Evaluation - Sam Payne

 In what ways does your media product use, develop and challenge the conventions of real media products?
The music video that we have produced generally follows the conventions of a pop/R&B music video. This was achieved through extensive research of both the artists, their genres, and the technical elements of mise-en scene, cinematography, location and editing. It was crucial that we researched the artists themselves, this would give an insight into their personal and brand styles which have worked successfully in previous music videos. Also, aspects of Goodwin's theory were considered such as the incorporation of lyrics and selling the artist.

A major convention of the R&B genre is the strong focus on selling the artist through a narrative. Adele in particular uses narrative in music video, with many of the videos following as a key character within the narrative, lip-syncing is also commonly used in this genre, often there are two separate scenes for performance and narrative. However, in our music video we attempted to combine these conventional ideas giving the effect that the lip-syncing/lyrics are like a conversation between the two characters. This development would sell the artist as it would bring a new dimension to the narrative and the character, causing the conflict to seem more relatable and realistic. In relation to Goodwin's theory, this new development would show a strong sense of lyrical representation, where specific lines and lyrics are visually represented within the music video.

As well as Adele, another similar artist such as Amy Winehouse show a clear portrayal of the personality by using closeup camera shots, and centering specifically on the artist. This causes the audience to have a more personal and relatable connection with the artist, and is valid way of selling the artist. In order to support our new development of lip-syncing and narrative, we used a variety of angles focusing on the main artist, along with a voyeuristic shots.

The narrative of our music video is conventional of most music videos, it follows an equilibrium-climax-equilibrium pattern and follows a love story. We challenged the conventions here as we were inspired by the "Fight For Your Right Revisited" video, a remake of the original Beastie Boys music video which follows a movie-like theme and focuses heavily on the narrative rather than the music. Although we didn't follow this principle, we do feel as if this was a heavily influence on our decision to feature the narrative as the main element. Also, we did hint at some sort of domestic violence, or male domination in our narrative, which gave it more professionalism. In the real world many popular artists do try to include references to these sort of common issues, these could be very beneficial for the audience who are educated by the video or given a sense of support - this causes everyone to have some sort of connection with the narrative and widens the audience. For example, Pink made obvious reference to 'perfection', suicide, bullying and other struggles, through her music video for "Perfect". Adele is quickly becoming an influential artist, and therefore has increased responsibility with issues such as this.

Branding is another crucial element in selling the artists, we wanted to make the artist unique and therefore easily identifiable and relatable. Adele's character was portrayed through a young women, in the stereotypical 'love' narrative, whereas Kanye West is shown through his upmarket; gangster style and by the location of the alley in the city. The brand is more successful with two young actors as fans of these artists would be young, therefore it puts the issues at an evenmore relatable level through age.

Our camerawork also attempted to challenge conventions, we had an idea to have the entire video as a tracking shot that evolved and flowed together. But we found this to be unpractical and time consuming, and therefore adapted this into a chronological set of events, with had a very clear relation to the voyeurism in Goodwin's theory. Overall the types of shot were fairly basic and we decided to use more static shots in the hotel scene as this slower and more depressing. We followed the convention of camera angles and movements fitting the beat and music, along with this continually focusing on the artists. One artist we looked into was Eminem & Rihanna's "Love The Way You Lie", in the video the shots revolved around the artist and were very fast-paced to reflect the mood of the song.

Mise-en scene was ofcourse an important element in revealing the characters to the target audiences. Firstly, the location of the alley in the city is a conventional rap settings. Here we see the use of darker colors, and dull lighting which allude to Kanye’s stereotypical “gangster” style and the more “criminal” side of conventional rap videos. Typically, rap music videos do have a darker atmosphere with their urban settings which reflect the more mysterious nature of rap. On the other hand, the hotel scenes are brighter and give a more personal edge to the music video. R&B artists often feature more personal scenes in their music videos, for example, the narrative of “Love The Way You Lie” and Adele’s previous video “Make You Feel My Love” which takes place in a bedroom. By following the conventions of both genres we are targeting two audiences, yet are showing some unique contrasts. For example we have the gender, the location, the lighting and the colours, representing how opposing elements can work together to create something that is artistically unique and engaging.

Lighting was another aspect of the mise-en scene which followed the genre conventions. In the hotel scene emphasis is put on the use of artificial lighting, creating a more dramatic atmosphere. We drew inspiration from Adele’s earlier music videos which emphasise her vocal and uses lighting techniques as one method to do so. This follows the conventions of both the R&B and rap genres as they again focus on a contrast between light and shadow.

