Reflection on Final changes to Music Video

After valuing feedback, we made the decision to reflect them into our new and improved music video

Here is the link for our final and completed music video from which we published it on Youtube

The Final Final!!!!! CD Prodcut

1)Top:FINAL Front CD Cover
2)Bottom:FINAL Back Cover

3)Top:FINAL Front Inlay
4)Bottom:Draft Back inlay
These images are our final copy of the CD covers, which we have improved today. We managed to improve the images by setting a black background to all covers, so that the text appeared more congruent and did not stand out as much. We also added a bar code and copyright infringements to the back cover, which I found was a common convention of CD covers during my research. Therefore I felt this greatly improved our CD cover, making it appear higher quality and more professional. Overall I was really pleased with the results we achieved today as it makes us have strengthens our brand for our artist 'Sublime', and therefore is more likely to appeal to a wider demographic audience.


4)Bottom is the groups draft, we still needed to make improvments, therefore inst the groups final back inlay, as we would rather have our artist 'Sublime' poster instead

Reflection on Value Feedback

After showing our music video to the class, we had a positive response to the video. We also asked our media teachers to give us feedback in which we could help to improve our music video and print products:

Teachers comments made on 

Music video "Walking In The Rain-By Sublime"

• The tempo of the genre needs to reflect on the editing, therefore the build up of the tempo need to be shown through the editing. By editing, and cutting and trimming sections of the dance clip and breaking them up with a black for 0.3s will help give more of a bigger impact. This will flash the clip into a more fast tempo rhythm
• Having continuity through clips. When editing our music video on imovies o9, we was able to add special effect to the video clip. For example with the night dance scene, we added a romantic effect. However, we wanted to engage the audience more by flipping it, which means you can't add 2 effects, which doesn't keep the continuity of the music, however it isn't a huge difference
• more narrative clips in the flash backs...the audience needed to see more of the narrative and structure to the song. We added more clips of the flash back scene, which helps allow the audience to be more engaged and feel more connected to the artist because the can feel her emotions more if the are exposed to more fortage of her being cheated on

As a group we considered these points made and changed our music video. These points helped to make our music video allot more better and engaging for our target audience.

Print products:

Although we had completed the CD cover, we improved it using the software 'Photoshop', making it of a higher quality which gives the artist a more professional image. We emphasised certain colours on the cover which related to our research where we found colours on CD covers were usually emphasised to give them more of a 'neon' glow.

• Back case of the CD has the album tracking list. we might change it to all black or editing it photoshop because there is a solid bolder around the writing which looks unprofessional 

Reflection on the FINAL CD cover

Whist making changes towards the final CD cover, I noticed that we had to make sure it was the right size for printing to fit an actual CD case.

The original images i created for the 'addicted2 hardcore' album was created on Microsoft word. However when uploading the images onto the mac and on to a software called 'templates' which gives you the actual size for different jewel cases, i found that the original images didn't fit. The problems that occurred was the fact that original images wasn't a proper square. so when uploaded them onto 'templates', we had to fill in the backgrounds with black so that it fitted onto the template.

Another error that irrupted the process of doing the final CD covers was the fact the original images settings wasn't responding with the MAC. I had to convert the images on Zamzar, which allows you to convert files, to a 'PSD' to 'JPG' in which the mac would recognize.

 

we managed to get this sorted and printed off for the final look. 

Final CD:

Although we had completed the CD cover, we improved it using the software 'Photoshop', making it of a higher quality which gives the artist a more professional image. We emphasised certain colours on the cover which related to our research where we found colours on CD covers were usually emphasised to give them more of a 'neon' glow.

Draft mock ups for our advert

Reflection in after taking images off the artist 'Sublime' we chose the appropriate image to use for the final advert.We took several photos of our artist 'Sublime' which we could use in our final advert. These are a few examples of some photos that we took. We wanted lots of variation and therefore used lots of different poses so that we had lots to choose from.

Here are our original images of the artist

This is the final image we chose for the advert as it was flirty yet gave off a postive portray of the music genre, which somtimes can be seem to exrated

We then saved the images and uploaded them onto a mac and edited on software called 'Pages', which allows you to use templates of adverts which you can then place your images off choice

This is our draft for our advert:

Reflection on Advert

 

We managed to get some pictures of the artiste 'Sublime' to create the advert for the track 'walking in the rain', in which we hope will be distributed through 'i-tunes'. It's not completed just yet, as we still need to add some extra things.

