Evidence of Reserch

Analysis of Film Adverts

Doing tasks like this in class gave me a good idea of the amount of thought that is put into a media product. This task helped me identify different codes used in posters and how these codes are placed to effect the audience. On a practical level, it gave me a good idea of the layout and deign of posters such as lighting, props, position, facial expression and character representation, and these came in very useful when it came to constructing my own product.

Ancillary Task Construction

Digi Pack 

When constructing my digi pack, I found my first draft did not match as the dimensions were different. I solved this problem by creating a template and using it for the back and front of my digi pack in order to keep the sizes exactly the same. 

I have included conventions of a digi pack that I encountered during my research, such as lyrics sheets and a track list. This has made my product look much more professional and also makes it more aesthetically pleasing. I have also included conventions such as a bar code and my company logo to as this is required of a real product on the market.

Advertisement 

Once I had finished my final draft of my advertisement I considered adding a faded image of my model in the background as I felt the over all image was too simple for an advertisement. However after some more consideration I decided that the simplicity of my advertisement matches my indie genre, and would fit in well with alternative music magazines such as NME. 

For the construction of my ancillary tasks I used Adobe Photoshop CS5.1. I had some experience from using it last year, but I also found Youtube.com very useful for finding tutorials on different skills such as editing the dimensions of my image to make the front and back of my digi pack the same. 

Practice Editing

I have used Premier Pro, the program I plan to use to edit my product. By editing together Simpsons clips I have come to terms with the basic editing tools, such as the sequence line and the clip inventory. I also used Youtube.com to find tutorials on how to add effects to my clip. 

My Simpsons Clip

I am happy with how my sound and the construction of my video went. It gave me practice on Premier Pro which is the program I will use to do edit my product. However the quality of the video is very poor due to the size of the clips I used, therefore I will avoid this when putting together my product. 

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Applying Post Modernism to my Product

My product will use some elements of intertextuality, as I plan to use shots such of branded items such as an iPhone. Also, I plan to have shots of my character walking down city streets, so shops such as McDonalds or Next may be in the background. I hope to use intertextuality to demonstrate how society is present in my characters life and also to offer gratification to my audience as they can associate with these popular brands.
     The genre of my product is supernatural, however this is not obvious to the audience until the end of the video. Also, the style and tone of my video is predominantly indie, for reasons I mentioned into my pitch. Also, as my music video follows a narrative, it has some elements of shot film to it.
     It will mix elements of high and low culture. As for low culture, I will feature things such as branches such as takeaway shops or McDonalds. Also the use of an iPhone (which is popular culture) would be classed as low culture. However for high culture, I will feature The Times, which is a highbrow newspaper.
     My use of colour filters as obscure camera shots will draw attention to the fact that this is a media product that has been constructed. I will use fragmentation of location, as my character will jump from place to place with little sense of journey. This will hint to the fact that she is detached from reality. Also, I will use shots that display the characters point of view rather than the audiences, detaching them from the product and preventing them from becoming completely emerged in it.
     My product does take quite a light view of the serious issues within the video such as death and tragedy. The fact that my character actually died in a house fire is set against a backdrop of attractive shots and soft indie music, rather than being extremely dramatic. Whilst my product does provoke emotion it does take a serious event and 'softens' it.
     My product is of the indie genre ad therefore a lot of emphasis will be put on the aesthetics of the video. However, as my video follows a narrative that is relatively serious I will need to construct it in a way that can be followed and understood, therefore giving it substance.

Ancillary Task Photoshoot

I plan to use my friend Gemma as the character in my music video. She also modeled for me last year at AS, so I know she is reliable.

For my photoshoot I wanted to see how natural lighting would work in order to create the emotion and style I wanted. I also wanted to test out what conditions were like on my location, so I choose the beach as it will be where I film the opening of my music video.

I like this shot as it fits with one of my flat plans for my ancillary task. It portrays the mystery that I want my music video to have, and it also gives my character a very ghostly look. As this was just a practice, I used my iPhone to take the pictures, however for my actual photoshoot I plan on using college equipment to get a better quality.

I like this shot as it has good composition. Also, I played around with a pink tinged filter which I hope to use on my product. This gives the photo a very old, indie style that I was going for and also enhances the photo.

 For these two shots I experemented with a statue that is found at seaburn beach. I like how the statue frames the lighthouse as it looks very artistic, however I dont feel it would work for my ancillary task as it is not a strong enough image to stand on its own. I may, however, use is within my product with a mantage of other shots to give a feeling of location.

This shot is quite grainy as it was very zoomed in, however I could take it with better quality with college equipment. However I feel the composition of the shot is bad as there is a lot going on, and whilst it may be a powerful shot for my music video I cant see it working on my ancillary task.

This photo does not work as I used my flash, which lit up the figure in the foreground and made the background indistinguishable. It does not look professional and would not appeal to my audience.  

I feel that this shot has good composition and is balanced. The vast expanse of sky conveys the feeling of empty space and lonliness that I want to be present in my product, so this could work for my ancillary task. Also, the large section of sky is very dramatic. I also like the colour in this photograph as it has varying soft shades and looks artistic.

Research Into the Indie Genre

What is the Indie Genre?

"Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include indie pop, jangle pop, C86, and lo-fi, among others. Originally used to describe record labels, the term became associated with the music they produced and was initially used interchangeably with alternative rock."

Source: Wikipedia

Indie rock differs from the mainstream. It targets a neche market that prefer unique and artistic music to more generic, big budget music like that of Lady Gaga or Rihanna.

"Indie rock, derived from "independent", describes the small and relatively low-budget labels on which it is released and the do-it-yourself attitude of the bands and artists involved. Although distribution deals are often struck with major corporate companies, these labels and the bands they host have attempted to retain their autonomy, leaving them free to explore sounds, emotions and subjects of limited appeal to large, mainstream audiences"

Source: Wikipedia

A main factor in producing Indie music is allowing the artists themselves to have a large imput. This is what makes the genre so diverse as every product aims to be as unique as possible, which is something I hope to show in my own product.

I have used social media to connect with my target audience. I wanted to get a vague idea of what my tager audience expected from the Indie Genre.

Applying Marxisim & Feminisim Theories to my Product

Marxisim

When looking at my product in terms of Marxism, I need to think if I (as a media company) am responding to my audiences demand, or if I am projecting onto them an idea of what they need to demand. For example, have I designed my video with the audiences preferences for indie videos in mind, or have I constructed a media product that will tell my audience 'this is what an indie video is, and therefore this is what you need to be watching'. My questionnaire results show that my audience has a particular idea of what an indie video should be, and Marxism suggests that this idea is not their own preference but had been projected onto them by media corporations.
      My audience expected an indie video to my stylised, unique, and have a narrative. The fact that these conventions are seen commonly within the indie genre suggests that my audience ask for them because this is all they have seen, not because this is their preference.

Feminism

In regards to Feminism, the fact that I will use only one character that is female could have different connotations in terms of feminism. She will appeal to my female audience as they can relate to her and identify with her. For my male audience she will appeal to them as she is a member of the opposite sex and therefore may generate an attraction, or it could be endearing to them to see it from a females point of view.
       The high emotion in the video could be attributed to the fact that the character is female, as in the Jamie T video for 'Emily's Heart' (which I am basing my own video on), features only one character that is male, and the emotion in the video inst particularity high. This could have feminist connotations as hysteria or high emotion is often associated with women, especially in the media.