In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
The main conventions in a music video are quick fast paced editing in-between each scene this is usually to make the video flow throughout.
Near enough every music video there will be a repeatable scene which will be shown a few times to the audience, sometimes these scenes are repeated only during the chorus which makes sense to repeat when there is a repeat of lyrics. However the scenes are sometimes repeated randomly with no reason. In my music video there are scenes which have been repeated, I did this to break down some of the longer shots throughout the video, I used a scene of a train going back and forth and repeated that a few times and also repeated a shot of someone saying ‘My Love’.
In my video I have used an element of performance, which is someone miming the lyrics and dancing towards the end of the video, this is a typical convention in nearly all music videos, so I thought I would have to also add this to my production.Also the lyrics of the video are some way shown the element of film, so this means that the video would be showing you what the lyrics are saying or meaning.
Usually the conventions of a music video vary depending on a genre of music. My track is a bassline track from an artist called ‘Mr Virgo’ which is fast paced, this means that the music video had to be fast paced in order to have some relevance with the audio track.The bassline genre is a niche genre, so therefore it’s less widespread and public to an everyday audience. There are few music videos which are based on a bassline genre however many artist just create the music but no videos. Often the conventions used in bassline music videos are an element of performance, which instead of someone just singing and dancing they would portray there bassline music as a story, so they would have someone performing, but at the same time showing a story, for example following a man on a journey.
With bassline it’s typically hard to make a video because there is often little or no lyrics, and the tracks are quite long considering the lack of lyrics.However ‘My Love’ was remixed by ‘Mr Virgo’ as it was originally a song from Justin Timberlake and the developed into a bassline track. Therefore I had to focus on both the bassline side and pop side of the track. So that is why I had elements of performance which was singing and elements of dancing.
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
For my website I researched into different genre websites and realised that all of the pages used are along the same lines, so this lead me to choosing my five pages to have at the top of my site. I focused my research on to two very different style sites which was ‘Girls Aloud’ and the ‘NME’ website, both are mainstream, however they focus on different genres and layed out there website differently.
The predominant colour for bassline websites or albums is black with either a bright colour which creates a contrast or with some kind of abstract design or image. Therefore for my webpage i decided to use a black and white colour scheme which creates an effective and professional finish. On my home page I had an image of someone who was playing ‘Mr Virgo’ which I used for the front cover of my CD case, this is because I thought that would be the best way to interlink the both texts together.
My CD cover consists of a front and back cover, and two inside covers.The front cover has Mr Virgo on the front standing in front of a brick wall in black and white, this image is on the website and the colour scheme of the front cover looks continuous throughout both texts.For the first of the inner page’s duplicated 6 of the same image and changed the colours of Mr Virgo, I think this created a good effect, and I received good feedback because of the inlay.My back cover consist of the same brick wall, with two body shots of Mr Virgo with the colours manipulated, I did this in order to be consistent with both the front cover and the first inlay cover.
What have you learned from your audience feedback?
I received my feedback through my class peers. We individually commented on each other’s website and digipack noting the positive and negative points. We also had a class screening of all our music videos, which we then we later received feedback on our music videos.
I was praised from my peers for my digipack. This is because of the style of my genre. As it’s a bassline track they agreed that the front cover of graffiti and a wall background was suitable and a good connection between the track and the digipack.
They also liked that I used a black and white colour scheme for the front cover, except from the graffiti sign saying ‘Mr Virgo’ which is red. My peers believed that the colour scheme was basic, but the right choice as everything on the front cover stood out.
The negative feedback I received for my digipack was that the back covers text wasn’t very clear. This is because the colour scheme again was predominantly black and white; with the text also being black it wasn’t clear for the audience to read.
They also suggested that maybe I lacked the style of bassline on my digipack, they suggested I should have used more graffiti onto the front cover to create an illusion of bassline.
Personally I could see where my peers were coming from when they suggested that I should have used more images or graffiti to create a sense of bassline however I didn’t do this because the track I used was a mix between bassline and pop, so therefore I didn’t want to solely base my digipack on bassline.
