Evaluation Conclusion

Evaluation Conclusion

Please view this document in full screen as it may not appear correctly otherwise as Scribd has issues with the displaying of certain fonts. 

Evaluation Part Four

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

View more presentations from nrus007

Final Cut on Prezi

As an individual, and as well as a group, we have found that social media is crucial in the process of creating a media text. Being a part of the Uses & Gratifications Theory, social interaction is swiftly becoming part of our daily lives. Especially in a technologically developed company, everybody in society can keep updated through the usage of advancing mobile platforms and the availability of fast and reliable connections. 

Social networks and video sharing sites, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, can be used together in order to share something freely, and due to the nature of the internet it can become very popular very quickly. We have uploaded 

our final products onto all of these social networks, and received some useful feedback from those who have viewed them. Recognising the audience's need of social interaction, we including the Facebook and Twitter logos that would not only increase the connection between the artist and the audience, but it could allow him to become more popular due to said networks and technology. 

Evaluation Part Three

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

By completing an audience focus group, this has allowed our group to look back and reflect and what went well and what we ultimately would improve if we had the chance. Firstly, I'd like to talk about what went well. I feel that the shots in the music video always relate well to the pace of the music, and this was always something we wanted to utilise from the outset due to the varying pace of the song in places.

One of our favourite shots within the music video. 

In addition to this I feel our choice of locations fitted the narrative well, which is also something that I will come on to. The locations were varied from the inner city to parks and using a brick wall as a backdrop for example, and I believe this ultimately engages the audience a lot more. Furthermore, as it was commented upon within the focus group, I believe that the narrative is on the whole engaging also and ultimately the sense of mystery that is added to this         complements the music video as a whole. 


I also feel that the positioning of our shots and the ideas that we came up with were on occasion fantastic. There are a few shots, such as the shots within Green Park, that display both the character in a picturesque setting which I feel again makes the music video just that more interesting. However, there are a few elements which we now see that we could've improved upon, but this shouldn't detract from the professionalism of our final product.

One of the many shots that we used colour correction for,
to bring out certain colours and add to the attractiveness.

Some comments included the fact that we could've used colour correction a lot more. This is a fair comment, and perhaps it was something we could've experimented with but the colour correction that we did use brings out the colours in the footage without being too elaborate or noticeable, and I feel this was apt for a lot of our shots. Further constructive criticism came in the form of the performance footage.

Some have said that it looks out of place, but I feel that due to the instrumental nature of the song it fits in well it places; although admittedly it is true that it'd could've been featured more. Also, the monotonousness of the flashback footage was commented upon and although this was designed to highlight the relative monotonous nature of the character's life, and the sense of solitude that we wanted to convey. Ultimately, with the techniques we used to create Jack's image fulfils the Uses and Gratifications theory as it has the potential to provide not only a connection between him and the audience, but relation also.  

Although we are very happy with our final designs, it is perhaps true
that they don't fit together quite as well as they could. 

One convention that we wanted to avoid, but eventually
included; I feel our music video is better for it.

There were also some comments on our Digipak that we showed to the focus group beforehand. Upon analysis, we perhaps could've attempted to make the panels more relevant to each other, but I feel that they do link together in places. The quality and professionalism of the photographs was commented upon, and others have said how the simplicity of the panels adds to their effectiveness. 


To conclude, while I am happy with our final products, I admit that there areas that could've been improved upon analysis. These improvements would be just slight tweaks and not major overhauls to what I feel is a successful and effective music video and Digipak. The positive side of the focus group and the comments there praised the narrative and the portrayal of Jack, which fulfils the Uses and Gratifications Theory. I have learned that it is useful to analyse a piece of work constantly in order to ensure that the final product is the best it can be, and that to create a music video takes a lot of effort and perseverance and therefore it's good to reflect and perhaps change the way you work. 

Evaluation Part Two

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

A prominent example
of brand identity,
a recognisable brand
worldwide. 

To have both a 'house style' and 'brand identity' is important when creating multiple media products is important as it serves as a recognition tool for the audience. An example of a successful creation of brand identity comes in the form of the most successful brands in the world, as virtually the whole world could recognise the Coca Cola or McDonald's logos for example. We made sure we utilised his technique of allowing the audience to recognise and relate to not only the products but the characters depicted by using clothing, typography and colour in order to create an image that the audience could relate to. 




