Wednesday 16 March 2011

Evaluation- Andrew Goodwins Theory

I will now compare my music video to Andrew Goodwin's Theory. By doing this, I can see how conventional my music video is and what message my video is transmitting to the audience.



What relationship exisits between the images and lyrics in the video?Throughout my video, I have loosely linked the images to the lyrics. I have done this through the lyrics 'Boys Boys Boys, buy us drinks in bars' and the camera cuts to a scene where the main singer and my actor are shown to be drinking and flirting in a bar-like scene. Other images that I have linked to the lyrics is the line 'Wear hairspray and denim' and in the chorus, my main singer is shown to run her fingers through my actors hair and rub his jeans. Although subtle, this does link to the lyrics and is therefore conve
ntional. However, as my video is set in three locations without major use of props I could only link the images and lyrics to a certain extent. The song title 'Boys Boys Boys' suggests a large number of boys to feature in the video but, instead I have been unconventional and only featured one. Also, during my music video, whenever the lyrics 'Boys Boys Boys' are sung, most of the time it is my actress that is on the screen. I did this because they are the main lyrics and also the title of the song and are therefore the lyrics that an audience would remember and so, to enhance sales and to catch the audience's attention, I have ensured that at least twice throughout my video my artist is shown to be singing these lyrics.


'Buy us drinks in bars'












'Boys Boys Boys'










What relationship exists between the music and the images in the video?

At the beginning of my video, there are a number of drum beats, and my artists moves her head from side to side on these beats so that it fits in with the music. After that, there is a section of music being played and my artist moves her shoulders in time to this music. By linking images and music together, the video looks more professional as the video looks like care has been taken to ensure that little details such as when the cuts appear make the video more pleasant to watch as the whole video seems to flow better. Throughout my video, I have tried to time the cuts in time with the music and, when the music changes or the feel of the song alters I have gone for a softer approach and used a transition.

Are there any inter-textual references to other media forms?

Apart from my own products, I do not think that there are any references to other media forms. My actress has on the same outfit, and her hair and make-up is the same. I made sure that my artist looked consistant throughout my products so that they would be easily recognisable and could be instantly spotted. I have also kept in line with my colour scheme which was black white and purple. I did this by keeping my backgrounds either black or white and this could bhe symbolic for the different sides to my actresses personality and it also makes my actress stand out and become the main focus of the video.

The record companies will demand a lot of close-up of the main artist.

I have decided to keep my video simple by having the majority of shots as close-ups. I have done this because I feel that my artist would be a selling point and that my target audience needs to know that she is the main singer. Also, by having a lot of close-ups my actresses emotion can be seen and therefore allows my target audience to relate to what my artist is feeling and this will make my target audience feel like they have a closer connection to my artist, which would make people want to go out and buy it if they feel that my artist is likeable.

I have found that, after comparing my video to Andrew Goodwin's theory, my video is noticeably conventional and conforms to many of the general music video rules.

Evaluation

Tuesday 15 March 2011

Video feedback for my CD Cover

This feedback is from Charlie Clarke

CD Cover Back 3


I took into account the feedback given to me by my target audience and hopefully I have met their requirements and they now find my CD case more aesthetically pleasing and more professional.

Feedback:

Becky Mahan- I like how the song names appear like a frame around the actress. I also like how the song titles are all the same size, it makes your CD case look professional.

Amy Pass- I like the font, colour scheme and the barcode in the corner. I like how the barcode is not white and blends into your colour scheme and background.

Alex Machin- I like your CD cover, I like how it looks good on its own, but that it also looks similar, yet different from your other products.

Meg Marlow- The glow around your text makes it very easy to read and it also makes it stand out. I like the barcode, how it is obviously there, but is not stealing any attention away from the main image nor the song titles.

CD Cover Back 2

After receiving feedback that my purple writing with a black glow was unreadable, I decided to change all of the glow colours to white. I also added numbers in front of all my track names to make my CD back more authentic and realistic.
Feedback:

Amy Pass- I like the back of your CD case, however I think that in order for your CD case to look more authentic, it needs a barcode as it will look more professional. Also, your text could all be the same size as it will look more professional.

