Audience Feedback - Magazine Advert First Draft

Audience Feedback Form

Production Diary 17/12/11

I recently conducted a photo shoot, in which I took an old camera that has be broken beyond repair and smashed it up, taking images at various different stages of breaking the camera. I also reassembled the camera once it was broken as I felt this looked interesting and visually appealing. I used the Canon 550D to take the images in my photo shoot, as it is particularly good for close ups, allowing me to shoot in great detail and shoot in shallow focus. I also have used this camera previously, thus I am familiar with it and how to work it.
I have now completed drafts for two of my tasks, the digipak and the magazine advert that can be found below. I will now collect audience feedback for these drafts in order to decide how I can improve them.
I am currently unable to work on my music video as there is something wrong with my footage, meaning the program closes whenever I try to open it. Therefore, for now and over the Christmas holidays I plan to improve my posts on my blog as I feel some of them may have been to brief, and lacked some explanation.

Magazine Advert First Draft

I have not taken up a whole page for my magazine advert, as the band is not extremely famous or well known yet, thus would not be able to afford such an advert.



This is what my magaizne advert would look like actually in the magazine, with existing adverts for albums on the same page.

Digipak First Draft

Front Cover


Inside Left



Inside Right
The CD will be placed exactly on the smashed lense and they will be the exact same sizes



Back Cover

Photoshoot

Here are some examples of the kinds of images I took in my recent photoshoot for my digipak and magzine advert. I tried to be as creative as possible when smashing up the camera, taking images at various stages and placing them in interesting positions. I played around with the film I found inside th camera, and also reassembled the camera after smashing it, which I felt looked very visually interesting.

Audience Feedback - Digipak Ideas

I was unsure of whether to use the camera idea for my digipak, thus I decided to get some audience feedback and see what other thought of the idea. I explained briefly the ideas to them, and also showed them the picture in the previous post so they could further understand what kind of images I was planning to use.

Matt - I think the idea of smashing up a camera could look very effecting and interesting, especially if you got an older one not a digital one. You could try and use lots of close ups. for example of the smashed glass to get a different effects. I think this whole idea would be eye catching, and if I saw an advert of this in a magazine I would be attarcted to it as it is quite original. Therefore you could maybe use these camera images for the magazine advert too, so you have more consistency between your products and I think it would do well in attracting an audience.

DigiPak/Magazine Advert Ideas

Another idea for these products is to buy an old broken camera that is beyond repair and take various shots of it, perhaps breaking it up more as I go. This will continue with the theme of seeing and looking, it could also look quite dramatic and be very conceptual if I did it well. I may begin with an image of simply a broken lens then carry on until I am pulling the different parts out of the camera. I could also then put text onto the tape/wires, for example the track listings.

Production Diary 10/12/11

I have been continuing to research into existing products in terms of digipaks and magazine adverts, especially of the indie/rock genre. I have also been researching on the internet to find different sources of inspiration, as I have some ideas but need to further develop them.
I have also been continuing to put my video together on Adobe Premiere Pro, which is more time comsuming than I expected, but I decided to rename and organize all my clips in order to make it eaisier and speed up the process.

Possible Magazine Advert Idea

This is the cover art used in Surfer Blood's album Astro Coast. It appears to be two images merged together but with the cubes it appears to be like pixels. I may use this idea in my magazine advert as it is fairly simple but still effective and somewhat thought provoking in the audience as they will try to figure out what the image is, and depending on my chosen images it can be somewhat conceptual.

They seem to keep this use of two images as a theme through their products, as their second CD release uses similar methods. I am considering using this in both my digipack cover and my magazine article, as it is original and eyecatching thus will immediately indicate to my audience that these products are both from the same artist.

Production Diary 02/12/11

This week I have continued to put together my music video on Adobe Premiere, which has proved a time consuming task as I want all the cuts to be in perfect time. I have also been collecting together all the documents needed for my coursework, such as Actor Release Forms, which means I have the permission of the actor to use any footage I gain and they fully understand my aims to use it in my work, which is important as sometimes they may argue that they don't like it and don't want me to use it when I have already created the video, which would prove a serious problem. I previously also created a form of all the personnel details of those will will be involved in my video, so they know their jobs and what they need to do. I posted this onto the Facebook group I created for my music video to make sure they all ad easy access to a copy.

