Hello viewers, my name is Liam and I am 17 years old. I am currently studying A level media studies. Part of the course entails the production and creation of a Short film so I have decided to create a music video. So this blog will be a portfolio of my work, which includes all of my own research, planning and production of said music video. This in turn will show the journey of the development and creation of my music video. This will be an independent project. I will use all of the skills that I have learnt and developed from my previous experiences working with media, film and photography.
I am planning to create a music video for the rock genre. I have decided to make a music video on this genre because it is my favourite genre of music. The selected genre is broad so I have a large selection of songs to choose from during the planning stage. I have been inspired by many artists like Cage the Elephant and Twenty One Pilots. In addition to the music video, I will also be creating a website in the style of Raury's website as I like the simplistic look that focuses on the music rather than the artist. I will also be creating a Maltese cross style digipak.
Rock music has historic roots as it is derived most directly from the rhythm and blues music of the 1940s, which itself developed from earlier blues, jazz and swing music, and was also influenced by gospel, country and western, and traditional folk music. The diverse background of rock music means that there is the largest potential audience who like this genre of music, so appealing to my target audience may prove a challenge. This is because the audience is split into many different groups e.g C1 and E. This means that it will be challenging to firstly, appeal to each of these groups of people simultaneously and secondly, convey the deeper metaphors and imagery in a way that every member of my target audience can comprehend.
Tuesday, 14 March 2017
Saturday, 11 March 2017
Evaluation Tasks
https://liam6656.wixsite.com/myfinevaluationsite
I decided to use prezi to present my response to evaluation task 4 because it can convey a lot of information easily in a stylish fashion that is visually stimulating. It also demonstrates good use of media technologies as it would be boring and bland just to use blogger to present my response to the evaluation tasks. Please click the following link to see my evaluation tasks, thank you, I hope you enjoy!
Wednesday, 1 March 2017
Time Plan Evolution
1st time plan:
Red Week = Half Term/Christmas Break
This was posted on the 19th of September 2016
This time plan is similar to the previous one, however i have added an additional section for the evaluation. This shall be completed once the main tasks are finished.
4th Time plan:
I made a third time plan for myself around mid January to see how much I had missed and what was left to complete. The time plan changed again as I had to revise for my mock exams and so I was not very productive in producing my media coursework. So I rearranged my plans so that I would finish on time. I had to change the storyboard multiple times due to technical difficulties and audience feedback, which consequently pushed back all of my other plans so I had to make time for everything and do multiple tasks in the same week. At school I would focus on the technical side of things, editing and photography, whilst at home I would focus on the tasks that I was behind on, like the digipak and website plan. I wanted to leave at least two weeks for editing as from previous experiences, I know that it is the most time consuming part of the process. It also determined the quality of my main product - the music video, so I didn't want to rush it as it was a crucial step in the process.
This was posted on the 19th of September 2016
2nd Time plan:
My initial time plan shows naivety as i planned to have 6 Weeks as buffer weeks. I have changed this to a more realistic time plan that I plan to follow. However, I am behind on the creation of the storyboard and the digipak plan as i underestimated how long they would both take. As a result I have left one week blank so that I have time to do finish them off. Moreover, I have also changed how many tasks that I planned to do in one week as I found myself being overwhelmed with work. I have also changed the estimated finish date to a more realistic date as I initially planned to be finished by the 30th of January. So, I hope to follow this time plan more closely than I did with the first one.
This was posted on the 7th of November 2016
3rd Time plan:
This time plan is similar to the previous one, however i have added an additional section for the evaluation. This shall be completed once the main tasks are finished.
This was posted on the 9th of November 2016
4th Time plan:
I made a third time plan for myself around mid January to see how much I had missed and what was left to complete. The time plan changed again as I had to revise for my mock exams and so I was not very productive in producing my media coursework. So I rearranged my plans so that I would finish on time. I had to change the storyboard multiple times due to technical difficulties and audience feedback, which consequently pushed back all of my other plans so I had to make time for everything and do multiple tasks in the same week. At school I would focus on the technical side of things, editing and photography, whilst at home I would focus on the tasks that I was behind on, like the digipak and website plan. I wanted to leave at least two weeks for editing as from previous experiences, I know that it is the most time consuming part of the process. It also determined the quality of my main product - the music video, so I didn't want to rush it as it was a crucial step in the process.