The costumes of Adele is very simplistic and elegant, highlighting her body and the sincerity of her personality, something which is reminiscent of R&B artists such as Beyoncé. The bright red lipstick is technically appealing as the colour stands out against the other dull colours of the video, in photography this striking use of colour can draw the audience into an image. Kanye West’s costumes matches Adele’s style, the suit causes the narrative to have good continuity and to make sense. However, we drew inspiration for a suit from our general knowledge of rappers fashion style. Jay-Z and Kanye West can frequently be seen wearing a white suit to awards shows or more formal occasions. In our video, we tried to add a “gangster” element by having the colour of the shirt up slightly, this symbolizing a rebelling nature of the rapper.

In editing we began by used simple cuts on the beat, which conventionally followed Goodwin’s theory. After watching Beyoncé’s “Countdown” music video we found that transitions could quickly make the project more interesting. We added fades and split screens to give a sense of parrellel editing and overall enhance the narrative. One editing technique which developed the conventions was to experiment with a rewind cross-fade idea, this turned out be more abstract than most R&B or rap videos. For the target audience the inclusion of something more experimental may heighten the appeal as it is fresh and different, making the music video individual.

Overall we had no choice but the challenge and develop the conventions of the music video, this is because we had to combine, and attempt to feature, characteristics from two genres successfully. This benefited the project as it gave a distinct identity and style to the music video.

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary products?
The addition of ancillary products created an extensive and realistic aspect to our project. It was crucial for our product to follow a common; consistent theme that would be recognizable and brand-able in the real world. From a marketing perspective, the consistent blue tint and use of high contrast photo would form a sense of branding and identity for the prospective artists. As a result of this the products would better sell the artist, generate sales and create a higher revenue. Again we had to combine ideas for both genres of artist in order to make the products appealing to the target audience. Both products were very image focused, is would potentially help the target audience to become familiar with the artists and their brand. One particular image was used on both the magazine advert and the back of the digipack in an attempt to work like a logo, making it easily recognizable and giving the consumer the impression the artist is known and reputable. We also used the blue tint across our ancillary products to give a distinct theme that represented the depressing or nature of the original music video. In a marketing sense, having three products which have strong visual similarities will cause consumers to link the products and be interested in buying all three. Creating a recognizable and unique brand is very important in the music industry as it can make an artist stand out, and appear different to the competition. We believe our theme does this.

We researched products from both Adele and Kanye to find out what made them unique, and what was typically seen on these types of products. You will notice a focus on Adele in our ancillary products as she is the main artist of the products, the original song simply features Kanye West. An elegant font, simplistic font was used across the ancillary products to reflect Adele’s individual style. This also matched the previous music video which uses simplistic costumes and stylizing. The font is also effective as it is not too prominent, allowing more focus on the narrative of the images and the brand of the artist. Another effective aspect of our products was the blue tint, which was used after experimenting with many different colour schemes and edits. The blue tint matches the blue stylizing of the hotel scene in the music video, and in turn the depressive or somber atmosphere of the songs message. The photos themselves are specifically meant to look like the narrative of the music video, this giving a strong connection between the products and attempting to sell the artists. The poses of the actors give the photos a sense of narrative, this could intrigue the target audience give them connection with the characters. By combining two artists from opposing genres the target audience will also be interested to see the product, and the unique style or sound that could have been created.

The inspiration for the products came from in-depth research of the artists previous products. I found that R&B and rap genre products use generally dark lighting and emphasize light and dark to give a professional edge. In Adele’s most recent album “21” the images are all studio based and focus on the artist rather than the use of logos or fonts. By following this conventions we are able to appeal to a crossover of music fans, including rap, R&B, Adele and Kanye West fans.

What have you learnt from your audience feedback?
We received feedback at several different stages of the project, most of which came from peers in other groups. The first point of feedback was at the initial pitch of our idea for the song, after presenting the idea we allowed our peers to ask questions. This stage of feedback was incredibly crucial as it allowed us to prevent any problems before the filming even began. It was also helpful as the feedback from other groups was unbiased and offered further insight on things we might not have noticed. For our music video in particular, it was important to see that the narrative and mise-en scene was understandable and appealing for our target audience. The feedback definitely highlighted possible issues such as the original tracking shot idea, which we didn’t follow through in the end, yet we offered a good explanation and backup plan. There was also some concern over getting the hotel room, and most people recommend that we sort this out first.

At the rough cut stage we were given further feedback, this was perhaps the most important point of feedback. Our peers were able to give us advice and ideas as to making the music video more professional, and more successful from their point of view. As I said previously, it was also a test of the target audience to whether it was appealing to them. We also received feedback from teachers which was extremely beneficial as they have seen many music videos before, and clearly know what works well. Our teachers showed us how a simple music video, with hardly any narrative or meaning, can be incredibly visually interesting through the use of transitions and quick cuts. An idea that we implement was the use of further transitions or special effects, this improved the music video by giving it more pace. This also benefited the rap scenes which were weaker, and generally ‘flatter’ than the hotel scenes, causing it to appear more professional. Another idea was to improve the excitement in the rap scenes by using some non-lip-syncing shots, and finding shots with more movement as this will break up the other performance shots.

