Evaluation Task 4 - How have I used digital technologies in the research, planning and creation of my products?

How have I used digital technologies in the research, planning and creation of my products?

When looking into inspiration for our music videos, we had to look into various bands and genres to find videos that we felt would have good ideas, and shots we could adapt in our music video. We searched for bands that were focused in a similar genre to the one of our band, our band was the alternative rock genre. By going on websites such as YouTube to find videos by bands in a similar genre, we were able to find what was necessary to be included in our music video and what conventions we needed to follow. We looked at groups such as Kodaline, Kings of Leon and The Verve. By looking at these groups, we were able to see what conventions our music needed to follow, as well as the image and sound bands in this genre should have. These groups influenced in various ways, we were able to develop the look of our band by seeing how typical rock bands and indie bands dress and combine these. We used the idea of having a narrative that was easy to grasp but also perfect for the group. This made our music video what it was, the quick cuts and colour scheme we used were influenced by our research.

The idea of the singer walking around a city whilst singer was found in this video.

This follows the idea of young men having fun and chasing their dreams, this is a similar idea we wanted the band to follow.

When interviewing our target audience, we used our mobile phones to record various people and get their responses and opinions on various aspects of our artist. We had different people filmed asking for ideas on what our artist should be like. This allowed us to answer questions such as if we should have a solo artist or a band, a male or female lead or if the group should have 4 members. The responses given allowed us to create the band that we did and give them the image, style and sound that our target audience was looking for. We progressed our band using the information given by the feedback, this meant using male band members as the song chosen was done with male vocals, having 4 band members as this is what is a regular amount for a band, giving them an indie look to connect with the audience and ensuring that they had a positive and innocent image.

This is the phone we used to film all of the target audience feedback on.

This is feedback we received for the website.

This is feedback we received for the music video.

We used the internet through out gathering our research on genres and star image. This allowed us to develop our understanding of how the target audience viewed our video. This tool gave me access to various conventions and ideas that I would not have otherwise known. I was able to look at theorists such as Andrew Goodwin and Richard Dyer, this informed me and educated me about star image, how integral it is to a band and how it changes audiences view of the group. This year when I did research into different genres, I was more aware and knowledgeable which allowed me to see how other bands within the genre portrayed themselves and therefore take this into account. The research on the internet helped me tailor my bands image, by finding what the characteristics of organic and synthetic groups, I was able to see what the benefits of each type was and to apply these to our band. The most influential fact we found was that bands in the genre such as Kodaline and Kings of Leon, used both narrative and performance elements within their music videos which identified them as being organic.

The indie/rock appearance we wanted the group to have.

We also used the internet to help us decide what the best locations for our bands video would be, and how these would fit in with the narrative. We decided after looking at various other music videos, and seeing which locations were accessible to us, we found that London was the best choice. The shot we used of a tall building with the singer performing in front of it, this was also inspired by another music video; Sad Lover by Mark Lanegan. When we wanted to use a similar shot to this, we searched through the city to find something that could imitate this shot, this is why we decided to use the Barbican as it matched the shot we wanted to create. This low angle shot was important as it shows the singer as being more powerful and urban. The city locations match the ones used in Bitter Sweet Symphony by the Verve. The locations used in this video add to the image we wanted to create for the band. We decided on the locations we would use after being influenced by this video, this is why we used various urban locations, in order to show the audience how they can live the city life, and how this would appeal to them. 

The Barbican.

Primrose Hill.

We created the animatic using technology. We edited the animatic together by using the program PremierPro, this entails uploading each individual frame of the storyboard to the editor, we then added the audio of the song we used to the clip. We then matched up each frame of the storyboard to the specific section of the song that shot was going to be used in. We then filmed this and tried to make it as accurate as possible. The storyboard was made by drawing out each frame and filling it with the shot we wanted to use. Once the storyboard was drawn and the 40 frames were accurate, we used an iPhone 7 to take a picture of each frame to upload onto the program to convert to the animatic. The iPhone 7 has a 12 megapixel camera with optical image stabilisation which provided a high quality picture. By creating an animatic, this allowed us to see our idea in a more visual way, each frame was more accurate and showed us if anything needed to be altered, this let us see if anything in the video needed to be changed and let us produce the perfect video. This was more advanced than at AS. At AS we did not make an animatic, this is due to the fact that the planning for our thriller was not as thorough compared to that of the music video, which was much more effective and thorough in our use of technology.

