4. How Did I Use New Media Technologies Throughout the Project?

PRE-PRODUCTION

• I have displayed all my work on a blogging site called Blogger; this allows an easy and professional looking way to show my research and final products. I used images and gifs to show clips of videos I studied.

• The main online tools I used to research different styles of music products were youtube and google. YouTube has  ahuge diversity of different styles of music videos and I took alot of inspiration from some; I watched videos such as 'Congo Natty - Revolution' aswell as Mungo's Hi Fi - Society. I used used Youtube for tutorials on how to edit different parts on my video when I stuggled to use the new (for me) application Adobe Premiere Elements.

PRODUCTION

• A high quality DSLR camera was used to film and shoot my clips; I hadnt used a DSLR camera to film before so it was a new experience and I really enjoyed working with it testing out different shots and experimenting with different light adjusting levels. My knowledge on the camera has greatly increased and I would like to use it again for future projects. In addition to using the camera I used a tri-pod in most if not all of my clips allowing me to take steady shots in the highest quality.

POST PRODUCTION

• The two main applications I used to edit my media products were Adobe Premiere Elements and Adobe Photoshop

• I found that Premiere Elements was easy to get the hang of after a couple of trial edits. The sleek interface allowed easy access to all my clips and really wasn't too confusing. I used effects such as 'Mirror' aswell as contrast changing techniques to make my video the way I wanted it. I used the zoom in on the timeline to accurately place and cut my clips according to the beats on my song; I feel that I managed to do this quite successfully and succinctly. I used transitions such as Fade to Black to begin and end my video; I felt this worked well with the music which also fades quieter towards the end.

• I used Photoshop my videos aswell my digipak and magazine advert. I am very confident with photoshop and I feel that my skill has allowed me to design a sleek looking advert and pack whilst keeping all the media conventions. I used tools such as Gaussian Blur to create depth in my piece, I used Add Noise to make my products give them more of an authentic low quality feel. I used the Gradient Map tool on Black to white to keep a colour scheme throughout.

3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?

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

I kept synergy between the 3 products in many different ways; the first one was keeping a dark colour scheme throughout the video, digipak and advert; blacks, reds, greys, greens. The actor and model in all 3 products was the same as is wearing the same clothes shown in the videos.

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

The genre I picked for my three texts was Drum and Bass/Jungle; a fast paced beat with reggae lyrics over the top. The genre I picked has an audience of mostly teens and young adults (16-25) as it can be seen as quite aggressive music.

 In my video, I followed conventions of a typical DnB video; fast pace editing, lots of cuts and setting which may seem quite urban. I looked at a few other Congo Natty music videos and found the use of low quality clips make the video seem authentic and I tried to replicate that in (some) of my shots. Above is a music video by Congo Natty and on the right is how I tried to replicated an old style look by using different filters on Adobe Premiere elements.

The urban locations I used sticks with Jungle conventions; one of the lyrics from 'Junglist' is 'From the Hood I came, and too the Hood I must return. I used an underpass and ontop of a carpark as well as more private locations like my friends Teepee which he has in his garden, which gave a rugged backdrop I thought suited my music video.


Another convention of a jungle music video, is that there is a lot of smoking!! The 'rastafarian' image which is given off compliments the reggae lyrics, so I tried to include seens of my actor too make it relate more to a Jungle music video.

Another convention when it comes to camera shots would be how things go in and out of focus; usually zoomed in close; this adds a more homely quality to the video; I added this to my video in the first clip when I show the record spinning.

DIGIPAK AND MAGAZINE ADVERT

I kept my digipak conventional by using a template for a cd case; i kept it sleek and professional with a limit colour palette (blacks, greys, greens and reds), I did the same for the magazine advert which i explicitly had looking similar to the CD cover too attract more attention to my product. When designing the cd cover I looked at traditional jungle records and tried to make it look similar to that of a real one; keeping it text based and keeping the fonts similar, its simple but sleek and stands out.

The magazine advert was made using the same image as the cd cover creating an explicit link between the two. The actor wore baggy cloths and had his hood up making him look more street.