I have also been considering creating an introduction for my music video, as the chosen song is very short, only around one and a half minutes. I recently saw Summer Camp's video for the song 'Down' which consists solely of GIFs, which I think has created an interesting effect for the audience as it differs from normal music videos. Furthermore I think this could be successful as it may appeal to my target audience of teenagers and young adults due to the fact GIF's are very popular on the internet, particularly social networking sites such as Facebook and Tumblr, people will often create them for humour.

Intro Ideas

I have decided to add an intro to my music video as the song is very short and this will make my work of a higher standard and allow me to use different skills. I am considering continuing with the theme of looking, seeing and photographs as seen in my digipaks and parts of my video. One of my ideas is to do something similar to what is used in the video 'Down' by Summer Camp. I have never seen such an effect in a music video before and I think it is very effective and original, however it may be hard to do myself.

Personnel Details

Personnel Details

Actor Release Forms

I had to get my actors to sign a form consenting to being in my music video and eriefing them so they know what it involves.

Production Diary - 25/11/11

Recently I uploaded my footage and began to edit and cut it, as well as renaming each clip to make them easier to find and organise. I have began to put together my music video with the clips and the music, making the first draft of my video. This is important as I will be able to improve it and also I know how much more footage I may need to shoot, for example if certain shots are out of focus. Additionally I continued to receive audience feedback from people who fit my target audience.

Floor Plans

As I am conducting shoots in two locations, I created two floor plans, one for each place, to help me set up efficently and quickly when it comes to the actual shoots.

Floor Plan

Floor Plan2

Production Diary - 19/11/11

I have now shot the initial footage for my music video, I took the Canon 550D away at the weekend and shot the main actress getting ready all in close ups and extreme close ups. I felt this went fairly well, as I got a variety of shots and as I shot in her room the lighting was very warm and went well with the bright colours. I did struggle at first with shooting in shallow focus however I feel some of my shots looks very effective and will be useful in my video.
I also shot on Wednesday after school in front of the green screen with one group of my actors, as well as miming the lyrics I also got them to use balloons, bubbles and silly string. I feel this effective in that not only does it make my video more fun and exciting, but it also helped my actors to relax and feel more comfortable in front of the cameras. This made them appear more natural and less rigid in their performance, thus making my footage appear more professional. However, I plan to shoot another bit of footage using a different group of actors, as my audience feedback suggested it would be difficult to direct a large group of people thus I divided my actors into two groups so I would still be able to have the variety of actors in my video.
I also craeted floor plans for each of my shoots that helped me in terms of placing everything correctly and helping my visualise what the shoot would look like and how it would work.

Prior to shooting my video I made an equipment list of everything I would need including cameras and props. This made sure that I did not forget anything on the day and that I had bought everything I would need so I would have no problems shooting.

Equipment List

This list will ensure that I keep organised, and have everything I need in preperation for my shoots, as well as making sure I remember them on the day.

Equipment I will need when shooting at school:
- Camera
- Tripod/Dolly
- Spot Lights
- Fill Lights
- Green Screen

Props
- Guitar
- Balloons
- Party Poppers
- Bubbles
- Silly String


Equipment I will need when shooting at home:
- Camera, Canon 55oD
- Tripod
- Dolly

Props
- Make up
- Dressing Table and Mirror
- Clothes
- Alphabetti Spaghetti
- Play dough
- Magazines and newspapers to cut out letters
- Large Pieces of white card

Costumes

Shoot with Main Actress

Red Lipstick - This is a typical colour of the indie-rock genre, symbolising being rebellious and passionate thus appealing to my target audience as they are likely to hold similar values. For example, they would expect the band to be passionate and serious about their music. It also enforces her femininity whilst still suggesting her to be edgy, and this with fairly basic eye makeup allows her lips to stand out significantly.Red Velvet Dress - This deep colour and material fits with the warm atmosphere of the room. Such style also portrays her as somewhat unique and quirky yet still fashionable. This again appeals to my target audience as they are likely to be individualists or mainstreamers believing themselves to be individualists thus will aspire to such people.

