My music video is a 1950s inspired style to the song ‘Stupid Cupid’ by Connie Francis and I chose this song because I was inspired by 'Happy Daze Ice Cream Parlour' and also because the song is different to the usual choices. The conventions I have incorporated into my piece are an ‘American Style’ diner, a 50s classic retro look using clothing and a suitable hairstyle, as well as red lipstick, worn in the 50s by the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn.
The genre of Connie Francis is classed as Rock and Roll, which was more popular in the 50s with the likes of Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, The Cadillac’s and Fats Domino. This decade for music is my own personal favourite so I already had an idea of what conventions and expectations where in these types of videos. My song choice is corny, not unlike the 50s, and I knew that I wanted everything to be enhanced; bright colours, exaggeration, upbeat and happy.
Choosing an older song meant that I didn’t have many music videos that I could relate too for inspiration, which I actually saw as a positive point, because it meant that I couldn’t copy any ideas and I didn’t have something in my head to base my music video upon before beginning. One video I discovered whilst making my music video helped me with some basic ideas to help me along, this was Christina Aguilera’s candy man, a cheesy, upbeat, colourful and happy-feeling video which is what I was hoping to achieve with the creation of my own video.
My music video uses techniques used in most real music videos. I used meat shots, long and medium shots, close-ups, and shots from a height, and if this were a real music video, these shots would introduce the artist.
My music video is a mixture of illustration and amplification because it includes some scenes, expressing the literal meaning of the lyrics and some scenes are linked to the music by the beat and keeping in time.
With my song choice being older, I haven't really been able to challenge conventions because there aren't really any suitable comparisons with typical conventions in the media at present.
Bright colours are present throughout my piece, mainly through props EG. Balloons, and also through camera effects, which give my video a happier feel, and this matches the happy vibe of the music. Entertainment was a key thing I was thinking about when planning my music video and I wanted to make the video fun, and let the actual song lyrics tell a story and give a depth to my piece. The use of conventions indicate that my music video is an older-style piece and I think that I have successfully created a 50s inspired music video, which is my interpretation of a real media product in the music industry today.
2.) How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
I think that my ancillary texts and my music video are visibly linked and I think that they work well together. I used the same colour theme throughout because I think that the colours work well together, are of an older style, and the red symbolizes love, which is why I used heart shapes in my ancillary texts, to link them to the theme of love in the song and music video. I continued the love theme on all of my ancillary texts and I also kept the photograph style the same, converting my images to black and white, and using Photoshop to turn one or two objects in the pictures to normal colours EG. The barstool on the digipak and the image of me on the magazine advert. I have also stuck to using the same font on my ancillary texts, a scrolled style to match the older age of my song choice.
My ancillary texts all look part of a package, with the green dot backgrounds, the burgundy base colour and the heart shapes. Also, the swirled shapes on the magazine advert, link in with the font, adding to the overall effect.
I think that all of the ancillary texts and my music video resemble real media products and I think that any product related to my music video would be recognisable and noticed for being just a bit different to all products in the media industry at present time.
I feel that the design in my ancillary texts flows, and I think that everything from the colour scheme to the originality, as well as the creativity and style in my music video, come together to form a complete media product, different to other media products on the market and each ancillary text individually advertises the media product in its own way.
3.) What have you learnt from your audience feedback?
To gather feedback, I staged a viewing of my music video in my home and invited friends and family to watch. The feedback was generally positive, however I also received constructive criticism for if I were to do it again. The audience really enjoyed the older style and the unexpected choice of song. I received many comments that my lip-syncing was ‘brilliant’ and that the overall construction of the video had been well-planned out and edited well.
The audience particularly pointed out that the colours and upbeat tempo of the song, as well as the goofy, loved-up feeling made the feel happy, which was an important aim of mine throughout the creation of this video. Some people commented on the different pace’s in the video, which matched the beat of the song, expressing their feelings that this was done well and that it was evident that I didn’t just throw this video together, but took the time to interpret the music in my own way.
My music video “definitely stands out” from real media products and it was “enjoyable to watch”. Getting audience feedback, good or bad, throughout the process of this task, has helped push me to do my best and produce the best that I can with the tools available.
If I were to do my music video again, I would try and challenge conventions more. I would post both rough cut and final cut on a networking site so that I could get more feedback on how to improve and alter my piece. Also, I would have a wider variety of shots and locations to make my music video more visually interesting. My editing skills have progressed throughout the creation of my piece and If I were to do it again, I think that I could improve my video with better effects, motions and make the transitions smoother.
4.) How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
I put all of my research and planning onto a blog, which made my work easier to manage and is a more efficient way to keep track of tasks and progress. Using a blog has been easier than using a physical file because there’s no loose paper to get lost and everything is organized automatically by date. Having a blog meant that I could access my work wherever I was and I didn’t have to rummage through a folder to find anything. Also, a blog made it possible to embed videos from Youtube and insert Prezi’s, Slideshares and images. Making the whole task more visually interesting and more interactive for the examiner, being able to see the movement of the prezi’s and current music video clips at the touch of a button.
My blog is visually very simple and I chose a darker background so that the content was clear and as a whole, neat and tidy. (INSERT SCREEN GRAB OF BLOG.)
Creating my music video brought about a lot of opportunities to use different technologies. I got to use a variety of different cameras (Sony HDV 1080i, Canon XL2 3CCD and a Canon MD216), a studio, green screen, and professional lighting. I got to edit my footage and piece together research with a number of different software’s and websites; Photoshop, Final Cut, Paint, I-tunes, Microsoft word, Microsoft PowerPoint, slideshare, prezi and blogger. I have gained editing knowledge from this experience and got a real feel for the technology needed to produce a media product. (INSERT SCREEN GRABS OF SOFTWARE AND WEBSITES)
My music video is built up from many layers on Final Cut. The layers are used throughout my entire music video and they ensure that each frame is correct, keeping my lip-syncing in time and keeping selected scenes to the beat of the music. Using final cut was difficult at first because I was used to using iMovie from producing last year’s media task. I used existing footage and had a play around with the software to get myself familiar with it, because I didn’t want to be unsure when it got to editing my footage. (SHOW CLIP FROM TESTER FOOTAGE, ANIMALS DANCING). Once I had looked up the software on Google and ‘read the instructions’ so to speak (INSERT CLIP FROM SEARCHING FINAL CUT ON GOOGLE), I was more confident about using it and I felt prepared enough to move onto editing my own footage. I became confident enough to start using motion paths (SHOW CLIP WHICH USES MOTION PATH) and I feel that this part of the software has really improved my music video and made it seem more real.
As I continued to use Final Cut, I began to find it easier to use that iMovie, and the bonus was that it had more gadgets and editing tools.
When creating my ancillary tasks, I inserted images onto Photoshop, deconstructing each part into layers, so that I was able to position them where I wanted. Photoshop was also difficult for me to use at first, but creating my ‘Warhol-self and Opie-self’ gave me a better understanding of the software, so that I was able to create my Magazine advertisement and my digipak with ease. The most used tool on Photoshop by me was the shape tool and the lasso tool. (INSERT IMAGE OF PHOTOSHOP TOOL BAR)
I feel that I am now familiar with the software I have used and I think that my technical skills have definitely improved with this task. I never thought I’d be able to work the software programs with such ease and confidence as I can now and I feel that I’ve really expanded my knowledge in the media industry. I have thoroughly enjoyed creating my music video and ancillary texts, even though it’s been tough and tedious along the way. Doing the planning, filming and editing have all benefited me massively for my future and I am happy and proud to have produced my final music video and my ancillary tasks by myself.
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