Final Edit

Task 13: Question 4 - How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Question 4 Powerpoint by Oli on Scribd

Task 13: Question 3 - What have you learned from your audience feedback?

I created question 3 of the evaluation through the use of Prezi. After completing the presentation, I was able to embed it and add the link to my blog.

Task 13: Question 2 - How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts)?

The main product which we created was a music video for the song 'Faded' by Alan Walker. We then created two print artifacts which were the digipak album and the magazine advert.

We felt that it is important that the music video would meet the needs and wants of the audience. This means that it be of high quality which means that it should have high quality footage and professional editing, which was done so. After carrying out a survey on Survey Monkey (www.surveymonkey.co.uk) as part of primary research, I found that 53.33% of respondents find music videos with storylines 'very interesting'. With such a high percentage, it was clear that the music video should have a storyline or context behind it which is why we based the video around a teenager who had suffered from memory loss before searching for his memories which had 'faded' away. The high percentage also shows that using a music video like this would be very effective as it seems to have a high demand which means there would be more viewers and the artist would be able to generate more revenue from adverts.

The digipak album consisted of four parts. It was important that we used detailed photo editing and ones that would appeal to the target audiences. By using Adobe Photoshop, we were able to create our designs with a number of layers and using the tools in the software

As the character in the main product was seen as a disadvantaged and isolated character due to mental disability, the front cover of the character was very fitting as we had the character staring at the camera and breaking the fourth wall as if they are begging for innocence. Therefore, the emotions in the products are effective because it encourages audiences to view the product and be encouraged to purchase it. Furthermore, having the character staring at the camera on the front cover makes it obvious that the music artist is the character in the video.

We found that breaking the fourth wall by having the artist stare at the camera was very effective in terms of advertising products. One product we were influenced by was Steve Aoki's advert. Having him stare at the camera makes it obvious to the audience that he is the artist and helps create a brand identity for the artist, therefore indicating brand growth. In terms of the colour, the blue filters on the advert also inspired us. We thought we could use them to make the product look more professional and more appealing to customers. In terms of the camera's angles and distances, it can vary between medium shots and close-up shots, as shown in the Steve Aoki advert. Positioning the artist in the middle of the advert makes the artist the center of attention and really creates a brand identity for the brand, as shown in our print artifact.

Nowadays, music artists are often seen as brand images and idols, especially to their fans. Therefore, social media has had a large impact on this. For example, Ed Sheeran has a Twitter account with over 17 million followers. This means that this many people are able to keep updated on any new releases or albums such as when he released his new song to his followers. One advantage of this is that thousands of his followers are able to view his products, meaning he is likely to gain large audiences and make more album sales, generating more revenue. Another advantage is that people are able to 'retweet' and share his posts. This links to viral marketing and how people can share his posts to make more people view it. Doing this gives the music artist more followers and therefore new customers when purchasing his products, which heavily indicates the growth of him as a brand.

Task 13: Question 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Question 1 – Interview (Script)

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

Firstly, can you describe the character and the narrative of the music video?

The music video is about a young adult that had an incident affecting his brain, leaving him with retrograde memory loss. Throughout the video, you see the young outcast find hope in his imagination where he creates a ‘dream palace’. In this world, he has regained his memory which had previously faded away in reality and as he continues to explore his imagination, he begins to find his real self, leaving him back to where he started, broken, alone, losing his true identity indicating the isolation of the character due to mental disability.

What message does the video give out to the audience?

The adventurous characteristics of the character in the music video shows how he is fighting against his disadvantages and searching for freedom. It is sending the message that you need to work and fight towards any problems you want to fight against or fight towards any of your life goals. This also implies that people in today’s society have become effortless and people need to put more effort into life and their personal goals.

At the beginning of the music video, the character was breaking the fourth wall and looking straight at the camera. Why was this?

The character was looking straight at the camera because we wanted to show the characteristics of the main character to the audience. We felt it is important for the audience to understand the characteristics of the character because plays such an important part throughout the whole video.

Can you explain how the character relates to the music artist

The character in the music video is the music artist. This is beneficial as it creates a brand image. Audiences who view the artist will recognise them from the music video and other products like the print artefacts such as the magazine advert and the digipak album cover. This allows the artist to grow as a brand as it helps them become recognised. During the music video there was no evident performer. This is a very modern thing as DJ’s are often seen as the stars especially with house music. Promoting the artist as a brand is very effective and beneficial for creating revenue and encouraging brand growth to gain a larger market.

In the music video, we saw that it was produced by Owl Studies. Can you explain this?

Owl Studies are a production company and decided they would like to help produce a music video for the remix of the single ‘Faded’ by Alan Walker. In the music video, we promoted the production company which is very effective in the music industry nowadays. Many music videos nowadays are produced by production companies and are promoted as a way of the artist earning money and in terms of brand promotion and growth.

Did you take any inspiration from any real life media products?

We took huge inspiration from one of Coldplay’s songs called Adventure of a Lifetime. Their official music video was presented by a production company Parlophone Records and it was almost like a short film and we thought this would be very suitable to relate to in our music video.