Becky Mahan- In order to improve the back of your CD case, your could make all of your song names the same size as this will make it more professional and also more appealing to your target audience.

Alex Machin- I really like your image and also the colours and I think that your text looks much better now that it is all white. However, in order to improve I think that your should add legal information, such as a barcode.

Meg Marlow- I think that it would look better if all of your text was the same size  as it would make your CD cover look more uniform.


I will take into account the feedback of my target audience and make any suitable changes. 

Cd Cover Back 1

As I made a CD cover front, I needed to make a CD cover back. In order to make my products uniform, I decided to use a similar picture so that it is obvious that my CD front and back look consistant. I decided to use an image that featured my actress to one side, to ensure that there was enough room for my text. Also, I made the glows alternate between black and white so that my colour scheme and image really link. I will now seek feedback from my target audience to see what they believe I can do to improve my products further.
Feedback:

Becky Mahan- I really like the colour scheme and how the purple writing links in with the top but I cant really read the words that have a black glow which means that it wouldnt stand out and catch the audience's eye. The picture and the background are really nice and link in well with the back of the cd and the front of the cd.

Meg Marlow- I really like the white glow around the writing as it makes stand out and will catch the audiences eye over the other products on the shelf. I feel that the picture is bright and the main thing on the CD. I dont like the purple and black writing as I cant see it.

Amy Pass- I think that the background is nice and looks good with the picture on. This gives the picture more edge and it is more interesting then the background being plain. The purple writing and white glow goes really well and the picture and the writing link together. This will also link with the other products.

Rachel Hilton- I think that it is really cool and the colours link really well. The layout of the CD back cover makes a boarder around the picture which means the picture stands out more. However, I feel that all the text should be the same so that the all catch the eye together. This is because some text catches the eye easier than the other.

Cate Triner- I really like the back cover. I feel that is intriguing and makes you want to buy the album. Looking at the other products it links in well as the colours all link together. On the other hand some of the words are hard to read and the black glow should be changed.

I will take into account the feedback from my target audience and make the changes in which my target audience have suggested.

CD Cover Front Final

Here is my final CD cover as I have made all of the changes to my CD cover that my target audience felt necessary. However, at a later date I may ask for feedback on my cover, or, if I decide that I dont like it I will furthermore make any suitable changes.


Monday 14 March 2011

CD Cover Front 4

My previous feedback stated that my target audience felt that my poster had too many gaps and that I should return my song title text to how it was originally placed, I took into account this feedback and tried my CD cover with the new suggestions in place.

Feedback:

Meg Marlow- I think that the placing of the artist's name looks much better now that it is smaller and placed closer to the actress.

Alex Machin- I feel that the song title seems much bigger in this format. I would try it in a smaller font first, and if the font still seems unproportional to the rest of the CD cover.

Sarah Hall- I think that the artist's name is big enough to catch attention, but is not distracting from the actress. I would consider making your song title a bit

CD Cover Front 3

After my feedback from my last CD cover stated that the layout wasa bit too unconventional, I decided to rearrange my CD cover again.

Feedback:

Amy Pass- I like this CD cover, however I feel that the gap below your 'Lady GaGa' text is too big, so I would consider bring your text down a little, or alternatively putting something there.

Alex Machin- I would consider trying 'Boys Boys Boys' across the bottom now that your text displaying your artists name is smaller, as it may look it proportion

Rachel Hilton- I think that your artists name is too far in the corner, I feel that it is too close to the edge and too high. I would bring it in a little more and move it down to make your CD cover appear more full.

Sarah Hall- I do like the CD cover, however I would experiment by moving your text anlong the bottom and I would also consider filling some of the gaps in the background.

I will take into account this feedback and make any appropriate changes.


CD Cover Front 2

After receiving feedback for my previous CD cover, I decided that I needed to experiment with different layouts, therefore for this front cover I have moved around the components of my CD cover.

I moved the title of the song into the top left corner, and moved the artists name into the bottom right. This movement has changed my CD Front Cover from conventional to unconventional, as the artist is usually seen at the top.

