Finished Evaluation presented on Prezi

http://prezi.com/0gono7a7r1hx/a2-evaluation/

Auxiliary Task: Finished Wix Website

My Wix Website is now complete and can be viewed online at:  http://musicmakesmonet.wix.com/vivabrother

Homepage:

When finalising the homepage I concentrated on editing the photograph above. During my research into band websites I noticed that bold and striking imagery is often used on homepages, which tend to take up a greater composition of the page than any other media. From the selection of the photographs  I took, this was a particular favourite because of the connotations of 'attitude' and 'seriousness' embedded within it. I also likened it to one of Andrew Goodwin's characteristics of music videos, concerning a notion of looking into the camera lens. I felt that this was a nice touch and created an inviting feel for a homepage. I kept the Music Video for 'Still Here' as well as the text box I had installed on the page during the last update of the website. 

Releases:

Another key feature I noticed during my research into band websites was a 'discography' or a page often dedicated to showcasing the bands music back catalogue. Creating a 'Releases' page was also a good way of exposing the band's debut album which was a main focus, aside from the release of 'Still Here' and the Music Video, which was in conjunction with the album release. This would also give new fans (after Viva Brother signed a Major Record Deal), an opportunity to get their hands on singles from the album.

Video:

I also came across the emphasis put on Video showcasing, or more modernly with the use of 'Vevo' that offers more of an 'exclusive' Video uploader to professional artists under a Major Record Company. However, because my video was uploaded on to Vimeo (for the sake of retaining a better immediate quality without having to change user-settings), I wanted to showcase this along with the band's other existing Music Videos on Youtube; essentially, again to create a digital catalogue of Viva Brother's previous work. Across the pages of the website I retained the same style of font, sizing and colour, which gave the website synergy and identification with the artist by also using their logo. 

Store:

For the store, I created 6 products across 2 pages that were available to browse on the Website. During my research I found that many band websites used external links to other websites that hosted their merchandise. However, I felt that it was more effective to have Viva Brother's merchandise shown on the website, in order to generate interest and immediate sales. Emphasis was put on repeatedly using the band's logo, to illustrate and support the synergy that was already embedded across the Music Video and 2 ancillary tasks. I also took influence from certain Britpop costume including 'Polo Shirts' and flamboyant 'Tie-dye T shirts' to create merchandise that was catered for this specific genre and market.

Tumblr:

A Tumblr feed embedded on the website was another way for Viva Brother to keep their fans updated with what the band are up to. It is another useful media for promoting things such as the band's upcoming show dates and newly released Music Videos, which the fans are also able to follow on their own tumblr accounts.   

Gallery:

I also decided to do a separate photo shoot aside from the still photographs taken from the Music Video. This was an opportunity for the fans to see the band in similar locations to that of the video, but in a couple of shots the band are laughing and smiling, which gives a fun and more personal reflection to their fans. I edited each of the chosen 6 pictures with a range of effects to create a collage. 

Contacts:

Providing Contact details was another page I made sure to include. During my research into band websites, I noticed that a significant amount of artists do not tend to present these details so openly, when only a minority do. However, I recognised that even though Viva Brother are signed to a Major Label and are therefore subjected to a ready-made schedule, they are a new band and it is useful for external parties to have easy access to these details for matters concerning Radio, Press, Show opportunities and any other enquiries. 

Auxiliary Task: Finished Poster

Here is the second version of the Promotional Poster and now the final.

As you will see I have made a number of changes since the first draft. I experimented with cloning tools, colour correction & skin healing tools, however I decided to keep this shot similar to its appearance during the music video.

I feel this shot is quite iconic across this video. This is the first time (during the slow-motion lip-syncing sequence) that singer, Ben, looks into the camera. Furthermore, the shot meets some of Andrew Goodwin's music video theory. There is a notion of looking and a frequent use of Close-up shots which a Major record label would demand, (such as Geffen Records who represent Viva Brother).

Finished Music Video

A re-post of Draft 3 which is the final version of the Music Video. 

Draft of Evaluation Question 1: "In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

(Text draft, to be presented finished in a Video, including a screen video)

Prior to the construction of the media product, a vast amount of research into the three medias was carried out, in order to develop the planning of the product. When analysing narrative, performance and concept music videos, I gained knowledge of the conventions present in each, which was important early on when creating storyboards, deciding locations, casting actors, deciding upon the composition of mise-en-scene, and giving consideration to the synergy that could transpire across the three medias.

When making the music video I drew on certain conventions that I had begun to recognise during the research and planning of the project. I decided to construct a performance video with an intercutting narrative, which shows the band in various locations. By doing this it allowed me to cover a lot of different styles and showcase a variety of complimentary effects that I had discovered and learned how to create through research. Furthermore, by using different environments and locations I could exploit certain aspects of mise-en-scene, which were in keeping with the genre of the video. In this way, my video developed the conventions of real indie/rock music videos. However elements such as the shots of a round down urban environment and the composition of mise-en-scene including council housing, wheelie-bins and security cameras hark back to the type of setting often displayed within Britpop videos, which were therefore a conscious part of the filming so that the video would adhere to these particular conventions.

