4. Evaluation - New media technologies in all stages

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

Research

As we are living in the "information age" the Internet is a vital element for research and information gathering. Firstly we found out that we couldn't use copyrighted music, which may had led to legal complications. Using websites such as http://www.unsigned.com/ and http://www.newgrounds.com/ to find not-copyrighted music that we liked so we could make a video around it. Other useful websites were search engines like http://www.google.co.uk/ and http://www.yahoo.com/ to find out about the genres our song was titled under. Also we needed these to find important images that could help to illustrate our ideas. Furthermore we needed social networking websites such as http://www.facebook.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/ to research the songs artists.

Planning

During our planning we wanted to brainstorm ideas so we used Microsoft word to create a clear, neat layout of a mind map. This would have all our basic ideas and requirements for our music video. We also used email technology to contact our artists to ask for their permission to use their song for our music video. Furthermore we needed to put the song onto a portable device to help us with our lip synching, therefore we transferred via USB the song onto Ryan's "iPhone" so it could be played out loud so that it would be easier to lip synch. Additionally we used an iMac and the programme Final Cut Express to create and edit our animatic.

Production

In our construction of our film we used a High Definition digital video camera to film with. This was accompanied by a tripod to rest the camera on so we could keep it still. To take screen grabs of locations and scenes we used my LG touch screen "smart" phone as well as Ryan's iPhone to take images and then bluetooth the images onto the iMac computers which allow this technology. Similarly we used the iMac and Final Cut Express to edit our video, then we uploaded our video to "Youtube" by converting our video format into "Quicktime" player. In addition we used the iMac programmes "Picnik" and "Photoshop" to create our advertisement and digi-pack designs, this would allow us to use several editing techniques to create a unique design.

Evaluation

Within our evaluation we viewed our music video on Youtube via my iPod touch to show a random selection of audience and ask them for feedback on our survey. Also we used the website "Surveymonkey" to create a questionaire so we could understand and analyse our audience feedback. Additionally I used Microsoft powerpoint to create a slideshow and then uploaded this to "Slideshare" and put it on my blog.

Survey results

Looking at the audience feedback 3/4 of our total audience enjoyed the film which is a positive aspect of our feedback. This explains to us that we are reaching our target audience, however 25% is still a large number which didn't enjoy it. This may have been because of our lack of obvious narrative. I think that this percentage of audience who didn't enjoy the video may have not fully followed the narrative portrayed by the mise-en-scene and editing.

The results from this question are much more varied that the previous. It is clear that from our audience feedback that we may have let ourselves down in this area of our work. Our overall music video didn't seem to match the lyrics in our chosen song. This would have had a direct correlation with the audience not enjoying our music video by linking this to question 1. 10% thought that our music video barely matched the lyrics while 40% thought it did. This is another positive view of our work although a massive 50% was caught between.

Analysing the feedback from question 3 is much more positive view of our music video. It is apparent that our camera work and editing was a bigger success than perhaps our narrative and messages. 60% of our audience felt that our music video used effective camera and editing works, while 40% felt this was effective some of the time. The results from this agree with my thoughts that our choice of camera shots, angles and teh editing was one of our strongest points within our work.

Unfortunately this feedback is once again negative. Only 40% thought that the lip synching was in cue with the music. However only 10% thought it rarely was out of time. Looking at the 50% chunk of audience feedback its clear that our lip synching was not a stong area for us but we anticipated this and made double effort within our camerawork and editing.

This question looks away from our music video and onto our digi-pack. Looking at the results from the feedback it was a huge success and 3/4's of our potential audience thought it was an effective case for our CD. Although 25% is still a large percentage which viewed this negatively. The simple design and innovative features put onto the digi-pack has managed to appeal to our target audience as an effective product.

Lastly the question asked if overall our music video, products and advertisements all effectively targeted and hit our target audience of "urban teenagers." The response was a positive one and 70% said it was effective with only 30% disagreeing. In conclusion from our audience feedback it would seem that our music video was a majority success with a few areas that would need improvement on so that 100% of our audience would enjoy it as much as we do.

3. Evaluation - What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

We created a survey using the website "Survey Monkey" and have devised a basic questionnaire for our peers to answer. The answering of the questions was anonymous so that we could get honest answers rather than friendly answers from our friends and peers. The questionaire was answered online and the collection of answers was also online.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

2. Evaluation - Combination of main product and ancillary texts

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

Using different types of media in coalition with one project will have numerous advantages and positive aspects, including disadvantages and negative aspects.

Advantages

• Our music video will be publicised quicker and more effectively than on its own
• The video compliments the song and adds value to it
• The video may be associated with the song or vice versa
• Sales of the song will most likely rise due to the increase in advertisement
• The artists will be more well known
• Would be targeting our audience of "Urban" teenagers
• Not just one audience but two - hip hop and indie music lovers
• Would be available for anybody to watch and listen - internet, local radio etc.