For my music video I was praised for the shots I used and from how I gained them. My peers thought that most of the content which was included in the video was interesting and relevant for the upbeat song. They liked how I repeated scenes, making them faster or in reverse which gave a good effect. I was also praised how I made my performance actor sing whilst he had the moving traffic behind him, they said this was a good effect that I had used.
I was criticized for the length of one of the scenes which was following a lorry because it was too long and soon became boring to watch the back of a lorry. They also could still see part of the green screen at the top of the video when my performer was singing and thought this lacked professionalism.
I also received good feedback for my website. My peers thought that my colour scheme was aesthetically pleasing, this is because they thought the colours were a contrast and helped the website standout to the viewer. They also liked the image on the home page as it was bold and stood out. They thought It was also a good link between the website and the digipack. My peers liked my rollover images as it was a good effect and technique to use which looked professional.
The negative feedback I received for my website was that there was too much black space to the right of the main image. I believe this was true, and should have centered the webpage, however I didn’t realise the webpage would eventually look like that.
How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
During my research stage I looked into the genres in the music industry, I did this by using www.wikipedia.com, Wikipedia provided me with a large amount of genres to research into, with detailed information. I also used www.youtube.co.uk to analyse other music videos, this was helpful to me as it gave a insight into what a music video contained, and the main conventions which were used.
For my planning I had to decide what genre I wanted to focus on, I used www.youtube.com to try and influence my decision, however the genres I that I would have liked to use were hard to receive permission to use a track of that genre. I visited www.unsigned.com to try and find a song which I would have liked to use for my music video, however I received know permission for the music I did use. I then later tried www.myspace.com to try and gain permission of signed artists to use their music tracks, this proved pointless as I received know emails back granting me permission. Eventually I visited www.facebook.com a gained permission from a Nottinghamshire based, bassline artist called ‘Mr Virgo’. I used Inspiration to create a mindmap as I knew how to use this software already, I thought using this software would be helpful to me because I could later edit my mindmap instead of having to re-create it as I would have to on paper.
During construction I used Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 to edit my media work, throughout the editing stage I found it relatively easy to use after I familiarized myself with the controls and buttons; this is because I used the same software in year 12 for my AS Thriller.
For the creation of my website I used Adobe Dreamweaver CS4. I found this software the best and most professional to make a website with. At first I found it hard to understand how the software worked and how to use it; however I soon realised how to use it.
The images I used for my website and digipack were taken from a Cannon G360, this camera was just a normal camera, which was convenient to me. The images I gained from the camera were good enough quality for me to use for my construction of my website and my digipack.
I filmed my music video using a Sony MiniDV camcorder. The Sony camcorder was the best quality camcorder I could use because it was the most up to date and most straight forward to use, however because the camcorder was a MiniDV it took a lot of time to capture my film onto a computer. If I was fortunate enough to have a HDD camcorder it would have prevented me capturing onto computer.
Instead of me uploading my music video straight up on to www.blogger.com I used my YouTube account to upload the video there. I did this because I believed it was more time efficient because Blogger is a slow process compared to YouTube. I also uploaded it YouTube because now days the music industry depended mainly on people listening to music and watching videos on the internet, on sites such as www.youtube.com, therefore I came to the decision that in the future YouTube is more accessible compared to blogger, and more music based I uploaded there.
Friday 4 December 2009
Tuesday 1 December 2009
Evaluation
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
The main conventions in a music video are quick fast paced editing in-between each scene this is usually to make the video flow throughout. Near enough every music video there will be a repeatable scene which will be shown a few times to the audience, sometimes these scenes are repeated only during the chorus which makes sense to repeat when there is a repeat of lyrics. However the scenes are sometimes repeated randomly with no reason. In my music video there are scenes which have been repeated, I did this to break down some of the longer shots throughout the video, i used a scene of a train going back and forth and repeated that a few times and also repeated a shot of someone saying ‘My Love’.