Digipak Final

Music video final

http://youtu.be/Mb1CHGyrZHo

Magazine Advert

Fonts for my product

I decided through research of other media products that I didn't want my fonts too loud or bold; they aren't my main focus point so they shouldn't be too big and in your face. I am going to go with a simple serif font such as Times New Roman; it is clean, looks visually pleasing when paired with my product and doesn't change the focal point.
JUNGLIST

I originally thought of using something more urban such as a graffiti style font but as I looked at it more I felt it drew from the focal point too much. Even though the urban style may suit my product.


Other ideas I had were too use fonts such as

Music Video Treatment

CONGO NATTY 'JUNGLIST'

Produced & Directed by: J Pozniak

Congo Natty

Through the use of repetitive beats, fruity bass lines and reggae lyrics, a style called Jungle is formed and Congo Natty (being born in Islington, London) is one of the most recognized Toasters to date. This music video will help present the song 'Junglist' by giving it a new  modern image.

Junglist
This song is a dance track, which is very fast paced, the lyrics talk about how before the artist was a DJ he was part of the hood. I feel that the music he creates helped him escape the dark atmosphere he was raised in, but Congo Natty must use his music to make a positive impact on his home.

Music Video Basic Concept
Throughout the video, there will be positive images of people dancing, of speakers 'booming' and the lyrics will be shown by a man wearing rugged clothes; there will not be a story line to this music video as the lyrics arent there to tell a story as they are not the main focus of the tune. I will also include shots of streets and urban environments.

Style
A mixture of Bright and Dark atmospheres; flashing lights and lots of quicks edits to create a dancey and energetic atmosphere. There will be a lot of re-occurring shots because it is a very repetitive song.

Lyrics

Now before making records the hood was my savior!

Now before making records!

Peace out real deejays out there!

Now be, now be, now be, now be...
Now before making records the hood was my saviour.
But now I'm making tracks that make you jam with your neighbour.

Too black, too strong!

Cause from the hood I came and to the hood I must return!

Cause from the hood I came!

From... the... hood!

When I'm weak, you're tellin' me that I'm strong.
When I'm right, you're tellin' me that I'm wrong
But I know, now I understand, now I see,
I see your wicked plan. I'm a Junglist!

Don't try to change my plan.

Understand...

Why won't you understand?

Hmm... I'm a junglist!

Cause from the hood I came!

I'm a junglistic man.

Why won't you understand?
Hmm...

Cuz from the hood I came and to the hood I must return!

I'm a junglist!

Don't try to change my plan.

Now be, now be, now be, now be...

I'm a junglist!

Understand?

Cuz from the hood I came

Don't try to change my plan.
Hmm...

Now before making records the hood was my saviour.
But now what we'll make a soothe and make a jam with your neighbor.

From... the... hood!

Typical Music Video Conventions

In Music Videos, there is a usually a common theme shared by all videos. These tend to make an artist the main focus.

Camera Shots

Long Shots are used to show a location
Close Ups are used to create emotion and gives screen time to artists
Low angle shots are used to make the artist look bigger and powerful; becoming the main focus

Camera Movements

Zooms are used to draw attention and create a focus on the artist.
Pans are used to show the setting of the video
Tracking is usually used to follow an artist throughout the video.

Mise En Scene

Costume and Props link to the genre of the music video aswell as the themes running through it.
Rule Of Thirds to make a visually pleasing video

Andrew Goodwin's Theory Of Music Videos

Goodwin states that all music videos include specific traits. Im going to look at Wilkinson - Afterglow and compare the video to his theory. This song is in the genre 'Drum And Bass' and the video is about a couple's relationship.

Goodwin states that the music video demonstrates genre characteristics.

The genre drum and bass is know to be quite 'youthful'- this is shown by having a young cast who get up to many things targeting a young audience. The song has a very fast pace beat and the different activities which are represented in the music video fits in with the genre.

There is a visual relationship between the Lyrics and the visuals.

There is a correlations between the lyrics and the video. "Lights and action, strong attraction" is a lyric repeated throughout the video which shows the theme of romance relating to the lyrics. "Smoke and Lasers, love and ravers" relates to the dance genre and how the couple love enjoying music together.

The demands of the record label will need close up of the artist and reoccuring motives

Andrew Goodwins theory doesn't agree with Wilkinson - Afterglow simply because the artist does not appear in the video; but clips of his DJ sets are shown within the video.

There is references to the female body by objectifying it slightly.

