Final Music Video

Final Music Video:

Final Ancillaries

Evaluation - Question 4

Evaluation - Question 3

Evaluation - Question 3

What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

Explain why you think its important to evaluate your work

It is important to evaluate my work as this allows me to reflect on positive and negative aspects of my advanced portfolio. From evaluating my work, I can see what went well and if I was to re-create my music video, what I would change. Not only this, but from evaluating my own work I can see whether or not I have met certain expectations which would engage my target audience to create a successful product.

I chose YouTube to showcase my soul music video. The reason for this is, the video is then more likely to be seen by my target audience, which are aged 17-30 years old. YouTube is easily available through the internet and the app which most of the target audience will have downloaded onto their phone. Not only this, but my target audience may stereo typically spend a large amount of their time on social media, in which friends and other audience members may have shared the video for others to see. Making YouTube a good source of marketing as it is cheap and can often reach a wider target audience. Furthermore, YouTube being so easily available allows the audience to watch the video in their own time and with convenience and makes the possibility of the audience leaving their feedback more likely.  

I received alot of feedback, both positive and negative after the target audience had viewed my music video, which may have been seen during class, through YouTube or social media. Receiving feedback was vital to the success of my production as it allowed a second opinion to suggest changes and improvements which can be made to ensure the final product would appeal to the target audience. 

Positive: One positive piece of feedback which I received on through a YouTube comment is the editing techniques that are used in my music video. The audience commented on the use of the overlapping technique which has been used a lot throughout the music video. The audience member said that the editing technique gives the video a unique feel which has not been used in many music videos of the soul genre before. As this is interesting for the audience to watch. As a producer, the feedback was beneficial as this gave me an insight that the audience liked and were engaged by the technique used. The audience may also have then began to think of connotations used with the overlapping of the shots and may understand the narrative further.

Positive: Another piece of positive audience feedback was the audience enjoyed the use of cinematography included. Multiple camera shots and techniques were used to make the music video more interesting to watch. Specific shots which have been mentioned by audience members in my media class are the point of view shot at the beginning of the video which slowly comes into focus. The reason for this is, not many soul music videos include this, and the audience feel as though they are watching the artist perform in person which is a unique and more engaging for the audience. The comments allowed me to reflect on my advanced portfolio, and realized that if any other shots needed to be incorporated after my Rough Cut I needed to ensure the camera shots I used were different and engaging for the audience.

Negative: Negative comments are constructive and beneficial to the improvement of my music video. One suggestion was that I could add additional scenes to the music video which would then make the overall narrative clearer for the audience. Suggestions of which scenes we could add included the artist leaving or having an argument with her friends which could then show why she is reminiscing on past as she has left them to find fame. This was a beneficial piece of feedback as a producer as when I watched the music video back it was evident that the narrative may be unclear for those who did not know what the narrative was beforehand. So from taking on board these comments I ensured to re-film specific scenes and include them to ensure the audience understand and follow along easily in order to keep the audiences attention maintained throughout the entire video.

Negative: Another comment which has been made about our music video is how effects can be added to the product in order to make the overall narrative much clearer for the audience. An example of how we can improve this is to add a black and white filter onto the scenes which are meant to be memories. The black and white filter is stereo typically known for representing a memory, which is what we want to create to show the audience that this is what the artist is reminiscing on. Another negative comment we received which was constructive in order for our music video to improve was the fact that the performance scenes were included too many times and became too repetitive for the audience to watch. To improve this we could film more scenes of the artist performing, however in different scenery such as a piano room so the audience does not become disengaged. This is beneficial to me as a producer as it shows me which scenes I need to add so that my target audience does not become disengaged and their attention is not diverted.

Feedback would also help and be beneficial if i were working in the music industry. This is because the product  is improved due to feedback from the target audience based on what they have seen from the rough cut. The feedback helps to improve the product into something which targets their specific audience and ensures success. Overall meaning that there is an increase in sales which then results in a higher profit for the music industry. 

Evaluation - Question 2

Evaluation - Question 1

Evaluation - Question 1

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

For my advanced portfolio media production, I had to create a 3-5 minute music video for an existing song from the genre of my choice. We began to create our own individual artist's music video alongside ancillary texts such as an individual magazine advert and digipak to help with promotion. When creating the music video we had to take into consideration the narrative, style and concept of the music video, to keep our target audience engaged and to create an overall successful music video. 

