Evaluation

1) How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
Before making our products it was important for us to research the codes and conventions of our chosen genre, indie pop. To do this and create our video it was importance for us to use a variety of new media technologies. To find artist to decode we used Wikipedia to find a more insightful definition of the genre and also artists that represent it. After picking out 5 artist to research individually I used artist wedsites such as http://thedrums.com/ and http://www.lilyallenmusic.com/lily/ along with Google Images to find covers for fitting Indie Pop artists such as Kate Nash and Two Door Cinema Club album covers and posters. I also used YouTube to find music videos such as Kate Nash, Foundations and Marina and the Diamonds Hollywood, successful Indie Pop songs and artists, to textually analys along with using blogger.com to present all my research.
We then focused on researching our target audience by creating a Word processed questionnaire and collecting our results to create pie and bar charts on Excel. This allowed us to create an audience profile to target our products at.
We once again looked at a further definition of the indie pop genre focusing on the codes and conventions found in indie pop videos, cd covers and album adverts along with representation, lighting and narrative within the indie pop genre with the use of theorists such as Denis McQuail. To find out all this information we used the help of blogger.com to reference our previous research and Google to help develop our knowledge even further.
After compiling all this research we used iMovie to create a Indie Pop Documentary along with using YouTube to find clips and then used a website called www.zamzars.com to convert them into downloadable files. We also Google Images to find images to import into the video and help with our expiation and discussants of textual analysis of our target audience, genre and mise en scene of videos, posters and cd covers. As a introduction to our video we used a stop motion motif. To create this we decided as a group how we wanted the opening credits to look and appear and then Vicky, who has perviously created stop motion products, used a SLR camera to capture different shoots of the letters appearing. With the use of Window Movie Maker she turned the images into a video, controlling the amount of time each image was on screen for so that the individual images flowed together. We then imported the video into iMovie, incorporate it into the video. 

Once we had picked our genre, target audience and decoding previous products we looked into the music industry and record labels. We used Wikipedia to find out the differences and history of major and minor institutions helping us make a decision on our own record label. Once deciding the our artist would be part of the Universal Music Group, subdivision Universal Music UK, Island Records we used the official website http://www.islandrecords.co.uk/ to research the history and the kind of promotion our artist would be exposed to. I once again used Google Images to help demonstrate how Island Records would aid our artist with its Vevo and YouTube channel along with showcasing other artists sighed to this record label.
Once we had finished our research we started planning our products. We created an artist profile with the help of pervious research to create a Indie Pop artist that was relatable to our target audience. We then used http://www.unsigned.com/ to find a solo female artist of the Indie Pop genre. When we found our song we downloaded an app called SoundMac to save the song to our computer so when we needed to we could import the song into iMovie to assit our video. However before we could create a video we had to think up a synopsis for the video thinking if we were going to follow or challenge the traditional narrative and genetic devises and how we would engage our audience.
To get a further profile of artist we created a mood bord so we knew what type of style she and our products would have. We used http://www.polyvore.com/ to create the mood bord as it allowed us to browse many fashion websites, creating a perfect Indie Pop style.
To create a storybord and script for our video we used a software called Celtex to create professional documents. Our script took time as we had to thinking about the timing of the song and write in what shot we wanted at that time of the song. For our storybord we took pictures to represent the camera shoot we wanted in our video. We then imported the images into Celtex and added captions of the camera movement/shot and timing so that when filming and editing our video we could make sure everything was to the right timing and the correct shots would be where they should be.

After reviewing our video as a group we decided that the song itself was very up tempo compared to our video and that we wanted our artist to seem strong so we annotated the scripts and scanned them back into our blogs to ensure that they were up to date.
After our scripts were finished we started to create our video. We used a video recorder camera to film all our scenes to the highest quality and once again used the stop motion processe incorporating them into our video where we planned to use them.

To create our music video we imported all our filmed clips into iMovie so we could edit our video together efficiently, cutting scenes together and removing any background sound. We also imported our pre-recorded song into iMovie applying it to the background of our video, making sure all the clips were in sync with the music so that the video looked professional. Before finishing our video we made sure we got audience feed back to make sure our target audience could relate to the video. Overall our feedback was positive and we did not need to rework our video as we felt that it was to a high quality and were happy with the final product. We uploaded our video to YouTube so that was could showcase it on our blog.