One of the examples of frames from the storyboard.

This is the animatic.

This is the program PremierPro.

When we filmed our music video for A2, this was far more advanced than when we filmed at AS. First when making the video this year, we were more experienced and better prepared to make the video. The equipment we used this year was more advanced and better quality than provided us with a better image and look for the video. The establishing shots we took at A2 compared to those at AS were far more degraded and had poor lighting, this showed that we had better equipment this year. We were also much more efficient in keeping files up to date and shared, by using google drive we were organised and ready for adjustments if they were needed. Last year we did not use this resource which is why we were far more unorganised, and it was far more easy to be behind on planning. We compared the differences between the shot-by-shot list that we produced at AS and the one produced this year, we found that the one produced at A2 was far more detailed and we planned. When we filmed this year, we used two Sony FS100 cameras in order to have much better shots and angles for filming, as well as providing us with a different choice of shots for each frame. The cameras used two different lenses for wide shots and close-ups. This gave our video a more professional looking element compared to our film from last year.

When editing our music video this year, we used different tools on the editing software PremierPro. We also used technology creatively in order to create discontinuity editing devices. The editing done at A2 was far more advanced than at AS due to the fact, we were more experienced with editing and the PremierPro software. When we filmed our establishing shots and time-lapses for the beginning of the video, we sped up the footage to provide a more urban look. When we edited at AS, we added a simple colour filter onto the footage to alter the look, whereas at A2 we used the lumetri colour filter on PremierPro as well as adjusting the RGB curve. This gave us total control of the colours used in our music video and provided our music video with the appearance it needed. By being free to edit how we felt necessary rather than following conventions of a thriller, we were able to choose the techniques used and only needed to adhere to a colour scheme. At AS we used a tripod when filming to take still shots, this was different at A2, we used a handheld camera that allowed us to take tracking shots, these were then stabilised using the warp stabiliser function on PremierPro to reduce any possible shakiness. By having more control over our music video we were able to use many different techniques, we were able to have lots of jump cuts and matching cuts, this followed Goodwin's theory of cutting to the beat of the video. It is clear we edited more creatively through the effects used snd the software knowledge.

The editing software we used.

This shows the colour filter used and the effect as well.

We also gathered audience feedback, we did this by using online tools to create a survey monkey questionnaire, this in turn helped us to make changes in post-production. When we made the survey monkey, we first create an email account for our band and made the survey using this email. The survey was made up of 10 questions that asked the audience about the music video, the narrative, the band and the website. Once the survey was made, we included the link in various locations, the link is in the description of the music video on YouTube, it is also on Facebook where we asked people to answer it, we aimed those responding to be aged between 15-25. Overall the survey had 46 responses from various people, this gave us a wide variety of comments and feedback. By looking over all of the responses to the survey, we were able to respond to any suggestions and comments in post-production. The survey monkey we created this year was more detailed than that of last years, we had twice the amount of questions this year which gave us a much more detailed account of any problems. The survey let us know what people liked, disliked and how clear everything was. The feedback we received was also from our target audience which allowed us to see our audiences response to the cohesive package we created.

When we planned and researched into similar digipaks, we were more creative this year when editing images and gained an increased understanding of how to manipulate images, and created the digipak. When we strated to design the digipak, we researched online for various digipaks to use as a base for inspiration. We did these by looking at bands in the same genre and analysing what their digipaks looked like. We found what the conventions of a digipak were in order to adhere to them and then we designed the album based of our ideas and the conventions. Compared to AS, the images we had to manipulate were far more complex and detailed. At AS the only images that needed editing were the pictures for an advertising campaign, this was 3 or 4 images with a logo on it. This compared to the digipak which is 4 covers in extreme detail that adhere to guidelines and styles. Our technological skills have become more advanced which allowed us to create a better digipak.

