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

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

The combination of my main product and ancillary tasks, i believe, are fairly effective. My ancillary tasks are linked with my main product, unlike many digi-paks now a days which are completely irrelevant to the music video. I decided to contrast between the music video and the ancillary tasks by basing the music video during the day and then basing the ancillary tasks at night, that way, i believed the audience is able to know/understand what each day is like for her. Throughout the whole of the main product as well as the ancillary tasks the audience is able to see the girl by her self, which is the theme i have tried to continue throughout the whole production to come across the view of isolation.

For my ancillary tasks i had to produce a digi-pak and a promotion poster. A digi-pak is something which you'd find inside the album case in which artists use to promote their song. Normally a digi-pak will contain a front cover, back cover and at least two more sides in which the artist choses what to include with them. For my digi-pak i chose to do 4 sides. As i stated before, when i did my ancillary tasks i decided to twist between day and night for my two differnent productions, with my music video being based during the day and my ancillary tasks being based at night. My front cover shows the girl walking down the middle of the street at night, she's in the centre of the focus but yet you're able to see that there's no wonder around her, bringing across the view that she's alone in the world and at night it's as if she follows the street lights to see where they take her. I took all of my photos for the ancillary task using a Samsung compact digital camera and edited them using Adobe Photoshop, where i added differnent fonts and texts to the images. What i like about my front cover is that i believe people may be surprised with what they hear when they listen to the song as they may be mislead by the front cover from the text i've chosen. The text i've chosen for the words 'The A Team' looks like the title from the 1980's television programme. The 1980's televion programme 'The A Team' was based about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". I believe therefore that people will be expecting a much more 'hardcore' song than the one which Ed Sheeran has produced and therefore i have almost done a play with words as such.

For the back cover i chose to use the same font which i used for the words 'The A Team' and listed 3 different songs which would be on the EP (Extended Play) and for the background i took a picture of a simlar street at night to the one which the girl was walking down on the front cover. As before, i edited the image on Adobe Photoshop. For the panel which the CD goes in i decided to use a picture of the girl walking down another street, this picture is different to the front cover due to there being a lot more light as she's walking under a lampost, i used this type of picture to try and emphasise that there's 'light at the end of the tunnel' for her and that she'll ake it through. The last image which i used is very plain but i added some text to it to state who the album was produced by and who recorded it as well. This is the type of thing that you'd see in many artists albums now a days so i felt it was essential that i included this.

The second ancillary task which i had to do was to create a promotion poster. My promotion poster is very much simlar to the digi-pak which i produced as it was taken at night but it's still linked to the video as it features the girl walking around. With the promotion poster i tried to include all the necessary information such as the name of the song, the artist, the name of the album and the website of the artist. As with my digi-pak photos i took my promotion poster photo using a digital camera and then edited it on Adobe Photoshop where i added text and used differnent fonts to ensure that the poster didn't look plain and basic.



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

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

Throughout the production of my A2 work i've used a wide range of different media technologies. In the beginning, i had a rough idea of what i wanted to do but i used a questionairre to consult people about what their own views were on music videos. I created the questionairre using Microsoft Word and i also used a video camera to record their different views. When i had all the footage i needed i uploaded it up to the editing software iMovie in order to produce a short video for my audience research and i then uploaded it to blogger which is the internet blogging website which i use for all my work.

When i looked at the audience research i had gathered i used the broadcasting website YouTube to watch a range of videos which were similar to the one i was hoping to produce and by doing this it helped me to come up with some ideas for my own production. Once i had some ideas for my production i created a storyboard which had the structure and plan for the music video i was going to produce. When it came to shooting the video i had the option of using an HD camera but due to the unavailability i had to use a basic video camera. If i had used an HD camera the quality of the picture would have been a lot better. As well as using the video camera i also used a tripod in order to shoot each shot steadily.

Once i had shot all the footage i uploaded it to iMovie and then edited it. The editing took a bit of time to do as i had to fit all the different camera shots in together in order for the video to flow, as well as trimming down clips if unnecessary footage was there. I also changed the colour of the video to black and white as i believed it would make the video a lot more effective. When i'd finished editing i exported it and uploaded the video to blogger. However i may have to upload the video to either YouTube or Vimeo as well due to it not being able to play on blogger.

When i needed audience feedback for my work to highlight areas of possible improvement i played my video on the projecter screen. This enabled the whole of the class to see it and with surround sound they were clearly able to hear the music as well which made it a lot better than the class watching it on a tiny computer screen with practically no volume. A questionairre was handed out for the class to fill in to rate my video and leave comments of the good/bad points.