We then moved on to looking at our digipak and poster. We first went back to our orignal research through the aid of our blog and drew up some rough templates of original designs and used dafont.com to pick out fonts to use on our products. After we used a SLR camera to take pictures of our artist for the covers and inlay. With the help of PhotoShop we edited the images and added the text to create a professional digipak and poster that reflected our genre.
For my evaluation I have used blogger.com to present the information as it allows me to incorporate images and videos into the presentation, making my evaluation more understandable as I am able to showcase my pervious work.


2) In what ways do your media products use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
We researched our genre in great depth so when creating our products we had a full understanding of the codes and conventions of the Indie Pop genre. This helped use create products and an artist that would reflect the genre clearly. Not only this but we studied the ways in which theorists such as McQuai and Firth stated music videos conform to certain patterns. 
We originally analysed other music videos by Kate Nash, Florence and the Machine and Marine and the Diamonds as they fit into the solo female Indie Pop genre we wanted to replicate. We looked at generic devises such as  camera shots, mis en scene and narrative. We discovered that the low angle shots connote strong and powerful solo artists showing there independence. However our song lyrics did not fit into this conventions so we did not include them, although we did not include high angle shots either as we didn't want our artist to be portrayed as weak. Instead we featured point of view shots as this helps the artist become relatable and engage with the audience as well as being a convention of Indie Pop music videos. An example of this is in Marine and the Diamonds video Hollywood, the fact the artist is alone and singing directly into the camera in the center of the frame means a connection with the artist and the audience is made. We used this set up so that our artist could create the same effect.

We also found a high use of mid shots, close ups, zoom outs, pans, straight cuts and hand held camera movement. We included all of this in our video as they allow the artist to be more well know to the audience presenting them with setting and eye contact, adding focus to our artist. We also decided to use straight cuts to create verisimilitude to our video. By doing this we are conforming to our genres conventions. Dennis McQuail stated “the genre may be considered as a practical device for helping any mass medium to produce consistently and efficiently and to relate its production to the expectations of its customers.” By conforming to the conventions we can hopefully reach out to a mass medium as one of our main objectives is to make money and reflect the Indie Pop genre. 

Props are an important part of the Indie Pop genre as they give a quirky feel to the artist. Kate Nash's video Foundations uses many props including toothbrushes, socks and watches to reflect the song lyrics and the couples relationship problems.  

In our own products we used this convention of quirky props to present lyrics and characters and used a bear motif to represent the artist's old and new love interests. By doing this we present a quirky feel and create curiosity around the artist. We also kept the theme of the bear within all our products so that it was clear that they linked together and that our artist was being represented on all the products we created.

Not only this but the stop motion processed is used in the Kate Nash video with the same props to create an unusual feel to the artist and video. As we wanted our artist to replicate this feel and style with our own artist we incorporated stop motion motifs into our music video to represent the artists relationship problems in a less serious or sad manner keeping her focused as a strong, independent female.

Typical costumes used for female solo artists of the Indie Pop genre tend to be vintage and quirky with a youthful feel. This keeps in theme with the props and setting. Our artist is showcased wearing a floral playsuit showing she is feminine with the frills and bows. The outfit also has a vintage feel and the artist is wearing lots of jewelry including friendship bracelets and festival wristbands showing she is youthful and her passion for alternative music. Our target audience are of a young age were fashion and music reflects who they are so it is important for our artist to have a relatable look that fits into the genre.

Most Indie Pop videos include a narrative of some kind that relates to lyrics, however they tend to have a quirky twist to them. They don't tend to follow Todorvo's theory of narrative and if they do the order is offend mixed up or the video is left open ended with no reinstatement of equilibrium at the end of the video. For our video we also used this convention. We followed Todorvo's theory to some extent however we opened the video with a disruption instead of equilibrium. This meant the video was telling a story that reflected the lyrics of the song and our artist seemed more personal allowing the audience to relate to her straight away as we decided to use the problem of romance in the video. Our video consists of performance and narrative making the story of the lyrics clear and relatable. These types of videos are very popular and with the codes and conventions we have used we have created a video they we consider to be memorable and become popular. We also left the ending of the video open with our artist having a conversation with a new character keeping the audience interest in the artist and song. 