After consulting with the teachers we began to think of some further creative effects which might enhance the music video. The flashback or rewind effect, used on the long night before the instrumental, is one of those more creative effects which we think makes the music video more individual. The idea fits well with the narrative and would boost the interest on the outdoor scenes.

The final point of feedback on the music video was at the final edit. At this point we weren’t able to do any further editing, however, it did assist us in seeing if the video was successful with target audience. We also took elements from the music video and applied them to the ancillary products, such as the memorable hotel scenes and the blue tint used.

How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
Technology has been a crucial element in the creation of the music video and additional ancillary products. The internet was consistently used to research other music videos, conventions, Goodwin’s theory, the work of both our artists and the work of previous students. The internet also allowed us to contact the artists at one stage, requesting further information about the song, although they didn’t reply this does show the advancement of technology and the ease of contact.

Of-course the internet was also a useful tool as it enabled us to document and plan the entire project on the blog. The blog is beneficial as any member of the group can assess it and see all the information and research in our previous posts. I was able to do further research at home with the blog, and I could upload photos or edits from using Adobe Lightroom by using the blog. It also assisted us in planning as everyone was able to see the plan for the filming days through the location assessments and call sheets. The blog is helpful in the evaluation process too as I can look at previous posts or feedback to reference here.

During the filming process we obviously some camera equipment, the HD camera was the most important which offered good; professional quality for our filming. The camera gave us a high resolution which meant that the audience will get the best quality, even after editing occurred in Final Cut Express. We first experimented with the HD camera in the test footage, here we were able to see which shots worked successfully and those which wouldn’t work or weren’t suitable for the music video. The HD camera is small and offers a zoom function, these two features enable us to get the perfect shot as the camera can be easy placed and adjusted. This test allowed us to further our research and become more creative as we knew what was suitable and possible with the equipment. After finalizing our ideas, forming a shot list, storyboard and animatic we prepared for filming. On the two filming days we decided to use the HD camera, tripod, dolly and two artificial lights for the hotel room. After experimenting with the dolly earlier on, we deiced that the tracking shot idea wasn’t going to work, but the tripod allowed us to still create some steady shots for the music video. By using a tripod the experience for the audience is enhanced, giving the video a less ‘home movie’ look. The additional lighting in the hotel room was a key piece of equipment in creating a dramatic scene, we definitely benefited from using these lights, which caused a similar effect to Adele’s previous music videos. The lighting also prevented the hotel scenes from looking like ‘home movies’, instead giving it professionalism.

After filming the hotel scenes, we decided to take the opportunity for a quick photo shoot. I brought in my DSLR camera and knowledge from taking Photography to create some professional photos. This camera worked well as it enabled us to follow through with the professional look of the hotel scenes. We decided to do the photo shoot at this stage as we had the benefit of the extra lighting, which also created some interesting effects in these photos. These photos were later used in Adobe Lightroom, a professional photo-editing program, to create an equally interesting and effective style for the ancillary products.

For editing we used the Final Cut Express software, which is an advanced program professionally used in the real world. This offers us more functionality than a home-based program such as Windows Movie Maker or iMovie. The software enabled us to connect the visuals with lyrics of the song, turning our footage into an effective and successful music video. Through continual use and experimentation with the software we were able to find further feature, effects and transitions which could be used to enhance the music video. For example, we tried using the hue/saturation colour wheels for the tint, but later found that a specific colour tint could be added creating an artistic effect. There are many features and ways of editing the footage, but we had to find the correct style to suit the video, the artists and the conventions of the song. After getting feedback from our peers, teachers and looking at Beyoncé’s “Countdown” video, we decided to experiment with wipes and other professional looking transitions. This greatly improved the overall experience for the audience, giving the music video more movement and life.

When preparing for the ancillary products, I began to use the program Adobe Lightroom to edit the images from the earlier photo shoot. I experimented with many different styles, after consulting the group and researching other similar products from the genre, we decided on a blue tint. This became the main theme of our ancillary products, and so it was important to edit all the images in the same way. Adobe Lightroom is very good for photo editing as it has advanced options such as exposure, contrast, brightness and saturation controls, and is sometimes used by professional photographers. One crucial benefit of using this software was the ability to specifically adjust the exposure on areas of the photos, this helped on images which were particularly bright in areas due to extra lighting. Photoshop was used to construct the two ancillary products, this is a well-known and very advanced graphics editing program. We utilized the full capabilities of Photoshop by using the layers system to form a professional looking digipack and magazine advert. The fonts used were applied through Photoshop, which allowed us to change colours, sizes and the placement, this was important for the inside cover of the digipack which focused on lyrics. Photoshop also allowed us to easily change aspects of the two products, for example, the colours of the fonts or the placement of certain objects.