Task 4

The draft of our commentary


Pre production and planning

We are commenting on how we used technology, why we used it and how we made it creative, moreover we are reflecting on the change and advancements from last year’s use of technology to this years a2 product.

Starting with the pre production and panning of our music video. We used search engines such as youtubes official websites and fan pages to get an idea of how to generally construct a successful music video and to inspire our own music video through the use of web 2.0 technologies. Furthermore we used my space, facebook and even twitter to research and develop our bands institutional context. We also used web 2.0 to contact the record company of the song we used by Calexico to ensure that the copyright and legal matters were all sorted out, this ensured we could put our music video onto you tube and blogger after we constructed it.

We looked at other music videos to not only enhance our creativity but also to get a feel for the country and western genre, moreover we used feedback from fans as we didn’t want to make the same mistakes as other music videos that we looked at did. We looked at some of dolly partons work and that also enhanced our creativity as we did not want our music video to be that stereotypical of the country and western genre where as Keith urbans work was much more diverse and took the modern outlook on country and western, his videos on youtube and his fan pages inspired our unique and slightly edgy take on the country and western genre.

We also purchased all our props online including the second hand guitar from ebay and a cowboy hat that we decided not to use as we thought it would be conforming to the stereotypes of a country and western singer, as you can see we have moved away from this dressing our star in casual, very young and up to date clothing.

Our blogs this year are very much like a creative filter, last year our research on the internet was much broader, there was no limit set to us which led to us this year summarising what was significant and useful. We now use the internet much more precicesly and carefully and we have a defined idea on what information is helpful. This year we have used our blogs as a filter, last year was much less selective as to what exactly was needed on our blogs. Therefore we use technology in a much more mature way and we are learning how to be much more selective.

Another form of technology we used in the pre production was Photoshop, we used this programme on the computers to anticipate the image of what we wanted our star to look like, we looked at how we could manipulate images in preparation for the after affects.

Final cut pro is a programme that we used when we constructed our story boards and turned it into an animatic, we transferred rushes into final cut pro onto a time line this helped us cut our final product and the track helped us revise and fintune our story board ideas.
Construction promo digi pack

First of all, in constructing our promo, digi pack and poster we used final cut pro, we captured images from the shoot for our digi pack and then put these images through Photoshop to edit and improve them, we used took stills and used one of the cameras from the shoot day.

During the shoot day we were lucky enough to use a sony hd camera this camera enables us to shoot 3times more material then we could have done last year, moreover this camera was digital and in the editing stage the shots where in order and much easier to organise in comparison to last year as we used a tape. The fact that there was more film available meant that we could be more creative with our shots and be a bit more experimental, the camera has allowed us to be more free with what we want to shoot as we simply have the space and time, this enhanced our creativity as we had so much choice, from side angles to low angles to high angles we could capture and develop our star from the availability and advancement of our technologies.

Post production

In final cut pro we used markers when we were editing our music video this helped us make significant changes to the beat of our song and rhythm instrumentation, it helped create pace in our edits.

In after effects we used desaturation of colour to create a more sinister atmosphere. Moreover we used jump cuts throughout our music video to emphasise the fact that we our breaking the country and western stereotypes and the jump cuts are used to connote fast pace modern times and a urban take that we used in the country and western genre. Moreover the cuts highlight his star image, they symbolise his issues and troubled mind, the jumps relate to his unstable disturbed sociological state, for an example , Shots of our star stroking his chin further stresses the idea that he is constantly in deep thought.

We used a juxtaposition in saturating our star to make him remain glowing and warm through the use of lighting, whereas the back ground is saturated to be cold and dark , this was done to ensure our star image remained positive and dazzling.

Another media effect we used was montage, this was heavily influenced by one of Russia’s most prominent filmmakers, sergie eisenstein, he was essentially the father of montage and our mode of address.

Our artist in many ways was singing about emotional tragedy we used the same stylistic ideas as eisenstein that convey the same ideas of tragedy. The constant dramatic flashes of lights were also copied by the infamous Russian film maker in our music video, the light creates a disconcerting or unsettling atmosphere that relates back to the idea of pain, nightmares and tragedy. All these after effects add texture to the viewing experience, which is engaging and therefore interesting to watch.

The final copy of commentary

We are commenting on how we used technology, why we used it and how we made it creative, moreover we are reflecting on the change and advancements from last year’s use of technology to this years a2 product.

Starting with the pre production and panning of our music video. We used search engines such as youtubes official websites and fan pages to get an idea of how to generally construct a successful music video and to inspire our own music video through the use of web 2.0 technologies. Furthermore we used my space, facebook and even twitter to research and develop our bands institutional context. We also used web 2.0 to contact the record company of the song we used by Calexico to ensure that the copyright and legal matters were all sorted out, this ensured we could put our music video onto you tube and blogger after we constructed it.

