New Skills in Photoshop

There weren’t many new things I learnt on my own in photoshop, as I was already vaguely familiar with the software. However I did use tutorials on the internet to discover more about the programme. For example this video about frequency separation showed me how to airbrush an image without losing the picture’s texture, which I think makes a significant difference in how natural the image looked.

 Then I used this website to understand how to crop an image into a disk shape, therefore creating my digipak’s disk.

New Skills in Premiere Pro CC

As Premiere was completely new to me, all of my skills were new. However some things were trickier to pick up. For example I found it very tricky to match up the lip syncing, however after discovering how to zoom into a clip I found it much easier to be more specific.

I also worked out how to effectively lighten my shots. I first tried adjusting the brightness, however this looked washed out and unnatural. Then I discovered how to add a directional light effect, and by reducing the opacity of a mask I could control how much lighter the shot looked. I also used tints in a very similar way- using a coloured mask over the clip and then increasing its transparency.  

 

 

Software Used

Premiere Pro
To edit my music video I used Adobe Premiere Pro CC. This was really helpful as it gave me far more advanced options that software such as Windows Movie Maker. At first I struggled a bit to understand how to use Premiere, however by now I think my knowledge is quite advanced. With this software I could cut shots in time to the beat fairly well, and could edit the visual appearance of each scene. I found this really helpful as my footage was fairly dark.

Photoshop
While I have used Adobe Photoshop CC before, there were some aspects of using the software which I found difficult; for example remembering to select different layers. However I think that by using Photoshop to produce the digipak and magazine advert, I have a wide range of options when it came to editing. One thing which I found really useful was being able to increase the vividness of certain aspects of the image while leaving the rest natural looking. I did this for my artist’s hair and headpiece to make the colours stand out more, and I think the end result is really effective.  

Websites Used

Blogger

Blogger is probably the media technology which I have used the most often throughout the entire process. I have used it to record my initial research into music videos, my planning, the development of my production and my evaluation. I found it easy to use as I was previously familiar blogger, and I think that it is a really good way to visually record ideas. I could also easily go back and find work from months before and refer to it later.

Facebook

I used Facebook in my production stage to ask for advice in producing the back cover of my digipak. I also used it in the evaluation process to gather audience feedback. I think it is a really easy way to contact people, and found that group messages were really good for communicating to a large number of people. Furthermore people usually replied really quickly, as most of the people I talked to are usually with a smartphone, laptop or tablet.

PicMonkey

This site has been fantastic throughout the entire process for simple photo editing. It has simple tools such as crop, collage and brightness adjustments. I used it most often if I had taken a screenshot and needed to crop this down to post onto my blog. I addition most of the collages on my blogs have been created on PicMonkey.

YouTube

I used YouTube the most during the research stage of pre-production as I was analysing other videos to learn more about conventions. YouTube made this really easy as I could search for a specific video or simply browse. I continued to watch videos on YouTube for inspiration, especially since new videos are added constantly. I also uploaded my music video to YouTube as a way of presenting the final product.

Google

Google was the main search engine I used throughout the process. This mostly involved searching Google Images for example of digipaks and magazine adverts in order to analyse them. When searching for images I tried to keep on the large size tool in order to find the highest quality images. I found google really helpful, however if I struggled to find images I sometimes visited Tumblr or WeHeartIt as they often feature very aesthetically pleasing pictures.

 

 

 

Equipment Used

Sony DCR-SX 21 Videocamera

I used this camera in the production on my music video. I found it really simple to use, especially since I had used it before. I had no issues when filming, however I did find when editing that the camera was slightly blurry. This especially occurred when the set was slightly darker.


Canon DS 126 151

I was fortunate enough to have access to this camera during the production of the photoshoots. I am really pleased with how the images turned out because the high resolution gives a really nice quality finish. Unlike the video camera I had not used this before, so it took a little getting used to; for example learning how to focus the camera took a little time. However once I understood the basics of the camera I found it really user-friendly.

 
 Tripod

I used a tripod during the production to keep both camera steady. For my work this was essential and made a huge difference. It meant that I could keep the camera steady for a long time while filming long takes, or repeating the same takes over and over. The only issue I had with the tripod was that the Canon camera was a little too heavy, so I had to make sure that I slightly supported the camera at all times just in case.

Development of the Texts

Just a few quick videos to show the evolution of my products

 

 

Audience Feedback

I showed a group of ten teenage girls my completed music video and digipak, and then asked them seven open questions in relation to them. I have picked out the most useful comments, taken out any duplicate answers and made a short video to present my findings.

