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

Conventions on Prezi

Above are conventions of real media products which, some I have followed and some which are flouted, below explains the conventions which we used in our own media products in comparison with real media products.

The Video
Editing -
The editing of our video was important, our final look follows a conventional look of this particular genre. Here is two example vidoes which have similar aspects to our video.



As you can see these videos use black and white throughout their video and also has a 'grungy' look. This is similar to our video as we also have used black and white effects with a high contrast to create a specific effect in our music video. It contains a lot of jump cuts which aim is to keep the audience interested and show the narrative from different angles. For example, when Jono is getting ready we use jump cuts between each different stage of getting ready, this helps pick up the pace of the video to match the music, which also increases it's tempo.

INSERT VIDEO

Camera Work -
The camera work which is used also fits the conventions of a music video. It contains a mixture of shots from close ups to long shots. However, possibly in a music video conventionally people would expect more close up shots, which Pete Fraser says suggests intimacy with the artist. Throughout the music video a mid-shot is probably the most used shot. As our video is focussed on a band conventionally it uses panning shots, for example the one of Jamie on the drums.







Also a range of angles so all the band can be seen. For example this shot of Chris in the front with Jamie and Chris S still being seen in the back and similarly Chris S in the front and the rest in the back.

Our music video has also partly followed Goodwins theory of music videos as the we have tried to match the narrative side of the video to the lyrics, so it clearly illustrates what happens. For example, when Jono walks up the stairs with Daisy and there is a shot of them closing the door. This matches with lyrics 'We have a litte dance, and I'm sure that I'm in, Have a mint night out with a happy ending' Obviously connotating sex. 

The Magazine Advert

As you can see from the annotation of our magazine we have followed a lot of the conventions which are typical of a magazine advert. However, conventions which are common in a magazine advert includes an image of the entire band. As you can see the image is only of one person as a feature for the magazine article. In the draft we did use the band for the image however it wasn't clear enough and brought the quality of the image down. As you can see the quality of images are totally different: 

Therefore we think that although the band isn't used for the photo the image which is used is effective as it makes the magazine advert looks more professional and effective. 

The Digipack 

The digipack also follows lots of the conventions which are typical of a real digipack. Similar to the magazine, some people would expect to see a picture of all of the band on the front whereas ours only has one person on the front cover. The colour scheme is simple and  most of it is in black and white. The images being all the same colours help make the images fit better together.

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

3 - How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

The camera, a Canon 550D, we had never used before, therefore had to become familiar with how to use it so we were able to film effectivley and not waste time. To start with the camera was difficult to use, however, once we had both practiced using it it seemed quite easy to get a hang of. The main buttons which we had to use which seem self-explanatory are shown below:

The turning of the focus on the front makes a huge effect on the shot and shows how much it changes the focus. For example, here is a video which shows the changes between shots in focus and out of focus.

Also there are screen shots where you can compare the difference. As you can see the first shot is blurry, in comparison with the second shot, where his hand is seen clearly. This is something we had to take into consideration when we were filming as especially when the actor is moving around the camera can slip out of focus, therefore not producing clear shots.

4 - What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Audience Feedback
by: ltye


Our aim for our music video was to promote our band and attract a wide audience to the genre or indie/rock. The audience feedback which we have recieved has helped us see if we have achieved our aim and created an interesting music video, which seems similar to real music videos, which our audience will like to watch. Also make them recognise the band and listen to them in the future.

Key words on positive feedback -

Key words of Criticisms -

From the feedback which I have received about the music video I have learnt people's opinions of the video. Many people enjoyed the beginning of the video and found it very interesting due to the amount of variety of shots it showed. Also the switches between the narrative and performances help kept the audience watching, however a lot of people agreed that towards the end there is not as much narrative and the performance starts to become repetitive therefore the video starts to get boring. 

The audience thought the actors did a great job throughout the video which they thought helped make the video more professional. They thought the actors were realistic to the story line and were also confident when performing. The miming and playing of the instruments were very in time with the music which also adds to the professional feel. 

Editing for the music video was shown to be successful and the audience liked the 'grungy' look which was created by the high contrast black and white shots. Some people in the audience thought the shots created a suitable mood for the genre and related well with the band. However some comments believed some of the shots were slightly dark and could have been clearer in some places to create a professional vibe all the way through.