This was posted on the 27th January 2017
Final Time plan:
I was just about able to stick to my Final time plan, however some minor changes had to be made. For instance, I had to spend more time than I had expected to make the digipak and website as my target audience provided a lot of feedback to improve both of them.
Since completing the project, i have reorganised my blog so that the posts are in a step by step order so that the examiner/viewer can follow the design process of each product easily. This also makes all the changes that I have made to the product clear to the examiner so the individual can see that I am responding to and incorporating audience feedback to make sure that my products appeal to my target audience. I have also changed the dates of my blog so that they can follow this order. Moreover, I have made the homepage my introductory statement so they viewer instantly knows what this blog is about, however it meant that I had to make it my most recent post.
This was posted on the 14th of March 2017
I was just about able to stick to my Final time plan, however some minor changes had to be made. For instance, I had to spend more time than I had expected to make the digipak and website as my target audience provided a lot of feedback to improve both of them.
Since completing the project, i have reorganised my blog so that the posts are in a step by step order so that the examiner/viewer can follow the design process of each product easily. This also makes all the changes that I have made to the product clear to the examiner so the individual can see that I am responding to and incorporating audience feedback to make sure that my products appeal to my target audience. I have also changed the dates of my blog so that they can follow this order. Moreover, I have made the homepage my introductory statement so they viewer instantly knows what this blog is about, however it meant that I had to make it my most recent post.
Sunday, 15 January 2017
Final Website
Website Prototype 2 – Adjusted to Audience Feedback:
This is the website I created for my artist, which is currently live at: https://liam6656.wixsite.com/myfinishedsite
Home page:
I have made the promised changes to the website. I have added a description of the album underneath the buttons that take the consumer to a page where they can buy the album. The description contains hyperlinks that the audience can click which will take them to a Wikipedia page explaining the word / term in detail, for example there are some links to information about the artist’s song “Fairly Local and “Ride.” This fills empty gap on my homepage whilst at the same time making my website more interactive. Moreover, I have also fixed the links that send the consumer to the store, thus further increasing interactivity.
I have also added a Latest News feed about the band, as it is a convention of music websites. I have created stories based on the official band’s news feed. I have created a timeline from may 29 2014 where the consumer could pre-order the album “Blurryface” to March 2nd 2016 where the official band went on Tour promoting the release of the new album. I intentionally made all of the news focus on the release of the new album as it is what my website is promoting and acts as a form of promotion that modern artist’s websites utilise. However, I have included some images from the official website to enhance the visual appearance and attractiveness of the page. The poster of the emotional roadshow, the gif promoting new merchandise and image of the pre-order bonuses are on the official Twenty One Pilots website and I have used them on my website. Additionally, I have added some clip art to the pages to improve the visual aspects of each page to make sure that they don’t look boring. Furthermore, to improve interactivity and navigation for each page, I have added little arrows that can move the view of the consumer’s page to different segments so that they get an idea of what the important parts of the page are.
I looked back at my research of websites and found that I had overlook a key convention of the website, the option to subscribe to stay up to date. So, I have implemented this at the bottom of the home page so the consumer has the option to join the mailing list so that they can stay up to date on the latest news about the artist, be informed of the tour dates and have the chance of wining free tickets. By following conventions my website becomes closer to a realistic product that looks professional and authentic.
The final adjustment I made to the homepage was the inclusion of the artist’s logo. I put the logo in the top left hand corner of the page and embedded a link to it so that when it is clicked it takes the consumer to the homepage. However the website didn’t have this font so to get it I had to take a screenshot of the text that I wanted and added to the website as a picture. I then positioned it in the top left hand corner to follow conventions.