A music video or song video is a short film which combines song and imagery together. The music video is produced for promotion purposes to advertise the artists new piece of music which then results in profit for the artist as this will increase their sales which is typically used with modern music videos as a source of marketing. There are many purposes of a music video. One purpose could be to advertise the song towards the artists target audience, the colours, writing and style of the advert appeals to particular audience members as certain connotations will intrigue the audience as this helps to represent the artist in a certain way. Additionally, advertising for artists can also be seen on a varied range of technology and may appeal to different target audiences. For example, a music video may generally reach a younger target audience as they may be able to use and access different types of technology easily and be interested in the genre of music which stereo typically have a music video to their music. Another purpose for a music video is to give the audience a better understanding of the song. A music video can help to tell a narrative and show a different meaning or the story behind the song and how it was created.

Music videos are a way of engaging the artists target audience. Modern music videos are usually made as a source of marketing towards the artists target audience, which ultimately promotes the sale of music recordings. There are many different genres of music videos, which appeal to different target audiences depending on their age, where they come from and the individuals interests. For example, a younger audience member may stereo typically enjoy mainstream, pop music such as an artist who is current in the charts at a particular time. A music video may generally reach a younger target audience as they may be able to use and access different types of technology with convenience and ease as this is second nature to them, in which most current and up to date artists will release a music video via social media platforms. This contrasts to possibly an older member of the public which may enjoy my selected genre of music, which is soul based on experiences in life which they have encountered and may find comfort in a soulful voice and lyrics with hidden meaning in which they can relate to.

There are many conventional aspects that can included in the soul music video that helps towards the success of the music video. Close up shots are a cinematography technique which is conventional to the soul genre. This shot usually helps to frame a person or object tightly which is used within films. I researched many successful music videos in order to see which conventional aspects needed to be included and were most effective. I analysed the music video by Paloma Faith "Only Love Can Hurt Like This". In which several close ups were used in order to convey the artists natural and raw emotion to the audience. I have used this particular shot multiple times throughout my music video when the artist is singing, a specific example of this is when the artist is performing the song against the brick wall. Close up shots help to display facial expressions and the passion and emotion as the artist is singing to the audience. A close up shot is the most conventional way for the artist to portray their emotion as the camera is so close to them that there is nowhere for the artist to hide or cover up as their genuine emotion unfolds. The audience maintain their respect for the artist as she is perceived as a down to earth person as she is willing to show her true and raw emotion for the benefit of the audience to feel as though they are not alone, and with the help of the artist can get through their current situation. In which helps to build a relationship as the audience feel as though they are beginning to know the artist on a more personal level. Furthermore, this shot is conventional to the genre as it helps to represent the artist stereo typically. This shows the artist in a vulnerable light as she is reminiscing on subjects which are sensitive and personal to sing about. This again, allows the audience to relate to the artist as they see her as an ordinary girl as somebody who they can relate to as she also has feelings much like the audience. The close up helps to conventionally show the music video and engages the audience as it is predominately based on emotion and heart felt topics which the audience may be interested in watching and listening to.

Another conventional aspect of the soul genre is the editing which is used commonly throughout the music videos. Slow pace editing is used throughout my music video, a specific example of this is when the artist is walking over the pavement through the street. I incorporated this technique from inspiration from Adele's music video "Chasing Pavements" this is used as the actress is laying on the pavement, and also walking along the pavement. The purpose of

this technique in the music video was so that the audience could focus on the narrative, and could analyse what had happened in the background, behind the artist singing. This is conventional to soul music genre as this allows the audience to see clearly the emotion of the artist. The slow editing of the shots allows a longer period of time for the audience to think about the connotations of the editing style along with them being able to sympathize for the artist as they have more time to focus on the emotion portrayed. This technique also helps to again help the audience to understand the narrative more clearly as it is predominately based around the artists feelings and emotion as she is referring back to her childhood before she found fame. Furthermore, the slow editing can make the audience sympathize for the artist as this could almost represent the overwhelming mix of emotion and feelings as though she is feeling faint and dizzy. The audience may be able to relate to this mix of emotion and overwhelming feeling, so feel as though they have something in common with the artist.

Furthermore, black and white filters are a conventional aspect of soul music videos. This certain convention is used throughout my music video. I have incorporated this into my music video as I have taken inspiration from the music video from Adele "Someone Like You" as the predominate use of colour throughout the music video was black and white. This allowed the audience to infer the artists emotion as she began singing the lyrics.  A specific example of when this was

used in my music video could be when the artist is with her friends, which is a flashback. The use of the colour black helps to represent the artists emotions of sadness and depressive state, as she is no longer happy with her lifestyle and fame status, comparing this to her past. This may gain the artist respect from the audience as she is showing her raw, and natural emotion for all to see in order to benefit and comfort the audience who may be going through a similar situation, which presents her as down to earth. The colour black contrasts dramatically from the second use of colour, white. This is because the colour white stereo typically connotes innocence and vulnerability. Making the audience sympathize for the artist as a combination of the emotions of vulnerability and depression can leave the artist feeling very low. Furthermore, with both the colours being used together, this helps to suggest both positivity and negativity. Possibly in which the audience could infer, and how this is meant to be portrayed as a memory. In which she was reminiscing on. This is conventional to the soul genre as this helps to show the narrative clearly to the audience and allow them to understand the black and white filter is representing a memory. Additionally, the audience may be engaged with the music video as they sympathize for the audience as they may have been in a similar situation themselves.

