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

Theorists - Deborah Knight, Tzvetan Todorov, Roland Barthes,



Genre characteristics
Surreal Imagery
Naturalistic scenery
slow cutting pace
Minimal editing
Thought provoking narrative


In David Duffys 'modern genre' theory it states that media is based on a supply and demand basis and that in order to be successful, the product must adhere to the audiences needs. One of the ways to ensure this is to introducing a set of codes and conventions that the audience are conditioned to rely on in order to understand a media text. By introducing familiarity into our music video, it was less likely to alienate the audience. These conventions are outlined by Andrew Goodwin, author of 'Dancing in the Distraction Factory' and are;

Relationship between lyrics and visuals
Relationship between Music And Visuals
Genre Characteristics
Star Image
Voyeurism
Intertextuality

The relationship between lyrics and visual is used in both a literal and figurative sense, the use of this 'outside' world  forces the audience to deliberate what is real and what is not, the 'perfect world' lyrics repeated throughout the chorus is accompanied by the character in her fantasy realm, ensuring that the audience understand the connection that this world has to the character, it is a manifestation of her 'perfect world'. The link between music and visuals is emulated through the relationship between rhythm editing, through the slow paced verses, especially in the beginning of the song, there is limited editing and extended shots to compliment the less upbeat sections of the song.


in terms of the 'star image' effect, we used a single character throughout our media texts, drawing focus to her alone, in a way she is the image that our brand is presenting to the audience. This said, there are very few shots in our video that feature a close up of the characters face, her identity remains limited because she is a canvas, a character that relies on the audience to project their own selves on to. The character and the video itself uses the Uses and Gratifications model by Denis McQuail, who says that the audience seek to identify with the characters in the narrative, she is a personal reflection of a common desire to escape her normal life, which is something that many can relate to.


We were able to use  real media products to inspire our own. Our chosen song by Kodaline shares little similarity, the use of lighting to create mood was something we developed from it. However instead of conforming to Kodalines typical themes in narrative such as love and conflict between people, we chose to focus on an inner struggle and the blur between fantasy and reality.

 On the left are two of kodalines EP covers, and on the right is a screen shot extracted from our music video. Both focus on using imagery of nature to create a certain atmosphere. The vastness of the outside world highlights the isolation and insignificance of the characters in narrative.

Magazine advert and Digipak

The approach of the magazine advert was to resemble more closely to a cinematic poster, then the typical idea of having just an image of the band. We attempted to inject the surrealist aspect of our music video in to the poster, using both real imagery and a drawn together style. By incorporating  technique is found mostly in bands within the same genre as Kodaline, for example the band Tame Impala frequently design their posters
based around drawings or patterns in general rather than incorporating their own image.


In terms of our chosen band, there are subtle similarities in the magazine advert and Kodalines album covers. By emulating certain aspects of the chosen bands, fans of Kodaline will recognise some familiarity in the products.

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

The benefit of having constant access to technology has aided our project massively. From the beginning of the project we communicated through the use of social networks, using the platform was efficient in moving forward quickly. We could discuss our video during our own time to gain advantage when it came to the production process. It also helped in the sense that the crew were able to get comfortable with each other, and enable us to project our feelings with ease.

                                                                    Planning

The product we used to record every stage of the coursework task was blogger. In my AS year I had used Tumblr to create my blog, adjusting to the format of blogger was a new experience, however it took little time to grasp. The site was a definite improvement on Tumblr and utilized the information in an easy format. The customisation of the blog meant I could adapt it to suite the purpose of the blog and make it looked more polished and professional.

The internet was an obvious source of research; we gained information about the band and condensed them into the blog. We used websites such as www.kodaline.com to access the bands information directly. YouTube was useful in terms of observing band interviews and learning more about their influences and inspirations. We used these sites to gain a wider picture of the band and their image.

In terms of collecting audience feedback, we create a survey on www.surveymonkey.com and then shared it through social network sites such as Facebook and twitter. Creating a viral relationship with your target audience is a marketing technique used repeatedly in the industry. We also conducted video interviews using the Cannon 600D, however when we attempted to upload the videos there were issues. This is an example of how technology can occasionally be a hindrance rather than a benefit. I created the layout for our storyboards through Microsoft word, using the programme meant I could easily change the template if needed and that I could construct it to be specifically useful to us. To add variety to the blog I used online tools such as Prezi to present the information I had gathered, it created a more entertaining aesthetic. Another tool I used to upload documents was Google Docs, this was convenient and meant I could upload documents directly from Microsoft word; in comparison to the creating process of blogger, Microsoft word has much more functionality and gave me more creative freedom.