Most of the clips involving the female show very suggestive clothing and actions. Slow camera shots over the body enforce this idea.

Types Of Music Videos

NARRATIVE BASED

• Uses artists and actors 

•  Usually tells a story 

•  Usually linked to the lyrics 

 Taylor Swift's "We are never getting back together"- Taylor performs in the video and it is about her ex boyfriends, relating to her lyrics. The story is about how her ex boyfriend tries to win her back.

CONCEPT

• Creative videos based around a theme

Jamie T's "Zombie" is based around a band turning into Zombies.

Dub Phizix and Strategy "Buffalo Charge" features talking buffallo; the whole video is different shots of the animal

PEFORMANCED

• Features the artist of the song performing throughout the video
• More intimate shots of the artist, close up and making the artist the main focus

Nas & Damien Marley's "As We Enter" features only the two artists performing together in an abandoned warehouse.

Stormzy's "Shut Up" features Stormzy and a group of friends performed in completely one take.

Geoff Dyer's Star Theory

1. The Star is a real person

A star is wanting to be relatable to the target audience. CHERYL TWEEDY is a good example of a star following Geoff Dyer's theory. She was raised in a working class single parent family in Newcastle with a mother who was determined to make her daughter famous.

2. A star will play roles for the public

They will be seen on TV and adverts which will allow the public to connect with the star even more.

3. The Star is a persona

This involves the merging of the real person and the roles the star plays. She appears in many fashion magazines, became the face of L'Oreal beauty products and is a judge on the X Factor.

4. The Star is an image

Cheryl Cole is now an image of Desire and has become a product for the people to make money.

Song choice

I have chosen to use Congo Natty 'Junglist' as my final song idea, because I believe that through the use of a lot and cuts I can make an interesting and entertaining music video for my target audience. I want the music video to feature shots of record players with spinning vinyls, people singing and dancing as well as music instruments being played.

One of the problems I may encounter whilst editing my music video is that it may come quite repetitive and time consuming; I can counter this by getting a variety of shots whilst keeping a similar editing pattern throughout.

Target Audience

My target audience for the music video will be male and female in the ages of 17-25

Inspiration

Digipak Analysis

CONGO NATTY; JUNGLE REVOLUTION

This is a CD cover for music in the genre 'Jungle'. The main focus is the artist who has very Rastafarian links which suit the reggae style music, there is small amounts of text so it won't draw focus away from the focal point.
The same is shown with this Nas And Damien Marley CD cover; the two focal points are always made to stand out

How Have Music Videos Evolved and Richard Dyer Theory

HOW HAVE MUSIC VIDEOS EVOLVED?

As TV's, internet, and other multimedia sharing methods were becoming more widely available, music videos started replacing the radio and the stars which came along with it. 

The very first music video created was Bohemian Rhapsody performed by Queen. The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Abba shortly followed.

THE MTV GENERATION

MTV was created in August 1981 and it bought a whole new style of music video; this was called the MTV Generation. Many people believed it ruined the original rock stars, described in the song 'video killed the radio star' by The Buggles. Richard Dyer's star theory ties in with this; it is the idea that celebrities/iconic figures are created as a business and to target a specific audience for money.
Producers and Labels realised the more money they used to make the video, the more money they would make from it; this is because with a higher budget the video can be made more public, more flashy and appeal to a greater audience.



RICHARD DYER'S THEORY

Richard Dyer argued that pop stars are now identifiable by a persona or image- this is created by the media which represents them like magazine articles, live performances and music videos.

They are created to make profit in the music industry- the artist is now seen as a product or a brand.

Many boy bands seem similar, its because they are! The music industry moulds and shapes them into something the audience will buy.

ONE DIRECTION

An example of a boy band (who follow Richard Dyer's Theory) would be One Direction; they originated from major mainstream TV show 'X Factor'. They originally started as 5 individual singers but the judges saw an opportunity for money and told them to join together and become a band.

• Their first music video 'Drag Me Down'' was a huge hit and has hit 226 million views
• The target audience for One Direction is for Pre-teen girls; these girls would idolise the members and see them as the "perfect boys".

When their second music video release you could see their image evolving into a group which is more serious but it was still attracting the same target audience. One Direction wanted to start building up their name in the music industry and its image rapidly developed. They became a band which was easily  adapted too branch out too a big variety of target audience