Music:
As promised, I have changed the image on the music page to a picture of myself. This allows the audience to put a face to the artist’s name. The picture is a medium shot portrait taken with high key lighting so that all of my features are clearly visible. Furthermore, I am looking directly into the camera – trying to grab the audiences attention as it means that I will be making direct eye contact with them, so they may feel a personal connection between the two of us, helping build a fan base for the artist. Moreover, he is wearing the same clothing that he wore during the music video and during the shoot for the digipak cover, so continuity between the three products is strengthened. I have also fixed the button so the song now "Stressed out" now plays if the viewer clicks the play button underneath the digipak cover image.
Also, I have changed the image of the abandoned swing-set, so the one shown in the screenshot is the image that I have taken and edited. The connotations of this image can be seen in the Design Journey for the first website prototype. I have also added three arrows on the music page to make navigation simple and easy, the first arrow takes the audience straight to the music video, so their attention is direct to the main focus of the website. This is especially important because the audience can lose interest if the website is too complex. This makes the main points of each page easy to find, so the delivery of information is quick and concise. There are four arrows on the music page to aid in navigation. I have also used some clip art lines to separate the different anchors of the website, so the page has a better and sharper structure that is easy for the consumer to follow. I have done this with every page on the website, to make the layout of each page look sharper and more organised.
Additionally, I have added the two most recent music videos from the official Twenty One Pilots, as this is a convention of these websites. I discovered this whilst researching websites. It acts as a form of promotion and promotes other work from the artist so the consumer has a wider choice of songs and gets a broader sense of the diverse genres that the artist can cover in their work. This provides an insight into the artist and shows the consumer the artist’s unique style of music/sound.
Tour:
There were no adjustments to be made to the tour page. However, I have added an arrow that aids in the navigation of the tour page. Clicking the arrow will take the consumer to the main focus of the page, in this case tour dates, saving them time and stress of trying to find a specific piece of information.
About:
As promised, I have changed the image on the about page to a picture of myself. As with the image on the music page, I am wearing the same clothing as I wore in the music video and digipak shoot so continuity is established throughout the media products, but especially the website. The image is a medium shot of myself looking to the right. This was an intentional move, as I wanted to divert the attention of the audience to the information on the right as it describes the background of the artist in detail. His appearance is rough, reflecting the effects of the trauma that he went through at the end of the music video (Mental breakdown). His hands are in his pockets connoting that he doesn’t want to be noticed and is uncomfortable; this idea is reinforced as he is trying to divert the audience’s attention away from him. The roguish clothing will look cool to the target audience and will improve their perception of him, as on the outside he looks like a regular teenager (denotation), but if you look closely at his body language (connotation) you can see that he is suffering and has had a traumatic past.
Contact:
Another convention of a website that I forgot to include was the contact section. I found that this was a common part of websites when I was researching them. I have made a simplistic page where the consumer can get in contact with the artist’s managers if they want to book them for a venue / concert / festival.
Merchandise:
As requested, I have removed the merchandise page as it didn’t really add anything to the website. And undermine the professional and classy look of the website.
This is the website I created for my artist, which is currently live at: https://liam6656.wixsite.com/myfinishedsite
Home page:
I have made the promised changes to the website. I have added a description of the album underneath the buttons that take the consumer to a page where they can buy the album. The description contains hyperlinks that the audience can click which will take them to a Wikipedia page explaining the word / term in detail, for example there are some links to information about the artist’s song “Fairly Local and “Ride.” This fills empty gap on my homepage whilst at the same time making my website more interactive. Moreover, I have also fixed the links that send the consumer to the store, thus further increasing interactivity.
I have also added a Latest News feed about the band, as it is a convention of music websites. I have created stories based on the official band’s news feed. I have created a timeline from may 29 2014 where the consumer could pre-order the album “Blurryface” to March 2nd 2016 where the official band went on Tour promoting the release of the new album. I intentionally made all of the news focus on the release of the new album as it is what my website is promoting and acts as a form of promotion that modern artist’s websites utilise. However, I have included some images from the official website to enhance the visual appearance and attractiveness of the page. The poster of the emotional roadshow, the gif promoting new merchandise and image of the pre-order bonuses are on the official Twenty One Pilots website and I have used them on my website. Additionally, I have added some clip art to the pages to improve the visual aspects of each page to make sure that they don’t look boring. Furthermore, to improve interactivity and navigation for each page, I have added little arrows that can move the view of the consumer’s page to different segments so that they get an idea of what the important parts of the page are.