I will now seek feedback from my target audience to see what they think of my CD cover and what they can suggest will make it better.


Feedback:

Amy Pass- As I said before, I do like the image used, and I also like the colour scheme. I do think that the artist's name looks better now that it is smaller, although I am not too sure on the layout. I think that the artist's name would look better at the top.

Alex Machin- The artists name looks better at the top as the rest of your products are conventional and this CD cover isn't therefore, to improve uniformity I would make your "Lady GaGa" at the top of the CD cover so that that is the first thing that catches your audience's eye.

Rachel Hilton- I like how the song title is more central, instead of being in a long line, as it was in your previous CD cover. However, I do agree with the other comments and that your song title would look better at the bottom.

Meg Marlow- I think that this CD cover would look better if it was made more conventional as it seems too 'odd' to be unconventional and just looks strange to an extent

Sunday 13 March 2011

Video feedback for my music video

Video

This is my first draft of my music video, I have looked at pop conventions, and as I was hoping to make a conventional video, I have hopefully made my video obviously pop. I feel that this video could be improved if the transitions were smoother and the cuts weren't so harsh.

Untitled from ashleigh thomas on Vimeo.



I will now seek feedback from people from my target audience to see how my video could be improved.

CD Cover Front 1

In order for my products to look uniform, I have decided to use the same image that is on my poster. This will allow my audience to see that the two products are linked and the poster obviously is advetising the CD.

Feedback:

Amy Pass- I like how you have used the same image that you used on your poster. However, I feel that the poster is too basic and that the font is too big, and therefore makes the CD cover look even more bare because it looks like you have tried to hide it.

Alex Machin- CD covers are conventionally quite bare, as there is not much that are usually included, however I feel that your CD cover is trying to look as though it is not bare, when really it is.

Megan Marlow- I would make the artists name smaller as I feel that it is too big in comparison to the rest of the CD cover.

Charlie Clarke- This CD cover looks very unprofessional and not very well thought out. I would think about rearranging your CD cover to find the best combination of size and layout.

Rachel Hilton- In comparison to your poster, this CD cover is very bare. However, bare is not always a bad thing. I just feel that you need to rethink your sizing of text.

I completely agree with this feedback and I will make any changes that are necessary.

Video Feedback for my poster

Poster Development 6






From my last poster, all of my feedback stated that I needed an outline around my artists name and that my song title needed to be bigger. I therefore decided that I would make these changes. However, I decided not to seek feedback at this point for my poster, due to there not being any different feedback last time. Although, if I feel it necessary, or my own mind changes about my poster, then I will seek feedback and make any changes that myself or my taregt audience see relevant.


Thursday 17 February 2011

Poster Development 5

After receiving feedback on my last poster that my poster needed more white on it, I decided that I was going to incorporate a little white into my poster as if I used too much white, then my text at the bottom wouldnt stand out, and if I didnt use enough, then the text would look odd.



I have added a white outline to my text 'BoysBoysBoys' so that it stands out against the grey background. I personally feel that this thin white outline has incorporated the white a little more, and also makes the poster look more professional. I have also put a purple glow around the text at the bottom of my poster, so that it ties in with the purple colour scheme.

Feedback:

Amy Pass- Your poster, to me still seems to not draw my eye to the name of the artist. However, I do feel that your white outline around the song name has made a positive difference. It now looks more attractive and also incorporates more white into your poster.

Alex Machin- The purple glow around the date has made it appear more like a part of the poster now, due to the glow and the actresses dress being the same colour. Due to your purple glow and white text being on a black background, it really stand out and is eye catching. However, I feel that your song name could be bigger to draw more attention.

Rachel Hilton- In order to improve  I would consider putting some sort of black outline around the artists name and I would also make the song title bigger, because then these two things will be what stands out to the audience.

Charlie Clarke- To me, the font at the top of the page doesn't stand out- I feel that this is what is letting the poster down.