In my video i have used an element of performance, which is someone miming the lyrics and dancing towards the end of the video, this is a typical convention in nearly all music videos, so i thought i would have to also add this to my production.
Also the lyrics of the video are some way shown the element of film, so this means that the video would be showing you what the lyrics are saying or meaning.
Usually the conventions of a music video vary depending on a genre of music. My track is a bassline track from an artist called ‘Mr Virgo’ which is fast paced, this means that the music video had to be fast paced in order to have some relevance with the audio track.
The bassline genre is a niche genre, so therefore it’s less widespread and public to an everyday audience. There are few music videos which are based on a bassline genre however many artist just create the music but no videos. Often the conventions used in bassline music videos are an element of performance, which instead of someone just singing and dancing they would portray there bassline music as a story, so they would have someone performing, but at the same time showing a story, for example following a man on a journey. With bassline it’s typically hard to make a video because there is often little or no lyrics, and the tracks are quite long considering the lack of lyrics.
However ‘My Love’ was remixed by ‘Mr Virgo’ as it was originally a song from Justin Timberlake and the developed into a bassline track. Therefore i had to focus on both the bassline side and pop side of the track. So that is why i had elements of performance which was singing and elements of dancing.
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
For my website i researched into different genre websites and realised that all of the pages used are along the same lines, so this lead me to choosing my five pages to have at the top of my site. I focused my research on to two very different style sites which was ‘Girls Aloud’ and the ‘NME’ website, both are mainstream, however they focus on different genres and layed out there website differently.
The predominant colour for bassline websites or albums is black with either a bright colour which creates a contrast or with some kind of abstract design or image. Therefore for my webpage i decided to use a black and white colour scheme which creates an effective and professional finish. On my home page i had an image of someone who was playing ‘Mr Virgo’ which i used for the front cover of my CD case, this is because i thought that would be the best way to interlink the both texts together.
My CD cover consists of a front and back cover, and two inside covers.
The front cover has Mr Virgo on the front standing in front of a brick wall in black and white, this image is on the website and the colour scheme of the front cover looks continuous throughout both texts.
For the first of the inner page’s duplicated 6 of the same image and changed the colours of Mr Virgo, i think this created a good effect, and i received good feedback because of the inlay.
My back cover consist of the same brick wall, with two body shots of Mr Virgo with the colours manipulated, i did this in order to be consistant with both the front cover and the first inlay cover.
Friday 20 November 2009
Wednesday 21 October 2009
Friday 9 October 2009
Thursday 8 October 2009
Treatment
Using the track ‘My Love’, I have decided that instead of producing a music video which is based mainly on performance from actors, I am going to produce a video which abstract. I have came to this decision because producing a video with actors means that I have to fit my filming schedule into the time that they are available, it also means that I can film when I want too. A small element of performance might be used but it will not be the focus of the music video.
The music track i am using is a bassline remix of Justin Timberlake’s ‘My Love’, the track starts off with Justin singing and then later the bassline takes over the song, this means that the tempo of the song becomes faster and more abnormal, the main focus of my film will be blurred lights whilst driving in a car, this will create the effect of the male’s journey to the house.
From my ideas I have came up with the basis of my film, at the start of the video we will see a male at a house and then reversing so the audience see the journey of the male to get the house. All cuts will be fast paced, and the shots will be sped up.
The music track i am using is a bassline remix of Justin Timberlake’s ‘My Love’, the track starts off with Justin singing and then later the bassline takes over the song, this means that the tempo of the song becomes faster and more abnormal, the main focus of my film will be blurred lights whilst driving in a car, this will create the effect of the male’s journey to the house.
From my ideas I have came up with the basis of my film, at the start of the video we will see a male at a house and then reversing so the audience see the journey of the male to get the house. All cuts will be fast paced, and the shots will be sped up.