As a group we did some individual textual analysis on comparable products on adverts and it gave us a different ideas and variations on how we can do out advert by following the codes and conventions of typical 'Dance/Hardcore advert.

Draft of music Video

This is the groups music video so far, we are pleased with the results, yet we still can improve it as our skills on the Macs are further expanding. We will be transfering our music video on the 'Imovies 09' as we are currently edited this on 'Imovies 08'. By doing this, we will imporve the quality and further adding special effects, such as slowing clips down and adding filters

Reflection on Filming and Editing

My opinion: At the weekend, we managed to get all the filming completed for our music video. Filming was easy due to having a good and detailed storyboard and film script. The story-line meant we could follow it, which meant out filming went smoothly. Filming become at lot easier due to the fact in our AS preliminary task last year, we had to create a 2 min opening of a film. Therefore we have a lot of hands on experience with working with cameras already. We learnt from our mistake last year and gained al lot of experience, which meant our music video could be filmed in a high standard.

Things to remember whilst Filming:

• making sure we kept the continuity of the scenes, i.e keeping everything the same, which means nothing will be out of place and means things will flow better
• lighting
• position of model
• keeping the camera steady
• making sure the model knows her lines when miming the words
• following the storyboard
• keep referring to codes and conventions of a typical 'Dance/Hardcore' music vidoe

Overall we captured some great scenes and used a variety of camera shots and movements. I am happy with what we have produced.

Editing

At the moment we are editing our music video. We upload our scenes onto the 'Mac', and through a software called 'Imoves', which allow you to editing, trim add music and special effects. Editing has been tricky. We need to make sure our 'target audience' doesn't get disoriented and will easily recognize that this video holds typical codes and conventions of a 'dance/ hardcore' music video. The editing at the beginning is very slow past so represent the slow and sad situation of the break up, however, once the tempo increases, so does the editing style which is fast to represent the music hardcore genre.

• our target is to get all the music video completed and uploaded onto youtube by friday. In Friday lessons, we will do final touches and edit and add special features on the NEW 'imovies' software. This will give a edge and new vibe towards our video. This will help to engage our target audience more.

Casting:

Sublime: (katie Chivers)

We felt it was important if we casted a couple of girls for the main artiste 'sublime' which will be the main singer which will be featured in the video.

Katie Chivers did an excellent job on miming the words. We choses her becuase she was strong in front of the camera and she as got pretty features and is confidante in front of the camera. We felt it was important to have someone who was pretty to attract the opposite gender as well as being young to fit in with our target audience '17-21'.

For casting, we had 2 candidates. we did simple task, such as seeing if the worked well with the camera and doing a miming task of the words with a script 'I saw you and her walking in the rain'

Tom: (Adam Proudman)

For our music video, we follow Propps characters functions, therefore we needed to create a 'hero' who would be represented as the boyfriend in the music video.

Costume:

we needed to different costumes for day and night. Sublime aka Katie had to show 2 different contrasting sides to the character sublime through her costume. In the beginning scene 'sublime' is in all causal and neutral and dull boring colours with a grey hoodie. Her make up is natural and her is tye back to connote she is restricted.

Her hoodie is oversized and hides all her body. The oversized image connotes shes bored and depresses by wearing comfy bed wear.

Outfit 2:

Her second outfit is very vibrant and exciting. She is wearing a modern stripy dress with black lines which connotes a rebellious side to the character. From doing individual textual analysis on music videos and CD covers, the common theme i found whilst researching in the genre 'Hardcore/Dance' was the fact the outfits were very bright and eye catching and very reveling with low cut tops. Given our target audience, it was important we made sure her costume wasn't too reveling, but still vibrant and exciting to attract the audience, which will help engage the audience in the music video. The contrasting side will give the artiste an identity of strong and rebellious. when she wears a leather jacket at the end.

Wearing heels connotes a more sexier side to the character and shows a huge contrasting difference between her slippers she was previous wearing. Heels were an important costume item in the dance music videos i analyzed. In Styles and Breeze- Amigos, the artiste is wearing high black heels.

Sublime make up is a lot more heavier with bright red lipstick in the music video. Her eyes are more glamourous with fake eyelashes which help to enhance her features which will attract the opposite gender.

