Evaluation:How Effective Is The Combination Of Your Main Product and Ancillary Taskls?

When creating my music video and the two ancillary tasks I chose, which were a Digipak and a magazine Advert, I had to make sure that both products linked well together. I also had to make sure that they had the same or similar house style so that together both products would help shift more units.
Also, when creating both my music video and my ancillary tasks, I made sure that there was consistency and interplay between all the texts, as this is more likely to appeal to my target audience.

Also, when creating my Digipak and Advertisment I considered the four F's. I considere these and how they would link well with my music video. The four F's are format, function, form and frame.

Firstly, the function of my Digipak and Advertisment is to sell the album Treasure Time, and to try and get the artist Megan recognised. Music videos are usually to entertain the reader with the video and song, resulting in more albums selling and eventually loads of units shifting.

Next, the format of my Digipak and Advert are what the presentation is demonstrating. In my digipak I decided I wanted to use colour in the end after experimenting with black and white but not liking it as much as my final product. I have also, used some bright colours in my music video to show the happy times, and darker colours to show the sad times. I have used some black and white in my music video but that is because I feel they fit the narrative better. I also have used capital letters in my Digipak to make the name and title of the song stand out. I think this demonstrates what a strong women she is in the music video.
                   
 Next, is formula and this is when different elements of a media text are put somewhere to attract the right audience. In my Digipak, I included all the tracks on the back of my Digipak which is what all albums tend to do. Also, I decided to include lyrics on my middle page, which not all artists decide to include however I thought that my target audience would enjoy this so that they may then get a better idea of the video meaning. Again the combination works really well together.

Lastly is frame, this is the margins and the borders of a media product. In my borders I included the name or the artist and the name of the song. I felt that this was the most important peice of information. Also, on my Advert I chose to include the date of the album release in one of my borders and my target audience will most likely find this the most useful peice of information.                         

Firstly, when comparing all of my texts, I really thought about Mise-En-Scene, in particular props. The piano is the main prop throughout my music video, and it also a convention which is followed by many other artists for example, Emilie Sande. When I used it in my filming for my music video, I realised that it a crucial part of the artists personality as well as the melody, so I knew I wanted to include it in some part of my Digipak. 

Including the piano in my Digipack, will give my target audience the idea that it is really important to the song and the artist. It may also make the reader feel like they know the artist more, therfore making the Digipak and the music video much more personal. The combination of the two showing the piano is extreamly effective as it shows consistency through the artists music.

Secondly, when creating my music video and my Digipak, I actually did both tasks at the same time because I decided to film what I needed for my video, and then I took my pictures for my Digipak at the same place as I had filmed.

I decided to have both in the same location, because the Digipak itself will stand out more to my target audience. The reason it will stand out more is because if the reader has seen the music video and is going to buy the album, when they are looking in the shop, they will be browsing and if they see they same location on the front cover than they did when watching the video, they are more likly to pick it up because they recognise the scenery. I believe that using the same location will definatly help sell more copies because the target audience will recognise the location, and overall the artist themself.

In order for an album to shift loads of units, you need to use synergy. My music video isnt merchnadise it it too simply advertise and promote the song/album. My Digipak could be used as Synergy as it links in well with my music video, therfore this will help the album to sell more copies. Also, if my advertisment was to be placed in a variety of places for example, a magazine, a supermarket, a billboard, then more people and possibly a bigger variety of readers will buy a copy.

Evaluation: What Have You Learnt From Your Audience Feedback?

Evaluation: How Did You Use Media Technologies In The Construction, Research, Planning And Evaluation Stages?

Evaluation: In What Ways Does Your Media Product Use, Develop or Challenge Forms And Conventions Of Real Media Products

In my music video I have tried to include many of the conventions and forms that Indie-Pop music videos demostrate. I have also looked at my style models and similar artists to see how they use a variety of forms in there music videos.
While I created my text I thought about the different conventions and forms that I followed in the process of filming. I chose to stick with many of the same conventions that have been demostrated in previous music videos, as my target audience are then more likely to enjoy my video.


Firstly, one convention I decided to use and portray in my video, is the use of a piano as one of my props in Mise En Scene. An example of where this is used in a music video of a similar artist to mine, is in Emilie Sande's video next to me. Emilie Sande has a similar style to Megan, and so using a piano as a prop in my video I felt suited my artist and song really well.

Also, using a piano as one of the props in my music video, gives the audience a more personal side of my artist, as it shows that playing the piano is one of my artists hobbies. Furthermore, the melody which is played with the piano in the song, gives the audience a sense of emotion as the melody is quite sad, a long with the sad lyrics.



The second form/convention in terms of camerawork, is a shot where I made sure the artist is looking at the camerawork. This is seen as a direct mode of address to the audience making sure the audience, feels that the artist is relating to them.




Ellie Goulding's music video Starry Eyed has a lot of these camerashots in it. I chose this music video because Ellie Goulding is the main style model I have used througout my A2 Coursework, as she is very similar to my artist in terms of her voice, style and genre of music is very comparable.

