Evaluation.

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

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Here is my Youtube Video, annotated with comments that I received after showing my Video to a focus group. Below is a Prezi Presentation analysing some of my Audience Feedback.

Audience Feedback on Prezi

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

Ancillary Texts on Prezi

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

USE:

Focus On Instruments: 

Screenshot from Amy Winehouse- Rehab.

I took inspiration from the video for Rehab by Amy Winehouse. I focused on the emphasis of the use of instruments, and the shots I produced featured close up views of the artist playing a guitar. I thought that Amy Winehouse would be a good existing artist to take inspiration from, as although not in the same genre as my artist, she has a constructed image to make her appear independent and creative. I feel these shots worked particularly well as they show the skill of the artist as a musician, which would be appreciated by the members of her audience who are interested in the technical side of the music.

Performance Aspect: 

Screenshot from Gabriella Cilmi- Sweet About Me. 

The performance aspect was a large part of my video, and is a huge convention in the indie genre. I observed this convention in many videos, including this one by Gabriella Cilmi. I felt that the performance aspect worked well in my video, as it emphasized the talent and authenticity of the artist performing. The target audience of my video would notice and be appreciative of the fact my artist performed and played the guitar, and sang on screen, as they look out for the musical talent and unique creativity in artists of this genre. 

DEVELOP:

Abstract Narrative:

Screenshot from Paolo Nutini- New Shoes. 

In this video by Paolo Nutini, I observed the use of a more literal narrative, which explained and acted out the lyrics. I decided to develop this convention, reading into a deeper meaning in the lyrics of my song, as there was not an obvious storyline that came to mind when simply reading the lyrics. I felt that this more abstract narrative worked particularly well in my case, as it invited the audience member watching to become more active and read between the lines to develop their interpretation of the narrative in their mind. 

Image:

Screenshot from Duffy- Mercy. 

The image I constructed for my artist was directly inspired by that of Duffy in the video for Mercy, as well as others. I took the ideas of her vintage inspired dress, long, blonde styled hair and high heeled shoes to create a vintage inspired and timeless look. By using this as the image for my artist, it has helped to create a look that directly links to female artists of the indie and acoustic genres, making it obvious to the audience where our artist fits in terms of music style. This retro, 1960’s era, inspired look also reflects the individuality of the artist and her music, which appeals to the audience. The styles of this era are popular with modern musicians as it was a time when music in Britain was at its prime and popular culture was taking off, with bands such as The Beatles, and influences from the fashion industry including models like Twiggy. You can compare these models, and stresses, specifically those such as Brigitte Bardot, with the style of Duffy, and similarities in their appearance and styling become obvious. The intertextual reference I used in the narrative was the artist's Blondie Tshirt. This gave a reference to the audience as what inspired the look, creativity and music of the artist. I think that this worked particularly well as it gave the active audience another artist to look to for inspiration for their own look.

 Dyer’s star theory suggests that an artist’s image is constructed for the purpose of audience appeal, in this case, Duffy’s image in created to appeal to the older generation who would remember when that sort of styling was popular first time round, as well as a younger generation who take interest in their parent’s background and inspiration from vintage fashions and music. By creating my artist’s image in this way,I have made her appeal to a wider audience, as her image is put into a context that would make her seem more individual and creative.

CHALLENGE:

Black & White: 

Screenshot from Taylor Swift- Love Story. 

I decided to challenge the convention of having the entire video in colour, due to filming and budget restrictions. In this video, I observed the constant muted colour scheme throughout, that was able to be constructed due to the large budget allocated for the location and filming of the production. By desaturating my narrative footage in Final Cut Express, I was able to worry less about the colours in my filming, as they were not noticable after editing. I felt that this worked particularly well however, as it also helped to maintain the 'timeless' feel and was inkeeping with a vintage look, as it created an intertextual reference to classic cinema, and Hollywood, where starlet such as Marilyn Monroe were famous, who created huge style inspiration for the likes of Blondie, who later went on to inspire my artists style choices. 

 Use of Male/Female Stereotypes: 

Screenshot from One Night Only- Say You Don't Want It. 

To create the image of an independent woman, I challenged the convention of using Male and Female stereotypes. In the video above, I observed the fact that the female character appears passive, as she follows the male lead around, making him appear in control. This challenges the idea of Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze, that the female is purely there for the purpose of the male audience members to voyeur. I did this by including no Male characters in my video, emphasizing the individuality of the artist and making her appear that she does not need a man in her life. The lyrics also agree with this idea, and are emphasized by the fact that she is the only character in the video. I think that this is a positive message to portray to the audience members, as it gives inspiration to the young female members to be themselves and proves that they can be a strong, independent woman without a male influence.