When it came to producing my ancillary tasks there were a number of different pieces of software which i used. To start off with i used a Samsung compact digital camera to take the pictures for my ancillary and then once i had taken all the pictures i uploaded them onto my laptop. To edit the pictures for my ancillary tasks i used the Adobe Indesign software which enables you to edit the size of the picture, change the contrast, apply text etc. and then when i had produced the ancillary tasks i wanted i exported them into JPEG files and uploaded them to blogger.

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

The audience feedback which i have gathered from my music video has been a big help for the final draft/finished piece. Originally, when i started to begin to create ideas, i conducted audience research and this helped with my production greatly. This gave me good guidance as to what the audience wanted to see in the video and what they didn't. Then, once i'd produced a draft copy, i exported the video and played it to the class. This was a great help as they were able to highlight areas for improvement which i may not have been able to see myself. Each pupil was given a feedback form where they commented on my work and they also gave it a level and mark which they believed it was at. By them doing this i was able to develop an understanding as to what sort of mark i'd receive and how much i'd need to improve the video if i wished to make it better. I found all of the feedback useful in one form or another, people commented on various types of things in the video such as; camera angles, song choice, editing, transitions, props and the colour of the video. Here are a few of the positive comments which i received:

• "Really good song choice - thought it matched the video really well"
• "I liked the video, everything flowed nicely and there was a good variety of shots"
• "I liked how the final piano chord matched her falling to the floor"
• "Sophisticated use of pacing. Her wandering style of walking matches the song well"
• "Effective editing, it was cut well to the music"
• "Nice use of black and white" 
• "Held a steady shot when appropriate"
• "Used a good variety of shot distances"

All of these things which the pupils commented on were able to help me as i knew that these were areas which didn't need work on in order for the video to be improved.

However, some of the feedback which i received highlighted areas for improvement but i am glad that i didn't receive much of this as it suggested that the video was of a relatively decent standard. Here are the negative comments which i received:

• "On the phone shots it may be a good idea to turn off 'stability' on the video clip. This will stop it looking like a mounted camera"
• "There could have been more transitions and different editing styles"
• "Maybe think about being a little more subtle than using the name 'dealer' in her phone"

All of these different issues i tried to address before the final draft was handed in in order to make my production better.

I have learned much from audience feedback which i have received and i believe that by taking it on board it can lead to a much better piece of work. Also, i have learned that criticism is never a bad thing because it highlights what needs improving and can only make a piece of work better. A lot of artists when they release their own music videos aren't able to acknowledge audience feedback prior to the release - they receive it once it has been released - and therefore they aren't able to make ammendments in order to make it better.

If it wasn't for me receiving audience feedback then i believe my video wouldn't be at the  standard it is now. Audience feedback is there to cover so many different areas; the post production, the production and also the finished piece. Audience feedback is able to highlight things from a different perspective and from a different persons point of view and by taking all the different comments and feedback on board it can only lead to a better piece of work.

Evaluation Questions

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

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

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

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

My Final and Completed Version

This is the version that i'm going to use for my promotion poster. I decided to change all the fonts at the bottom as i believed it looked a lot better and more professional. By the poster having all the same fonts it makes it look very basic and plain, and you also don't know what part to read first. But by there being different fonts it makes it stand out.

Promotion Poster 5

As in the previous poster i've changed the fonts of 'new single out now' and 'from the album loose change'. I wasn't too keen on the previous fonts which i used which is why i changed it. With this new font you also notice that the font makes the words smaller compared to the last.

Promotion Poster 4

In this poster i've changed the font of the bottom two lines. As i stated before i think it's best to change the fonts of the different words. I've kept all of the previous design layouts and fonts.

Promotion Poster 3

What i've done in this one is that i've changed the font of the website at the bottom. I've figured that it's best if i change the fonts on the different words otherwise it makes the poster look very basic and plain.

Promotion Poster 2

The only difference to this poster compared to the original is that i've changed the positioning of the words 'from the album loose change'. I've done this in order to see which positioning which looks better due to there being more words compared to 'new single out now' and this can make it look out of place.

Promotion Poster 1

As stated before, i have produced a number of different styles for my promotion poster. Although they are all based around the same picture i have edited each one with different fonts etc. This is the first one i produced, it's a very basic design as all the words are done in the same font apart from the NME quote at the top of the page. This is the design which i used to improve my work.

Digi-Pack & Promotion Poster

As part of my A2 portfolio i had to produce a digi-pack as well as a promotion poster. Both of these have now been done. Originally i stated that i planned to base my digi-pack on recreating famous iconic images but i struggled with this idea so i decided to base both tasks around the music video which i did as my main A2 task. With my promotion poster i have produced a number of different ones in order to decide which one best suites the task required. I will now post all of the different ones that i've come up with as well as the one which i've chosen to be my finished piece.