When we planned and researched into similar websites, we were more creative this year and learnt new skills in Weebly to develop websites. We had to produce a website that matched the style of the other 2 products, as well as ensuring that we researched into other websites of bands within the same genre to see what they were like. We looked at the websites of The Beatles and Imagine Dragons for ideas and inspiration for our own website. We found that each product of their features the same font at least once, this is why our album name font is on the digipak, webs and in the music video. Compared to last year, the website creation was far more complex, at AS we did not need to make a website for our film as it was unnecessary, however this year we had to have a website. This year, I was far more creative when designing the website, I used various other websites as inspiration and begun to create ours, I tried to give it a look that fit the genre the band are based in, I attempted to make it aesthetically pleasing for the visitors and fans and lastly make it simple and easy to navigate. The website took time to make but was far more effective in showing the bands overall look and ideas. We used Weebly to create the website, even though have used this website maker before, there were some elements that I included on the website which I have never used before, when making the website I learnt new skills that allowed me to produce our final website, and give it the look it has.

We made sure our website linked with other online technologies such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube in order to spread the message of our artist. When making the website, we knew that it needed to be accessible through all mediums, this is why when designing other pages for the group, we ensured that a link to the website was present on the page so that it was accessible. I created a Facebook page for the band, this was so that audiences could follow them for updates and access the website as the link is included on the page. We created an Instagram page for the band, this was so that they could see what the band were doing and be kept up to date, in the description of the Instagram page, we included a link to the website so that fans could visit it with ease. The final link was on YouTube, in the description of the music video we uploaded it has a link to the website, this is so fans can go straight from the video to the bands website for information. This was all done so that the website would have as much connection to the band's image as possible and increase the groups spreadability. This shows how our use of digital technology increased throughout the year, and has allowed us to produce the results we have and also allows us to spread the star image of our band.

Group Task:

Online research into target audience, narrative and star image.

In order to determine who the target audience was going to be for our band, The Young Pretenders, we created various surveys using survey monkey and Microsoft word to interview people of various ages and decide who the target audience would be. The questions that we asked allowed us to decide on the demographic that the listeners would be a part of as well as asking more personal questions that would allow us to gage their interests and their thoughts on the narrative. From these questions, we discovered that our band’s target audience was going to be a more youthful audience ageing from about 15-25, this is because the indie music genre appeals to a larger group of people compared to other genres that are only applicable to a smaller audience. By asking the target audience about their interests this gave us the chance to tailor our narrative to something that our target audience would be interested in seeing, as seen in the videos where we asked various people in the target audience age range if they liked the narrative idea and if they would want to see the video. The band we created needed to be have more of an appeal than just the music video, we needed them to have a unique quality that would entice people to listen to their music and attract them to their image, we did this by looking at similar bands such as Kings of Leon, Imagine Dragons and Kodaline and seeing what their star image was. The idea that the band was organic was enhanced by the instruments we included in the video, the presence of the instruments in the video gave them the more authentic look we wanted. By looking at other bands we were able to see what the typical connotations of an authentic and organic band are and we applied this to our group, the clothing they wore was casual in order to portray them as more average people. When we as a group were deciding what the star image of the group would be, we looked into what would attract people and decided on an indie, organic and more authentic band.

Filming your animatic - What you learnt from this.