The narrative of my music video is also another conventional aspect of the soul genre. Research was essential to creating a successful, conventional narrative. I analysed Paloma Faith's music video of "Only Love Can Hurt Like This" and found that the narrative was conventional to the soul genre, as the artist is singing based on the topic of love and heartbreak. I incorporated this into my own music video, so that the narrative audience can relate.

The narrative in most soul genres contains issues surrounding heartbreak, love or personal family matters. All of which the target audience may be able to relate to in some way due to their age and experiences they may have had to have gone through throughout their adult life. The topic in which my artist is singing about in the music video is conventional to the soul genre as she is singing about personal and upsetting experiences. In which may be relatable for the audience as they may reminisce, feel sad, lonely and isolated at some point in their life, all maybe slightly different from the artists situation. This may be engaging for the target audience as they may find comfort in knowing that somebody else has gone through a similar situation and they are no longer alone. This is something that the artist was trying to achieve with her music video, to give a different approach to what artists usually do and to try and build a relationship with her target audience.

The music video has also followed conventional aspects such as performance style. The video is both narrative and performance based. This is conventional as this is the part which helps to explain what is going on throughout the music video and how for the audience to understand the lyrics and the message which is trying to be given across to the audience. The performance side of the music video helps to show why the audience originally began to like and take interest in the artist due to her soulful voice and passion for music, which can easily be distracted from due to aspects of the music video diverting the audiences attention. However, both the narrative and performance aspects of the music video allow for conventional camera shots and cinematography techniques which help to display the artists emotion conventionally in order to engage and captivate the audience as they sympathize for her.

Lastly, another conventional aspect in which I have included in my music video is the location in which the music video is shot. I have taken inspiration from Adele's music video "Someone Like You" as she has shot the video in a relatable location, Paris. Many of the audience members are able to identify this due to the landmarks which are shown in the video. Stereo typically, the location is somewhere personal to the artist and relates to the subject which they are singing about.

In my music video locations include the streets of London, a stage for the performance aspect of the video and the artists home. All locations are something personal to the artist and something in which has gotten her to where she is today. This is something personal to the artist, so the audience feel as though they are beginning to know the artist on a more personal level, not only with the trust of the artists emotions, but to be let into a place which means something to her and for a specific reason, which she may find hard opening op to others. This may also allow the artist to feel more comfortable as she is singing topics she feels strongly about and will give her full attention and passion to the song in which she is singing. This helps to build a relationship between both the audience and artist as the audience have been aloud in to something which is personal to the artist, and builds a sense of trust between the two.

Overall, I believe that I have followed conventional aspects of the soul genre when creating my music video and ancillary texts. This is because most of the aspects I have included are typically seen also in other soul music videos and their individual magazine adverts and digipak, however I have adapted them slightly in order for them to make sense and fit my individual video. This can include points in which I have listed above. Close up shots have been used frequently throughout my music video to help express and convey the artists emotion based on the topic she is singing about. Additionally, the use of the black and white filter helps to suggest to the audience that the artist is reminiscing on the past and helps to reiterate the narrative to the audience members.

Rough Cut

Rough Cut

In order to improve our rough cut of our music video, feedback from our audience played an essential role. Strengths and weaknesses are highlighted in the feedback stage which is vital for further improvement of the production. Feedback allows our group to gain an insight to a second opinion where  slight or major mistakes/corrections that need improving can be seen which we are oblivious to due to re-watching our product so many times which could result in a dramatic change of the product from slight alterations. This also beneficial because audience can also suggest additional changes which can be applied to the music video in order to improve our product further. We received audience feedback from various screenings of our production. Firstly, our media class viewed our entire production and gave us feedback immediately afterwards. However, we also uploaded our production to YouTube and social media in which our audience commented and left both constructive and positive feedback. Other ways in which we received feedback was through questionnaires asking varied questions in order to see what the audience thought of our video and how we could improve. Feedback is vital to the production as it allows a second opinion to suggest changes and improvements which can be made to make the final product something the audience will want to see. Minor or major changes can be adjusted which makes the music video more stereotypical to the genre and something which the target audience are engaged in watching. This is beneficial to the music industry because the product is improved due to feedback from the rough cut and improve the product into something which targets their specific audience and can overall mean that there is an increase in sales which results in a higher profit for the music industry. 