Production Diary - 9/11/11

This week I have continued to get audience feedback from people who fit into my target audience, receiving feedback and considering how peoples comments may affect my plans for my music video n terms of how to improve it. All my comments can be found on my audience feedback page.
I also cut out each frame from my storyboard and placed them onto Adobe Premiere Pro. I added the song and placed them in the timeline to fit the song and the duration of each shot. This is my animatic, it will help me when I start to shoot and then edit my video as I will be able to keep a clear idea of my plan and simply match the real shots to the animatic. However, after doing this I decided I wanted faster cuts, so this is now a basic skeleton of what I plan to be my final music video.
I continued with my planning to create a risk assessment, this involved considering all the potential risks and problems that may occur during my shoot and how to avoid or overcome them. This will make sure I am as prepared as possible in preparation for my shoot.

Test Sequence

This is my test sequence I discussed previously, which I created in order to get used to the cameras and the software I will be using whenI create my real music video.

Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment






I had to create a risk assessment of potential hazards when shooitng my music video, this ensures I am able to deal with them and avoid them when possible. It preents me having to postpone my video, or reshoot it if any problems occured, such as the camera running out of battery.

Animatic

This is my animatic, which will give me a basic idea as to how my video and choice of shots will look and work with my song. I cut each frame from my storyboard into a seperate picture and placed it onto the timeline where I also dropped in my chosen music. I chose the use the program Adobe Premiere, as I have used it before and it is what I will be creating my actual music video in later in my work.

Production Diary

This week I have continued to receive audience feedback on my work, including my digipak and my general ideas for my music video. I have also continued o look at similar music videos for inspiration, I found on I felt to be especially effective in shooting solely in close ups. These can all be found on my inspirations page.
I also completed the story board that has a basic outline of my shots and where they will come in the song, this will help me when shooting as it will remind me of what shots I need and for what duration. I used the timeline to do this in order to match the right shots to the different lyrics. This will ensure I get the necessary footage and do not forget any vital scenes, it also helps me to visualise what my video will look like.

Storyboard

Timeline

Timeline Norgarrd

Production Diary - 29/10/11

During this week it has been half term, thus at home as I am unable to use some of the software that is available in school I have been improving my posts, giving them more detail and making my work of a higher quality. Furthermore, I sketched out my storyboard for my music video, which I will scan in at school then post. This I can also use to create my animatic, by separating each frame and dropping them into Adobe Premiere with my chosen song. I also created a timeline for my song, so I know where lyrics and instrumentals occur, I feel this will aid me in the future when planning, shooting and creating my video as I will not have to keep listening to the song each time. I plan to add my own ideas for shots to a copy of this timeline to further help me and give me a good understanding of how long each shot must be when shooting.

Audience Feedback - Digipak

DigiPak
Audience Feedback Form Nicole

First DigiPak Draft Analysis/Explanation

Production Diary -19/10/11

Recently I have been mind mapping ideas for the print aspect of my brief, so all my ideas were laid out clearly for me to see and compare. I then chose the ideas I liked the best and thought would be the most effective, and created the first draft for my Digipak, the front and back cover of the case that will hold the CD. I sketched these out and scanned them into the computer so I was able to post them. I then continued to briefly explain and analyse my initial designs, saying why I thought they would be effective in attracting my target audience and explaining what the pictures were in the case that my sketching wasn't totally clear.
I have also continued to research into similar products, both music videos and album artwork to give me ideas and understand what works well in the current market. In addition, in order to receive feedback from my target audience I have placed polls on my blog.

Digipak Cover - First Draft

Front

Back

This is my first draft which I sketched out for my digipack cover. I plan to make it appear like a scrapbook with a variety of photos placed in it, these can be fun, visually appealing or conceptual. The idea of photos and taking pictures also is contingent with the overall theme of 'looking' at the world, this is particularly enforced by the images of the eye and the girl wearing sunglasses.

Target Audience Profile

Copy of Target Audience Profile on Prezi

Production Diary - 10/10/11

In my past few lessons I created a test sequence in order to begin to understand how to use the cameras and remind myself of how to use Adobe Premiere and After Effects. I tried out a variety of different effects and shots when shooting, this helped me to understand what worked well and what did not, thus preparing me to shoot my music video with confidence.
I have also been continuing to sketch drafts of my digipack and storyboard of my music video, this will be especially useful later as I will know exactly what footage I need to get, thus I will not miss anything out or shoot too much irrelevant footage. Soon I will improve these and sketch them out properly, thus giving me good guidelines and plans for my later products.