We first drew a storyboard with over 40 different shots drawn on the paper after thinking about which shots would be effective and why. In order to make our animatic clear, we used a 12 megapixel camera, with optical image stabilisation to take images of each frame so that we could convert it all onto the animatic video. The animatic video was done so that we could visualise how our music video would look with each shot in place, and alter the video if need be. To convert it into an animatic video, we used Premiere Pro and uploaded each picture onto the software. We then downloaded the song in which we were using for our music video and edited each picture frame according to the beat of the song. This allowed us to realise that we did not have enough shots as a majority of the shots lasted more than 7 seconds, which made the video appear less exciting than it could have been. We also realised that the tracking shots in which we wanted to use were not able to be portrayed as the animatic is done with still images and therefore was not a realistic representation of our music video. However, as it came to our awareness that we needed more shots, the animatic enabled us to add the additional shots in when it came to the day of shooting. It also came to our attention  that we could not use the studio footage that we depicted in our music video as when it came to shooting the footage, the camera angles didn’t work with our location as the studio was too small to be bale to film decent shots. Furthermore, as we had drawn each shot out in detail, it gave us the same. This therefore allowed us to make an effective and thorough music video. 

Filming your music video - How you used the camera more creatively than AS.

At A2 we used 2 cameras instead of 1 at AS while filming as opposed to one. This enabled us to be more creative as it allowed us to take a wider range of angles and as a result this allowed us to take a wider range of angles and therefore more shots which could be used when editing. At A2 we needed to take more dynamic wider range of shots than at AS, we had to conform to Hollywood style continuity editing while at A2 we had the creative freedom to use non-linear editing. We took establishing shots of the London Eye and The SouthBank which made our A2 music video more dynamic and professional as a result, we also had greater knowledge on how to take greater shots. The shots that we took therefore appealed to our target audience of 15-25 year olds as our research and feedback from AS to A2 has shown that use of dynamic shots allow for a more believable and enjoyable experience. The wider shots allowed us to help sell our artist as being organic shown through the use of close-ups of the our lead singer Alex, wide tracking shots of George walking through the streets and wide low-angle shots of Caleb walking in the Southbank. These shots overall allowed our product to advance from AS to A2.

Editing - How you edited more creatively than AS.

Our editing was more creative at A2 due to less restrictions on our video, as for AS we had to follow the conventions of a thriller whereas for AS we used lots of slow long shots and we adhered to a dark colour scheme, there was also only a single eyeliner match used whereas at A2 we used a lot more colours, we used the lumetri colour filter, which is a preset colour filter on PremierPro, as well as this we used the RGB curve as this gave us more control over what the colour of our video would look like. We also had many more matching cuts and jump cuts, we had a lot more cuts to the beat, as the editing was following a piece of music, the video needed to reflect this and look good when the sound was playing, this was done with matching cuts going from one location to another very quickly and the audience were able to see that the changes were smooth and quick. Overall we used a lot more techniques at A2; we also used the warp stabiliser technique from PremierPro because some of the footage had a lot of shakiness and we needed to stabilise this to make the video look cleaner and also to make the music video look more professional and nicer.

Digital and website - how you created a cohesive package that ran along 3 different technologies

The package that was created was cohesive in all its elements, but was mostly shown through the images used on the digipak and the website. The style and colouring of the digipak are matched with that of the website by using more vintage and darker colours to show symmetry across the platforms. The products we made were done is a way that allowed us to show how the products were tailored specifically to our band. The star image we created for our band is shown through how they interact as a group, and how comfortable they are with each other as well as the clothing they were and their looks. When making both of these products we ensured that the band were wearing the same clothing in all pictures to show symmetry between the products however it was different clothing to the music video but similar theme to show how they are all linked together. The instruments the band carry show them as being creative musicians which is why we made sure to showcase this on parts of the website. The digipak was done so it showed the split between the band members as they are all individuals who are joined together as a band but are clearly their own people. The logo made was also merged with the idea that the bands album would focus on them and their name which is why the website features their name on each page. The website was made using weebly as this was a good platform to use that helped us design our website, we used pictures of the band in various locations for each page as it adds to their image of being different but always standing together and this is shown on the digipak through the pictures and the disc which also shows them as being a group. We also used platforms such as Spotify where we made an advertising and bio page to showcase them on social media which is why they have a Facebook page as well as an Instagram and twitter account which enabled the band to reach a wider audience. The sites used gave us access to a broader audience and connect with fans on a more personal level such as Q&As and following them as well as uploading pictures. We did all this as it keeps fans interested and keep him connected to them.