Wednesday, 16 February 2011
TASK FOUR: HOW DID YOU USE NEW MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND RESEARCH, PLANNING AND EVALUATION STAGES?
In order to discuss which digital technologies were used in the creation of our Pop Promo we put together a commentary script to be read alongside the screening of the promo:
When shooting our pop promo, we used three cameras, one camera was a Sony PD170 this was used to film close ups of the stop motion effect, as this camera uses a tape there is the ability to pause, which maintained the effect that objects were appearing and disappearing realistically. The other two cameras were Sony NX5s, these cameras are high definition giving a better quality and more professional appearance.The use of three cameras allowed us to be more creative with our shots and shoot a wider range of footage. One camera was used to shoot close ups and the other was place at a high angle filming continuous wide shots, this gave a wide variety of footage and shots to use and made the shoot day process more efficient. The Sony NX5s use SD cards which make the post production process more efficient as shots were already cut in comparison to one continuous tape which needs to be cut which the Sony PD170s provide.
In the post production stage final cut pro was used to slow down the stop motion footage. Another software used was called After FX where the split screening effect was used, this involved masking one side of the mise en scene and replacing it with half the mise en scene of another shot. The split screen was used to enable a band member to be placed alongside the stop motion effect on of objects around the room and create the illusion that time was passing. Colouring and grading was also used in After FX to make the colour quality of the promo better and make it appear more professional.
In the pre production stage of the pop promo, we used the internet in order to research other songs and music videos using YouTube. Examples of the specific promos looked at were The Kooks promo for the song ‘Shine On’. Our intention was to set the promo in a domestic space and in ‘Shine On’ the Kooks are depicted in a similar setting. The Kooks have the same genre and audience as the Arctic Monkeys so they were a appropriate band to use as an influence. The domestic, relatable image created for the band is similar to that of other bands within the genre. YouTube enabled us to watch videos and listen to songs and helped further our research into the genre. YouTube was also useful in providing other examples of stop motion which gave inspiration for the stop motion effect we wished to use. A user had created a purely stop motion film to the track ‘Sleepy Head’ by Passion Pit, this gave us more examples of the use of stop motion in a domestic space. We used Google to research different bands with a similar star image and music genre, The Ordinary Boys, The Libertines and the Arctic Monkeys provided a similar image we wished to portray for our own band. We found out that these bands are focused on their music and their own music influences so we decided that we would place posters of other artists in The Factory’s living space to show that music was also their passion. After this initial research we pitched our idea using PowerPoint for windows and then presented it through an overhead optoma projector on to an activboard.
In the post-production stage we used final cut pro on a Mac G5 which enabled us to edit our footage on a timeframe, this allowed us to view all our shots and then cut the most successful to the track as well as editing the stop motion effectively. The editing was rhythmic however there were still aspects of continuity editing as there was some form of narrative within our promo which was the idea that time was passing. The shots were cut to the loudest beats within the track. The shots of the band and singer were also cut in sync to the track. Final cut pro was also used to slow down the stop motion shots using the slow motion tool. The shots cut to the track created rhythm and flow for the promo as well as conforming to the conventions of music video editing.
The playback of the track on the shoot day was on a CD and played through a stereo, a 42 inch Samsung monitor, this allowed us to play and pause the track if we needed to shoot a new take. A monitor gives instant feedback on takes and performances to allow us to make instant changes if needed.
In the pre production stage we also used the internet to email the manager of the arctic monkeys and to email each other within the group using hyperlinks via Google and youtube, making the process more efficient. We bought the track on CD through Amazon and MP3 through iTunes. We then cut the duration of the track using soundforge, this is due to pop promo conventions where a radio edit is often used to maintain audience’s attention and interest. We filmed our storyboards frame by frame using a Sony PD170 and cut it using final cut pro to produce an animatic this helped to indicate which shots were effective or ineffective and what changes needed to be made.
