Evaluation

Having completed my A2 advanced production it is extremely satisfying seeing the final outcome that is the product of detailed research, planning, editing and construction. The task has been a challenge that has taught me new skills and developed my understanding of creative processes. The song and band I chose to base my products around was the ‘Rumble Strips – Girls and Boys in Love’. To this I had to plan and create a music promotional video, album cover and magazine advertisement.

At the very start of my project I did extensive research into the conventions of music videos, this, along with my textual analysis of existing products gave me a better understanding into what forms and conventions were used and expected by consumers. I found that the conventions and stereotypes surrounding a product depend heavily on the genre of music the song fits into, which in my case was a mix of ‘indie’ and ‘soul’. I created some key categories for the conventions to fit into as there are so many codes and conventions surrounding all aspects of the task. The categories I devised were the style and type of text, camera work and editing, sound, layout, mise-on-scene and representations. I found that I conformed to some of these conventions but also developed or contradicted them in other areas.

The opening scene of my promotional video is a close up of ‘foot tapping’ which then splits into two, three and four screens. The split screen editing is something that I found in many indie and pop genre videos and was one of the main elements in the ‘Example’ video I did a textual analysis on. I liked the effect it gave and found it was very suited to an upbeat tempo like the track I had chosen, this gave me the inspiration to create my own take of the effect. The outcome of this editing technique has turned out to be successful as the splits in the screens pick out the tempo of the song which then stays prominent in the viewers mind throughout the rest of the song.

Throughout the video I have used a prop of an acoustic guitar. This is symbolic as it is often associated with the indie style of music, not only that but it also signifies that that main character is also the musician which makes that audience associate his actions with the lyrics and creates a cameo style video.

The cameo style of video is also a common convention used in ‘indie’ music videos and often contains one male main character. The narrative in the video fits the meaning of the lyrics and is about a romance. I chose to use narrative to give meaning to the lyrics and create an interest for the viewer. I also thought it would provide the best scope for creativity and use of editing techniques. Although I have conformed to conventions by using a cameo narrative style, the narrative contradicts expectations as it doesn’t have a resolution ending and therefore doesn’t conform to Todorov’s theory or equilibrium, dis-equilibrium and resolution which are what most videos do. I chose to contradict this theory to create enigma for the viewer and to create the question ‘will they be reunited?’

The editing used throughout the film uses a wide range of techniques. The transitions between shots are varied depending on the meaning of the shot, some transitions I have used regularly are cross dissolves, fades and quick cuts. Stereotypically quick cuts are used for an upbeat tempo song so I included these where appropriate but also contradicted this stereotype by using cross dissolved and long fades. The reason for the use of these transitions was to either show a thought or emotions.

Towards the end of my film I show a sequence of memories that are intertwined using quick cuts and cross dissolves with an abstract image of the main character stood still whilst people are speeding around him. To signify a memory I have used a red colour wash on the imagery this not only gives a clear division between present and past but also shows his negative attitude when looking back as red is stereotypically a ‘danger’ colour. This flashback narrative is not something that is common in music videos but works really well for my brief and narrative.

In the production of my album cover I used many typical conventions to make it clear to the consumer what genre of music it is and to appeal to those interested in the genre. I used an artistic photograph of the main character surrounded by girls and boys which I was then able to fit my text around in between the actors in the image. This kind of artistic image was then made to look abstract by adding a colour wash and altering the saturation. Abstract imagery is extremely common in album covers and the colour wash will make it stand out in a row of similar products. The text was in black bold writing to keep it simplistic but arranged in an unusual way. This is so the writing is still clear and doesn’t get drowned out by the image behind.
The reverse of the album cover is also very stereotypical with a different yet similar abstract image with a similar colour wash with simple black writing displaying the song titles. This is something that is found often on album covers along with the fact that the main character from the film is also the main focus in these texts. This provides band recognition as consumers may notice this which will draw their attention to it. Another reason why this is a commonly used convention is because artists are proud of their work and want to endorse it.

The combination of my main product and the ancillary texts is very effective as all three are connected and very similar. One of the similarities between the three is the fact that they all have the main character and singer of the band as the face of the product. I chose to style all main actors in my film in ‘indie’ style clothing which demonstrates the genre and was a technique used in all three texts.