Poster Development 4

After confirmation from my target audience that my chosen colour scheme was the correct choice, I have decided to continue with my further development of my poster. I have made the necessary changes that I received in my feedback and hopefully I have made the necessary changes that will therefore my product more appealing to my target audience.

I have made the font at the bottom of the poster white, so that it is easier to read. This was the main criticism that I received from my last poster. I will now seek feedback from my target audience to see what other changes I could make to my poster to enhance it further.


Feedback:

Amy Pass- Your poster looks much better now that the text at the bottom of the poster is white, as it contrasts against the image you have used. In order to improve your poster further, I would consider making all of your text stand out more.

Alex Machin- The font at the top of the poster now doesn't seem to stand out as much now that the font as the bottom is bright. Therefore I would consider some sort of outline or the background to be a block colour in order to make your artist name to stand out.

Rachel Hilton- I feel like more white needs to be incorporated into your poster now that your text is white. Having said that, too much white will make the text not stand out as much, I feel that your colours need to be mixed together more.

Megan Marlow- I feel that the poster still looks unprofessional due to the lack of outlines on your poster. I feel that if your texts were outlined, then it wold look more professional as the little details would draw more attention to your image and your text.

I will now make any necessary changes to my poster.

Colour Change?

After receiving feedback from my previous poster, I decided that I should see whether I made the right choice in changing my colour scheme. I have have mixed reviews about my colour scheme and therefore I decided to see whether my poster would have looked better if I had chosen a different colour.

Current Colour Scheme:





















Colour Change One (Previous Colour Scheme):
                                                    




I asked 20 people from my target audience to look at the different poster mock ups I have created and then to feedback on which colour I should choose as my final colour scheme. I am doing this because I changed my colour scheme previously, and I just wanted to ensure that I made the right choice in changing my colour scheme and if not, what colour my target audience would have preferred me to use.

The majority of people chose thought that my new colour scheme was the best colour scheme and that I made the right choice in changing it, the general reaction was that the colour was neither masculine nor feminine and therefore the song was ambiguous.

The colour scheme that came second was the red colour scheme. The feedback that this poster received was that the poster stood out and was very vibrant, and hence more eye catching. The colour scheme that received the worst feedback was the yellow colour scheme as it made my poster look dull.

Colour Change Two (Blue):


Colour Change Three (Red):                                                             

Colour Change Four (Yellow):

 Colour Change Five (Green):


Poster Development 2

My previous poster's lack of colour meant that it looked very dull and boring. Another problem was that my actress didn't stand out from the background and so I had to design a technique that would bring a little colour to my poster and also make my actress stand out.


After receiving feedback that my first poster had too much colour, and that my second colour had too little colour, I thought that it was best not to have my actress in colour, but instead just her dress to be in colour, to emphasise her femininity. Also, the font overlaps my actress and therefore, if she was in colour the font would be much harder to read.

Feedback:

Amy Pass- I really like how the dress is in colour as it emphasises the fact that she is female, and this contrasts the title of the song 'BoysBoysBoys'. I feel that the splash of colour has brightened up your poster and made it look more interesting. However, I do still feel that the font could stand out a bit more, especially the font that states the date.

Rachel Hilton- I think that by having the dress as a colour, you are drawing the audience's eye to the actress and therefore she stands out. The text at the bottom of the poster is hard to read, and therefore for a development I would consider making the font a different colour so that it is easier to read.

Alex Machin- I really like the colour that you have chosen for your poster. I feel that the dress is very eye catching, and therefore the actress stands out, even though she is the same colour as the background. I even like the fairy lights in the background of the image as it makes the poster look a little 'grubby', but I feel that this will appeal to a wider audience as her location, and therefore her are shown to be 'perfect'

Meg Marlow- I like the image used, even though she isn't smiling, she gives the poster a professional look, as I feel that if she looked too happy, then she may give the poster a cheesey look, that would not match your chosen song. For a development, I would consider changing the appearance of your text, as it can be quite difficult to read.

I will now take into consideration the feedback given and make any appropriate changes.

Poster Development 1

Following my trail of making a poster, and also listening to my target audience's main concerns on aspects such as the colour and my actresses 'red-eye' I decided to make the changes needed to hopefully make my poster appeal more to my audience.


