Evaluation 3 - What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

The importance of the audience and their feedback

Audience feedback has been important in all the tasks I have completed since it allowed me to find my areas of weakness and gave me solutions to how I could improve. It is important that audience feedback is collected from your target audience so you know what your potential consumers want to see.

The number of people I received feedback was around 10, I felt this was suitable as most of the feedback I received overlapped and this number allowed me to ask both males and females equally. 9/10 of my reviewers were between the ages of 17 and 22, which is my target audience (Late teens/young adults). I used various media to conduct my feedback, firstly I used a projector and cinema screen to actually display my music video for the test screening and then I collected feedback via my laptop; I asked my audience to complete a basic form one at a time. My digipak feedback I received verbally and took a note of it myself.

1. Initial feedback

The initial feedback I received was verbal and was positive, my teacher liked my original ideas but warned me not to make it too complicated because something simple can still be done effectively. In response to this, I decided to tone down some of my more complicated ideas such as the use of clones.

2. Rough cut feedback

The feedback for my rough cut was mostly positive with some constructive criticism. I was happy with the feedback because my audience appeared to enjoy the video and understand the concept I had created. However, after some self reflection, I decided to change my idea so that the main points of improvement I received could be actioned effectively. Said improvements included using more genre conventions so it felt more like a R&B/Soul music video and my lip-syncing in some sections needed improvement as it was not quite in time with the music.

As you can see from the two shots in the storyboard above; there is a tracking shot over my shoulder and an establishing shot. Both of which commonly appeared in my music video - I felt they reflected the singer/songwriter genre more than my intended one; my rough cut feedback reflected this as well.

3. Digipak rough cut feedback

Although I had an idea of the direction I wanted to take the digipak in, it became apparent it would not work for my artiste or the overall product I was trying to produce. This was reflected by the feedback I received after producing my digipak rough cut. From the feedback, I decided to change the layout and the look of my final digipak; addressing my feedback and adding in some improvements of my own.

4 . Website rough cut feedback

Because the website is quite basic, the feedback I received was quite minimalistic but still helped my improve the site from the rough cut to the final product.

4. final version feedback

Music video

I agree with the feedback I have received for the final cut of my music video. If I were to make another cut of the video, I would take this feedback into consideration and arrange some reshoots to address some of the improvements.

Digipak

I am pleased with the positive feedback I have received for my digipak as it took a long time to complete and manipulate the images. I challenged myself with this ancillary task by teaching myself how to use photoshop by using tutorial videos that I found on YouTube. If I had to complete this task again, I would include some small print onto the back of my album cover - this could include a copyright notice.

I asked a media student from another school for their feedback as they were completing different tasks to me and it provided me with an opportunity to obtain constructive feedback from an outside source.

He is an example of some class feedback.

Both methods of feedback above were received via Snapchat, a social media platform, common amongst my target audience. This is also an example of how the internet and social has been used throughout my blog.

I also feel the fact that a digipak is something in addition to the music is important because of fans like to get the most for their money. It is also an incentive to buy the album rather than stream it; you could suggest that digipaks still exist so that the artiste can still make money from record sales in the internet age where it seems they will eventually come obsolete.

Website

Because the website is quite basic, the feedback I received was quite minimalistic but still helped my improve the site from the rough cut to the final product.

How I feel overall from the general feedback

I am pleased with the feedback I received as it helped me to make various improvements to my products between the rough and final cut. The feedback also kept me motivated to keep trying new ideas throughout the project as I had more confidence I could pull them off.

Evaluation 2 - How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

The purpose of the music video

The main purposes include:

• To sell the song and create a fan reaction to it - This would consequently make the song more memorable.
• To give the audience an insight to what the artiste was alluding to in their lyrics (Give the audience a better understanding)
• To entertain and display the artistes talents
• Music videos act as a platform for greater public exposure and create more public interest; increasing the capacity of the artistes brand.
• To generate more revenue - Fans may buy the song and the accompanying video; although YouTube does mostly prevent extra revenue being created from this method on the whole.
• To sell and reinforce the artistes brand

Brand Identity

This refers to the relationship that is established between multiple media products. This can be done through several means such as composition, representation or colour; which is how I decided to create my artistes brand identity.

'Girls Like' is an example of a song with a music video that reinforces the idea of an artiste being a brand. The lyrics read "Tell Russell I'm a brand", this is also intertextuality. The whole brand/image concept is carried by the record companies; artistes signed to independent labels would not have the same scope of music video production as the oligopoly might do due to big financial differences.