Firstly, we have created a 'brand indentity' within our music video by ensuring that Jack our protagonist wore a very popular clothing brand for people his age throughout. This could immediately allow an audience member, who may wear the same clothing for example, to relate with Jack and therefore become more engaged in the music video and its narrative. In addition to this we used many shots that made it seem like Jack was perhaps lonely and isolated from others and this could contribute to this relation, which in turn fulfils the Uses and Gratifications Theory. 

We used clothing to form Jack's image throughout the music video, that also provides an opportunity for relation.

We did not only create this identity and style within the music video as it is something that we kept in mind when creating our Digipak and its advert. Having Jack in colour, but the background in black and white was a technique that we used throughout in order to portray him as understood, which could provoke relation from the audience. In addition to this, Jack is wearing the same clothing brand in the Digipak, its advert and the music video, which goes a long way to creating an identity.


Within the Digipak and the advert we have tried to keep the typography as simple as possible in order to present an air of class about our character, which is why the text is also white. Also, although I have already talked about the clothing that he wears, the way he dresses and presents himself throughout all of our products is rather casual and therefore would allow a sense of relation with the audience members who see themselves in a similar way. 

The usage of the contrast between colour and black and white which ultimately conveys Jack as isolated and
lonely; this allows us to create a connection between him and the audience. What he is wearing could also do this.

I think the Digipak and the song go hand in hand. Ultimately, the name of the song is 'You Found Me' and we kept this in mind when designing our Digipak as we wanted to convey him as isolated and perhaps even lonely. By forming his image in this way, we are creating a connection between Jack and the audience, which is ultimately how the product sells both the song and the album to the audience. 

The contrast of colour provides an opportunity for relation from the
audience as well as the sense of isolation. The social networking links
allows the viewer to almost literally interact with the artist, which provides
a sense of community.

I believe the same can be said for the advert, but the theory behind how that would sell the Digipak is altered slightly. The advert again provides this image of isolation, and the usage and contrast of colour complements this technique. Both products revolve on forging a connection to the audience, and I feel the advert certainly does this again due to what his wearing but to how he is depicted also.

Within both the advert and digipak, the casual image of Jack himself hints towards the genre of Indie/AltRock and therefore his style also. To conclude, we have created a brand identity primarily by his mannerisms and what he is wearing, and this ultimately forges a connection to the audience also. Ultimately, by utilising the same elements throughout, we have been able to keep the combination of our products effective and the audience engaged.

This is a clear comparison between one of our Digipak panels and the
music video. This is evidence of our trying to create Jack's image with
clothing, while at the same time trying to convey a sense of isolation and
loneliness that provides an opportunity for relation from the audience.

Evaluation Part One

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

As a general rule, we included the 
majority of music video conventions as we felt to detract too much from these would be risking the success of our music video. We adhered to some conventions such as the shot speed, as music videos usually contain quick shots in order to engage the audience, but where the song's tempo slowed we had some longer shots in order to convey emotion. In addition to this, we used certain shot types such as close ups in order to achieve the same effect, although it must be said we experimented with these and added our own twist to this convention.

We attempted to depict a lonely character, whilst creating
a connection between him and our audience from the outset.

Furthermore, we used many locations and transitions in order to engage the audience further. Using differing locations such as outside a cemetery, a park and the centre of one of the world's busiest cities allows us to form an image for our character whilst ensuring we have an engaged audience. It must be said that one of the conventions we had reservations when it came to the decision of adhering to it or not was the presence of a performance but this is something more applicable to actual genre conventions. 

We depicted Jack in a variety of locations in order to engage the audience.

Upon analysis of other music videos from the same genre, it became apparent that they all contained narratives, but this was something I wanted to include even before analysing them. Also, something that both the genre and virtually all music videos have in common was the usage of different shot types and their length. At first we decided it would be best to go against the convention and just had the narrative appear, but ultimately it seemed the right choice to have the performance as it provides varied shot types and complements the song well. 

With our front cover, we wanted a simplistic image in order to

provide a connection but with the advert we wanted to portray a different

side of Jack's personality. 