Locations:

1st Location: Bedroom

During my research on 'Hardcore/Dance, this was a stock setting to music videos, especially to those with ones of a younger demographic audience, which relates to our groups demographic audience, ages ranging from 17-21 years old. The plot line we decided to include within the video was one of a young heartbroken female who had observed her boyfriend walking in the rain with another woman, and she suspected him of having an affair. Therefore the female could use the bedroom as a setting recalling several flashbacks, contemplating her failed relationship and, in an attempt to forget about her boyfriend, get ready to leave and go out. We found the bedroom setting was a setting which a lot of our younger demographic audience could relate to, because, especially to this particular audience, a bedroom is often seen as an escape from other members of the household and therefore connotes a sense of freedom to the audience. This message we particularly wanted to portray to the audience and in doing so the audience would be able to relate to the main female and male characters, who reside in the bedroom at the beginning of the music video. Being able to relate to the characters within the music video is important because it allows the audience to be able to connect with the characters and consequently helps to build a bond with them. Whether this bond is legitimate or not, it helps to sell records of the song because audience members enjoy the sense of escapism they feel whilst viewing the video. In order to make a successful video, audience members must be able to connect with the artist or the characters and using a setting such as a bedroom is one way to do this.

2nd Location: Club

The club setting was another location which I discovered during research was a popular stock setting, particularly within the dance/hardcore genre. Because this setting is a significant, especially to the music genre we are following, we felt it was important to include this setting within our music video, which will help make it more exciting for audience members. The club setting gives audience members a ‘fast-track’ way in discovering the genre, which, in turn, allows the audience to focus entirely on the music video and the song. Although attempting to portray a club scene will be difficult because we do not have the big budget of the videos which I analysed previously, we will attempt to create the same effect by using extreme close ups of the characters and not many shots of the club scene itself. If effective, this will help to give our music video a good atmosphere, which, in turn, should leave audience members feeling happy after watching the video.

3rd and Final Location: Street

We decided to include the street location merely to help relate to our narrative storyline, which overall would make the video seem more congruent, especially because it relates to the song chosen.

Interview with 'Sublime'

I thought it would be a great idea if i created an interview with the artiste 'sublime'. I thought this would be a great way in which we can add popualitry to the artiste Sublime, which will giver her an identity in which her audience will be able to understand. This will give a more connection towards her identify if her 'target audience' can understand how she behaves. This will help focus more on image, is the see that shes a down to earth person from this interview. The questions are very formative about her work as well as asking her views on opinion on her music. 

Addicted2 Hardcore: So when you recorded ‘walking in the rain’. Did you have any idea it would be such a big hit? Sublime: Oh of course not, know one ever knew if it was going to turn into what it turned into. But I’m so happy about it, it's crazy. It's unbelievable that ‘Raver Baby’ signed a record label with my track.

Addicted2 Hardcore: Do you think MySpace had any effect on the record? Sublime: I do believe they had a good impact on it, definitely. Because we've got so many friends and we've had so many hits on the track. I think it has a lot to do with our audience from the younger generation. I think it is useful in creating a big fan base and I think it's a very good thing for the future. Also, if you see the internet getting bigger and bigger, MySpace definitely is the right way to go.

Addicted2 Hardcore: The idea for the bedroom in the video- was that your idea or where did that come from? Sublime: well I was going through a lot of emotions, from just splitting up from my boyfriend and a lot of young people, especially girls, lock them selves in their rooms for days, so I thought it was a setting in where people can relate to because it such a familiar surrounding environment.

Addicted2 Hardcore: Did you have fun making the video? Sublime: Oh, it was fantastic. I mean it was very tiring; we did it all through the night. It was great to be surrounding with all my friends, which made me feel more confidante when dancing. That was very embarrassing!

Addicted2 Hardcore: What are the plans for the next single? Sublime: well I’ve been working with ‘Darren styles’ for my next single which should hopefully be realised some time next year. He’s a written loads of lyrics for other well know dance DJs such as N-trance. He’s great to work with but I can’t say anymore then that because I want it to be a surprise. Raver Baby will help produce the record and cross fingers that it explodes as well.

Addicted2 Hardcore: What would you like to say to all your fans out there? Sublime: Just thanks’ everybody for the big support, and also all the radio DJs who support us, it's really; really nice from the help I get from ‘Raver Baby’.You're wonderful, and without you we wouldn't be here today, so a huge kiss and a hug from me.

I have added this interview on to the MySpace page in which i created for 'Addiced2 Hardcore'. This will be reachable global, which will also help to gain her statues and identity if more of a mass audience can read and view it by different media. 