Production and Post-Production

Hardware - In the filming process we used a Canon 600D and a tripod to capture our shots. The camera is of high quality and created the best possible image of our vast scenery and nature shots. It had many functions that meant we could adapt the in case of changes in weather or loss of sunlight. The tripod came in handy to ensure that the shots were steady. We used the Mac laptops during the entire editing process, I was only briefly familiar with macs and getting use to using took more time than I expected. Smaller hardware tools such as the SD card and USB memory stick were essential in transferring data onto other mediums.

Software – We edited the music video in Adobe Premier Pro, the group were not accustomed to the format and adjusting to it was the most difficult part of the process; eventually our understanding of it grew through active work. We experimented with both visual and audio transitions to create a smoother video.

Developing the Digipak and magazine advert was done in Adobe Photoshop, from AS I was familiar with the layout however my ability was still somewhat restricted. Through the process I learnt how to use layering properly, and used the lasso tool frequently. I also experimented with filtering the images used and making them appear more subtle in the text. By practising I managed to create a more professional final product.

3.What have you learned from your audience feedback?

From the initial survey I created  pre-production I found that a large amount of my respondents watch music videos on a regular basis, which meant that they are accustomed to the codes and conventions of music videos. The majority of the participants fell into the age bracket of my target audience; this helped in finding out what our target audience were specifically interested in, so we could market our product appropriately. When asked if they preferred to see narrative in a music video, 80% of the participants said yes; this gave us conformation that going the direction of a narrative based product was the appropriate way to go. I asked what the audience liked or expected to see in a music video, this gave me a diverse range of answers, however there was a common expectancy of a match between visuals and lyrics and also a use of symbolism. These questions were essential in constructing our products with the target audience in mind. They disliked the exploitation of sex, money and drugs to gain 'popularity'

We conducted a video interview, during the research stages of the project (unfortunately we couldn't upload the video due to compatibility issues) however we learnt from the participants that a music video is important but not vital to selling the record. They described that it becomes a sort of promotional item that adds to a bands image. After showing them some example music videos that fall into our chosen genre, we discovered that people general enjoyed a moving/emotionally connected narrative with development of thought and story. We showed our chosen song/video to the participants and asked them who they thought it appealed to. They said that the target audience of the song generally appeals to female between the age of 15 and 24.We kept this in mind with regards to the story and the choice of using a female protagonist.  However when asked what they thought of the plot, they disliked the focus on relationships, one participant described it as 'dull and predictable'. We proceeded to ask what they liked in the video, and there was a strong response to the use of lighting to create an 'atmosphere'; the audience were drawn in by the aesthetic appeal. This is something we considered important when tackling our video.

We showed our final music video in an active focus group, I gathered peers that were avid listeners of the genre, and explained the intentions behind the concept and what we aimed to present through our products. I did this to establish feedback specifically about how the ideas and themes were executed in the final product. I then showed them the video and the ancillary texts .I asked each of the participants to give one positive and one constructive comment, overall the feedback was mostly positive; here are some direct quotations from this focus group in regards to the video;

“The shots are composed really well, and they make the video seem more dream-like, but the transitions between shots are too slow and there are too many of them”

“You used your locations nicely and I like that there is some depth to the story, but at times it was difficult to follow”

“Camera angles varied, good references to pop culture”

“There aren’t enough shots that connect the story properly”

“The aesthetic look is great”

“Visuals match the lyrics”

From these comments I can establish how effective the execution of our video was, I learnt that the look of the video is pleasing to the audience, however because of some missing shots; the story doesn't flow as much as I would like.The audience understood that the ending was intentionally ambiguous, however said that if the story was more fluid it would have more impact in the end. Going back, I would be more thorough in the production process, making sure each of the shots link to each other and focus on minute details.

When shown the ancillary products, the Magazine advert especially caught the attention of the group. They were allured by the contrast of colours. In the survey I created pre-production, when asked what the audience like to see in an album cover or similar product a large amount said bold colours and a unique style; I personally feel that the magazine advert does this well, as did the audience. Other comments I received in relation to the advert include;

“Looks really professional”

“The colours add to the surrealism, bold and eye catching”

Here is a comment that I received through sharing the advert through Facebook

This comment regarded the actual layout and the colour scheme of the text; she appreciated the continuity and correlating components through the text.