As in our music video Jack is portrayed as a misunderstood and isolated character, and the usage of colour contrasted with black and white furthers this within the Digipak. In regard to the advert, we wanted to divagate from this and through the usage of fire to represent a different side of Jack, and the intensity of his personality. Ultimately, we have used the Digipak and its advert in order to try and create a connection between Jack and the audience. 


The use of conventions ultimately leads up to the connection between the target audience and Jack himself. For example the usage of a narrative in the music video allows the audience to follow him throughout, and his face in the Digipak would allow his image to become recognisable. We only adapted one convention, and that was of including the performance footage when our original stance was to not do so but it seems that the music video is better for it.

A narrative was always going to feature, but new ideas
changed it at several points to complement our final edit.

In regard to our Digipak, we used pictures that Jack features heavily in in order to try and form the right image as well the connection between him and the audience. The front cover definitely adheres to the conventions of a Digipak, and especially that of a first album as the simplistic use of his face plays a part in the formation of his image. We also learned upon analysis of other Digipaks that colour played a big part in how they attracted an audience so this is something we kept in mind when designing them. 

You Found Me - The Final Focus Group

You Found Me - The Director's Commentary

You Found Me - The Final Edit

Digipaks and Advert Analysis

Final Digipak Designs and Advert

29th November's Production Post

Our music video is finally finished, along with the Digipak panels and advert we have been working on for months now. The lip-syncing shots that were used within the montage give the ending a much more professional outcome. The ending with the cross dissolves between the two shots of Jack and the final shot of the gravestone have been completed, all of the effects have been finalised to leave the video completed, which is in good timing. 

After months of hard work, we now have a final product and can move onto our evaluations. Next week we will start work on our director's commentary as well as the focus group in order to gather opinions and reflect on the music video we have created. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the three others in my group, and while I feel we have fulfilled our potential; there is still a way to go in regard to the evaluation work. 

25th November's Production Post

We have finished the four panels of the Digipak and are very close to finishing the design for the advert too. We have having second thoughts about the ending, as it seems to perhaps detract away from the professional quality that we are looking for, so this will be something we will want to act upon as we come close to the final edit of our music video. The montage has been altered slightly as it is now intertwined with shots of Jack lip syncing, which ultimately makes for a more engaging ending. 

The montage looks much more professional with the transitions,
and how it flows would help engage the audience also. 

22nd November's Production Post

An idea that we have been toying with since we started our final edit has been the presence, or lack of, any kind of a performance by a band considering it is a common genre convention. After deep thought, we decided that we could at least try and film some shots of a band as well as Jack lip syncing the song in this way. Although it was meant to be solely an experiment, some of the shots look professional and engaging, and will be perfect for certain parts of the song where there is solely an instrumental and little else. 

18th November's Production Post

This week we managed to not only film the close-ups that had been lacking, but we have managed to start on the montage also. There are a few more touches, such as colour correction and the ending that need to be completed before we can call our music video the finished article, but I feel as if we are very close to that stage now. In regard to our Digipaks, we've completed all but one of the panels and the finishing touches need to be applied to the advert we have been working on.


After an evaluation by one of our teachers, we have decided that it would be best to not only make the montage shorter but to cut to further lip-syncing shots in-between. There is also one shot, that is rather shaky, that will need to be cut out, but it shouldn't take too much effort to replace this. I have a deadline in my head of a week's time, and this is when ultimately I would like the Digipaks and the final edited version to be completed in their entirety.

This is an example of one of the shots we have of Jack
lip syncing within the montage; I feel it ultimately
makes the ending flow much better. 

15th November's Production Post

We have been exploring different locations for the close-ups in which we found that we are lacking on the back of the feedback from our teacher's, that I talked about around a week ago. This is something that we will be looking to action within the next few days, as well as starting on our third and fourth panels for the Digipak; and not forgetting the advert that we must complete also. At this moment in time I feel as if we will meet our deadlines for both the music video and the Digipak as well as leaving us with enough time to complete a thorough evaluation of our work.

11th November's Production Post

On the Tuesday of this week, we finally got the last section of our music video filmed. We have been experimenting with the shots that we have filmed and due to the pace of the music where we want them to be, jump cuts seem the best form of action. This allows us to not only provide clarity and context for the audience, but it allows us to display a juxtaposition between the two shot types and therefore deepen the narrative of the video itself.