The stock settings within the music videos we research tend to consist of bedrooms. We also used this in our video as for our target audience, young females, bedrooms are an important part of expressing themselves with pictures and colours. In our video it helped demonstrate the bordem and isolation of the artist along with showcasing more personal objects. We also used the outdoors as this again is a relatable setting and the playground showcases again the isolation along with reminding the audience that our artist is young and quirky.

Stock characters tend to include the female artist alone with an illusive love interest. This creates the enigma of a strong female artist and keeps the a mystery to the video. Kate Nash's video does include a male lead however he is not clearly presented and the audience have no connection with him. In our video the main character is the artist herself as the audience hear her lyrics and her story. The old love interest is seen as a villain when the lyrics are heard along with a pan of photos showcasing the relationship falling apart. 

This again allows a connection with the audience as it is clear the singer is the victim in the relationship. We did not include anyone else in the video apart from the new love interest to showcase that the artist is completely alone and independent.

For our digipak and poster we used our research and pervious questionnaire to find out the codes and conventions along with what the audience expectes to see. 

Our digipak research showed us that the audience expect to see the artist/band, a patterned background and an unusual image. They also like to see a simple cover so that the artist/band is clearly seen. The unusual image creates a mystery around the artist/band that audiences want to decode. The unusual image may also be a motif used to represent the artist/band in some manner. 

The inlay of an Indie Pop cd tend to follow a theme throughout. An example of the is the Kate Nash album Made of Bricks. The outside is of a play house and throughout the inlay there are images of Kate within the rooms of the house, this keeps a theme and relates to the made of the album whilst also look quirky.

Font styles are usually handwritten and feminine with a simple colours. The albums also have unusual quirky names that reflect the theme of the album and the artists songs making them more relatable to the audience. The audience also expect to see this along with keeping the same fonts and image throughout the products so that they link together making the artist clear.

For our dgigpak we conformed to the idea of having a theme throughout the album. We picked Autumn as we felt this could reflect the artists change in her life, shifting form childhood to adulthood. To make the audience were clear about the artist we have kept the motif of the bear on the cover and inlay. This once again enforces her change, making the artist more personal but carries out a quirky feel. 

The artist herself is dressed in everyday clothes to help show she is relatable and showcase her vintage style. The fonts are simple keeping the artist the main focal point along with the simple black and white colour scheme of the font and background. 

The back cover includes the unusual image of a single leaf so that the theme of autumn is carried throughout. The audience expected to see the same font on the back and front cover and we decided to stick to this preference as the font was simple and kept the theme simple but effective.

When researching Indie Pop album posters we discovered that they tend to include either an image of the artist/band, and unusual image or the same image that is featured on the cd cover. When using an unusual image it tends to relate to the artist/band and creates an anticipation to what the artist is going to sound like. They also include extra information including band websites, pervious hits and star ratings. All these factors persuade the audience to buy the album if they have heard pervious songs or that artist/band has been rated by a well established individual or music magazine. 

For our own poster we wanted to create anticipation to the artist so we decided to use an image of a leaf as this is also featured on our digipak and relates to the name of the album whilst keeping a theme throughout the products. We also used simple colours and fonts to achieve this.

We also included star ratings by NME magazine as it features alternative music simpler to our own. The use of a pervious hit reminds the audience of the artists pervious work and helps promote her to the target audience.

3)How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
Before we constructed any of our products we made sure to look into the needs and exceptions of our target audience as we are aiming to sell to them and want to make our products appeal to them. We decided that our target audience is females aged 16-22.
To find out what the audience exceptions were we decoded Indie Pop videos by looking at the images, mise en scene, editing, lighting, copy and target audience. We discovered that the codes and conventions within the videos included vintage clothing, quirky props, point of view shots, straight cuts and natural lighting. 
The audience also expected to see these conventions as they expressed through our questionnaire saying they mostly connect with the artist through eye contact and setting. We included both eye contact with point of view shots and relatable settings such as a bedroom and park within our video.

The audience also said they preferred to see an Indie Pop band instead of an artist however the results were very close so as a group we decided to use a solo female artist as we could create an artist that relates to our target audience. The audience also stated that they like to see the artist in the video along with a setting and narrative that relate to the lyrics of the song. Our video covers all of these factors as our video tells a story that relates to the lyrics through the use of setting and characters. 