Test Sequence

In order to get used to the shooting with the cameras and using Premiere and After Effects to create different sequences and effects, I went out and created a test sequence using various different shots. I used a Sony HVR A1E camera, this allowed me to shoot a clear shrap image in HD, these will also be the cameras I am likely to use to create my music video. I found the shot of a girl applying lipstick to be particularly effective when put in reverse, as it appeared she was taking the colour off. However, I found that I zoomed in too often which affected the focus and quality of a shot, it would have been better to place the camera closer to the subject, though this proved difficult to do at times, especially as the tripod is needed. I found shots using the tripod to be significantly more professional looking as the camera is still and does not have the shaking that shots I did just holding the camera had, thus I will always use a tripod in the future when shooting my music video. I also found high contrast lighting to be effective and very dramatic for some shots, creating a somewhat surreal effect when combined with bright colours. Furthermore, I found that when outside lighting can be an issue, especially as I am planning to shoot on location. When it is sunny the bright light can have a very good effect, however if you point the camera towards the sun it creates a silhouette effect. This can be a problem however, if it is not the desired effect you wish to create as it may black out any things you wish to include.

Audience Feedback - Proposal

My test audience commented that they liked the idea of spelling out words with different objects, thus I am likely to include this is my video. They did imply that I may have some trouble if I choose to shoot on location if it is in London, therefore I plan to ensure I have a back up location just in case anything goes wrong that may affect my filming.
Much of the advice coming from various members of my target audience has been expressing concerns in terms of shooting on location that it will be difficult to ensure that the light and weather is suitable as it is out of my control. This and that fact I have many actors featuring in my music video, and it has already proved extremely difficult to get them all together at one time at one place has led to me changing my music video being shot on location to in school. Currently, I plan to shoot it in front of a plain white screen, and leave the background like this, as I feel it will allow the audience’s attention to focus on more important aspects of the video, such as the performance. This is supported by the fact that in my polls, feedback indicated that people believed performance and the cast to be more important than the location.

Audience Feedback - Proposal

Audience Feedback Form Matt

Production Diary - 20/09/11

In the past week I have been working on creating a proposal for my music video and thinking carefully about the kind I would like to make, what aspects to include and how to ensure it is successful. I will get people to give me feedback on my ideas so I understand how it would do in real life and how to improve it, especially those who fit into my target audience.

Proposal

For my A2 Media Studies coursework, I have decided to create a music video for the song ‘Norgaard’ by The Vaccines. I chose this song as it is fast paced and catchy, it also has a fun vibe which will allow me to be creative and use a variety of shots and effects. This will help to keep the audience’s attention and will appeal to my target audience of 15-25 year old males and females, who are individualists or mainstreamers believing themselves to be individualists. As the song is very short at only just over one and a half minutes long, I plan to include and intro before the actual music starts to allow me more screen time to be creative and create tension and expectancy in the audience.

My main idea for my music video is to around 7 people of both genders who will dance and mime to the lyrics, I will quickly change between shots of different people, emphasising the fast pace of the song. I felt this would be more exciting and interesting to watch than simply one person singing, also I found it hard to find one person who was willing to do the whole song alone. I will also feature one main girl who will not sing but the video will be centred around, I want there to be a clear contrast between these parallel narratives thus I will use obvious sharp cuts when changing between them. I may also use a split screen at some points to show the relationship between the two narratives, so it is clear to the audience that they are singing about the girl. I plan to show her getting ready to go out, I will only use close ups and extreme close ups throughout the video such as an extreme close up of her putting on mascara and lipstick and trying on clothes. I will never show her whole face, thus her identity will be unknown to the audience, which will help to create a narrative and make them curious. This will also emphasise to the audience her importance, due to being the centre of the video, all attention is focused upon her. Only at the very last shot in the song will I show the girls full figure in a long shot, which will be the climatic point of the song. She will be portrayed as original and quirky, making her more interesting for the target audience, particularly as they are individualists or mainstreamers believing themselves to be individualists, thus they will value such traits.