Shooting Schedule

Shooting Schedule:

• Monday 2nd November 2009 – Film the club scene at school, using a variety of different characters.
• Wednesday 4th November 2009 –. Look at location for opening scene and check it is suitable, get costume ready for characters and film opening scenes for female character at chosen location.
• Friday 5th November 2009 – Film the middle and ending scenes, using both characters.

Editing Schedule:

• Monday 9th November 2009- Upload video on ‘I-movies’ editing programme.
• Tuesday 10th November 2009- Upload the chosen song onto ‘I-movies’ editing programme.
• Wednesday 11th November 2009 – Begin to edit and delete any unnecessary scenes.
• Thursday 12th November – Continue to Edit, finalise scenes.
• Friday 13th November 2009 – Finish editing, upload onto disc.

First Original ideas & Draft Mock Up's for Inside CD inlay

1)First Original desin for front Inlay

(These are changes in which I made in the draft mock up. I added a picture off the artiste Sublime with 'exclusive news' to help promote the artiste, as well as helping to promote the website. The website will attract more a mass audience, and by making the interview only 'available and exclusive' online, means it will help gather more its target audience to use different media. )

(old draft)
(
This will be placed inside the CD cover to help promote its other series albums, which helps the consumer to see what else is available in the 'addicted2 hardcore collection'.

i have created this for the group and placed the different vol. inside, which is a great to help educated new consumers who have only brought vol.3, which influence them into buying the latest addition, which they can then add to their collection.

This is a draft i came up and designed. I have thought of more ideas in ways i can help promote the artiste 'sublime' by advertising an exclusive interview. This was successful done on the clubland 6 inlay i found, which inspired me to come up with the design. Looking at how clubland promote their albums and DJ and exclusive mixes, helped me use it as a guide, when creating the advertise inside.

I will be moving and adding extra bits to the draft, to improve it for the final end look. Adding a picture of the artiste will be a great way to promote the 'new and upcoming' female artiste 'sublime' by having it placed in the hardcore album, which help target its audience.

Reflection on MySpace website

I thought it would be great idea, if I created a Addicted2 Hardcore MySpace page. Myspace is a new media network in where people can connect in a social network and share music and videos. It's a great way for unsigned bands to upload their stuff, as well as helping to promote their music. It influence more of its younger demographic. It's a great way to explore how music can be distributed.

On the Addicte2Hardcore MySpace page, its audience can find out extra information on which you wouldn't be able to find from the 'album' ( Addicted2 Hardcore Vol.3).

Allot of the albums I researched such as:

• Clubland x-treme Hardcore 3
• Clubland 14

had an extra additional website inside the CD cover, in which you could find exclusive interviews and images and tracks if you went to their website. (This image was scanned in from the 'Clubland x-treme hardcore 3 album. This is an example in how a website can successfully promote their albums as well as helping its target consumer obtain more addiction and exclusive news via its website. www.Clubland.fm

 In a effect this is a positive way to improve new technology in the way its consumer can consume music, as well as making it more global, which make the record and album popular if more people can assess it through different medias.

www.myspace.com/addicted2hardcore  

(our website for our brand addicte2 hardcore)

On the website I created for the group, you can find out information about addicted2 hardcore, upcoming events and exclusive interviews with the artiste... 'sublime'. You can find out what other stuff is also available with their previous albums and hear tracks they have produced with the record label 'RaverBaby'which are also featured on the album as the record lable. And even vidoes.

Alice has created a website for the artiste, which means her fans will be able to look up more http://www.myspace.com/xxxxxsublimexxxxx

Assignment -theoretical concepts

Look closely at your products, video and print artefacts, deconstruct them utilising theoretical concepts.

                                                   

 

 During the 1960’s it became increasing apparent to media theorists that audience made choices about what they did when consuming texts. Individuals consumed texts in an active manner for different reasons and in different ways.

   Looking closely at my products for my video and print artefacts, I can deconstruct them and by understanding theoretical concepts, I can see where I have applied different theories through different functions and purpose. 

   

   For my music video, deconstructing it, I found as a group we applied a lot of theoretical concepts.  An Example of a theoretic concept we applied to our music video was ‘Uses and Gratification’. We found that individuals from our target audience would actively gain a personal relationship with the artiste ‘Sublime’. Analyzing the product, I found a lot of medium close ups of the female artiste ‘Sublime’ face whilst singing. As a product, this gives a direct mode of address and makes the audience gain a connection towards the artiste and by applying emotion from the artiste; it helps to gain importance towards the artiste identity. The artiste in the video is going through a traumatic break up which individuals can relate to. The artiste identity is important, therefore whilst creating the video; we felt that individuals could relate to the artiste through her break up, which helps to achieve our purpose of creating personal relationship. We can also apply this theory through the ‘setting’, which creates the artiste ‘personal identity’. The setting is somewhat realistic, therefore links to individuals. Having the artiste in a setting such as ‘bedroom’, helps individual consume there selves by relating their emotions and situation to that familiar surrounding of which the artiste in located in. They reflect in that particular surrounding and learn the artiste behavior, which helps gain connection to the artiste identity.