All three texts are important to promoting music and are powerful weapons in the music industry as the ultimate goal is to make profit. The reason I decided to make all three similar is to make them recognisable to the consumer. For example if a consumer sees a magazine advertisement or the music video they will be able to instantly recognise the CD as the collective image of all three becomes a brand associated with the song and band. This is used all across the music industry and is why logos are used or a certain style of writing. I feel I have successfully created a connection between the three which was an important factor when planning and creating the texts.

Audience feedback has played an important role in understanding my target audience and taking criticisms thus being able to improve the outcome of my project. In my research I devised a questionnaire in order to gain insight into my target audience and the demands and expectations they have. The questionnaire was also useful in finding what platform the product would be shown from. The information I gathered in this research turned out to be invaluable in making creative decisions and it taught me to consider what the consumer wants rather than just running with personal preferences.

I have learnt that difficult decisions can be made a lot easier by gaining other opinions either in a questionnaire or a poll. For example, when choosing the song to base my product on, I had several alternatives all with potentially good ideas. To make the decision I made a poll and asked consumers their thoughts, by doing this I ensured that the song choice would be popular for a range of people and it wasn’t just my own choice.

The use of technology was undoubtedly a crucial part throughout the entire product. Some of the technology I used included specialised editing software such as ‘final cut express’, the cannon digital camera and tripod, fireworks software for the ancillary texts, power point presentations, a scanner to upload written work, a digital camera and the blog.

The software I spent the longest amount of time using was ‘Final cut express’ which is professional editing software. The use of this allowed me to create a quality video with the use of professional transitions and colour tints. I was able to experiment with different techniques and learnt a lot about the software.

Technology was not only vital in the construction but also in the research and planning of my project. I found the internet was a good source for background research and images of existing products and the blog was easy to organise and input. The advantage of using a blog is also because the information is then accessible from any computer with an internet connection. Another, less complex form of technology I used was a wireless scanner linked to a computer. This enabled me to upload any hand written work to my blog such as story boards and spider diagrams.

Magazine Advert

Album Cover

storyboards

Song Choice

Rumble Strips – Girls And Boys In Love Lyrics

Just ’cause you think it,
Don’t make it so,
Drop you to drink it,
Won’t let you go.

CHORUS
Plenty of girls and boys in love,
Plenty of girls and boys in love.

Move to the city,
Loose all your heart,
She weren’t that pretty,
You ain’t too smart.

CHORUS
Plentyof girls and boys in love,
Plenty of girls and boys in love.

But ain’t it a shame,
Woaaah oooohhh,
Ain’t it a shame,
Woaaah oooohhh,

Ain’t it a shame,
I’ve let you go,
Plenty of girls… and boys in love.
Plenty of girls… and boys in love (3x)

Single Song Words by Artist / Band : Rumble Strips
Lyrics Title : Girls And Boys In Love
Taken from Album : Girls And Weather
Single Released : Sept – Oct 2007
Music Genre : Soul / Indie / Pop

Song Ideas

Analysis of Questionnaire

In total I have surveyed 30 people at random whilst trying to get an even mix of genders. I feel I now have enough information to analyse and consider whilst planning my products. I marked anyone over the age of 26 in red and I will review this data but not let it influence any decisions I make for my product.

Age: I surveyed 25 people between the ages of 16 and 25 and 5 people over the age of 26, this gives me 25 people within my target audience which is a large enough data base to get an idea of what the consumer wants.

Gender: Having managed to get a 50/50 mix of males and females my data should not be bias to any gender.

Genre: The two most popular genres of music were ‘pop chart’ and ‘indie’. Pop received 8 votes (2 from over 26’s) whilst ‘indie’ gained 10. I was considering an indie song choice which is now justified as it seems a popular amongst my target age group. Another genre I was considering was R&B, however this only received 2 votes so I wouldn’t be appealing to a wide enough consumer group.

Time spent watching music videos: The results from this question surprised me as I predicted that most people would watch under an hour a week as they usually last no longer than 5 minutes but it would appear to be a regular activity for most participants I asked the majority of people said they watched between 1 and 2 hours a week (13 votes).

What medium music videos are watched on: The two prominent answers are by viewing them online and watching music channels (online-10 music channels-11). This tells me that music channels are a good platform and are still very popular in this online age.

Music channels: Having discovered that a large amount of people watch music channels it’s important that I choose the right ones to show and promote my video. The two most popular were MTV and NME, these would both be suitable choices for my possible genre, ‘indie’.