At one point in every chorus of the song, the lyrics spell out the model Amanda Norgaard’s (who the song was written about) first name. I plan use direct reference to the lyrics here, showing the letters physically on screen, each time using a different means to do so. For example, in the first chorus I will spell out her name with fridge magnets and use fast cuts to change between the letters. In the last chorus I plan to show those who have participated in my video holding white signs with the letters spelt out on them, again changing quickly between shots. I feel this would be an effective ending when followed by the last shot of the main girl, finally revealing her identity. I am also considering using after effects to put letters on the screen in my intro before the music plays, introducing the song.

I also plan to use a variety of locations, the main girl will be shot in her bedroom to get ready but very little of the room will be shown due to the closeness of the shots. I will also shoot outside in the street, perhaps in Camden Lock and market, as this would be in interesting quirky location with many different features. I am considering slowing down the song when filming, so if my actors stand still and sing I will be able to speed up the shot and it will appear they are in normal time, whilst everything around them will be sped up and going faster. I may also feature a shot of my main girl walking down a busy street, but dressed eccentrically so that she stands out from the crowd, wearing heels and quirky clothes. This will however be shot from the back so her identity will still be hidden, captivating the audiences interest and attention. However, shooting outside could pose a problem for me and my actors, for example if the weather is bad. In addition, I will be shooting in public and thus will have less control over the surroundings and any other people who may wander into the shot.

The Cribs' music video for 'I'm a Realist' could be considered a similar video to what I plan to make, in that it features a girl getting ready to go out and also uses a split screen. The Naked and Famous' 'Young Blood' also has similar features that I would like to incorperate into my video, such as the inspirastional images of young people which appeal to teenagers.

Production Diary - 12/09/11

In the past few weeks I have been completeing my screen test and my location recce, adding more detail and explanation to them. Furthermore, I have continued to improve the rest of my posts, such as my inspirations page by adding explanations as to why I chose these videos and what influence they have had on my planning. I tried to get a variety of videos, though most of them are of my chosen music genre, indie/rock music. Throughout the rest of my work I keep researching and watching existing music videos, so I have a bette runderstabding of the market, their conventions, and what I think creates a successful effective music video.

Screen Test

In order to ensure those participating in my video are able to perform confidently infront of the camera I conducted a screen test, where I filmed them miming to a song for around 30 seconds.

Location Recce

The Manor
This location is local which will make organising my video shoot eaisier, especially when concering getting equipment to the set. It can also be shot inside meaning the weather will not cause any drastic problems that would have been present if I shot my video outside.




Eastcote High Street
This location is local which is good as I would be able to get my cast and equipment there without too much difficulty. However, it is not that interesting a location especially compared to somewhere like London. Therefore if I were to film my video here, it may not be particularly visually effective or exciting.



Oxford Street
The crowds could cause a problem in that it will be hard to set up my equipment without much room and it would be hard to shoot. Howveer, the crowds may create an interesting visual effect, for example if I filmed them and then decided to make the speed faster and one of my participants were to stand still, so they will appear to be in normal speed.



Westfield Shopping Centre
This location would be suitable in that it is inside, therefore the lighting would be bright regardless of the time, and weather issues would not be a problem. I also think it is fairly interesting, with big glass windows, a variety of shops and escalartors which could look effective if used in my video. however, I plan to shoot at the weekend and it would be very busy, thus members of the public may pose a problem for my when trying to shoot my video. It is also fairly far away when carrying equipment and trying to get all those who are featuring in my video onto location.



South Bank
This location would look visually attractive, especially with the River Thames in the shot. I also feel that there are meny interesting, quirky places here which I could shoot some of my video in. However, I feel that it would only really be effective if it was sunny, thus the weatehr could pose serious problems for my video shoot.

Camden
This location could be effective in that it would be However, I would not have control over much, such as the public walking through my shot, which may cause problems for me when I am trying to shoot my video.




Kings College Playing Fields
This location is very close and thus will be accessible to all those who are participating in my video, meaning they would be more likely to be happy to turn up on time etc. It will also make shooting my video relativly eaisier as I will not have to travel far with the equipment. However, it could be problematic in terms of the weather and members of the public usuing the fields at the time.



