Evaluation Question 4: How Did You Use Media Technologies in the Construction and Research, Planning and Evaluation Stages?

I am going to split this question into four main topics of discussion. These being 'Research', 'Planning', 'Construction' and 'Evaluation'.

Research

The use of certain websites was incredibly helpful when searching for a new, unsigned, British artist. I researched extensively to find a band who was also local to Norwich, UK due to the fact I thought it would be more of a realistic portrayal of the bands music and personality if they starred in the music video themselves. I used websites such as 'BBC Introducing's website (a part of the BBC who help young local bands to gain attention and even airtime on a hour long radio show once a week at 8pm every Saturday. The link to their website is below.)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p010j8y5

Another use of online media, such as websites, to find aspiring bands are concert venue websites listing the coming shows within the near future. In Norwich, Norfolk, UK these are such sites as the UEA (University of East Anglia) ticket booking website. Down the right hand side of this web page are links to other venues around the county.
http://www.ueaticketbookings.co.uk/

To learn more about the band and acquire their logo design etc I discovered they have a website which I visited frequently during the research period of this project. It allowed me to quickly access some of their other songs, a biography of the band, photos, upcoming news and a contact address of either an email address or a social networking site fan-page. The URL is posted below:
http://theupgrade2011.moonfruit.com/

One of the most important websites that has been used throughout this project is 'YouTube'. 'YouTube' allows anyone to immediately access bands music videos and useful resources such as links to the bands official website. I have used several videos from YouTube and embedded them within my blog. This adds another dimension to presenting my work instead of a large amounts of text. This makes it more interesting for the audience reading my blog.

Social networking sites are incredibly helpful in terms of researching my target audience. By using websites such as 'Facebook.com', 'Twitter.com' and 'Tumblr.com' and even the music database 'Spotify' I was able to effectively research my audience across a range of topics such as their favourite bands, what style of clothes they wear, what brands they like, what hobbies they may have etc. After gathering information about which demographic (age, gender, culture etc) my music video would appeal to most I could then start to shape my first drafts of my music video and print productions. The demographic which was the main target audience of my productions are young males aged roughly 16-24 years old of white, British origin. This target audience was chosen after broad research into the genre of rock and metal. I have a previous post on my blog with this research included. Follow this link to read it.
http://jameswa2mediablog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/the-origins-of-metal-genre.html

Planning

The process of planning the music video allowed me to consider certain aspects such as location. I went out with a stills camera and took pictures of possible locations to then review at a later date and get possible feedback from my tutor to then develop my ideas further. This was successful and I used one of the locations I had previously researched. Below is a link to a post discussing this location and its potential due to it fitting the genre conventions.

http://jameswa2mediablog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/possible-location-shots.html

I researched popular clothing within the genre and allocated rough guide-lines of costume to the band before going out on a shoot so there was no delays. A post of mine on costume is linked below:
http://jameswa2mediablog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/actors-costume-within-music-video.html

I research music videos of bands which are a similar genre/style to 'The Upgrade' to see if there were any visual trends amongst the music videos. The way I did this was by watching such channels as 'MTV Rocks' and 'Scuzz Television'. In Question 1 of this evaluation I discuss the conventions of genre relating to location, costume and generic trends which occurred within this genre's music videos.

Constructing

In terms of constructing the music video and print productions (filming/shooting and editing) there were several technological devices used.
The first was a digital camera. This was a 'Cannon HD Digital Handheld Video Camera' and because it was a digital camera recording directly onto an SD card, we were able to review raw footage on the shoot to decide whether or not it was satisfactory and worthy of keeping for later editing.

SD Card

Another example of the technologies used is the computer which the music video was edited on and the software. The software which was used was 'Premiere Pro'. By using this software I was able to apply certain visual effects to the video enhancing the engagement with the audience when they will watch the music video. I used a number of different effects within my music video. These are listed with examples below.

Cross-fades. These are not a common feature within music videos of a rock/metal genre however it helps to keep the pace of the video fast and interesting to the audience. 