Wednesday 30 September 2009
Music Video Analysis
'Lose Yourself' Music Video Analysis
Artist: Eminem
Song: Lose Yourself
The music video of lose yourself by Eminem is a fast paced video. The video contains a mixture of clips from Eminem’s film ‘8 Mile’, Eminem performing and Detroit, Michigan. All the shots which have been used are fast paced. When we see Eminem performing mainly the shots are low shots looking up upon Eminem, this makes him look powerful and the centre of attention to the audience.
The video opens up with a tracking shot from a helicopter of Detroit, Michigan, this shows the audience the city and both the wealthy and deprived areas of Detroit, fades out are used when the scenes change to another. We then later see more references to ‘8 mile’, showing more deprived areas. Still scenes are very short, with quick cuts between the scenes.
Throughout the video when we see Eminem, the mid shots are used to show his facial expression and his body movement, we see his actions he uses with his hands.
Artist: Eminem
Song: Lose Yourself
The music video of lose yourself by Eminem is a fast paced video. The video contains a mixture of clips from Eminem’s film ‘8 Mile’, Eminem performing and Detroit, Michigan. All the shots which have been used are fast paced. When we see Eminem performing mainly the shots are low shots looking up upon Eminem, this makes him look powerful and the centre of attention to the audience.
The video opens up with a tracking shot from a helicopter of Detroit, Michigan, this shows the audience the city and both the wealthy and deprived areas of Detroit, fades out are used when the scenes change to another. We then later see more references to ‘8 mile’, showing more deprived areas. Still scenes are very short, with quick cuts between the scenes.
Throughout the video when we see Eminem, the mid shots are used to show his facial expression and his body movement, we see his actions he uses with his hands.
Tuesday 29 September 2009
Website Analysis
Analyse images/ font/ layout/ banners/ audio/ video/ other pages/ links etc
• The main font used for ‘GIRLS ALOUD’ is bold and dull in colour, this is makes the ‘GIRLS ALOUD’ stand out because of the background images of all the girls of the group, they are all wearing bright, flamboyant colours which make them stand out to the audience.
• The layout of the website is simple and effective, making it easy for the audience to navigate around the website.
• There is a video to be watched on the left of the screen. Videos can be selected by the audience to watch, this shows a sign of a good and popular website. Videos allow the audience to interact with the group.
• The links on the website are; The Girls; Gallery; Diary; GA Style, Chat; Music and Videos; GA Club; Shop; Mobile; GA Games and Sign Up. The links are both expected and unexpected. We would expect links such as Music and Videos and Shop, but it’s unusual to find links such as Games and Gallery. These links make the website feel and look more interactive to the audience with the girls of Girls Aloud.
Red Hot Chili Peppers Album Cover:
• In the bottom left of the cover, there is the end of a guitar and above it some drums, this shows that the genre and style of this album is either rock or indie.
• The image in the middle of the cover of the face also represents the genre of music. The eye is blood shocked this could be there to represent the rock ‘N’ Roll lifestyle the artists have.
Michael Jackson Album Cover:
• This album cover has the dominance of Michael Jackson’s statue, this shows his iconic and ‘King’ status, and it also represents Michael Jackson as being strong and dominant.
• The background is an image of red sky, this also shows his dominance.
• The statue has a spotlight shining upon him; this also shows the size and power in the music industry he had.
• This album represents more the image of Michael Jackson more so than the style and genre of his music.
Red Hot Chili Peppers Album Cover:
• This album cover is another abstract example of CD covers.
• The cover shows the world maybe to be back to front, because the water replaces where the sky should be, and the sky replaces where the water should be in the pool, this may represent the style of album.
• The album cover is colourful and vibrant, but also very unusual, therefore it doesn’t show the genre of music which this album could be.
Q-Tip Album Cover:
• Abstract CD cover from Q-Tip.
• His music is Hip-Hop, R&B genre.
• We see the face of Q-Tip, and his forehead is replaced with other famous artists, such as Bob Marley, and musical instruments. This could show his influences in his music career, which he bases his music on.