Disadvantages

• With a combination of two genres, maybe audiences who follow that genre wouldn't enjoy the song
• The images on the advert and digi pack may be vague and difficult to link to the video
• Opinions of the quality of the video and narrative may vary
• Some of the lip synching could have been better and clearer
• The messages in the narrative may be difficult to interpret

What was liked

• The variety of camera shots - long, mid, close ups etc.
• The variety of camera movement - panning, tracking, point of view etc.
• The variety of editing - over-lapping scenes, flashbacks, dissolves, fade in/outs etc.
• Use of props to symbolise theme of video and song

What wasn't liked

• The lack of a basic storyline - some found it difficult to understand
• The length of some scenes was too long
• Hit alot of external obstacles during filming - weather, illnesses, other commitments etc.
  

We conducted a word search to find key words for our audience to say about our music video, both positive and negative. (click to enlarge)

1. Evaluation - Our media product

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

View more presentations from Mike.

This image carries on from page 7 from the presentation about the use of mise-en-scene. This is a screen grab of our scene where the character takes the pill which we want to symbolise ecstasy or some other narcotic.

In this screen grab the mise-en-scene shows a dark lighted room with a small area lighted. This represents the darkness of his drinking and drugs taking over as well as his dark clothing contributes towards this connotation. The symbolism of the bottle shows that it is over-powering the protagonist because it is above the character making him look upwards towards it.

Evaluation

I have begun my evaluation and will be approaching this by doing it in various forms of media.

I hope to complete the questions on these types of format:

• Slideshare (powerpoint presentation)
• Voice recording
• Filmed response
• Written Prose
• Images/pictures/graphs/tables etc.

So far I have completed the first 2 questions on powerpoint but currently in the process of uploading it onto the website and then onto my blog.

Next lesson I will be planning to write down my answers to the next questions and then eventually record and film my responses to the questions.

Idea for advertisement

This is our basic design for our advertisement:




We enjoyed the disjointed layout of the image because it represents the distorted narrative our character follows in our video. The screen-grab we decided to use was one that doesn't show the characters face properly. We felt this was effective as it hides the face of the character giving the impression that he is troubled and even haunted by something. Another interpretation could be that he does something that causes him to mask his face, something illegal or harmful for example drugs or alcohol.

Uploaded to Youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iix86E9-I2w

The above link directs you to Youtube where our music video has been sucessfully uploaded to view. The video is shown below:

Finished Digipack

Ryan has managed to finish our digipack and has used a simple colour scheme to attract our target audience. Similar to the "Shifty" advertisements a yellow text on a black background was used instead of black text on a yellow background. We used a couple of screen-grabs to portray the basic narrative of the song and music video.

Using a similar idea to the digipack from "The Streets" we used an image of a lighter to contribute towards drawing in our target audience, many of whom allegedly smoke and do drugs.

Laura Mulvey continued

Agency

In classical Hollywood films the male protagonist has "agency" meaning that he is active and powerful. He is the agent which the dramatic action unfolds around him. The female character is always passive and powerless - she is the object of desire for the protagonist and audience.

Erotic Desire

Laura Mulvey argues that women have two roles in film and cinema:

1. As an object of erotic desire for the other characters
2. As an object of erotic desire for the audience

Laura Mulvey - Feminist film theory

This theory of audience by Laura Mulvey the cinema world reflects the real-life patriarchal society (Male dominated). This is manifested within the cinema world through various forms, mainly through phallocentrism (idea that the penis or phallus is the symbol of power). For example the use of guns or cars are phallic objects used to represent the masculinity of the character.

The Gaze - the "gaze" of the camera is meant to be from a male's point of view. The male's gaze is active while the female is passive. In the narratives the male characters direct their gaze towards the female characters.

Therefore the audience is made to identify with the male gaze as the camera films from both the optical (vision) and the libidinal (sex drive) perspective of the male character.

This means that there are 3 levels of the cinematic gaze - camera, character and spectator - that objectify the female character (the triple gaze)

Furthermore the audience is constructed as though everyone was male. Women are forced to look as though they were a male audience member.

Propp Theory

The theory proposed by propp was that within every folk tale and narrative there is a maximum of 8 characters roles.

1. Hero/Protagonist
2. Villain/Antagonist
3. The Donor/Provider - gives a magical item that provides an advantage to the protagonist
4. The Helper
5. The Father Figure
6. The Dispatcher - sends the protagonist on a "mission"
7. The Princess
8. The False Hero

This can be instantly seen in numerous films for example:

The Lord of the Rings trilogy

Star Wars films

Star Trek films

James Bond films

The Matrix trilogy

And many more...