Natural sidelights were used to create a naturally lit living space as well as the use of floor lights to create the illusion of a music studio. Individual spotlights were also used to create emphasis on the transition. The lighting rig was also controlled on an iPad app called Lumanair DMZ controller which was used to control the lighting rig, the introduction of the iPad at the end of 2010 gave us the ability to do so and made the lighting process more efficient.
To exhibit our pop promo, we uploaded it onto Youtube and facebook. Youtube allowed us to reach a mass audience of all ages and cultures whereas facebook only promoted the promo to our friends therefore particularly to our age group of 16-25 year olds. Reaching a mass audience helped generate audience feedback to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the promo and find out whether the narrative had translated effectively, from the feedback we recovered we found out it had and our promo was particularly popular with our target audience of 16-25 year olds who gave the feedback that they enjoyed the promo regardless of whether they liked the genre of music or not, however many commented that the transition from the bedsit to the studio could have been bigger.
TASK THREE: WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM YOUR AUDIENCE FEEDBACK?
How did you carry out your audience feedback? We carried out our audience feed back for our music video in three ways. Firstly, we uploaded it to YouTube where we gained both positive and negative feedback. For example, ‘Really good effects :) band works well together and I really enjoy it!!’, and ‘Its a good video except the drummer is not playing that song!!’. We also put the video on Facebook and asked a focus group a questionnaire. By doing these three things we gained good feedback to determine the strengths and weaknesses of our music video. How did the feedback reflect the strengths of your product? Perhaps the thing we were pleased about most is that 100% of the people answering the questionnaire liked our music video whether they listened to the Arctic Monkeys or not and two people rated it their favourite video on YouTube. Everyone who answered our questionnaire thought that we used the stop motion effectively and they gained the general idea that it purpose was to show time passing and the band becoming more successful. Some mentioned that it gave the video its unique selling point as it is rarely used in music videos. Many said that it made it more interesting and helped to tell the narrative of the video and they stated that the purpose of it was to show the band improving. As well as this, people though that the props that we used fitted well with their environment and showed their background effectively. How did the feedback reflect the weaknesses of your product? We did discover some things which we could improve on through the feed back from the questionnaires and the comments on YouTube. The main criticism is that the singer did not learn the words as well as he could have and therefore the lip syncing was not as good as it could have been. As well as this, all three other members of the band could not play their instruments and therefore we had to work with what they played. Next time if we were to make a music video again, we would make sure to use people who can play the instruments well. Some also said that we could have made a bigger and clearer transition, from being poor, working class boys and playing in the bed sit, to getting signed and becoming more successful. They stated that we could have perhaps used a stage with bigger lights but this is near impossible because of the budget we were given. Explain the encoding-decoding model - Stuart Hall The encoding-decoding model derives from the work of Stuart Hall. It is a theoretical model, which is based upon the notion that the audience do not act as a ‘mass’, but rather as a collection of smaller groups defined by social and ideological elements. Media texts are ‘encoded’ (both consciously and unconsciously) with the values of their producers, who are generally white, middle-class, men. However, the audience is not made up exclusively of these groups and different groups are likely to ‘read’ the text indifferent ways. This ‘decoding’ process has 3 possible outcomes which are, a preferred reading, a negotiated reading and an oppositional reading. Examples of preferred readings achieved From gaining feedback, most of the people we asked about our music video gave a preferred reading. This is that they read our video and understood the intended values and messages. So, they understood that the concept of our video and the values we intended them to interpret was about a group of boys who practiced in their room until they got signed and became successful. Examples of negotiated readings achieved Negotiated readings are when people understand some values and they accept some elements of the video, but they have their own opinions. One girl gave us a negotiated reading. She said that the boys were just a group who played in their room and she did not understand the transition to being successful. Examples of oppositional readings achieved An oppositional reading is when the audience or members of the audience disagree with the intended values and messages we tried to put across in the concept of the video. One member of the audience commented on the artificiality of the music industry and stated that he thought that the video was trying to convey that looks and attitude is more important than talent. Conclusion In conclusion from our audience feedback we have learnt that we should have made a bigger and more clear transition and used better musicians with a singer that learned the words. I also learned that using stop motion made the video more interesting as was a good way of showing the time passing.