I looked back at my research of websites and found that I had overlook a key convention of the website, the option to subscribe to stay up to date. So, I have implemented this at the bottom of the home page so the consumer has the option to join the mailing list so that they can stay up to date on the latest news about the artist, be informed of the tour dates and have the chance of wining free tickets. By following conventions my website becomes closer to a realistic product that looks professional and authentic.
The final adjustment I made to the homepage was the inclusion of the artist’s logo. I put the logo in the top left hand corner of the page and embedded a link to it so that when it is clicked it takes the consumer to the homepage. However the website didn’t have this font so to get it I had to take a screenshot of the text that I wanted and added to the website as a picture. I then positioned it in the top left hand corner to follow conventions.
Music:
As promised, I have changed the image on the music page to a picture of myself. This allows the audience to put a face to the artist’s name. The picture is a medium shot portrait taken with high key lighting so that all of my features are clearly visible. Furthermore, I am looking directly into the camera – trying to grab the audiences attention as it means that I will be making direct eye contact with them, so they may feel a personal connection between the two of us, helping build a fan base for the artist. Moreover, he is wearing the same clothing that he wore during the music video and during the shoot for the digipak cover, so continuity between the three products is strengthened. I have also fixed the button so the song now "Stressed out" now plays if the viewer clicks the play button underneath the digipak cover image.
Also, I have changed the image of the abandoned swing-set, so the one shown in the screenshot is the image that I have taken and edited. The connotations of this image can be seen in the Design Journey for the first website prototype. I have also added three arrows on the music page to make navigation simple and easy, the first arrow takes the audience straight to the music video, so their attention is direct to the main focus of the website. This is especially important because the audience can lose interest if the website is too complex. This makes the main points of each page easy to find, so the delivery of information is quick and concise. There are four arrows on the music page to aid in navigation. I have also used some clip art lines to separate the different anchors of the website, so the page has a better and sharper structure that is easy for the consumer to follow. I have done this with every page on the website, to make the layout of each page look sharper and more organised.
Additionally, I have added the two most recent music videos from the official Twenty One Pilots, as this is a convention of these websites. I discovered this whilst researching websites. It acts as a form of promotion and promotes other work from the artist so the consumer has a wider choice of songs and gets a broader sense of the diverse genres that the artist can cover in their work. This provides an insight into the artist and shows the consumer the artist’s unique style of music/sound.
Tour:
There were no adjustments to be made to the tour page. However, I have added an arrow that aids in the navigation of the tour page. Clicking the arrow will take the consumer to the main focus of the page, in this case tour dates, saving them time and stress of trying to find a specific piece of information.
About:
As promised, I have changed the image on the about page to a picture of myself. As with the image on the music page, I am wearing the same clothing as I wore in the music video and digipak shoot so continuity is established throughout the media products, but especially the website. The image is a medium shot of myself looking to the right. This was an intentional move, as I wanted to divert the attention of the audience to the information on the right as it describes the background of the artist in detail. His appearance is rough, reflecting the effects of the trauma that he went through at the end of the music video (Mental breakdown). His hands are in his pockets connoting that he doesn’t want to be noticed and is uncomfortable; this idea is reinforced as he is trying to divert the audience’s attention away from him. The roguish clothing will look cool to the target audience and will improve their perception of him, as on the outside he looks like a regular teenager (denotation), but if you look closely at his body language (connotation) you can see that he is suffering and has had a traumatic past.
Contact:
Another convention of a website that I forgot to include was the contact section. I found that this was a common part of websites when I was researching them. I have made a simplistic page where the consumer can get in contact with the artist’s managers if they want to book them for a venue / concert / festival.
Merchandise:
As requested, I have removed the merchandise page as it didn’t really add anything to the website. And undermine the professional and classy look of the website.
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