Final Music Video: Paramore - Emergency

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-JJCfKvKBE 

Here is our finished music video for our G324 Advanced Production Project:

 

 

Artist

Paramore

 

Song

Emergency

 

 

Cast

 

Eden Tanner- Singer

Kieran Cottingham- Guitarist

Callum Augustine- Drummer

Ellie Hughes-Martin- Narrative actress 

 



Evaluation: 4) How did you use new media technologies in the construction,research, planning and evaluation stages?

Throughout the duration of my advanced production, there has been a wide range of new media technologies used. Some of many I have incorporated in previous projects and some new technologies that I haven't used before until my advanced portfolio. It is clear to say that I have also developed many new skills throughout this advanced project in order to create a dynamic music video.  


Construction

My development skills with the use of
the magic wand tool, removing the
green screen background from the
original image.

Throughout construction stages of my advanced production new media technologies were used frequently. These included industry standard software such as: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere Pro, and InDesign.

Adobe Photoshop was mainly used when for the images as I am confident in using this software to rasterize images, place a drop shadow and add other effects onto the image or text. I created the first stages of my tour dates poster/ album release without body copy. I find that Photoshop CS6 is able to help me crop, transform and alter images on this software as it is a programme I have been rigorously since studying media at GCSE.

It was Adobe InDesign CS6 that helped me too finalise and finish up my products so that they fit the conventions of a tour dates and album release poster, because you can layout the body text much easier. I would create my image based ancillary on Photoshop and then place the documents on InDesign when I would then add text.

I developed hugely in my ancillary tasks in terms of my layout creativity, as I found out how to group layers and use more technicalities, it then progressed and enhanced my work further. I also used the Adobe software; InDesign, which was what I used to create my digi-pack on. 

I began to understand how to develop the codes and conventions of a real outside tray card. I had to transform the text box to 180 degrees anti-clockwise to face the right way when I put the finished product in my tray card.

I learned a new technique called 'masking' where you put to layers together and you take the opacity down on one layer so that they can be visible underneath.

This project has made me become confident within the use of InDesign I have learnt new things by using this software. I had never transformed text on the software, nor placed another documents within the software either. Below is a video talking about the construction of the text wrapping that I had learned, through the use of InDesign.

Adobe Premiere Pro was the chosen media software to edit and construct the music video with, which at first was daunting as most of the group had little experience with the software, however from trials and practises of creating an open day video at the beginning of the year which essentially was our prelim task, we were able to develop and enhance our knowledge and confidence in the programme which led us to explore more effects that we could use to edit the video with. Click on this link to look at some of the videos I posted previously on the development of my music video.
All of the material featured in the music video was shot on a Sony HD Handycam which enabled us to create high quality filming throughout the project. For all other vlogs taken of myself and of the feedback of my work was taken on my IPhone, which I then uploaded onto YouTube and them uploaded them onto my blog posts.


Research

Research is a key function to the success of any project that you undertake and it is a fundamental starting point to gather ideas and structure the project into sections. Through the use of new media technologies such as search engines like Google, video-sharing networks like YouTube and picture-sharing networks like Flickr and Photobucket have helped me to create and develop my understanding of the aspect that I wanted to include in my project. Throughout the project, I have had to carry out extensive research on a number of different things ranging from Adobe Premiere Pro tutorials, images to use for my band logo, codes and conventions of album release and tour dates poster, to the shots I will incorporate in my main task; the video. A wide variety of information can be found exclusively online which can be found via search engines such as Google which I most commonly use.

YouTube.com is a video sharing site that helped me to research real media texts it also was used to upload my own music video, feedback videos and my commentary of development. The site enabled me to study the Pop/Rock genre as I was unfamiliar of this particular genre and wanted to discover more about the codes and conventions of this niche, hyrbrid genre.

 

I used Flickr and Photobucket for the first time to upload images of the band shots for my ancillary tasks, test shots and other images that were taken over the course of the project. I wanted to use a different media platform to import my images to give a variety to my blog posts and show my development in the new media technologies. I also used Dropbox which is another site where you can upload documents and share them with people and keep tem in storage like an internet based pen drive.

 

Throughout the updates of my blog posts I used a combination of my school computers and my own personal laptop at home which allowed me to have access to the internet and upload posts of work I had done at home as part of my research. As well as this, I have used new media technologies such as USB and TV throughout the research stages.