TASK ONE: IN WHAT WAYS DO YOUR MEDIA PRODUCETS USE, DEVELOP AND CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?
This is the first frame in our music video which is obviously creating the environment of the boys. It shows an ordinary, relatable, working class boys’ bed-sit which it small and cramped, yet functional. The performance and narrative elements are bound together. The fact that there is a guitar and some drumsticks shows us the interests of the band. According to Negas, star image is a semi-mythological set of meanings constructed around music performers in order to sell the performer to a large and loyal audience. Our music video is an inspiration to other boys trying to start out and shows how the boys are just like any boys in bands.
The styling of the band is a quirky, indie image. This is clear from the way we have dressed them. The fact that we have our lead signer ‘Luke’ lying on the floor shows them as a chilled and relaxed band. We also tried to represent them as attribute to Oasis i.e. intertextuality. The drummer does not have a drum kit and this shows that they, as a band, are aesthetic and homemade which represents them as starting out on there quest to become worldwide. This links to Negus’ organic ideology of creativity in which he states that, there is naturalistic approach to artists, the image of the artist is enhanced by the record company and the artist is given time to evolve and progress through their career.
The star image of the band is that fact they are organic. They write their own songs and play their own songs instead of synthetic i.e. been put together and sing songs that others have written for them. The fact that they are organic makes them inherently talented. The significance of the organic approach for record companies and artists is that they do not need to spend time fitting the niche markets by putting groups together. It also gives the band a better chemistry because they have grown up around each other and put themselves together.
We have taken the stylistic approach by putting stop motion in our music video. This is not a convention of a music video, however we have choose to put it in our music video as it helps to link it to the theme of our video. We got our inspiration from a make of ‘Sleepyhead’. We wanted to show time passing to represent their life changing, developing and improving. This is a symbolic element which is connected with the theme of our video. We have chosen three main objects to represent the life of the boys’. The globe represents their global ambitions, while the newspaper shows their intellectual abilities, and the beer shows their rock and roll style similar to oasis or the libertines. Symbolic elements are a convention of a music video because they are used to communicate ideas quickly and efficiently within the short timeframe of a 3 minute video.
The girls are more there as friends rather than girlfriends, but they do contribute to the sex, drugs, rock and roll scene. They are contrasted to the way that women are used in other music videos. They are normally sexualised and put in to dance, however we have embedded them into the life of the band. Also, the fact that Luke is now standing, shows how the band has grown and is still growing. This is largely performance element. This helps to sell the band because they are just like any other band starting out i.e. they have friends which are girls who support them - they are ordinary boys.
This screen grab shows the change of the set which represents the change in their life. It is more like they are on the stage with bigger, better lights. They now have the amps they once aspired to as posters on their wall. The lights are edited in time to the beat and the editing speeds up to the climax in the narrative. This is a very conventional in other music videos too. The music video is edited using rhythmic montage. Is it rhythmically edited on the loud sound of the percussion, it cuts on the beat this is because it makes sense to the audience and we do not need to worry about the 180 degree rule either.
This panel of our digipak is our front cover. It has the band name ‘the factory’ like most from covers of albums and it also has the name of the album ‘keep calm and carry on’ which is a conventional approach, as most albums have a name on the front cover. We have the theme of mess integrated on it with a pile up of shoes which also features in our music video. The doc martin boots are particularly interesting as they link to the working class, factory boys footwear.
This back cover of our digipak has the song names which are conventional for a back cover of an album. It has a picture of beer on it which is quite a working class drink. The idea of beer links to our music video where there are often cans on the sides. It also features in the stop motion in which it appears and then disappears.
This poster links to all panels of the digipak and to the music video as we have the working class theme of tea and drinks. Also we have a tea stain on every panel of our album digipak and on this poster. This is conventional to do this as it is promoting our product through the use of continuity. We also use the same text font in the poster to the one we use on the digipak to make ‘the factory’ more noticeable.
Monday, 7 February 2011
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