During my research into Viva Brother, I chose to take the ‘firework scene’ from their music video for the song, ‘Still Here’ and attempt to recreate this in my video as an act of paying homage. I felt it necessary to do this because of the particular manipulation of motion in the video used to create an effect that sees the fireworks explode and then rewind back down to the ground. This was a very interesting; something that I had not come across before and although it was not specific to the genre of the song, I felt that it was a brilliant way of demonstrating my understanding of motion manipulation. Furthermore, I also chose to adhere to the use of slow motion that is seen in their video and in many present day music videos. This is not necessarily a characteristic of Britpop music videos such as seen in the likes of Oasis, however it could be suggested that the use of effects attempts to tackle the Britpop genre from the 1990’s, in a present era. Therefore, although Britpop is typically associated with political and social problems such as the government, unemployment and struggle, music videos can be moulded to suit the present day that is not so dark and instead challenges Britpop altogether; as if to almost make a mockery of it. In light of the homage, I also featured multiple pubs within my music video. In the original video for ‘Still Here’ there is a focus on pub violence, however I wanted to move away from this slightly and did not want to cheapen the idea of a fight breaking out in a music video. This was a conscious decision because my actors are younger than the 20-somethings of Viva Brother, so I felt that it would not be conveyed as well. Instead I chose to still develop the idea of a ‘lad’ stereotype in the music video by shots of the actors making a middle-finger gesture, pushing each other when coming out of the pub and standing on an urban, working-class estate.

Where appropriate, I found my video abiding to certain parts of Andrew Goodwin’s ‘Seven’, which I had learned during my research into music video theory. One part of this theory is the genre characteristics that have already been discussed. However, there is also a relationship between the music and visuals when cutting and editing in time to the music. The next step from this would be a relationship between lyrics and visuals however I chose not to do this because I felt that it was slightly cabaret or ‘cheesy’ and would move the video away from appealing to the genre less, when I did not want to completely challenge the conventions of a performance-narrative Britpop music video. I took into consideration Viva Brother’s record label, Geffen, and therefore felt that it would be desired to have a lot of close up shots of the band members; in particular, the singer. Frequent reference to the notion of looking is another of Goodwin’s characteristics that was explored, often when the singer looks into the camera. This has quite an impact on the audience and allows them to connect with ‘their’ band. In addition to this, the video also explores the idea of iconography building up across an artists’ work. For example, the pull-up of the singers collar at the beginning is quite a rock characteristic and could be an action associated with an artist repeatedly. In addition to this, the homage paid from the original music video for ‘still here’ could also be an intertextual reference. I have found that my video conforms to six of Goodwin’s seven characteristics and could therefore be suggested as a media project that largely demonstrates and develops the traits of a modern music video. 

During my research I studied the decline of physical CD sales. This contributed towards my decision for opting out of making a digi-pack and instead choosing the option of creating a poster and website which are incredibly intrinsic in present day advertising and significant for viral marketing. Both of these medias are formats that can be ‘shared’ online and therefore, used to engage with a wider audience to promote the product, instead of simply advertising to a smaller, organic demographic. This was demonstrated by the promotion poster which acted as an incentive to see the band live at their debut show, whilst promoting the band’s CD and using a still photo taken from the music video. Prior to creating the ancillary tasks, I spent time researching into the conventions of both of these….. screen grabs etc, examples --- Relentless garage chosen, significance of this as London capital (deemed as Central hub of UK music scene, especially for an underground rock market)…

Characteristics of Postmodern music videos were also featured within the finished product… (to be completed)

My product largely conformed to audience theory that is reflected by websites such as ‘Tribes’, which explores the conventions of psychographics…(to be completed)

Draft of Evaluation Question 3: "What have you learned from your audience feedback?"

My Glogster can be viewed online at: http://lewparker.edu.glogster.com/question-3-evaluation/

to access all the relevant videos and animation. 

Draft of Evaluation Question 2: "How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?"

Further work: Improving on ideas

Upon completing the Music video project and Auxiliary tasks, I shot another music video for a local band. I'm pleased with the outcome of this new video.

(Click on 'settings' and Watch in 1080p)

The Viva Brother project has been a great way of expanding my knowledge and considerations when making video. For example, in this video I gave less consideration to the notion of slow-motion because it was something I had focused on in the coursework and wanted to deliver an even higher quality now in 1080p from 720p. 

Auxiliary Task: Wix Website #2

Since my last post I have reconsidered the homepage of the website and have modified it.

• Background -  I went out and took some photos of the band. I felt this was a particularly strong image and so, I later photoshopped the band logo into the top left corner. 

• Video - I have set the music video to auto-play as soon as somebody enters the website.

• Further info - I have also presented the information: Reviews, Tour Dates & News in a transparent box on the homepage.

I now have the remaining pages; Biography, Gallery, Store and Contact to complete. The store will later be finalised with merchandise.

Auxiliary Task: Poster

Here is the first draft of my promotional poster.

