Director's Commentry

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

Media technologies have become very widely available, so that anyone can use them. This has helped in the creation of my video massively, because i have been able to assess so many different media technologies.

I have used so many media technologies in creating my music video it is hard to know where to start. At the begining seems a logical place:

• I started off by creating this blog (1), and on here i created a poll (2) to see what conventions people like to see in a music video.
• I this went on to create a vox pop, to find out personal points of veiw on music videos. For this I used a hand held mic (3), and edited it together on windows movie maker (4) to put visual quotes with it.
• While trying to get copright to use a song i emailed (5) artists and conected with them over myspace (6).
• I also scanned in my story board and analised lyrics using a scanner (7), to display them on my blog.
• Looking at music videos on YouTube (8) and Yahoo Music (9), gave me inspiration to then use in my own video.
• Carrying on with the project into the planning stage, I took photographs with a digital camera (10) of posible locations.
• Then when i started filming i used a small handheald digital camera (11), and edited it together on imovie (12).
• When i made my digipak i used microsoft picture it (13) and photoshop (14) to create the images i wanted.

So there you have it, I used 14 (plus what i have forgotten) media technologies in the creation of my music video. (:

This advance in technology is very important, without it I would have found it allot more difficult to create my project and wouldn't have ended in the way i wanted it. All the way through my project I have been using media technologies (I am now) and they are key to my project being successful.

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Audience feedback is very important for a few different reasons. Firstly it shows you how effective your text is. A music video is designed to advertise the band and to stick in peoples minds, from my research I have learnt that some of my images do stick in peoples minds, so i believe this has been successful. Secondly it help when creating a new text, as you have gained experience into what works, and what does not.

My audience feedback has given me allot of confidence to go out and do this again and again, and allow myself more freedom while doing it! It has shown that my on-the-spot creative ideas that i ended up using, are the most memorable images in my video, and are what stick in peoples minds the most. This is amazing to hear, it shows that it is the creativity that is more memorable, and it is not always something that comes from hours and hours of planning.

My audience feedback also showed me that allot of people find it hard to see outside of over used conventions like having a running STORY LINE and not simply a running THEME. Allot of people commented how they didn't understand how it linked together, and didn't see that there was a story, this is simply because THERE WASN'T! I quite liked this though, it shows they were put outside of there comfort zone slightly, and this leads to something that will stick in there mind if they like it or not! And its a memorable video that works not one that follows conventions!

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

I have chosen to give my media product a home-made feel, this in itself challenges forms and conventions of real media products. They want to look expensive with loads of effects and expensive sets, and i wanted to stay very far away from that and have something real.

I have also given it my own risky twist, in not showing any faces or anyone identity. This is an idea that would either have made it, or ruined it. I believe i have pulled it off very well, people are used to seeing people and images in everything, but i have created a video that never shows anyone. This way, it allows more people to connect with it, and give it there own meanings. It leaves it very free and open to interpretation.

I did however use some conventions of real media productions, I liked the idea of showing the band play the song. I just did it in a way that hasn't really been done before. Also, because i took ideas from Jeff Buckley music videos, although these themselves are challenging the norm, they are stick existing texts that i have taken inspiration from.

I have taken ideas from existing media texts, but overall i think i have been sucessful in creating something quite origional and unique.

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

For my overall project to be successful, my main and ancillary texts have to work well together. To do this there needs to be a visual link between them, this will make them feel like they belong together.

I have created a music video, digi-pak and an advertising poster for the song Everyone's lonely by Holly Lerski. I tried to keep the same feel that Jeff Buckley's videos have, keeping the home made feel. Also for people who are familiar with Jeff Buckley's work, i added in some intertextual links. There are a few shots, items in shots that link to his videos. I chose to do this because Holly's music is heavily influenced by Jeff Buckley.

I have tired to keep a link between my digi-pak and my music video. Keeping the feel of loneliness and also using certain images for certain reasons. I show a cat, which appears in my video, Also the person pictured is holding an umbrella to link with the images of rain drops pictured in my music video.

I think my music video fits the mood of the song very well, although it is just my interpretation of it. I believe that you can interpret what is in the video in many different ways, and it will have different meanings for everyone. This is helped by my choice to not show any faces, this has worked out allot better then i could have thought.

Evaluation

In the evaluation the following questions must be answered:

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
What have you learned from your audience feedback?
How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?


So, now i have finished my project, i need to evaluate it. To keep this blog from getting very dull and full of writing i am going to evaluate it more creatively. Stay tuned to see what crazy ideas i come up with, and be expecting a 'Directors Commentary' of the video.


Its been nice talking to you again, keep in touch. x

Final Digipak Design!

I have desided to keep the design basic, any more information people want to know, can be found out on the website. This simple design reflects the music video well.