I think that this feedback is really positive because it suggests that I was successful in my aims. However my audience all agreed that the lighting in the video was too dark, however this was because I didn’t have access to professional equipment.

Audience Research through Planning

For me audience research was a large part in making both large and small decisions. I think it is really important because it gives an unbiased, general opinion. I always tried to get feedback from as many participants as possible in order to increase the ecological validity of my findings. I used a variety of ways to gather feedback, mostly including questionnaires and simply asking people.

I think that questionnaires were really effective in comparing ideas from a large number of people. For example I did this when researching different music genres and whom they appeal to. By gaining quantitative and qualitative information I could both easily compare feedback and also get more specific, individual opinions. With this information I had the evidence needed to determine my artist’s target audience. I also found that most people did not like overly sexualised music videos, with Nicki Minaj’s Anaconda specified several times (it had recently come out at the time of the questionnaire). This gave me a really clear idea of what my target audience wanted from a video. After determining Palmer’s target audience, I began mostly seeking feedback from participants fitting this description. This ensured that my audience feedback was relevant.

A questionnaire was also useful when I was gaining inspiration for my digipak. Out of a variety of album covers, I asked participants to identify their favourite. This showed me that Pixie Lott’s album was the most aesthetically successful, and this layout would be suitable for Palmer’s album. I also used this process to find that audiences really liked the Riesling font.
I also used a questionnaire to find which photos from my digipak photoshoots were preferred. By gathering only qualitative data it was easy to see which images were the most well received. From these findings I chose which images to use for each of the aspects to my digipak and magazine advert. I also asked the target audience to vote for their preferred edit of my digipak’s back cover.
Another method I used to gain information about my target audience was the YouGov site. I could use this to identify their likes, dislikes and other music tastes. I found this really helpful as the site had information from far more participant than I would be able to ask myself.

Synergy

Synergy is the interaction of two or more products to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.

I worked really hard to create effective synergy between the ancillary texts. During my research I noticed that this is very conventional, as it links the products together clearly and furthermore looks neat and stylish. Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday is a really good example of this; she has used the same colour scheme and outfit for the album’s front cover, back cover and disk. This is why I chose to maintain similar colours throughout the texts. I think this works well, as my digipak clearly fits together. I also used this colour scheme in the music video by using the tint effect.
The focus on Palmer also creates synergy; in both the digipak and the magazine advert I have used images of my artist. This will promote Palmer’s face and make her recognisable. Furthermore as the music video is performance-based there is also a focus on my artist’s image. This links the three products and creates synergy.
I have also decided to use a prop throughout to further link the products. This is the pink floral headpiece. I chose to use this in particular because it is very feminine, thus fitting her image perfectly. In addition, the flowers reflect Palmer’s name and so are very appropriate to promote her.

Magazine Advert Decisions

For the magazine advert I decided to increase the boldness of the text for the artist’s name in order for it to stand out more. As Photoshop does not have a bold button, I decided to duplicate the text and then place the copy slightly to the right of the original text. This made the text appear bolder while the doubled lines actually look quite stylish.
I also followed convention when mentioning the song name in the advert. This is usually done, as the song may be known by a wider audience, therefore attracting the attention of more people.
I also decided to add an average amount of detail. Some adverts include a lot of detail and end up crowded, and while sparse adverts may be effective for very popular artists, they are not usually for new artists. Therefore I think the end result works as it gives enough detail to be useful, while is it still visually appealing.

Digipak Decisions

My digipak cover was mostly inspired by Pixie Lott. Though my research I found that this cover appealed the most to the audience I am targeting. Therefore I similarly kept the cover fairly simplistic, with a close-up shot of the artist. I also used white text so that the words stand out.
I also used feedback to make a decision about my back cover, for which I couldn’t choose between several versions. This gave me an unbiased view of with border and text colour looked best. The image on the back fits conventions as it is a mid-shot. Albums tend to have a more distant image to reveal the artist’s costume and to add variety. I also had Palmer look back over her shoulder. This adds a sense of realism to the digipack, if you flip to the front, it is as though she has turned back; the images are spatially logical.
Because I was challenging conventions for the disk, I decided to compensate and make the disk simple by not adding text (only the record label logo). By developing this convention the disk is both unusual and elegant.

Music Video Decisions

I made the decision fairly early on in the music video process to create a performance-based video. My main inspiration for this came from Beyoncé. She is arguably the most successful current female pop artist, and she uses performance to present her image. This is evident in both new and classic videos, for example more recently in her 7/11 video. I thought this was a really appropriate format for an emerging artist, as audiences are less likely to have previously seen her; Palmer’s image needs to be reinforced.   

