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.