We looked at other music videos to not only enhance our creativity but also to get a feel for the country and western genre, moreover we used feedback from fans as we didn’t want to make the same mistakes as other music videos that we looked at did.


In after effects we used desaturation of colour to create a more sinister atmosphere. Moreover we used jump cuts throughout our music video to emphasise the fact that we our breaking the country and western stereotypes and the jump cuts are used to connote his emotional disturbance and supports the star image of a man in touch with his dark side, this is also shown by the discolouration of his eyes suggesting that he is exhausted from the emotional strain. It also represents the fast pace of modern times and a urban take that we used in the country and western genre. Moreover the cuts highlight his star image, they symbolise his issues and troubled mind, the jumps relate to his unstable disturbed sociological state, for an example , Shots of our star stroking his chin further stresses the idea that he is constantly in deep thought.

We used a juxtaposition in saturating our star to make him remain glowing and warm through the use of lighting, whereas the back ground is saturated to be cold and dark , this was done to ensure our star image remained positive and dazzling.

Another media effect we used was montage, this was heavily influenced by one of Russia’s most prominent filmmakers, sergie eisenstein, he was essentially the father of montage and our mode of address.

In final cut pro we used markers when we were editing our music video this helped us make significant changes to the beat of our song and rhythm instrumentation, it helped create pace in our edits.
We also purchased all our props online including the second hand guitar from ebay and a cowboy hat that we decided not to use as we thought it would be conforming to the stereotypes of a country and western singer, as you can see we have moved away from this dressing our star in casual, very young and up to date clothing. This desaturated guitar is used to display his emotional turmoil.

During the shoot day we were lucky enough to use a sony hd camera this camera enables us to shoot 3times more material then we could have done last year, moreover this camera was digital and in the editing stage the shots where in order and much easier to organise in comparison to last year as we used a tape. The fact that there

more film available meant that we could be more creative with our shots and be a bit more experimental, the camera has allowed us to be more free with what we want to shoot as we simply have the space and time, this enhanced our creativity as we had so much choice, allowing us to cut and cross cut our footage.
was

The link below is the video including commentery

http://www.youtube.com/user/hurtwoodhousemedia#p/search/0/kLOTeLmovPM 

Task 3

Defining the audience: It is useful for institutions and academics to be able to build up detailed accounts of how audiences are constructed. Rather than seeing audiences as masses or in simple numerical terms, it is common practice to find ways of segmenting the audience

This segmentation can be achieve both demographically and psychographically

Demographic segmentation = audiences are segmented according to various significant social criteria e.g. gender class race, sexuality

 One of the most common approaches to audience involves the JINCARS scale.

JINCARS SCALE=

A - high mangement/ administration/ proffesional

B - middle management/ administration/ professional 

C1 - supervisory/ clerical/ junior management

C2 - skilled manual

D - semi and unskilled manual

E – subsistence income/ pensioners/ wifows/ casual labour/ unemployed 

What have I learnt from your audience feedback? 

The target audience for my A2 pop video are middle aged, middle to upper class citizens who are fans for the country and western genre. Due to our interpretation of the genre, and modernizing it in many ways – such as location, star and costume- I believe it will appeal more to the younger spectrum of the middle aged members of society.


In order for us to measure the success of our pop video, we decided to think of many ways in order to get feedback. I took the liberty of showing the video to individual people in the community, asking their opinion on such areas as: themes, editing, imagery etc. I then organized a questionnaire for my group so that we could put together a focus group. I bought together a wide spectrum of people ranging from 16 – 30, men and women, media students and non in order to get a fair range of results. An example of the questionnaire is on the link below.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YFYT56X

After combining the feedback from the various sources. I found that just over 55% of the people recognized the country and western genre simply by looking at the album artwork and poster. This mixed reaction is exactly what we were looking for as the idea was to create a new, modern, subverted country and western portrayal.

From the survey, I saw that nearly all members at the same pre-conceived stereotype of what should be in a Country and Western genre. That being; cowboys, cowboy hats, horses, natural landscape and barns. This is precisely why my group and I decided to veer away from such stereotypes by setting the video in a modern, inner city location, with only one stereotypical reference - the guitar. This alternative approach to this genre helps structure the artists star image as an alternative, mysterious, rule breaking man. This provided ‘Jouissance’.

 I wanted to find the reason why audience would watch and listen to my artist. Taking work from the theorists Kats and Blumler, I gave them 4 choices to choose from; Diversion, Surveillance, Investigate personal relationship and to use it for personalization. Results showed that over 80% of audience members would used the artist as diversion from the real world, with the lowest reason being ‘Surveillance.’