Despite our success in midweek, we have come to realise that we are lacking in close-ups, which is something that will need to be looked at within the next week. We cannot get started on the montage until we have all of the footage, and we need to do this as soon as possible as it will be a crucial and time consuming part of the edit. Considering the progress we are making, I feel we are in a good position to complete the final edit of the music video and the final versions of the Digipaks within the next few weeks. 

One of the many shots that we finally filmed this week, after
a struggle with timetables meant we couldn't.

8th November's Production Post

Today we have planned to get the final section of our music video filmed and bar any disaster, by the end of today we will have that footage in place within our narrative which is coming on leaps and bounds now.  I believe that our next step would be to show the work in progress that is our music video to both of our teachers in order to obtain feedback and then action upon it. The first couple of panels of our Digipak are also coming along nicely as we have started to take some time to start designing those this week. 

4th November's Production Post

The good news this week was that our final edit seems to be taking shape, and the shots that we have, in my opinion, fit very well to the narrative and the song. However, as our two actors were not both available as they had a very busy week, we have had to postpone the filming of our last section for at least another week. This will give us some extra time to plan exactly what we need to film and make sure that next week's session, which is most likely going to take place on the Tuesday, will be as efficient as possible.

In addition to this, the ending is definitely starting to take shape now, but there are a few effects and details that need to still be tinkered with in order to make sure that it's the best it can possibly be. We have started work on our Digipak advert and the panels, which we are making good progress with. In regard to the editing, we are having some problems with the dimensions of the footage; but this is something that we are looking into and will surely solve in the near future.

1st November's Production Post

The footage that we filmed in Cheam has now been uploaded and is in place, and the colourful shots undoubtedly add another dimension to what we have already filmed. It is interesting to see how our narrative and music video have taken shape over the past few weeks as although we are well into filming, new ideas are being introduced and tested all the time; which I'm sure will benefit the final edit our of music video. 

This screenshot shows the variety of footage that we have,
including that which we filmed this week. 

28th October's Production Post

We filmed a number of shots on the final location in Cheam that was decided upon. As these shots have a lot of greenery and foliage in them, we will ensure that we use colour correction in order to make the shots as attractive as possible; and therefore engaging to the audience. We still have one 'major' section left to film, which will include Jack and his girlfriend, that I hope will provide context for the audience in the final edit. 


We are unsure of the exact location where this will take place but due to a tight timetable, we'd prefer it to be in the local area but not as recognisable. We have also started work on the ending, and although this is very much a work in progress, it is starting to take some shape. In a week's time I'll update our overall progress on the edit, as well as news on any footage we have filmed. 

25th October's Production Post

As we are now in the half term, virtually all of the members of our group as well as our actors have other commitments and therefore the pace of the workload has slowed. However once we get back in on Monday we will be looking to hit the ground running in regard to the shots of lip syncing that will allow us to vary the types of shots that we have already. There is also one shot that hopefully will be filmed at some point this week which relates to the line 'you never sent me no letters', so we will have this ready to place in our music video as soon as we get back and regroup next week. 

21st October's Production Post

Today we decided that we need to obtain more footage, so this is something we are going to have to action not only over the half term (which begins on Monday) but after that week as well. During the past week we filmed one shot which involved posting many letters through a letterbox in order to correspond with the line: 'you never sent me no letters', which can be seen below. 


We have realised that there are a few lines for which we lack material so when we next film with our actor (who is unfortunately on holiday until the end of half term) we will ensure that these certain lyrics are covered. As for a location, either Nonsuch or Richmond Park have been touted as possibilities as they are both easily accessible and attractive areas. In my next production post, I will include updates in regard to work with the Digipaks as well as any filming or editing we have undertaken. 

A screenshot of the footage that we filmed, which fulfils Goodwin's Theory as it relates directly to the lyrics.

18th October's Production Post

Due to the timetables and commitments of both of our actors we have been unable to film the final and arguably one of the most important scenes in our music video. It was originally supposed to be within the introduction of our music video, but due to its narrative it seems better that it takes place around halfway though the video instead. Over the next few days, the group is going to get together and plan what needs to be actioned upon in regard to what we have or haven't filmed as our music video is starting to take shape at this moment in time. 