 

 

Planning

In order to ensure that our group completed the brief of the task in the arranged deadline, we decided to create a thorough schedule plan (click here for schedule) which we could have been better at sticking to but essentially we did meet the brief and the deadline set. At the start of the project we thought it would be best if we exchanged numbers and texted each other at any point in the project when we needed to discuss some research one of us had seen and share with the others or if we needed to meet up the following day for a meeting or filming. Overall, our communication was pretty good and we often had quick meetings to check the progress of each others work and see if the similar codes and conventions were being reflected throughout.

We documented all of our style guides, location settings, research, cast, costume and production schedule all onto our Dropbox account so that each of us would be able to have access to each others work and take notes and gather information from them as a group.

To begin the project we were set a pitch date and a pitch brief that our media teachers were to film and give us feedback on the end at the direction we should go in. This again was another use of new media technologies as we used the handycam to record our pitches and this was then imported onto premiere pro, edited and then uploaded onto YouTube. The pitch enabled us to get a second opinion on the progress aim we were going to try and achieve.

 

Evaluation

 

During the evaluation of our project I took videos from IPhone to record audience feedback from peers and parents at the creative arts evening, which I uploaded onto YouTube and then Blogger on the night of the showcase of our video. which we then uploaded onto our blogs (click here to see creative arts evening blog post). I also took videos with my phone when I received feedback about my ancillary products.

 

 

Evaluation: 3) What have you learned from your audience feedback?

This a graph of the feedback that was attained from a year 11 media class during their lesson
 

Throughout this advanced project, I have regularly accumulated audience feedback which has enabled me to progress within the development of the project. From the start of the project to the end we have changed many elements of our project because of the constructed criticism we received from our audience and professional advice. Without the feedback our final tasks wouldn't have been half as good. 

The narrative of our music we initially thought was clear and understandable to every audience, but after the showcase of our music video we released that the narrative could have been developed further with the use of a better equilibrium that gave a beginning, middle and end of the narrative and was reflective to the audience the 'Emergency' state that the narrative actress was in. This I feel would have improved the video and made it clearer to the audience, as well as the band shots as there would be a clear indication of the relationship between the singer and the narrative actress. The mise-en scene for the music video seems to portray what we wanted to achieve but again the setting could have been using better with another location of the actress and her journey on that day instead of having her just walk around London. I see now why the audience would be confused of what the story was suppose to be getting across.

Our teachers helped us by regularly having group discussions to see our progress within our ancillary's and giving us advice on things like the triple jump, as we had the singer slow motion of her jump but we were advised to change that by multiplying it and we took that comment further and incorporated a triple jump. The teachers also gave us professional advice on the composition of the album release and tour dates poster as I was struggling with the lining up of objects.

An element where audience feedback has proven to be successful, was by the use of consistent jump cuts and this was to reflect the fast paced song but we could have incorporated this more throughout our music video to really show off that as the motif of our video. When we presented the first draft video to peers, it was suggested by someone that we add a scene of the narrative drunk to show she is an Emergency state and that she is desperate need for help. The change was amended, and we believed that this worked better because it helped the audience to establish straightaway what is going wrong for the girl in the narrative.

 

It is clear to say that without the audience feedback our music video would be in a critical state and we all acknowledge how it is vital to get feedback from your audience throughout the development. Having others critique and evaluate your own creation makes you aware of flaws in your work that you were not aware of because often or not we tend too overlook flaws especially as we have seen the product loads of times and understand the plot of the story. It's made me learn an important lesson, to utilise others opinions and critique to be able to improve and progress.

Click on the link below to see the Prezi interactive PowerPoint of the feedback gathered from the creative arts evening and click here for the feedback videos of the creative arts evening. http://prezi.com/0dag7xd4d8ht/present/?auth_key=5zvmcwt&follow=u8ulss-zrfyb&kw=present-0dag7xd4d8ht&rc=ref-12258925

 

 

 

 

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

 

Throughout the construction of the ancillary products and the development it was important to maintain consistency throughout my products, as well as the rest of my group. We had regular meetings to discuss the progress with our ancillary products and as we started the project agreeing on a font very early on in the project because of our pitch and the style guide, this made it easier for us a group because we had already planned the fonts.