The use of identity was key in successfully portraying and successfully communicating the star image of our artist. With reference to the JINCARS scale, I believe it communicates to all identities up to ‘B’. This is due to the strong theme of urban decay and reference to deep emotions that I think the ‘A’ category would not find appealing. This fact is backed up with the results of the feedback as the video was most appealing to those studying, teaching and not working. There are two main ways in how the audience could interpret the video in terms of identity. Either they learned something about themselves, or they formed a new one with the artist. Response to this video included such comments as ‘it made me realize that my life wasn’t so bad’ and ‘I really felt his story.’ The use of direct address was a point that nearly all audience members picked out. This is probably due to the fact that this is the one of the only moments where they audience and the artists have an intimate moment.

Fundamentally, the star image is incoherent, that is incomplete and ‘open’. Richard Dyer says that this is because it is based upon two key paradoxes

1) the star must be simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary for the consumer
2) the star must be simultaneously present and absent for the consumer

Did they give a preferred reading, aberrant, negotiated?

According to the Stuart Halls theories, audiences can have three different reactions to a media text, whether it be a film, documentary or newspaper:
1) Dominant, or Preferred, Reading - how the director/creator wants the audience to view the media text;
2) Opposition Reading - when the audience rejects the preferred reading, and creates their own meaning of the text;
3) Negotiated Reading - a compromise between the dominant and opposition readings, where the audience accepts parts of the director's views, but has their own views on parts as well. From response, we realized that a ‘preferred reading’ was made. Meaning the audience got the themes of destruction and love that we were trying to communicate.

Task 2

With reference to Richard dyer’s theory of star image we have demonstrated how elements of the star image are sold through our creative choices in our pop video, digi pack cover and poster.

In particular, looking at the combination of these methods and how they have helped create an overall star image.

According to Richard dyer, star image is formed from a range of materials. He once said “a star is an image, not a real person”, Dyer has written extensively about the role of stars in film, TV and music, he furthers the ideas of stars being created to sell an therefore go against realism when he says “stars are commodities produced and consumed on the strength of their meanings”

Our star shares many common values. Over the three areas mentioned in the previous paragraph, we have created a star image for the artist that is young, rebellious and mysterious. Due to our aim for promoting the artist as 'Organic', the song had to reflect this. 'Black Heart' is a perfect song for the artist to display his vocal ability.The fact that our star is alone conforms to the country and western stereotypes of solitude however there is a major element of realism and authenticity in our pop promo as it’s not the typical glossy and positive atmosphere that is constructed in many other pop videos, this is our unique selling point. We have gone against the stereotypical ways of constructing a music video and have used a “naturalistic” and contemporary approach to our artist and therefore the artist is given time to evolve and progress through out their career however at the same time we made sure our star is attractive to our audience. It was made contemporary in ways such as; a urban location, modern clothing etc.

Richard dyer believes that “fundamentally, the star image is incoherent, that is incomplete and open” dyer says that this is based on two key paradoxes.

• Firstly the star must be simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary from the consumer


• Secondly must be simultaneously present and absent for the consumers.

This image reveals the direct address. Due to its rare appearance, the use of direct address was done purposley to draw and get the attention of the audience, and to create a relationship with them

From the beginning of the video, we immediately break away from any stereotypical conventions associated with the genre. An urban environment is shown from a birds eye view, immediately setting the location of the video. This, accompanied with the flickery, effect applied to the shots (inspired by Eisenstein) established the artist as a modern, rule breaking yet mysterious man

This is an example of inter cutting and how we used light to create a sinister and oppressive atmosphere. Moreover this shot is so powerful and dramatic; it really depicts our singer’s stardom and uniqueness. Moreover the jump cuts used symbolise the unstable and troubled mind of our star.

Task 1

Richard Dyer states that 'Star image is constructed from a range of materials.' for example, advertisement, film, video etc.

The range of materials for my media product consist of; a Pop Promo, Digipack and Posters.

Include frame that conveys the general mode of address One from digipack, And one from poster The star image of my artist is consisted of many different factors, including unique selling points and characteristics.

These USP's are:

Organic artist being promoted on the vocal ability. During video, shots are shown of the artist holding a guitar in order to meet some audiences expectations. However, we never see him play it in order to emphasise his vocal ability

Mysterious due to the use of direct address being used once. This creates a connection between the audience and artist.

Just like all country and western videos, my one is also based on the themes of love and death

Breaking away from the stereotypical Country attire.

Dominant presence and personality created by a low angle

Young

We have constructed our artist as an ‘organic artist.’ Meaning they have their own individual sound—probably wrote own songs. Organic in the terms of dressed in their own way… not dominated by the record labels actions. The artist are given time to develop in their own way As Keith Negus states ‘the image of the artist is ‘enhanced’ by the record label We used location to emphasis how they are organic- depressing location. Make you think about difficult things… reflecting the artists persona of a deep thoughtful man.