Some bands/artistes change their brand and style of music; for better or for worse. Sometimes fans welcome the change but others times it creates a stir and stigma around an artiste. Harry Styles is an example of an artiste that had a successful brand change; once a member of a boyband which proved themselves in the industry to a quirky pop singer that has an original sound that was very popular at its time of release.

The Purpose of the digipak and Website

The main purpose for the digipak and website is to essentially promote and advertise the artiste and reflect their brand. Although both forms of media are relevant, websites are more so with the proliferation of streaming and technological convergence. The theme of the digipak will usually come from ideas in the video and from the genre of music; each with their own conventions.

Digipaks can become iconic to an artistes image. One key example of this is Nirvana's naked baby underwater album cover which is immediately associated with the band. I actually used the underwater concept for my own album 


How my products link together

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

My Music Video

1. a shot(s) that shows a link between lyrics and/or music and visuals

All four images above are screenshots from my video from some of the moments where the lyrics match the visuals. The image on the top left appears as the lyrics read "Bring the cups, I can bring the drank". The image on the top right appears when the lyrics read "Bring the drugs, baby, I could bring my pain". The bottom left image appears when the lyrics read "These fucking eyes that I'm staring at" and finally the image on the bottom right appears when the lyrics read "Look at all this cash".

I especially liked these shots because I personally find it satisfying when the lyrics match the visuals; these images appeared as cut aways been lip syncing sections of the video (See Evaluation 5 for the explanation of colour).

2. a shot(s) that typifies the way a record company would want their artist to be represented

These two shots both display how the record company would want the artiste to be represented. In the image on the left this is true because of the clothing choice; skinny, ripped jeans have become a conventional item to appear in many R&B/Soul and Hip/Hop/Rap music videos. They are fashionable and imply the artiste is modern and cool. Secondly, the image on the right shows the artiste in a positive light which is what the record company would want; I appear as well dressed in this image showing a sense of class which is reinforced by the greyscale.

3. a shot(s) that illustrates how your video uses music genre

I feel the shot on the left reflects the R&B/Soul genre because often in the music videos, the artiste leads an extravagant lifestyle which is often displayed to be their downfall. I wanted to do the same in my music video; on a lesser scale of course. I also took influence from other contemporary videos in multiple genres for the pinky/purple tones in the image. From my experience, the use of purple colour grading is popular in said videos.     

The shot on the left I feel illustrates my use of genre because of the of clothing, yet again I am wearing an item of clothing which is very popular at the moment (Puffer jacket). The use of looking at camera and direct in this image I feel conforms to the genre conventions as well as this can often be seen in videos within the genre.

4. a shot(s) that shows an intertextual reference

In my video, I wanted to include lots of intertextual references because I really like them. At first, I did some preliminary filming with lots of intertextuality, however it looked out of place and not in keeping with the tone of the song and conventions of the genre. I then decided that it would be better to include references that are very subtle that only the 'real fans' would be able to notice or look for.

One reference I decided to include was one to Kendrick Lamar's critically acclaimed video for "HUMBLE". The video had many clever uses of the camera but there was one that I felt I could recreate; that was a flicker effect which can be achieved by setting up multiple cameras (All recording from slightly different positions)and then cutting between them in editing. I liked this effect and its outcome so I decided to create the effect twice for my video.

Another reference I decided to include is in the top right image. It is probably the most subtle of all, it appears as the beat in the song hits; the accompanying flash effect reveals the background. In that background there is a series of posters; including Star Wars, James Bond and Rocky. The Star Wars and James Bond posters are probably the most relevant in the media right now as the Star Wars franchise is forever expanding with countless new products emerging from the might of Disney and the the James Bond franchise being undecided who will play the new Bond after Danial Craig. Because both of these are in the media and both very popular; it demonstrates that the artiste is relatable to the audience and is current - potentially increasing awareness and the artistes popularity.

The First actual intertextual reference to appear is the image in the middle that reads "The Weeknd". This image references Kanye West's music video for "All of the lights". That videos sequence, once the song starts has a series of graphics that display the lyrics of the song in a bright and colourful way which I felt I could recreate on a basic level.

As previously mentioned, Star Wars is in the media a lot and with the franchises latest film splitting audiences, it has been a widely discussed topic. With this in mind, I decided to directly reference said film (The Last Jedi) and a scene that confused people. The scene involved a mirror like wall, so I decided to create a similar effect in the image on the bottom left.

The image on the bottom right references another music video, Dappy's "Beautiful me". One scene in this video shows the artiste drowning underwater. I recreated this by framing it the same with myself in the centre. Although this isn't an exact recreation and a perfect intertextual reference, I still think it was worth including.