My Creation

I constructed a tour dates poster/ album release and a CD digi-pack. The main conventions that I had to consider during the production of my ancillary products was the of my band logo, to use the same fonts as the rest of my group, band card and continuation of the theme of loneliness within the images used in my CD digi-pack as well as continuity with the house style. These conventions could have been improved if I had taken original photographs of the scenery images that I had used in the digi-pack, some of the images I personally took but the random images weren't original. As for the music video it would have been to develop the storyline and to show the beginning, middle and ending clearer to the audience. In post-production it would have been better if I had incorporated the band logo of the butterfly to represent that link between the ancillary products and the main task. Overall, the band shots were well taken but the corporation of the guitarist could have been more prominent as this song is heavily reliant upon the guitar.


Location of Photography/filming

The construction of the photography and filming of the ancillary texts projected the codes and conventions of the style of genre we were aiming for and the use of iconography of the locations reflected the mood of the narrative and the band shots. The choice in locations for the music video was to present the narrative in a messy bed with alcohol to represent a disruption with the character and the juxtaposition of the narrative actress in busy London was to impose the fact that she is amongst a busy world, yet she feels lonely and isolated. The grubby and barred staircase she was sitting on in London was a place of comfort for the narrative actress but the symbolism of the use of bars was to represent how she feels in society as she feels trapped. Whereas the band shots reflected the codes and conventions of the genre and gave a strong sense of mise-en-scene for the rock genre with the use of costume worn by the band, which was very casual clothing and the singer (Eden) had a red top on to fit the colour scheme of the ancillary products.  


Choice of colour scheme

The use of the colour scheme was incorporated in the music video as well as the ancillary products. The screen shot above has a swatch of the colours used and these colours are reflected in my music video; through the use of the black screen in the background of the band shots and the use of the singer wearing a red top. The lighting in the narrative shots have a cold and lonely mood and atmosphere within as we shot the narrative actress when it was cold and the sun was hardly visible to make sure the lighting in the daytime would fit the narrative. However, the establishing shots of the actress in bed projected and element of disorientation and darkness with the use of the black and white sheets and the blacked out curtains, which reinforced the depressed atmosphere that we wanted the audience to feel about the narrative. From the screen shots above you can see the cold and bland colours used in the music video reflect the ancillary products. However, this could have been improved if I had used shots of the narrative at night to distinguish the passing of time through the lighting.


Conclusion

Equally, both of the individual ancillary products and the main task have integrated motifs which have worked well together. The main theme within the main task was the combination of the consistent jump cuts and the random images in my ancillary products. This utilization of two motifs across two different media platforms have surprisingly worked well with the genre. To conclude all three of the separate ancillary tasks created work well in unison to create a strong brand image for the band; Paramore. The consistent use of colour scheme, codes and conventions of the genre, fonts and motifs of characters prove to create a combined powerful advanced project. The continuation of these styles have been attractive to the target audience that we were trying to attract.


Analysis of my ancillary tasks

 

 

 

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

Media products are created and repeated in established ways so that an audience can understand and interpret the codes and conventions of specific media products. It was important when in construction of my media products that I referred to these forms and conventions within existing media products and translate that to my audience as my own creation. This blog post will analyse the way I have developed and challenged forms and conventions of real media products in my advanced production.

I have applied the use of consistent font and colour scheme across all of my ancillary products. During the beginning stages of my production, it was clear that the convention of bands and 'band identity' was something that I needed to make sure I incorporated so that my audience will easily identify the genre through the design of their media text. This was a convention that I didn't want to subvert to, so in order to show a sense of originality throughout my work I had to come up with a new way to capture my audience. This applied by the use of a consistent colour scheme of bright red, yellow, black and images of objects that looked neglected, to reinforce the album name 'All we know is falling'. This would be used to highlight the sub-textual message of the images that all will have something odd about them. This would allows my products to be easily identifiable and interesting to look at as they will include codes and conventions of the Pop Rock genre but they will also challenge the forms.


The ancillary products colour scheme is then further linked to my main task; music video. The music video features cold, grim and lonely colours, of greys and black with the narrative shots but in the band shots there is an element of hope with the use of the red shirt worn by the singer and the bright lights that were used during the filming process. This is shown by the print screens of some of the shots within the music video to the left and the ancillary products to the right.