I have decided through my own thoughts and through the feedback I received to change the colours used on my poster. My main idea was to make my poster black and white, to allow my font to stand out and be readable. I personally feel that this poster looks a lot better than the last one, however I do still feel that the poster is a long way from finished yet.

Feedback:

Amy Pass- I think the your poster looks a lot better now that it has been change to black and white, however, now I feel that your actress does not stand out and that she just blends into the background.

Rachel Hilton- The font stands out much better now, and I feel that it is now readable. However, like Amy says, the actress looks very washed out and I feel that the font and the actress should be the main focus, yet only the font is.

Alex Machin- The actresses dress is the same colour as the background, and therefore she doesn't stand out. The poster looks very boring and uninteresting, which does not reflect the upbeat style of your song. I think your actress needs to look more vibrant.

Sarah Hall- I feel like the black and white background has changed your poster for the better- the background is not distracting anymore and the font is much clearer to read. A little more colour would make the poster stand out more though, and make your poster look more eye catching.

I will now take the feedback I have received into account whilst developing my poster further and hopefully my target audience will find my poster more interesting and attractive

Thursday 10 February 2011

First Attempt At A Poster

Following my initial poster ideas, I have decided to incorporate my chosen font and layout onto my chosen image for a flavour of what my poster will look like. I will then seek feedback on this poster to help me to further develop my poster.

Feedback:

Amy Pass- I feel that the colour of the poster is very dim and that the colours in the background make the font appear dull and therefore they do not stand out. However, I do like the chosen image and I feel that the poster has potential to be lots better.

Rachel Hilton- I like the image used, however I feel that the poster looks very amateur due to the actress having 'red-eye' and the dullness of the colours. I think that in order to improve, you should try having the poster in black and white.

Alex Machin- For me, the poster is very bland and boring. However I do like your chosen image. The date that is stated at the bottom of your poster is very hard to read and therefore I feel that in order for it to stand out, you should consider changing the colour of it.

Sarah Hall- I feel that with a little development, mainly in the colour area, this poster could be good as the image is very striking and eye catching, although in its current state it looks very bland. The actresses red eye definitely needs to be removed as this makes your poster look very unprofessional.

I will take into account the feedback given and I will now make any necessary changes that my target audience and myself feel would make my poster better.

Chosen Image

I have decided that my chosen image should feature my actress in a relaxed, yet obvious pose.
After comparing my images and deliberating which image portrays my actress in the way in which I want her to be viewed, I have finally decided on an image which I feel will suit the genre and style of my song.


This is my chosen image. I plan on cropping out the area of background, such as the doors, plugs and folders so that my poster will look more professional.

Wednesday 9 February 2011

Poster Images

I decided to take a number of different shots for my poster so that I had a selection to choose from.

Here are a few of the pictures I took-





I decided to have a brick background on my images, to give an unconventional twist on my "pop" genre. By having a brick wall I have give my music a "grimy" look and therefore gives the impression that my actress shouldn't be seen as girly, thus appealing to a wider audience. The fairy lights in the background however, emphasise that there is an element of femininity to my song and also the lights make the wall look more interesting, instead of them being plain.





Monday 7 February 2011

Development

After contemplating outfit choices with my actress, I have come to the conclusion that in order for my products to compliment each other, I need to change my colour scheme so that it matches my actress's dress. By changing the colour scheme to match  my chosen outfits, I am allowing all of my products to be uniform and therefore will enable my products to look more professional. Therefore I have decided that the best option for me would be to alter the colour scheme so that it matches my actresses dress, because trying to find a dress that would exactly match my colour scheme.

Consequently, I have changed my colour scheme to the following:


The colour scheme is not drastically different, however there is a noticeable change. Instead of having a lighter, pinky purple, I have changed this colour for a darker, blue/ purple to give the colour scheme a more sophisticated look as the pink appears very vibrant and colourful. Also, the new darker purple also shows that there is a darker element to the song, despite it being a lively, upbeat song.