Final Music Video

                                                                                              

The A-Team Lyrical Analysis

White lips, pale face
Breathing in snowflakes
Burnt lungs, sour taste
Light's gone, day's end
Struggling to pay rent
Long nights, strange men

This first verse talks the girl being outside and sleeping in the cold. white lips and pale face make reference to her sleeping in the cold. by her struggling to pay rent we're able to understand that she's someone who isn't doing well for herself, hence her sleeping outside. we're also able to get a quick and brief understanding that she's a prostitute which is how she makes her living 'long nights, strnage men'.  

And they say
She's in the Class A Team
Stuck in her daydream
Been this way since 18
But lately her face seems
Slowly sinking, wasting
Crumbling like pastries
And they scream
The worst things in life come free to us
Cos we're just under the upperhand
And go mad for a couple of grams
And she don't want to go outside tonight
And in a pipe she flies to the Motherland
Or sells love to another man
It's too cold outside
For angels to fly
Angels to fly

The chorus makes reference to things that happens in her daily life. we are able to understand the things that she's into, i.e drugs and prostitution. we understand that she's into drugs from the lines 'go mad for a couple of grams' and 'in a pipe she flies to the motherland', where as the reference of prostitution is from the line 'sells love to another man'. from the line 'the worst things in life come free to us' you're able to tell that she's struggling in life and that nothing's going her way.

Ripped gloves, raincoat
Tried to swim and stay afloat
Dry house, wet clothes
Loose change, bank notes
Weary-eyed, dry throat
Call girl, no phone

This verse focuses on her trying to 'stay afloat' in life. ripped gloves gives the sense of poverty but when she reaches her 'dry house' from the pooring rain it's a brighter moment for her.
And hey say
She's in the Class A Team
Stuck in her daydream
Been this way since 18
But lately her face seems
Slowly sinking, wasting
Crumbling like pastries
And they scream
The worst things in life come free to us
Cos we're just under the upperhand
And go mad for a couple of grams
And she don't want to go outside tonight
And in a pipe she flies to the Motherland
Or sells love to another man
It's too cold outside
For angels to fly
Angels to fly
An angel will die
Covered in white
Closed eye
And hoping for a better life
This time, we'll fade out tonight
Straight down the line

The chorus makes reference to things that happens in her daily life. we are able to understand the things that she's into, i.e drugs and prostitution. we understand that she's into drugs from the lines 'go mad for a couple of grams' and 'in a pipe she flies to the motherland', where as the reference of prostitution is from the line 'sells love to another man'. from the line 'the worst things in life come free to us' you're able to tell that she's struggling in life and that nothing's going her way. In the final few lines it talks about how she'd have a 'better life' if she died.

The A-Team

The A Team is an unreleased song which Ed Sheeran has written and recorded. This song is one of the only songs which he has on youtube to have an official video. The a team is based on one of ed's personal experiences in life, when he went to a day care centre for homeless people it was there that he met a girl who would survive by drugs and prostitution and this song tells the story of what her life would be like. In the song the lyrcis talk about these scenarios; with reference to the drugs the lyrcis go "go mad for a couple of grams" as well as "and in a pipe she flies to the Motherland". With reference to prostitution ed sheeran sings about how she "sells love to another man"

Ed Sheeran

Early Life


Ed Sheeran was born in Halifax before moving to Framlingham in Suffolk. He began writing songs during his time at Thomas Mills High School in Framlingham before studying at Access To Music in Norwich before moving to London.

Breakthrough

In 2009 he released the EP, You Need Me, and in February 2010 began to get noticed after he posted a video through SB.TV, which led to mainstream rapper Example asking Sheeran to tour with him. Throughout 2010, Sheeran began to be seen by more and more people over the internet through Youtube and his fan-base grew incredibly, with him also getting credit from The Independent newspaper, England football captain Rio Ferdinand and even Elton John. Sheeran released three more EP's in 2010, including Ed Sheeran: Live at the Bedford, a live EP. On 9 January 2011, Sheeran released his final independent EP, No.5 Collaborations Project] featuring appearances by grime artists including Wiley, JME, Devlin and Ghetts. With this EP, Sheeran gained mainstream attention for reaching number 2 in the iTunes chart without any promotion or label. He was listed as a 'special guest' on Devlin's 2011 'Bud, Sweat and Beers' mini tour alongside Griminal and Tinchy Stryder.


Atlantic Records
Sheeran signed for Atlantic Records in January 2011 and will be releasing his first album, currently untitled, in August.