In my research of tour posters and advertisements of digi-pack products for the pop rock and other genres, I noticed how they include their website and social network logos. These will help to advertise my band as teens are consumed by social networking and word of mouth will be visible and more prevalent if I incorporate the same conventions through my ancillary tour dates poster. As seen in the picture above of my tour dates poster/ album release where I have included involvement advertising with the use of the Twitter and Facebook logo. This further reinforces the band to a wider audience because of the popularity amongst the social networking sites as well as my links to the bands website and a link to buy the tickets. 

I have followed the conventions of using motifs within my media products which is consistent throughout all of my ancillary tasks, as well as the members of my group who all used the same fonts for the band name and the album. The motif of the butterfly was a motif that we all established in our ancillary tasks to been consistent just like the recurrent 'Riot!' in the real Paramore's music video and digi-pack cover for their latest album release. Throughout my CD digi-pack I choose to incorporate the use of images that looked alone or uneasy to reflect the type of album that was being promoted to subvert from the conventions but also to be creative as well as be recognisable to an audience as a Cd digi-pack.

The ancillary products produced, I tried to apply elements of gaze theory with the album specifically because this will be shown mostly on bar doors and walls by people that may have never seen or heard of this band before and I want them to be attracted to the band, especially the lead singer. Through the use of gaze theory a wider audience will be able to associate with the band because of the visual aid. The three band members equally have their own identity that is noticeable when you see them straight away and makes an audience draw to them, equally gaze theory enables both genders to appreciate each member as individuals in their own right. For example, girls want to look like the female main singer and men also identify by finding her attractive, and the same for men aspiring to be like the male members in the band and the females finding the males attractive. I have applied this theory subtly, as through the genre of rock/pop it would subvert conventions by being overtly sexual in their appearance. However, throughout my CD digi-pack gaze theory was not utilized because I didn't think it would be necessary to have an image of the band on the front cover of the magazine like most typical CD digi-packs I wanted to be original and subvert from the conventions.

  

 

Comparisons with real media products

 

 



 

 

This shows the comparisons between the real media products of a music video beside the music video that I have produced using the conventions of the similar type of genre as mine; Paramore- Emergency. This shows how the codes and conventions of my music video fit with real media products. The project does limit the amount of creativity because you have to fit the genre of your specific song however, my products do show a few elements of creativity that we are able to subvert to in order to appeal to your audience.



Narrative

The narrative in our music video could be taken in a multitude of different ways making it polysomic. This follows reception theory which is based on the idea that no text has one single meaning. The way in which we interpret a text's meaning is dependent on factors such as upbringing, age, frame of reference, location, the mood we are in etc. Reception theorists suggests factors such as gender, social studies, and social context are very important when we construct a meaning for a text. In relation to the narrative we have created, you have a lonely girl who is lost but the main singer has been there and is trying to make her feel as though there is hope for her in the foreseeable future.

 Camera shots

 

 The camera shots we have included in the music video have ranged, but we have mainly followed the conventions seen in existing texts in our genre. We have incorporated close ups of the singers, close ups of instruments, wide shots, two shots, rule of thirds. Below, are examples of the shots we have used.

 

 

Evaluation: Creative Arts Evening Feedback

On the 24th April, our school held a creative arts evening which showcased exclusively the work that current A level students had created. This night was the premiere of our music video and we were given the opportunity to stand on stage, deliver a short commentary of our music video and then to showcase our hard work. The evening also gave as a brilliant chance to receive feedback on our final music video.  

This is the response we got after our music video:

The evening was a huge success, with many parents and pupils happily congratulating Trinity A level students on their work. This is the feedback we managed to get:

Thank you for the feedback!

Development: Final Tour dates/album release poster

Ancillary Product: Tour dates/ Album release poster

 

I have finished my final ancillary version of my tour dates poster and album release for the magazine advert. I have used the same conventions throughout all of my other ancillary products and so has the rest of my group.

I have in effect subverted the conventions of real media texts but I do believe this has shown and does reflect the genre I'm trying to advertise and I do feel it works well and shows my creativity. I have included conventions such as the logo, style of font, sponsors and social networks to appeal to the audience intended and to look like the media text it is supposed to be reflecting.