5. a shot(s) that demonstrates your use of camera

As mentioned in an earlier post, I decided to work on my own without any help at any stage of production. Due to this decision, the range of camera movements I could perform were very limited. However the images above are some examples of where I was able to create some camera shots that I liked. The image on the top left is an example of where I had to be creative with the camera; by using multiple camera to achieve a flickering effect that references Kendrick Lamar's "HUMBLE" music video. The bottom right image is an example of how I used POV. The two images in B&W are static, the bottom left image is an example of a low angle shot whilst the top right image is an example of a Long Shot (LS) that conforms to the rule of thirds.

6. a shot(s) that demonstrates your use of lighting

The majority of lighting and effects were created in post production but the images above are examples of where I took that into consideration when I was filming. Firstly, the top left image is very much like a silhouette due to the positioning of the camera and the lights above my head which made the image easy to manipulate in post production. It is similar with the image on the bottom right, I placed myself directly underneath a light so that the focus was on me and the background could be blended out. The top right and bottom left images needed lighting to be present during filming as they were filmed at night, they were filmed in a pool so to ensure the camera would be able to capture the shots; the pool light was switched on.

7. a shot that demonstrates your use of mise-en-scene

These two shots represent loneliness, this is portrayed through the use of Long Shots; showing distance. The settings reinforce this because because they are tranquil and undisturbed which can be reflected by the tempo of the song at this point. Moreover the B&W colour scheme here could be described as dull and miserable which would reinforce the idea of loneliness.

8/9. Two shots which you feel demonstrate something which shows you have watched other music videos

Firstly, I feel that the first image shows that I have watched other music videos because the image is taken from a moment in the music video where the lyrics are reflected in the visuals and this is very common throughout music videos in various genres. Secondly, the image on the right is a prime of direct address aimed towards the audience; this is also common in music videos - especially in the Hip/Hop/Rap genre.

Collation of images from above:

Real Music videos

1. a shot that shows a link between lyrics and/or music and visuals

This image is taken from Eminem's "Rap God". The lyrics read "I've got a laptop in my back pocket" which is clearly displayed in the visuals. Yet again this is very common to see in music videos; in fact, it happens multiple times throughout this video in particular.

2. a shot that typifies the way a record company would want their artiste to be represented

This image is taken from The Weeknd's music video for "Starboy". I feel that this is a good example of how a record label would want their artiste to be represented because of a couple factors. Firstly the artiste is wearing jewellery which is conventional of the R&B/Soul genre and secondly; in the background, awards are visible which portrays the artiste in a successful light.

3. a shot that illustrates how the video uses music genre

This image was taken from Due Lipa's music video "New Rules". I feel this is a prime example of the pop genre. I believe this to be true because it sexualises women; conforming to the male gaze and consisting of various dance routines.

4. a shot that shows an intertextual reference

This image was taken from Thirty Seconds to mars' music video for "The kill (bury me)". The whole video is an intertextual reference which is uncommon because intertextual references are normally subtle and easily missed. The video references Stanley Kubrick's film "The shining" as the music video was filmed in the same location and mimics the films opening sequence.

5. a shot that demonstrates the use of camera

This image was taken from The Weeknd's music video for "False Alarm". I really liked this video as it was extremely cinematic and reminded me of the opening bank sequence in Batman: The Dark Knight. Moreover this image is a perfect demonstration of the use of camera in the video; here you can see a POV shot.

6. a shot that demonstrates the use of lighting

This image was taken from Eminem's music video for his song "Walk On Water". The lighting in this video is used to convey him being in the spotlight for most of his life. 

7. a shot that demonstrates the use of mise-en-scene

This image is taken from Taylor Swifts music video for "End game". This video uses Mine-en-scene to convey location. You can clearly tell they are in London as there is an iconic red bus in the foreground and British architecture in the background. Also you get a sense of celebration from the video due to the fireworks in the sky; potentially new years.

Infographics

This infographic I found quite relevant in terms of how the industry is changing; my whole music video distribution is reliant on the streaming increase shown above (All be it for song and not videos). Music video streaming is also on the rise with sites such as YouTube and Vimeo becoming more widely used and recognised.

This infographic reinforces my choice for choosing the genre of music that I did because as you can see above, R&B is one of the most popular music genres in the US which means it will have similar traction here in the UK and consequently I would have a wider audience; increasing the success of the music video.

I found this quite interesting. It clearly shows how YouTube has such a huge user base and how popular it is, which I feel justifies my reasons for choosing it to be a main distributer of my music video.