• The background of the album of cover is again abstract but looks bleak because of the dull colours which have been used.
• His face and the other iconic figures are all in bright, flamboyant colours which is a contrast to the background.
• In the bottom left of the cover, there is the end of a guitar and above it some drums, this shows that the genre and style of this album is either rock or indie.
• The image in the middle of the cover of the face also represents the genre of music. The eye is blood shocked this could be there to represent the rock ‘N’ Roll lifestyle the artists have.
Michael Jackson Album Cover:
• This album cover has the dominance of Michael Jackson’s statue, this shows his iconic and ‘King’ status, and it also represents Michael Jackson as being strong and dominant.
• The background is an image of red sky, this also shows his dominance.
• The statue has a spotlight shining upon him; this also shows the size and power in the music industry he had.
• This album represents more the image of Michael Jackson more so than the style and genre of his music.
Red Hot Chili Peppers Album Cover:
• This album cover is another abstract example of CD covers.
• The cover shows the world maybe to be back to front, because the water replaces where the sky should be, and the sky replaces where the water should be in the pool, this may represent the style of album.
• The album cover is colourful and vibrant, but also very unusual, therefore it doesn’t show the genre of music which this album could be.
Q-Tip Album Cover:
• Abstract CD cover from Q-Tip.
• His music is Hip-Hop, R&B genre.
• We see the face of Q-Tip, and his forehead is replaced with other famous artists, such as Bob Marley, and musical instruments. This could show his influences in his music career, which he bases his music on.
• The background of the album of cover is again abstract but looks bleak because of the dull colours which have been used.
• His face and the other iconic figures are all in bright, flamboyant colours which is a contrast to the background.
Reseach into Genres
Pop (Popular Music):
• Was originally a lighter version of ‘Rock and Roll’ in the 50’s becoming instead more and more a genre, which successful music could be categorised in too.
• Pop acquired its name in 1926 from a piece of music having ‘POP’ular appeal.
Musicologists often identify the following characteristics as typical of the pop music genre:
• a focus on the individual song or singles, rather than on extended works or albums
• an aim of appealing to a general audience, rather than to a particular sub-culture or ideology
• an emphasis on craftsmanship rather than formal "artistic" qualities
• an emphasis on recording, production, and technology, over live performance
• a tendency to reflect existing trends rather than progressive developments
DubStep
•Dubstep is a genre of electronic music that has its roots in London's early 2000s UK garage scene. Musically, dubstep is distinguished by its 2step rhythm, or use of snare sounds similar to 2step garage and grime, and an emphasis on bass, often producing "dark" sounds, but just as frequently producing sounds reminiscent of dub reggae or funky US garage.
Bassline
•Bassline is a type of music related to UK garage that originated from speed garage, and shares characteristics with fellow subgenres dubstep and grime for their emphasis on bass. The style originated in Sheffield around 2002.
• Was originally a lighter version of ‘Rock and Roll’ in the 50’s becoming instead more and more a genre, which successful music could be categorised in too.
• Pop acquired its name in 1926 from a piece of music having ‘POP’ular appeal.
Musicologists often identify the following characteristics as typical of the pop music genre:
• a focus on the individual song or singles, rather than on extended works or albums
• an aim of appealing to a general audience, rather than to a particular sub-culture or ideology
• an emphasis on craftsmanship rather than formal "artistic" qualities
• an emphasis on recording, production, and technology, over live performance
• a tendency to reflect existing trends rather than progressive developments
DubStep
•Dubstep is a genre of electronic music that has its roots in London's early 2000s UK garage scene. Musically, dubstep is distinguished by its 2step rhythm, or use of snare sounds similar to 2step garage and grime, and an emphasis on bass, often producing "dark" sounds, but just as frequently producing sounds reminiscent of dub reggae or funky US garage.
Bassline
•Bassline is a type of music related to UK garage that originated from speed garage, and shares characteristics with fellow subgenres dubstep and grime for their emphasis on bass. The style originated in Sheffield around 2002.
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