In terms of editing I have included a variety of cuts, fast and slow ones to transition into my flashback scene in my music video. An example of this in an existing music video, is in Katy Perry's music video Part Of Me. This video has a very similar sad message to the song I have used by Megan, so both videos have used a convention popular within sad  songs.

Using the varity of cuts that I have used in my video, I feel it blends the flashback well into the rest of my music video, and it makes the video and storyline seem more realistic. The use of the flashbacks and the cuts and fades makes the video much more emotive for the audience. Again, this is similar to the Katy Perry video.


Another convention which I decided to imitate in my music video is lip syncing. This is one of the most popular conventions in all types and genres of music video's, so I knew this was important when creating my music video. In my research and planning all the music videos I looked at used lip syncing so I knew that this was going to be a vital part of my video. Also, I think lip syncing helps portray the narrative of a video a more personal way, which I wanted my audience to experience. 

An example of this in an already existing media text is in Ellie Gouldings video Anything Could Happen. I used Ellie Goulding as the base when branding my unknown artist Megan Linnell, so I have been using a lot of her work in my research and planning. Ellie's songs have a lot of meaning and narrative in them therefore I wanted to demostrate that in my music video.

In my music video I feel I may have challenged and/or developed at least one convention. This therefore makes my music video more individual and unique.

One convention I feel that I may have challenged would be the scene of our home video footage. However, some people may see this as a convention I have decided to develop. I have not found any videos which I feel relate to my artist of song, therefore this could be seen as being challenged or developed. I feel this scene really gives the story line more emotion and it makes the video as a whole much more realistic in comparison to videos which dont show the past.
The fact that I havent done my video in a chronological order makes it very unique in comparison to other videos which have chosen to use a simple storyline.
People may see it as a challenge because I am still taking the flashbacks from my video, which appear in video's and changing the context in which the scene is performed. So I have changed my slow flashbacks into the contect of a home video. However, some people may see my developing a new convention as they is very few current music videos which appear to demonstrate home video footage.
Some directors may not decide to challenge or develop a convention on the idea that this will bring in only a niche audience. However, I made the choice to challenge or develop a convention because, I believed it may bring in more of a variety of audiences meaning that overall my market may be smaller, however the variety of people watching my video means that my video may be liked by more and different spectators.

In my music video I decided to use black and white colouring on more than one occasion. This could be seen as a challenge. In a lot of the curent music videos in the similar style and genre of my video, many of them just chose to use darker lighter to cheate the emotion through the song.




An example of this is Cristina Perri's song A Thousand Years, she has used dark blue and grey tones instead of the black and white. However, I chose to use black and white in a couple of my scenes to really demostrate to my target audience that the song is really sad, and I think using the black and the white makes the lyrics in the song much more realistic.

It was really important for me to appeal to my target audience while thinking about conventions and the process of making my music video.
The uses and gratification theory states that it is an approach to understanding why and how people seek out specific media to satisfy there needs. This theory questions- what do people have to do with media? and what does the media do to people?
The whole time is was creating my music video I was thinking about what would appeal to my target audience. I needed to appeal to my target audience so then when they saw the video they would want to buy the song and shift more units.
When I was filming it was important for me to give my target audience what they wanted to see, so by sticking to some of the typical conventions seen in similar music videos to mine this meant my audience were use to these forms. Due to the repetition of some of the conventions I have stuck to, it is clear that audiences really like to see particular demonstrations of typical conventions seen in this genre of music. This is also, meant that my target audience were seeing the stereotypical conventions used in the music video industry today, and them stereotypes were then portrayed in my music video.

It was a risk for me to challenge and develop some conventions, however I believe that bringing in new forms into my video means, my target audience will be kept intrested when they see new scenes and conventions in my text.

In the making of my music video I used various media codes. A media code is a system of signs which create a meaning, they can be divided into 2 catagories technical and symbolic. Firstly, technical codes are all the ways in which equipment are used to tell a story in a certain media text. An example of this in my music video is the camerashots used in my video. One shot used in a high angle shot, where she is playing on the piano. This shot demonstrates that she is very vulnerable and at a low point of her life. This is because of the loss of her sister, and I believe that this shot tells the sudience a story and narrative.

Other music videos may use technical codes to tell a story. For example fast editing could demonstrate that the person is feeling panicked or worried about something. Also, dark lighting could be used to portray how sad a character is feeling.
Secondly, is a symbolic code. Symbolic codes are the signs contained in the narrative that we encode as being significant and having a meaning. An example of this is our music video was the scene at the beginning of my music video where the character is playing the piano. The piano can be seen as a symbolic code because the song I used is very sad therefore the piano helps create the soft melody. Furthermore, it imitates that fact that my artist in real life played the piano herself while recording the song. 

Both of these codes can be seen as conventions because I believe many artists hope that there music video will tell a story to the audience. This will result in the audience getting hold of the narravtive and then using this to find the symbolic codes in the music video. I trust that all music videos have a technical and symbolic code as a base for there songs. Audiences are more likely to enjoy and watch music videos with these codes and conventions in them, meaning this artist will have a bigger target audience.

Overall, I believe that my media product has a real variety of conventions in it, some I have used and some I have challenged or developed, meaning that I appeal extreamly
well to my target audience.