Reverse Shot. Another effect used is reversing shots. This is simply playing a shot backwards which can lead to some interesting effects and visuals. Here we see a young man breathing out a breath of smoke from a cigarette yet played backwards it looks as if he is inhaling it all.

 

 

Black and White. The third effect used within the video is switching a colour in black and white/ greyscale. This can be used to show difference between periods of time in terms of a flash back or to make certain shots look menacing. I have used it here to make this graffiti covered, derelict building look more menacing and intimidating.

Sped Up Shots. The blur in this still is due to the pace at which it is moving due to it being a sped up shot. This effect was used to make the video seem to have a fast pace to match the fast shots and quick transitions I have utilised. It creates a hectic tone to the video as well which is a convention I was wanting to achieve because it fits with the genre conventions.

Super Imposing. Finally, the effect below is called 'super-imposition' which involves blending two shots or images on top of one another creating this kind of effect.

The programme I used to produce the digi-pack was Photoshop. Below are some screenshots of the on going project with captions explaining how I arrived at the finished product.

Firstly there is Panel 3 of my CD case. Originally to the right hand side of the band was an image of a blind man painted onto the wall as seen below in the first still. 

However in the final version of Panel 3 he is replaced with a soldier holding a metal detector with the phrase "Life is a Mine Field" next to him. To achieve this I had to fade out the image of the blind man and replace him with the soldier. This took a large amount of time to then blend and smudge the edges so it was not apparent that it had been edited and looked professional. 

 The original image for the magazine advert had a strong yellow tone to it (this was due to the lighting when the picture was taken). To take this 'yellow-ness' out I decreased the yellows in the hue/saturation option.

  This is what the photo looked like with a very weak yellow hue concentration. After discussion with my tutor we decided that it looked too bland and plain. I suggested maybe bringing the yellows back in but not as strongly to give it a sense of character and maybe the idea of a slightly sepia filter-finish over it.

This is the end product which as you can see has a sepia tone to it yet it is not overpowering the other colours. The poster stands out well yet the colours are all subtle and not sickly due to their brightness/ concentration. 

 Panel 4 of the digi-pack took a lot of manipulating to create the desired effect. The brick wall on the original image was simply too bright and pink. This did not fit with the genre conventions at all. I wanted to drain the colour out of the picture slightly yet still keep the band members highlighted and in full colour and the main article of the panel.

To achieve this at first I brought the 'reds' down in the mixture of colours however this made the band members look grey and un-exciting. I copied the layer so I had two versions of it. I took the colour down in one yet this kept the band members untouched. This makes the scene they are in dingy and unpleasant. Again this fits with the genre convention thus making it a success in terms of fitting the requirements.

Technology helps to offer new opportunities and the chance for creativity.For example if you take an image and import it into Photoshop there are endless amounts of different combinations of effects, filters and colour tools you can apply to the image. Even if the end result was unplanned it still allows the user to discover the potential to create an appealing image. Even technology on handheld camera's such as the zoom feature (which is now a universal feature and a 'must have' to on every camera) allows directors and even amateur film makers to add a whole other dimension to their product.
New technology helps a producer connect with their audience through such mediums as social networking sites i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Bebo and Tumblr. Relationships between producers and audiences are getting more instant and intimate due to the speed of the internet and a clip could be only for only a couple of minutes yet 50,000 people for example could have viewed it within an instant.

Evaluation
Technology has helped greatly in terms of evaluating my work due to certain things such as being able to insert stills of images whether its a screenshot of a video clip or of a music video (as used in my 'Origins of metal' post). This helps me to be able to compare videos and images with others justifying my choices so everything is clear as to why I have certain things. By being able to embed video's within my blog it makes the blog more user friendly and easier to navigate. This feature has been most helpful when trying to compare music videos of the same genre because instead of having to describe them I can visually display them side by side.
In question 3 of this evaluation I display that one of the methods I used to collect audience feedback is by using the social network site of Facebook. This is extremely helpful because it helps to give another aspect to the research yet also allows a different and slightly younger demographic to review the video. The comments on the video are also free-verse meaning they are not bound by the questions I asked and are free and able to give their own opinion.