By using so many looks I wanted to give a vibe of a teenage girl trying on all her clothes, dancing around her bedroom and casually making a music video for the fun of it. This is completely targeted at Palmer’s fans; they enjoying fashion and so will enjoy the different outfits, and are teenage girls and will hence be able to relate. With a simple setting and exciting costumes, Palmer is not showing off her extravagant lifestyle but showing her fans that they too can become a pop artist.

I initially completely discarded the idea of using transitions in my music video as they can often look tasteless. However, when re­­-watching Ariana Grande’s Problem video, I really enjoyed the unique use of transitions. Therefore I thought about how I could incorporate these in my video. I decided that a circular transition would be effective in the middle of the rap as the school girl look is rather over the top and the transition is quite dreamlike. I also used dissolve transitions to allow the video to flow between shots, rather than looking stagnant and spasmodic. While this is quite unconventional in music videos, I think that it works for the style of video.
Another feature I was planning not to use was the tint. However, after lighting issues, I decided that by using a tint I could disguise unsightly shadows and highlights. I mostly used purple and pink shades in order to link to the colour scheme of the digipak and my artist’s image. I kept the tints on only 10% opacity for most of the video in order to achieve a subtle look. In the end I actually preferred this look as it made the video look more exciting and colourful.  

Conventions in my Magazine Advert

My magazine advert closely follows many conventions.
By using the same colour scheme and image from the photoshoot (and disk) I have created synergy between the products. This is conventional of all magazine adverts as it increases recognisability.

I was also inspired by Taylor Swirt’s Red magazine advert to also advertise a deluxe edition. I think this makes the advert a lot more professional. I also added my artist’s website and twitter handle to encourage fans to connect to Palmer via the internet. This appeals to her target audience and fans may feel more connected, especially on twitter where they could theoretically write to her through tweets or direct messages.
Magazine adverts usually use black for the text because it is clear and stands out from the background. By using white text I am developing the idea of distinct text and making it more feminine.

Conventions in my Digipak

For my digipak I have mostly stuck to pop conventions. This help my audience to identify the genre; if they did not previously know the artist they can predict her music genre.

For example, like most pop albums, my digipak featured four pictures of my artist. The cover photo is a close-up shot, which creates a sense of familiarity; you would never usually be that close to someone without knowing them well. Pop artists usually use many images of themselves to promote their image, but to also please fans (fans of pop artists are usually interested in the ‘whole-package’ rather than just the music). Therefore I have followed this convention.

The use of a colour scheme is also conventional. Throughout the digipak I have used this scheme in order to visually link the different aspects. The colour I used the most was pink, with my artist’s hair standing out due to being very unnatural. This is very iconic and recognisable, and so makes the digipak stand out.

Many pop digipak booklets feature images of the artist, for example Beyoncé’s 4 album. I developed this convention by editing the photo so that it became a mirror image. I think that this makes it look unique while also appropriate for a pop album.

With the disk I challenged what is conventional- usually the disk will be fairly simple, with only a bit of text. I instead used an image of my artist after gaining inspiration from Nicki Minaj. While Minaj’s image is considerably different to Palmer’s, I really liked the look of this and it spurred me to challenge the norm.

Conventions in my Music Video

My music video has met, challenged and developed different conventions for pop videos.

During my research I found that it was very conventional for pop artists, especially those who are female, to create performance based videos. I think this is because pop music puts a lot of focus on female image, and so artists can present this through videos. My video is entirely performance based in order to reinforce Palmer’s image in her audience’s minds. I challenged conventions slightly by not sexualising my artist. The majority of performance-based videos feature female artists wearing provocative clothing and/or behaving accordingly. I didn’t think that this fits my artist as she is fairly young and a role model to young girls.

 

As many female pop artists wear a variety of costumes in their music videos, I decided to develop this convention and use about 15 different costumes. Very few music videos are like this, however Britney Spears’ Toxic and Avril Lavigne’s Girlfriend use numerous costumes for a humorous effect. Katy Perry also uses costumes to create an eccentric character in Last Friday Night. By using copious costumes this video appeals to teenage girls with an interest in fashion and shopping. It also makes the video light-hearted and entertaining.

I have challenged convention in keeping the video in one setting. This is unusual (however not unheard of) to use without a dance routine, like Beyoncé’s Single Ladies. I decided to do this because it keeps the focus on the outfits (and thus my artist), which is the main feature of the video.

Final Music Video: Shake It Off

As the file size is too large for blogger, here is a link to my music video on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqaVPfn20bk

Completed Magazine Advert

Completed Disk

Completed Booklet Image

Completed Back Cover

Completed Cover

Finished Digipak