The digipak received mixed comments, the participants recognised the character and supported the fluidity between each texts. However they disliked the lack of difference between the shots on the digipak and the ones from the video. They suggested that we should have taken separate shots

I would say from the positive feedback overall it was an effective package; with the positive feedback outweighing the negative. Things that were particularly effective were the imagery in the products and creating continuity. Areas that could be improved is the detail in constructing the video and making sure that everything makes complete sense.

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

Our desired effect of the three products was to create a harmonious impact on the audience. We focused mostly on the aesthetic look of the products to achieve this. Using a strong colour pallet and reinforcing the surreal imagery, captures our intentions of creating a 'wonderland-like' quality to the products. The wonderland image is symbolic of the manifestation of the character and her thoughts. It represents the ambiguity of whether her journey is real or just a figment of her projected fantasies.

In relation to the main product, the magazine advert develops the concept of surrealism and dream-like qualities. By foregrounding the vivid colours flowing through the patterned border, it stands prominently against the dark and brooding background; essentially this introduces the theory of binary opposites by Claude Levi Strauss, experimenting with light and dark, lucid and bleak to fundamentally create an image that suitably ties in with the themes used in the other products. It also suggests a more sinister undercurrent, the idea that the character is consumed by her fantasies. The colour scheme also exemplifies the contrast between the characters dystopia and utopian world. By merging the two, it is suggested that they overlap, that the wall between them occasionally diminishes; blurring the lines of reality.

In the magazine advert we used two separate shots taken from the video, to create continuity; by using familiar imagery, the audience will condition themselves to recognise a link throughout each product.

The juxtaposition of the image at the bottom is an example of the continuation between each of the products, creating a fluid link. It creates the sense of synergy between the three texts. Using this we can market the products as a set, each of the products complement each other and reinforce the created meaning.

We incorporated the lead character in the narrative in each of the ancillary texts, in this way she becomes a symbol of the collective product, it brings the narrative to the forefront of the product. The theme of exploration and wonder is something we wanted our audience to associate with the young character, if we apply the uses and gratifications model (Denis McQuail) to this, in the sense that the audience will look for something to relate to or seek solace in, our central character is constructed to do so.  She represents the stage in adolescence in which we are experimenting and learning who we are, essentially trying to establish an  identity. 

Other ways in which we attempted to create fluidity is through formatting such as the fonts we used in the texts. The colour purple (used in both the video and the digipak was chosen because of its association with psychedelic imagery and serenity. The idea of serenity and balance is what the ‘perfect’ world embodies; it constitutes the ideal construction of the utopian world.  The psychedelic aspect of the colour purple reinforces the surreal imagery that we have also channelled effectively through the texts.

Selling the products narrative characteristics rather than the band themselves creates an element of rarity.  Band images are available with each and every album, on merchandise and in posters. Our aim is to create an exclusiveness that is only illustrative of this album; in a way it introduces a 'special-edition' component to the products. The product is intended to draw focus away from the typical image of the band that in this circumstance remain with a sense of ambiguity, reinforced by the lack of their presence in the texts. I believe that we have effectively combined the products to create synergy that is sustainable throughout each text. 

Music video and Digipak - final product

This is the final product of our music video.

Digipak final product 

Magazine advert development and final product

I designed the poster with the motif of 'Alice in Wonderland', I thought the most appropriate way of incorporating it would be through the rabbit character. The intertextuality included will be something that will resign with the audience.

I included imagery associated with 'lucid' and 'trippy' iconography and distorted them to enhance surrealism. The mushrooms appear to be melting down the page, they are foregrounded against a variation of blending colours. The finished draft of the poster was suppose to be the shape of a vinyl record, that held host to an 'underground' realm of wonder and fantasy, feeding into the themes throughout the video. I did this in acrylic paint and did not anticipate the difficulty transferring the idea into Photoshop. I tried to keep certain elements from the draft into the final product, but the difference is still large.

The final product still aims to keep the vivid colours and patterns in to reinforce the fantasy element, however we have taken out the 'rabbit' character after many attempts trying to place it somewhere. The end result is a combination of photographic images including a still from the video, and at the bottom a subtly placed shot of the lake in which we filmed; and also non-photographic images, including the lucid border.

Shooting schedule