14th October's Production Post

The group is making strong progress with the music video, and with one very short section left to film, I feel we are in a good position at this moment in time. The beginning of our music video is looking very strong, and I'm sure the rest of the music video will follow suit in the coming days and weeks. There are a few extra mini projects I have been working on in After Effects, which can be seen below and that in my opinion will have added more substance to the final music video.


We are looking at the 18th to get our final piece of filming finished, and from that point onwards we can completely focus on the editing side of things. It has interested me to see how our idea has developed over time, and I'm sure that this will have made the video better than I had imagined previously. We will be looking to use things such as colour correction to enhance the clips that are already in place, and this type of effect alongside any filming we will complete will be present in the next production blog. 

An idea that I decided to test out, but the name of our
character is yet to be decided upon. 

We have started to work on the ending of our music
video, which will be the crux in regard to the audience's
reaction. 

11th October's Production Post

We have used the sections that we have filmed in the past week to form a strong beginning to our music video which ultimately allows the audience to form a connection with Jack from the outset. If both of our actors are available together at the same time over the next fortnight we will be looking to film the shots of them both which will add context to the video itself. Although we haven't started to design our Digipaks yet, ideas are starting to form and once we reach the latter stages of our editing we will look to push on with designing and finishing those.

7th October's Production Post

On 7 October, we travelled locally to Carshalton Ponds and the surrounding area there in order to film possibly the most important shot in the whole music video with the twist at the end. Admittedly, we didn't spend as long here as we did when we were filming in London but this was probably due to the ease of transport, and the fact that the shots we needed to film were somewhat minimalistic. 


As you can see from the images below, our Final Cut Express project is starting to take shape by this point, and you can also see some of the shots that we have taken. As a lot of the footage we have filmed up to now as been rather atmospheric, we will be looking to play with the colour correction in order to heighten the atmosphere within said shots. This, along with more specific details about our editing process will be in my next production blog, which will appear here soon.

4th October's Production Post

On 4 October our group once again travelled to London, but this time with our actor, and I believe this day has allowed us to make a strong foothold in the project as a whole. The day itself all but went to plan, and although we decided to divagate from certain locations within the plan that we had created, I personally feel that we obtained enough footage after we filmed many verses being lip synced in differing locations and coming up with some fantastic ideas for shots.

The day pretty much went off without a hitch, apart from being told that we needed a permit to film in Trafalgar Square but this didn't hinder our filming in the slightest. As you can see from the images below, we paid a lot of attention to detail of what was in each shot, and this has ultimately allowed the music video to look more and more professional in its quality. 

Our next filming session will be taking place on Friday 7 October, where we will be looking to film the integral part to our ending, as well as a few more verses that we perhaps neglected on the Tuesday. As ideas are still coming out when we are filming, the teamwork in our group couldn't be at a higher level and I feel very confident that this will result in the best end product possible. 

30th September's Production Post

We are still planning to film in London on Tuesday, and now we have confirmation that our actor Jack will definitely be free, this will allow us to push on with our music video and especially the beginning. We have decided as a group that we will head to the area around Trafalgar Square at first and then branch out to other places in order to obtain a variety of shots. These shots will need to be both shots of the surroundings as well as shots of Jack lip syncing different parts of the song in different locations as we begin to piece of music video together. 

27th September's Production Post

On 27 September, our group travelled to London in order to film for our music video. Unfortunately, our actors were not able to join us as they had academic commitments but we used the day wisely and we were able to film what could best be characterised as 'filler shots' and to also take photographs for the Digipak that we will soon be designing. 


Below, you can see some of the pictures that we took and will be utilizing in the design phase of our project. Our next filming session will be taking place on 4 October, for which there will be another post like this, and our actors will be free this time around so we will be taking a big step in regard to the progress of our music video. 


Aside from this day, we have taken more photos for usage with the designing of the Digipak and its advert. Furthermore, I have been experimenting with After Effects and have completed pieces for two effects that I would like to feature in our music video, which you can again see below. I feel we are making good progress at this moment in time, and we are working well together and will continue to do so. 

 

Lyrics Analysis

Click on the pictures in order to enhance them. 

Storyboards