I began by deciding the placement of the logo. As the band name is one of the most significant details on the poster, I began by positioning the band logo approximately half way across the page. I then added graphics around this. 

As part of the editing, I used tools such as the 'Polygonal' and 'Magnetic' Lasso. This was something I found particularly useful and was a good way of learning a new skill. I also experimented with the clone tool on the image of the band. However I decided to simply open the whole image instead of cloning it. I may choose to use the clone tool in my final copy.

What I wanted to achieve from the poster was a realistic, professional 'look' to it, thus I took into account sponsorships/affiliations (i.e. the NME, Rocksound, MTV logos), which act as part of my synergy link between the three pieces of work. I also used 'Silver Bullet' Promotions because they are a well known promoter company that work with the London Relentless Garage.

As you can see above, the label is something I have not used on the poster. I wanted to use this to advertise the show as an 'album release' show. I am still looking for a way to illustrate this on the poster as this will be one of the key points of the event.

Previous Student Evaluation Analysis

As part of the preparation for my evaluation, I have looked at three previous student examples. I am going to be individually commenting on the strengths and weaknesses of their work, a good use of technology and any influence their evaluation may have on mine, (i.e. particular things I would like to perhaps incorporate). 

Student Example #1

This first example was one I found very uninspiring. Their answers to the questions are vague and do not cover enough detail to consider. What is clear is that the student has not given an adequate amount of planning to their evaluation. 

What is more dissatisfactory is the length of the clip (only last 00:48 seconds across 4 questions!), but also the consistent use of only one technology. They have failed to recognise the importance of using separate medias for each question and this is what they have remarkably fallen down on. 

The description of their work across the questions is very basic and fails to broaden their explanation about the auxiliary tasks. They have also given little consideration to the idea of synergy and I think her evaluation falls down also on the strengths of her music video and auxiliary tasks.

They only positive that can really be taken from this piece of work is that the student has been able to work with basic medias and ideas that she hadn't previously. However this is again vague and doesn't go to much length to suffice a good feedback. 

Student Example #2 

I think this is a stronger student example than the previous. I think the video is engaging and considers the questions well.

Strengths: 

- What I particularly liked was the 'response videos'. The student has taken into account what other people thought of their video and used this in part of their evaluation. However I feel like could have been made stronger by using people other than her family and immediate peer group. 

- I also like how they have approached the evaluation of the audience feedback. I feel that they have answered this well and presented it in a coherent way.

Weaknesses: 

- The student has failed to use enough different medias, and therefore falls down on their use of technology. For every question I would like to have seen a different media used.

- Although their commentary throughout is effective, I feel that the constant narration throughout brings the evaluation down. This ties in with the previous point. 

Influences:

- I may consider presenting my Audience Feedback in a similar way. 

Student Example #3

Across the examples I have looked at, this is my favourite. 

Strengths:

- What I particularly like from this evaluation is the consideration the student has given to presenting the medias they have used in their work.
- The way they have presented their evaluation is good. Title sequences are accompanied by kinetic typography.
-  I think the frequent use of screenshots and clips is particularly effective. 

Weaknesses:

- The narration is good, however I would have liked to see different medias (i.e. text) as part of the evaluation.

Influences:

- Use of screenshots is particularly effective over the narration. This enables the audience to get an impression of what the student was doing in the project. 

Auxiliary Task: Website (Wix)

At present I have just begun making my Wix Website.

I think the template I have chosen for my website is a good one, as it contains enough tabs for the five headings: Home, Bio, Gallery, Store & Contact.

The two tabs 'Concerts' and 'Recordings' are ones I found to be irrelevant for my project, which came as examples on the template. This is because I have chosen to display tour dates on the homepage and as the band will have one show booked as their 'album release show', I have chosen to keep this as their only current booking. Recordings didn't serve much purpose and therefore I have decided to create a Store tab instead. As a hosting site for the store I have considered using BigCartel, a reputable merchandise store which offers artists a few service. 

www.bigcartel.com - is a site I have used myself previously in bands.

I have noticed that I will need more promotional photography, simply because just stills from the Music Video will not suffice as enough. I will also be able to create some good backgrounds and build upon a set theme. (At present the current picture is blurred because of the image distortion.)

Editing #10 - Considering The Third Draft

After receiving feedback on the second draft that I had submitted earlier on, this feedback is relevant to my most recent Draft #3, as these are areas which I had not changed.

However, the only piece of feedback that no longer applies is the attention given to the problem of aspect ratios, which I have now resolved. 

This is the feedback I recieved:

• The shot of the band (2:02), slightly goes against the rule of 180 degrees. However it is not a big problem, I will attempt to flip this footage or maybe consider replacing it with something else.

• Some of the shots of the band packing up at 2:37 are slightly dark. I will therefore lighten these by enhancing the exposure. 

• It was also suggested that it might be better to remove the shots of the lead singer in reverse (during the reverse sequence). However this was a personal preference and therefore isn't a big factor to consider. After looking over the footage more, I may choose to remove this as it would not harm the rest of the footage. I would simply be losing perhaps 5 seconds in total? This would run over to the pub scene, with the soundtrack diminuendoing.