 

 

   Another theoretic concept I deconstructed from our music video was representation. The form of representation was through gender. In the music video we tried to reinforce stereotypes of woman gender by creating a strong image of identity through ‘Sublime’. We wanted to create a strong independent woman by making her over come the situation of the break up by not depending on her ‘male boyfriend’. The video overthrows the idea that a woman doesn’t need a man and is capable of standing up for her self. This breaks the chain of stereotype of man being the main dominate gender and woman only primary purpose is to cook, clean and stay at home. We wanted to represent the artiste as this strong powerful woman, which helps engage is audience aswell as attracting individuals to reflect into her behavior. This representation was applied through camera shots. Having the artiste dominating the frame created an ‘independent’ image. By having a lot of high/ low camera shots, created a contrast of statues between both genders and helping to represent the female gender as over powering the ‘male’ by having him appeal small and powerless.

  This targets at a young audience because it empowers woman and takes them from a domestic sphere.

  When creating the music video, as a group we was aware of the dominate ideology influence in the hardcore industry and how it’s powered by the male gender. Whilst researching, I found that there is a big issue around ‘gender’ in the ‘Hardcore/Dance’ industry. Still female artistes don’t seem to be getting enough popularity and status as they should be, compared to the male vocalist. For female vocalist to be successful, their identity has to be seen as ‘an object’. Not only must they have a great voice but they must have ‘a hot body’, very sexual and beautiful. When looking at videos that had female artiste featured in the video, they didn’t appear to have a high and respectable identity. In Breeze vs. Lost Witness ft. Naz - Rise Again, there was a lot of medium close ups of her body. There weren’t many frames of her face but primarily her ‘body’. This connotes that not a lot of female artistes gets a chance to have their own ‘identity’ in the genre of hardcore. Compared to other well know hardcore artiste, the most popular ones are male such as ‘Darren styles’. There are not a lot of independent female artist who are popular in the hardcore music industry. Therefore for the artiste ‘sublime’, the audience will be more engaged by the challenge of gender by having more frames of the artiste face. This helps to represent the female gender as ‘strong’ and not seen has a ‘sex symbol’.

 Deconstructing our music video, it challenges dominant ideology, because it overthrows the dominant class of male gender in the ‘hardcore/dance’ music industry by having an independent, popular female artiste who isn’t categorized in the industry as an ‘object’.

 

   For the print artefacts, such as the advert for the artiste ‘Sublime’, deconstructing it, people could argue that it still encourages individuals to be attracted and to consume the artiste identity as ‘sexy’ through her costume and gesture. The advert for the single applies to a post-feminine age. We are in the 21^st century and even though women have their own rights and should reinforce the stereotype image of woman slaving away in the kitchen. The advert it designed to target a modern young audience, however not in a sexual way. The advert embraces her attracted side and even though it may seem sexual through her costume and body language, she’s doing it for herself. This attracts more of a mass youth because individuals can relate to the artiste if she’s represented as fun and exciting and by having her dominate the frame, which also creates the independent image of the artiste. 

Research into 'Raver Baby' next event

Raver Baby 14 – 8 Years of Raver Baby
Saturday 5th December 2009 – 8pm – 6am *EXTRA HOUR*
Air Superclub, Heathmill Lane, Digbeth, Birmingham B9 4AL

"On Saturday 5th December, Raver Baby are proud to present 8 Years of Raver Baby - the past, present and future of arguably the most popular hardcore label of all time! Air will play host to a selection of your favourite artists giving you a night to remember across all 3 arenas whilst outside the ever popular free fairground ride will be in operation all night!"

For inside the CD one of the things we thought would be a good idea was to advertise a 'Raver Baby' event due to the fact we thought it is appropriate for out target audience if we use them as record label, due to the fact they produce well know 'hardcore' tracks. This is 'Raver Baby's' next event, therefore we shall have it featured inside the CD cover which will be a great to target our target audience as well as promoting the record label and album popularity.