Photoshop work on digipack and poster

Our contemporary update of the country and western genre also had an influence of the Digipack and Posters.

In order to create and authentic look to pictures, various effects were applied in the process of photoshop.

Sepia and saturation was used on the photo in order to reiterate the stars destructive, dark personalility




as you can see in this picture- being the poster, sepia was used in order to create and almost vintage feel to the image.




As the director of the video, i also had to think about how i would want my artist to be portrayed on pictures. Common stereotypes of the genre have the artist making direct address - example of this are in the 'album artwork' blog. Due to his star image, i decided to go with the idea of an inter-diegetic gaze. The photo above was chosen as the album cover due to the fact that such a simple photo can have many interpretations. Meaning, it could appeal to a wider audience.



A photo of a guitar was chosen specifically in order to creat plaisir for the audience. - Showing a stereotypical reference. We darkened the picture using the 'burn' tool- create a mysterious, dark effect.

Link to video

http://www.youtube.com/user/hurtwoodhousemedia#p/search/0/kLOTeLmovPM

Account of editing

After putting the shots onto final cut pro, I then went through them, categorizing them into good and bad shots- putting them into log bins. Due to the fact that the camera automatically put the shots into separate bins in the memory, it meant that we were able to film a lot more footage than we could in our AS piece.

After all the shots were put on the time line, we then synced the shots, making sure that the continuity between shots flowed well and lip sync was constant. I had some difficulty choosing shots at certain points due to the fact that, on the day, we shot the whole video in order. So when some takes had errors, I had to substitute them for shots of the location instead.

In order to create a modern version of the country and western genre, I decided to use intercutting. Cutting from shots of the barren landscape and location to tracking shots of the artist will create a visual link to the audience that the artists star image is that of a mysterious, modern man

Effects were then applied to the video. After taking inspiration from Eisenstein, a Russian, revolutionary film maker, I applied various effects such as saturation, rewind and over exposure to it. This will reflect his modern, destructive star image.

Below is a link the the video:

http://www.youtube.com/user/hurtwoodhousemedia#p/search/0/kLOTeLmovPM

Account of shoot day

The day started of by use arriving at Battersea Powerstation and being ‘suited and booted’ with safety equipment. After this, we were then given a health and safety talk by the onsite manager. This was particular exciting as we nervously listened to the amount of dangers and diseases that were present on the site.

After this was finished, we then went to the north side of the powerstation, accompanied by two security guards. Although it was pretty daunting being looked upon all the time, it gave the whole day a professional atmosphere.

As the director of the day, I had to quickly run over the storyboards in order to refresh my memory and visualize the shots in the space. Luckily, from photos and research, I was able to draw out the exact location on the storyboards so I had some idea on how it would look. However, the one thing that was unpredictable was the weather. With the previous shoot dates cancelled due to snow and bad weather, we were lucky enough to have a pleasant, sunny day with little interferences with clouds. After doing a test shot with the camera however, I felt that lighting on the face and body wasn’t enough, so we decided to use a gold reflector. This casted a gold glow upon the artist which was intended to develop his star character as a important and almost ‘God’ like figure. Catrina took control of the reflector during shots.

We shot the song in order, going from location to location in the powerstation.

We started by setting up the tracking along the north side of the building, having the powerstation in the background. Due to the location – it being a building site- it took many attempts in order to get a steady tracking shot. However, after persistence, we managed to get one. We then varied these tracking shots with close ups, and simple stationary shots. I wanted this in order to have a selection to choose from when editing.

Cast, Props and location

Cast:

Originally, we had a cast of over 20 people due to our old idea of having ‘mutants’. But after changing our idea, and realizing that nearly all Country and Western genres are focus on, on average, 2 people, we decided to use this convention.

So cast consisted of:
The male star
Female actress

Me,
Catrina,
Cate,
Ellie

Props

Once again, the original idea involved a lot of people and props but due to the simplistic effect that we are now going for, props are minimal.

Original
Shackles
Chains
Black and white clothes
Prosthetics
Make-up
Rope
Barn
Petrol
Guitar
Cowboy hat

New
Guitar
Leather jacket
Jeans

Location is now finalized on Battersea Powerstation

Shooting Schedule

8 am: Arrive at Battersea Powerstation

8:30: Health and Safety talk

9:15: Set up tracking and audio ready to shoot for 9:30

9:30: Film tracking shots on north side of building

10:15: Film exterior of building to capture sun rising

10:45: Film middle of song using tracking down east side of building

12 pm: Lunch

1 pm: Set up tracking inside ‘wind turbine’ A.

1:30: Shoot end of song including dead girl

3 pm: More shots on exterior

4 pm: leave