Personal style: The reason I wanted to know this is so I know how important my actors clothing and style is and weather I should dress them in order to conform to stereotypes associated with the genre of music. I found that most people said it wasn’t important to them with 19 votes (4 red) and 11 people said it was. However it still may be beneficial to conform to stereotypes because it won’t affect those who don’t follow the styles but it will benefit those who do.

Influence over song: The majority of people feel that music videos do influence their decisions about a song. This confirms the importance of the video and its power to promote a song.

Type of videos: Almost all people chose narrative, cameo or performance with only a few liking animation or dance. Narrative is the style I am considering and I am reassured that its popular amongst the consumer.

Questionnaire

Potential Target Audience

Having done background research into music promo videos, magazine advertisements and album covers, I have discovered some codes and conventions used within the industry, these will be useful to bear in mind when planning and making my own project. However, I will also need to consider the target audience to aim my product towards. In order to endorse the song, the product has to be aimed at the right market so it is designed for their enjoyment. If the target audience is right and the context appeals to the audience, a music video, advertisement and album cover can boost sales of merchandise and albums thus increasing popularity and profits.

I have decided to aim my project at an age range of 16 to 25. I decided this was the most suitable age from my research as most videos were aimed at a younger generation. This is also backed up by research on videos from Youtube and looking through who had posted comments.

By devising a questionnaire, I can gain a clear understanding as to exactly who is interested in music videos and what genre of music they enjoy, this will be particularly useful when choosing a song to base my project around. It also determines what types of music videos are most popular and which media source is used most for viewing them. This will give me a clear idea of what styles and techniques to include and also where the finished product will be shown.

I have decided to limit the questions to the music video, the reason for excluding direct questions about the advertisement and CD cover is partly because I didn’t want the questionnaire to be lengthy, thus frustrating the participants. Also because the video is the main task and the other two products will naturally take influences from the video in order to conform to the conventions I have researched.

I have ensured that the layout of the questionnaire is easy to take and read, I have produced a tally that doesn’t require lengthy answers and is indicated by a single line. I intend to gather information for my questionnaire by using a clip board and asking people on my local high street at random. This way, I will get unbiased results from people with a wide range of backgrounds and interests. I will use green pen for anyone aged between 16 and 25 and red for anyone 25 and over, this is because I want to differentiate between my target audience results and those outside the target audience.

Textual Analysis Magazine Advertisements

Textual Analysis Magazine Advertisement - Lostprophets

This magazine advertisement is from January’s edition of Kerrang magazine in 2010. Kerrang is a music based magazine specifically designed around the rock and metal genre of music which is directly targeted at the niche market suited to Lostprophet’s style of music. This means that advertising here will be very effective as the majority of people that see the advert will fit the target market.

The contrast between colours in the advertisement creates a dramatic effect as the harsh black background illuminates the stark white text. The use of black conforms to stereotypes and conventions associated with the genre of the music which will attract listeners of the genre. The only other colour used is on the HMV logo which is bright pink and stands out, this is partly because it is a company logo and can not be changed but it could also be argued that the endorsement of such a big company enhances the product and also helps show that the product being advertised is an album.

The context within the advertisement is minimalist and simplistic but provides the vital information in order to advertise
the product. The most eye-catching information is the band name and title of the album which immediately draws the attention of the reader. This not only stands out through use of colour but also through the artistic typography which shows images of birds and wings.
This imagery is significant to the band as it is a reoccurring symbol that is shown through all of their albums and as part of their band logo. By using a reoccurring image it makes the audience associate the symbol with the band forming a connection.

Other information displayed in the advertisement is the release date of the single which is in large writing so the important information is easily absorbed, above this in smaller writing is the description of the product (the new single), this makes the information very clear to understand and leaves no room for misinterpretation. This could also be displayed because the bands album is also advertised on the same page and by writing this above the date it is clear that it is in relation to the single. Another way the single and the album information is clearly separated is by a single white line which splits the information into two halves and is shown almost as a subtitle giving the main priority to the single. Displaying the two products on the same advert is cost effective as it saves the need for a second advertisement which would be very expensive.

The layout of the advertisement is visually pleasing not only due to the text and separation of the page but also because of the simplistic appearance and empty spaces. These blank areas could be seen as a waste of space, however they make the information easy to absorb as the reader is not bombarded with clutter and useless information.

Overall I think this advertisement is suited to its target market due to the overall appearance and the magazine it is featured in. I think the main success is that the information is ‘to the point’ which makes the reader more willing to absorb it. This is something I will consider when making my own magazine advertisement.