Final Video - Actin' A Disgrace

New location
Our original video location included the Manor pub and Kristina Lowes house, however the footage which we got from these are not good quality therefore during the re-shoot of the footage for the video we have changed the location. Where Jono is getting ready and walking down the stairs that is filmed at his house in Chilwell. PICTURE. Our other location where you see all of the group of friends drinking is at Tom Liddingtons house. We choose not to film at Kristinas house again as in the re-shoot we were using a boy as the main character therefore using a girls bedroom wouldbt be realistic therefore, using a boy's room was appropriate. Also we didnt film at the manor again as the footage which came from there seemed very dark effecting the quality of the camera. Therefore we choose a house as here we can experiment with the lighting which we can't do in a public place. I think that this did work in our favour as the shots that we have from both of the new loactions are well-lit, realistic and clear.


New Actors
Feedback from our first draft said that it would be more appropriate to use male actors for the narratives as the song is based on a lads night out. Therefore we got new actors instead of using Daisy, to try and improve the video. However Daisy is still in the shot as the song does mention having a girl in it, howeber she is not the main character and instead we used Johnathon Norton as the main character.

Jono Norton
Aged 18  - His role is to be filmed getting ready, as if going on a night out and meeting his friends and getting drunk.










Extras




Will Norton
Aged 18 - His role is to be one of Jono's group of friends and is getting drunk with him.














Jack Hodson
Aged 18 - His role is the same as Wills and is one of the group of lads.
















Along with these extras there is also many others who show throughout the video. By having a lot of people in the clip it seems realistic in that a large group would go out and get drunk together. People include: James Brazier, Lewis Herceck and Charlotte Meadwell.

Final Magazine Advert

Construction

After receiving feedback feedback on my first draft I have made some final changes to produce a final magazine advert. I have completely changed the image that is on the advert to match the image which is on the front of my digipack. I believe this image works much better than the previous one as it is more focussed, clearer and more appealing to the audience. The font and colours also match the digipack. I have kept a similar layout to the first draft as this got good feedback. The colour scheme is also the same following the black and red. I have also included the iTunes symbol on the poster allowing the audience to know where to buy the album. It has still kept to the conventions which are typical of a magazine poster. It has ratings on and also related companies. 

Feedback

Final digipack cover

Construction

After gathering feedback on the first digipack I have redrafted it to try and improve it and make it more professional and conventional. I have changed the image on the front of the digipack to one which is more captivating and not so dark. It is also of the person who is featured throughout the video for Drop Outs. As the image has a high contrast the fonts which are used stand out even more. The image on the inside also has a quote from the band and the bands name on on the inside. I think this makes the digipack more personal as the individual members are named. The image which was originally used on the inside of the digipack i have now move to the back cover, and also made it grey scale. I did this as throughout the rest of the digipack all of the images are simple following mostly black and white colours. Therefore having a brightly coloured photo in the middle made it seem out of place. Therefore to make it fit in better with the rest of the digipack I have made it black and white with the red font for the track list. I have also added a barcode and small print of where it was produced, conventional of a usual digipack. 

Feedback

Draft Magazine Advert

Construction

Following a similar theme to the digipack cover I tired to use similar fonts and colours. A magazine has similar conventions to a digipack. When making the magazine cover I also only used to different colours throughout to keep the text simple. This is so the writing doesn't completely distract the audience from the image. The image is of the band playing the instruments. This is also seen in the video from 'Actin' a Disgrace' Included on the magazine includes ratings and places available to buy the album. The fonts which are used also are similar to the Digipack.

Feedback

After gathering feedback on my magazine advert, people commented saying they like the simple colour scheme and the text looks really professional and effective. Also they like the layout as it attracts attention to the image as it is in the middle. However, the image is described as weak and the lighting of the shot isn't great. Also the photo is too naturalistic and normally in magazine adverts the people in the photo normally have more of a pose. Also industry icons were recommended to put on, such as iTunes or HMV. 

Draft Digipack Cover

Construction - 

When making the digipack I tried to stick to many of the typical conventions. I have tried to keep the theme throughout simple. Therefore I used only two different fonts throughout. One for the front cover and one for the track list on the back. I also stuck to a limit of two colours for the font which were white and red. I used these colours as they are bright and bold and stand out against the black image which is used, this creates a contrast. The images which i have used consist of an amplifier, drums and a guitar with plectrum. These images are conventional as they are relevant to the band. The instruments are also ones which are used in the video. The images which are used are also similar on the back and the front which is also conventional. 

Feedback -