The feedback which we received from our audience was from both, screenings of our production during class time but also from comments on social media and YouTube. The feedback which we did receive was a mix of both negative feedback which is constructive for the improvement of our production. Yet also positive feedback, which shows us what our target audience are engaged by and like to see in our music video in which we shouldn't change. One positive comment which we received on our music video through YouTube is the editing techniques that are used. More specifically the audience has commented on the use of the overlapping technique which has been used throughout our music video frequently. This gives the video a unique feel which has not been used in many music videos of the soul genre before. Overlapping is interesting for the audience to see instead of an ordinary filter added on top which may not be as engaging for the audience to watch. The audience may also begin to think of connotations used with the overlapping of the shots and could be inferred as the overwhelming amount of emotions the artist is displaying  through the lyrics. This may engage the audience further as they could possibly relate to how the artist is feeling. Furthermore, another piece of positive audience feedback we received was that the use of cinematography is of a high standard and have used multiple shots to make the music video more interesting to watch. Some of these shots which have been mentioned by audience members in our media class are the point of view shot at the beginning of the video which slowly comes into focus. Not many music videos include this, and the audience feel as though they are watching the artist perform in person which is a unique feel to the video and can help to build a relationship between audience and artist as they are able to see them from a closer perspective. Other cinematography elements which have been mentioned are the panning shots which are included of the candle panning over to the memory pictures of the artist when she was younger. This shot is favoured by the audience as it helps to reiterate to the audience the narrative of how the artist is reminiscing on her past before she found fame. Furthermore, another piece of positive feedback which we received was how the audience enjoyed the different paces throughout the music video, as some scenes where slower whilst some scenes had an increased pace. One audience member mentioned that this engaged them as it suggested that it was almost like the artist was watching the world go by, which is often what happens when detaching themselves from all emotion and aspects of the 'real world'. This suggests to the audience and reiterates how lonely the artist is feeling. In turn, making the audience sympathise for the audience yet also seeing her as down to earth as she is showing her true emotion for everybody to see. Lastly, audience members mentioned that one piece of the music video that they enjoyed was the fact it was filmed in several different locations. An example of this is how we filmed specific scenes in London. This made a positive impact for the audience as it helped to show how the artist was reminiscing on the past and where she came from. This also engages the audience further as for most, London is a recognisable place in which they feel that they have something in common with the artist and as though they are beginning to get to know them.

Negative comments which are constructive and beneficial to our music video is that we could add additional scenes which would make the overall narrative clearer for the audience. Suggestions of which scenes we could add are the artist leaving or having an argument with her friends which could then show why she is reminiscing on past times as she has left them to find fame. When watching our music video back we did realise that the narrative may be unclear for those who did not know what the narrative was beforehand. So including these additional scenes may make it clearer for the audience to understand and follow along easily in order to sustain the audiences attention throughout the entire video. Another comment which has been made about our music video is how effects can be added to the product in order to make the overall narrative much clearer for the audience. An example of how we can improve this is to add a black and white filter onto the scenes which are meant to be memories. The black and white filter is stereotypically known for representing a memory, which is what we want to create to show the audience that this is what the artist is reminiscing on. Another negative comment we received which was constructive in order for our music video to improve was the fact that the performance scenes were included too many times and became too repetitive for the audience to watch. To improve this we could film more scenes of the artist performing, however in different scenery such as a piano room so the audience does not become disengaged. +Furthermore, the filter used will also be able to help express and represent the artist further. The black helps to show the depressive state the artist is currently in, whilst the white helps to show the vulnerability she is feeling as she is alone. The two combined are not a desirable emotion which further helps the audience to sympathise for her. 

Examples of feedback which we received:

To improve on our music video we will try to incorporate suggestions that have been made to us through the feedback we received. Firstly, we are aiming to film additional scenes to include in our music video to make the narrative more clear for the audience. Scenes which we aim to film are the friends arguing around the artist leaving and becoming famous. This will help the audience to understand the rest of the narrative how the artist is reminiscing on the past, when she wasn't lonely and show the audience why she is feeling this way. Another piece of feedback which we have taken on board and aim to improve is adding further editing techniques to the music video to again, help the narrative become more clear.  An example of an editing technique which we will include is adding black and white filters onto the scenes with the friends before the artist was famous, enjoying themselves. This will help to reiterate to the audience that this is a memory the artist is reminiscing on, and again how lonely and vulnerable she is now. Not only does this help to show the narrative more clearly, but also helps to represent the artist and builds a relationship between as they begin to sympathise for her.