Outfits

I met up with my actress to put together clothing that I feel would suit my video.
I tried to choose outfits that complimented my colour scheme.



This is the outfit that I have decided that my actress should wear. This is because it is a casual dress, which links to the feel of the song. The dress is a purple/blue and this links to the song as the blue represents masculinity, such as in the title "Boys Boys Boys" and the purple is conventionally used to represent knowledge, showing that she knows a lot about boys, or according to my storyline, that she in fact, knows nothing about them and just pretends that she can understand them.


My actress will also be wearing black leggings underneath this dress to give it a more relaxed and teenage look, thus appealing to my target audience. I have also decided that it would be best if my actresses hair was down and not too complicated, so that my actress is fully portrayed as an average teenager.


Thursday 3 February 2011

Poster Mock Up Two

After receiving feedback from my previous poster mock up, I sought to make any appropriate changes. However, some feedback was to include the background of the image as the background of the poster, however, as I do not yet have the image I will be using, I am unable to what the background of the image will look like. For this mock up, I have left the background white so that the target audience is able to see how the font will look as there is no distractions from the presence of images.


Feedback:

Amy Pass- The poster still seems very plain and basic. I feel that the poster looks very unprofessional and boring. However, in saying that, I think that once you have photos instead of making your own picture of the actress then it will look at lot better.

Rachel Hilton- I prefer this poster to the last one. I think by having the actress not in the centre has a good effect on the poster as it looks a little more unconventional. Also, this poster has more information on it, such as the artist name, whereas the last one didn't.

Alex Machin- The poster will look a lot better when a photograph can be used. However, I think that the heart looks very "handmade" and is not an accurate heart shape. In my opinion, I think that if you are going to feature a heart on your poster then ensure that it is an accurate and professional looking one. Although, depending on the outfit that the actress wears depends on whether or not I would use it.

Meg Marlow- I really like the font, as it brings a youthful aspect to the product. However, I do feel that this poster is very basic and simple and that a phtograph needs to be used.
I will take into consideration the feedback given and make any necessary changes that me and my target audience feel necessary.

Poster Mock Up One

I have decided to create a number of mock-ups of the promotional poster for my music video. I feel that by creating a number of mock ups, I can find out what style my target audience prefer and also feedback will allow me to make any necessary changes.

On my actual poster I will not use a face created in paint, instead I will photograph my actress. However, I decided that it would be a waste of time to take photos of my actress before I had any ideas on what I was doing. Therefore for my initial ideas I will use drawings.

Feedback-

Amy Pass: I like the font and how the font behind looks like a shadow. However, I think you should think about the background as it looks very plain, maybe you could incorporate some relative images.

Rachel Hilton: I think that the image of the actress should be a long shot and that she should be wearing clothes that matches the colour scheme, therefore allowing an obvious connection between the image and the font.

Alex Machin: I think that the actress should not simply be looking into the camera, I personally feel that she could be pulling some sort of pose that portrays the flirty aspect of the song.

Sarah Hall: As you will be filming the video in a bedroom, I think that you should photograph the actress in one of the particular scenes, and include the background of the room where you film in the photo so that it is clear that this song relates to the poster.


I will now create another mock up, taking into consideration the feedback given.

Thursday 13 January 2011

Shooting Plan

Due to christmas, all of my actors schedules have been full and we have been unable to meet at times that would suit all of us, myself included and so instead of shooting when I had hoped, I have had to plan shooting for another time. As the video will be shot using artficial light, the time of day is not important and as a result I can film as soon as possible at any time.

In the meantime however, I have been constructing basic initial plans for my other products, however, they are missing images as I will take photos on the day of the video to ensure that there is an obvious link between my media products.

New Idea

Instead of trying to be unconventional, I feel that it will be easier yet still effective if I take a more conventional approach to my media video. My initial idea was to feature all females in my music video, however, after much deliberation I feel that it may be difficult for me to make a female look like a convincing male and not just a butch female. Therefore, after asking around I have found myself a male actor, Lance Boden. He will take up the role of the male in my music video and therefore me and my actors will need to work out a time which will fit all of our schedules.