They also said they prefer Indie Pop artists costume to be unusual and old fashioned instead of something they would wear themselves. This convention is clear with the video for Kate Nash's Foundations and the Marine and the Diamonds video Hollywood. Both artist have on vintage, one off pieces that reflect there music. 

We carried this exception into our own products giving our artist vintage, feminine clothing such as a floral playsuit with friendship bracelets.

When looking at the digipak exceptions they stated they wanted to see the artist/band on the front cover along with a handwritten font. They also said they would prefer the album name to be simple however the results were the results were very close giving us the option to use either simple, unusual or the artists/bands name. When researching we found that most artists use a theme throughout their digipak and use unusual images of themselves or motifs along with simple fonts and dark colours. 

For our digipak we decided to include the artist and a motif of a bear as this would remind the audience of the artist and make her relatable due to her clothing and eye contact. We also included handwritten fonts and the simple name "Autumn"along with a simple colour scheme of black and white for the font and background. 

For the inlay the audience expect to see an usual image that relates to the album name. We included a picture of the artist with a autumn coloured pattern and the image of leaves along with the motif of the bear keeping a theme throughout the album. 

 They also expect to see the same font on the back of the digipak as they do on the front. They also like to see an image that relates to the artist/band. We included both of these factors on our back cover, using the image of a leaf to keep a theme throughout the album and have an image that relates to the alum name.

The audience also prefer to see the same image on the Indie Pop cd cover as on the poster. Artists such as The Drums and Two Door Cinema Club use this set up to promote there albums.

We however decided to use an unusual image of an autumn leaf on our poster to create an intrest around our artist whilst keeping to the autumn theme of the album. We also used the same style of handwritten font and colours on our poster that we used on our digipak as this is what the audience wanted to see. We also included star ratings from magazines, the artists website and release date on the poster. We didn't however include tour dates as we didn't feel it was necessary and wanted to keep the focus on the album release.

All our products work towards giving our artist an Indie Pop feel to her and the products by using the typical codes and conventions whilst working towards the audiences exceptions and creating an intrest around the artist to promote her in all ways possible, selling our album due to the repeated image on the poster and album back cover and the motif of the bear throughout our products helping represent our artist and create a brand whilst also making sure all products help with sales of the album.


4) What have you learned from your audience feedback?


When creating our products we found asking for audience feedback was one of the most useful ways to find out areas we needed to improve on. The majority of the feedback we received was postive and told us if there was any areas that were unclear to the audience.
Audience members said that the props and coustumes used in our video fit well into the genre as showing the artist to be independent and part of the Indie Pop genre. As a group we agree with this comment as props are a stereotypical feature in Indie videos. Other views picked up on the use of having a bear motif to represent 'Jamie' to be quirky. Again this is what we wanted to achieve by using this motif so we're pleased with the comment. Another member commented on the use of stop motion and how it fitted into the gerne. We decided to stop motion as it was a key convention of the Indie Pop genre and this was clearly presented to the audience. A negative comment we received was that the clip of the artist tapping her fingers along a wall was too long. As a group we had noticed this element however the clip keeps in time with the tempo of the song and allows the video to run smoothy without the next clip being abrupt and out of time.

The feedback for our digipak was again very positive. The audience picked up on the simple fonts being effective and that the theme throughout was very stylised and fit in well with our genre along with keeping an iconography of autumn throughout the pak through the use of colours, images and album name. Other members picked up on the fact the artist was representing youth through the use of costume, props, bear and friendship bracelets. We wanted to include these elements as we wanted our artist to be relatable to a young target audience but also show a more personal side to her.
A negative comment most of the audience picked up on was the fact on the inlay there is a noticeable line where the image has been extended. We also noticed this as a group and it was an error on our behalf as we did not take the image in the right position however we edited the image as best as we could to hide this but we felt it this small error did not take away from the quality of the pak altogether.

The last set of feedback we received was based on our poster. The first thing many of the audience picked up on was the use of the image of a leaf to represent the artist and album name on the poster saying this created interest and was very quirky. We used this motif as not only is it a popular trend in the Inide Pop genre but we wanted to create an intrest around our artist and we were pleased that the audience found this effective. Some audience members felt that if an image of the artist was used it would make them more relatable however we did not change our poster as we felt that with the poster creating an enigma would be more effective.