Story

The music video which i have done focuses on a homeless girl with nothing going for her. Throughout the video i try to bring across the sense of isolation, she's got no one to talk to apart from her dealer - who isn't concerned for her apart from her money - and this inevitably leads to her death. We see no other people in the video apart from the dealer and a passer by who barges into her to bring across the fact that she's alone and she has no one there to help her.

New Song & Video

After losing the footage of my orginal video which was based on the song 'Mr Brightside' by the Killers i have now changed the song and video to 'The A-Team' by Ed Sheeran. The video has now completed and the digi-paks are virtually done.

Digi-Pak Ideas Further Research

I have now come up with some more possible ideas to use for my re-creation of famous album covers. After doing some research i found the iconic covers of Bob Marleys album 'Legend - The best of Bob Marley and The Wailors' and also Michael Jacksons cover from his album '25 Thriller'. These two pictures are known world wide and by people seeing these pictures they are able to relate to the artist instantly. It is important that when i recreate these images they are done well in order to people to recognise them and then relate them back to the original artist.

Digi-Pak Ideas

For part of my A2 production i have to produce a music video as well as a Digi-Pak and a spread for a magazine. For my digi-pak i'm thinking about using famous album covers and recreating them for my own production. Famous Album covers include The Beatles 'Abbey Road' and Queen's 'Queen II'. In the past, especially with abbey road, other artists and bands have recreated their own versions as well. The reason why i have chosen to do these album covers is because i believe that it gives you the chance to explore with so many different ideas rather than sticking to the basics of someone just crossing the road. One artist did the album cover where the band got run over and another artist did his dog running off his lead. I'm not entirely sure what idea i'll use for my version of abbey road but i'll come up with some ideas shortly. As i said before, something like abbey road allows you to explore new ideas which is why i chose to do it.

With the other famous album covers however i think i'll only recreate them, there may be a later stage where i decide that i do want to edit them. The two for definite that i'll recreate at the moment is Queens 'Queen II' album cover and The Beatles 'Abbey Road'. I'm now researching into other albums covers and i'll post my research onto my blog shortly.

How did your research into audience contribute to your production work at both As and A2?

How did your research into audience contribute to your production work at both As and A2?

By researching for my target audience it has contributed to my production in a number of different ways. From the research that I have received, it has given me set list/criteria of things which I need to include in my films. As I have asked a specific audience what they like to see in films, by including what they've said it then makes it more appealing for them to view it.
With my AS production when I did the 2 minute opening of a film, it was vital that I asked the audience what they like to see in the opening footage; whether they like to see the story being given away; whether they like credits at the start; how they like a film to start off etc. A lot of them stated that they don't like to see too much being given away so it was important from that perspective that I made it happen. If I give the whole film away in the opening 2 minutes of a film then what's the point in watching the rest of it? As well from my own personal experiences I know that I don't like to see much being given away in the opening of a film, I perhaps like to see a few of the characters being established but that's more or less it apart from the setting. But I needed the audience’s opinion on it as they would be the ones who'd be viewing it.
When I did my research I asked a range of different students in order to get mixed opinions to be able to produce an effective piece of work. I asked media students, the so called 'hard core' film fanatics and the rest! Obviously with such a range of opinions I wasn't able to use all of them for my film but it was really helpful for my research.
Currently with my A2 production there is a lot more involved compared to that of last year; we have to produce a music video, a digi-pack and also a promotion poster. Where as last year it only involved producing the opening 2 minute clip of a film. In order to make my video a good piece of work, it's important that I get opinions from a wide range of people to see what they like in a music video. There is so much that you can include in a music video; some videos involve stories being told, others have the band playing in the video and sometimes bands and artists use stop motion for their video. With all these different options available for a video, it's important that I choose the right one which will appeal to the vast majority of people. From the audience research which I collected the vast majority stated that they liked a music video to include a story being told as well as the band/artist playing in clips in between so this is what I’ve decided to do for my music video.
Over the last two years through my AS and A2 production work the audience research which I have collected has played a vital role in helping me to decide what to do and include in my different videos. The research has enabled to produce the best piece of work which appeals to the vast majority of people. If it wasn't for audience research then it's likely that a lot of the the time when it comes to producing videos a lot of the audience won't like the finished production.

Location & Story

Filming will be shot in and around my village. The basic scenario is that a girl is staying at the personas house but then she leaves while he's still asleep to run off with another man. The persona then wakes up to discover she's left and then goes to try and find her.

Filming

Due to problems arising over the christmas holiday i've had to delay my filming. Filming will now commence either this weekend or during next week. I just need to sort out the issue regarding my actors as well in terms of availability.