For my evaluation I used several different online formats. I used prezi as it was easy to use as I am familiar to the format and because it is a creative way to present my work rather than using Microsoft powerpoint. I also used glogster which enabled me to include videos, images and texts all on one page. I had used glogster also many times before for previous pieces of work just like I had used prezi. I used SoundCloud as it was the most effective when creating an audio recording. I was able to upload my video clips that I recorded on garage band easily. Other audio recording softwares such as quicktime players audio recordings did not have a start over button which would lengthen the process and make it harder and re-record whatever I wanted to say.I also used emaze as it was simple to embed and copy the HTML code into my blog on my blogger account. I used survey monkey to make a questionnaire to send to my friends via my smart phone using a website link. These friends had watched my music video and had seen my digipak and had been on my website in order to give feedback. The website collected the feedback and conveniently changed the feedback into data. This was great as it allowed me to see specifically what a large group of people thought about the products. Alongside this I used a YouTube video which, like all the other softwares used in my evaluation, I could quickly put into my blog.

What would I have done differently with the benefit of hindsight?

I would have looked up how to use a dslr camera properly and in more detail. I had to re-film many shots due to having the wrong setting, not knowing how to change from manual focus to auto focus and change the exposure levels on the camera. I also would have edited the ending of my video as I feel that the cuts were jumpy and for audience satisfaction added another clip of the couple at the end.

What do you know now that you didn’t know before?

I now know how to use the software adobe after effects much better through the use of online tutorials. I know also how to change camera settings in order to adapt to the scene and make the shot the best quality possible.

What advice would you pass on?

I would advise to use adobe after effects as it changed our music video completely. It made our video 10 times better than I originally hoped. I would also advise time when you are going to film/produce your music video carefully as weather can affect performance and quality of the video. I would also say make sure you know how to use the camera properly before filming.

What were the advantages/disadvantages of the technologies used?

The hardware-

The camera had both advantages and disadvantages to it. An advantage of The camera was that it filmed in amazing HD quality. a disadvantage was that the camera was difficult to use.

The lighting kit was quick and easy to set up. It also added a professional element to our videos and pictures taken in our studio. We were also able to attach coloured gels easily on the barn doors of the lighting kit. The disadvantage was that it was extremely heavy to carry so we used it mainly at school in the studio it made the studio extremely hot thus made it harder to film and also had many safety precautions.

The tripod gave the advantage of having steady shots and reduce shakiness of the camera. It also allowed us to film clips and shots in the same positions. However, it took time to set up and take down and at times was a hassle to carry.

Software-

Adobe premiere pro can do anything you wish it to, on the other hand it can take a while to do something particular.

Adobe after effects creates fun effects but was intimidating, hard to use and required research before using.

Adobe photoshop allowed you to produce high quality images and manipulate the images however you wish to, but some editing effects required a tedious amount of focus to do.

Adobe Illustrator enabled me to do many things but was extremely difficult and confusing to use.

Youtube was great for research. Its only disadvantage was that the quality of our video when uploaded as it decreased dramatically.

Soundcloud, prezi, glogster etc were all easily linkable to the blog, but some of these softwares required to be viewed on internet explorer in order to be seen on the blog and could be time consuming to make.

Wix was extremely helpful when creating our websites. Many of the features that I included on the site I easily found in the toolbox. The only problem that I had with wix was that some things took time to do for example creating the store.

Digital technology e.g. phones and computers were all reliable as we constantly use them day-to-day basis, but my only problem was that I could not access some softwares such as prezi on my phone.

Evaluation - Question 3

Question 3 - What have you learned from your audience feedback?

During production -

Post production-

I interviewed teenage girls to give feedback about my music video. I wanted to see their initial reactions to my music video and understand how they related my band to other real bands currently in the music industry.

Video conclusion - 

1) Overall people liked the concept of the storyline and the music video.

2) The audience would like to watch the video again as they feel that there are many details within the music video that they could have missed out on in first glance.

3) Criticisms- The audience thought it made sense, however they did not understand the camera not being in focus. This was significant as it was representative of the protagonists mind being 'hazy' as all he can think about is getting to the girl. This concept wasn't portrayed clearly enough to the audience.

4) They agree with the song not having much of a meaning on its own; the audience say that the music video worked with the only small clear meaning sung in the chorus of the song and that I had adapted that concept successfully to fit the whole song.

5) People enjoyed the creative elements the most about the music video. This shows how the video was successful as typically indie music videos have creative elements. It also represents how the youth of today have an extreme need for creativity. This was their focus to the question - What was your favourite part?

6) The audience understood the genre that the music video was from. They were able to link other similar bands to my own based off the music video. They managed to link my band to other indie pop bands. 

 

Evaluation - Question 2

Question 2 -How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

 

Evaluation - Question 1

Question 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?