My Garden
I may use a shot at this angle of someone on the trampoline as it is a very high shot I would not usually be able to achieve. I may spell out the name Amanda as they spell it out in the song, with something such as stones on the trampoline. Here I would have good control over the set which would make shooting my video eaisier, however it may look a bit dull and broing. Therefore I plan to shoot a small part of my video at this location.

Song Lyric Analysis

In order to make sure my video is effective and goes well with the music, I must understand the meaning and lyrics of the song I have chosen. I therefore decided to analyse the lyrics, to grasp a deeper understanding of the song. After this, I then began to plan what visuals may accompany certain parts of the song. For example, when the lyrics spell out the models name, I will emphasise the words by having the letters on the screen.

Production Diary - 07/09/11

I recently got back to school after the summer holidays, so have been ensuring my work over the holidays is sufficent and up to date, and that all the tasks are uploaded to my blog. I have also been looking over the previous entries to my blog, correcting and spelling or grammar issues, and improving the posts I felt could be better.

Summer Holidays Production Diary

Over the summer I have been continuing to research and watch music videos that may help give me inspiration and ideas for my own product. I have also decided upon the song I plan to use, which is 'Norgaard' by The Vaccines, thus in addition I have been analysing the lyrics and considering what visuals will go well with the music and lyrics. I saw the song performed live at Reading festival, and this further convinced me that it was a suitable exciting song to use. I also research ten iconic music video stills, both those that are popularly perceived as iconic and those I felt were iconic to me. I tried to use a variety of genres and artists; these will again help me to ensure my final product is as interesting and successful as possible. Furthermore, I have been looking for inspiration and considering suitable locations and participants for my video. Therefore, I have began to conduct a locations recce and will later conduct a screen test with some of those participating in my video to observe how well they are able to perform and how comfortable they feel in such a situation.

10 Iconic Music Video Stills

In order to gain better understanding of the music video industry and what makes a successful music video I researched some of the most iconic music videos of all time. I combined both those I felt personally to be iconic and origanal, and those that are universally percieved to be iconic. I chose ten music videos and took still which I believe to be particularly famous or effective from them.


Radiohead - No Surprises



Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime




Madonna - Vouge

Lady GaGa feat. Beyonce - Telephone

Madonna - Like A Prayer



Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

Ok Go - Here It Goes Again

Oasis - Wonderwall

Britney Spears - Baby One More Time

Micheal Jackson - Thriller

The Vaccines 'If You Wanna' - Reverse Storyboard

I created a reverse storyboard of the music video 'If You Wanna' by The Vaccines.

Equipment

Canon XM2 HD Camera - This camera could be useful to shoot my music video due to the fact it shoots in High Definition, thus my footage will be of a much higher quality. this is important to me as I want my music video to look as professional as possible. Furthermore, it workswell in low-light settings, and as I plan to shoot outside this will be sueful to create good quality footage without studio lights.


Canon 55OD Camera - This camera would be good to shoot my music video in as it allows me to shoot in shallow focus, this is useful as I plan to use many extreme close ups..


Tripod/Dolly - I will use this at all times when filming as it ensures that my shots are steady and not shaky from simply holding it. This will make my video appear much more professional and effective, it will avoid it looking like a simple student created music video.


Autocue - This may be useful when creating my video as I can have the lyrics playing as my artist is performing, thus they will be reminded of the words and less likely to make mistakes, thus requiring less takes.


Visual Switcher - I can use this to change between multiple cameras when shooting a video, so I do not have to repeat the performance everytime I want a different shot or angle. It also ensures that transitions are smooth and in time, again making it more effective and attracrive for my audience to watch.


Fill Light - This light is useful as it enables me to obtain high-key lighting when shooting my video. This differs from a spotlight in that it brightens the entire area I am filming, not just certain areas. This means my lighting will be more even and I will avoid harsh shadows.


Sony HVRA1E Camera - These high definition cameras will ensure I get good wuality footage, though they are more portable than the Canon XM2 Hd camera. This means it may be more suitable for me as I plan to shoot the majority of my video on location.



Spotlight - This light allows me to highlight certain areas, thus will be useful when shooting extreme close ups in my music video.



Crane - This allows me to shoot from a high angle with some ease and to move the camera around whilst filming withouthaving to try and reposition it.