Final Music Video

Final Digipak

Final Website

Click on the link below to visit Tyson Tyson's website:

https://taliablack16.wixsite.com/tysontysonmusic

Evaluation Task 4

How have I used digital technologies in the research, planning and creation of my products?

In order to create our artist through a cohesive package consisting of a music video, digipak and website, we had to use a range of digital technologies during our planning and research, as well as creating a series of promotional products. 

In order for us to develop the idea we had for our narrative and performance, we researched into music videos with similar narratives for inspiration. Using YouTube we watched music videos such as Eric Prydz ‘Call On Me’ and Ariana Grande’s ‘Side to Side’ as these videos involved gym or dance routines which included elements that we were looking to include in our music video. We took note on which routines we liked and also the ones we knew our actors would be able to replicate. We also focused on what the actors wore in these videos, and noticed that their costumes were mainly bright and vibrant colours which would fit in with the 80’s theme of our music video. We also noticed that common gym clothing in these videos included wristbands, headbands and leg warmers, so therefore this inspired us for the costumes of our actors in our music video. Furthermore, to illustrate the synthetic and mainstream star image of our DJ, we researched into the music videos of similar artists such as Chris Brown and Martin Garrix and took note of the close ups and medium shots that were used in order to demonstrate their image to the audience. We also looked at how strobe lighting was used in the performance element of these videos in order to connote the pop genre of these artists, which therefore influenced us to use this type of lighting in our music video to highlight the DJ status of our artist. 

During the research and planning of our product we used our mobile phones in order to interview our prospective audience to gain further insight into what they looked for in an artist. We interviewed our peers in our class as they fell into the demographic of our target audience which was 14-25 year olds. We asked them questions such as what sort of look they would find appealing on an artist to attract them to watch a video, and if they like the genre of music that our artist represents. From the feedback we received
we were therefore able to apply this to the development of our artist’s star image and his promotional products, so that we knew that our products would appeal to our target audience and that we were targeting the right demographic. 

We also researched into genre and star image by using the internet as a research tool to aid our development and understanding. We researched into media theorists such as Richard Dyer to get a better idea of how to effectively promote the star image of our artist in order to attract our target audience. We also used the internet to research conventions of pop videos so that we could apply this to our own music video. For example, we found out through our research that many pop videos focus on the star image of the artist such as what the artist is wearing. Furthermore, we noticed how pop videos also include many close ups of the artist in order to highlight their mainstream star image. From research into digipaks of pop artists, we found that the artist is generally not put on the front cover, as the artist is already well known so people would buy their album just by seeing their name on the front. We applied this convention to our digipak by not including an image of our artist on the front, however we did include an image of him on the inside cover as we felt that we still needed to promote his star image. From researching the pop genre, we found that it is most popular with younger people, therefore this reassured us that we were aiming our product at the correct demographic and enabled us to make our artist identify with his target audience. This research into genre and star image aided our developed as it helped us understand the conventions needed to create a cohesive package that would promote our artists star image. 

The use of the internet also helped me when looking at locations to aid my narrative ideas. From researching music videos of similar artists such as Calvin Harris, we noticed that during the scenes where he is DJing, the location tends to be in a nightclub with strobe lighting in order to create an energetic and party atmosphere. As we could not gain access to a nightclub, we decided to replicate this by using a room in someone’s house, dimming the lights and using a disco ball to create the strobe lighting effect that you would expect to see in nightclubs. Furthermore we also researched music videos that involved a gym setting, such as Eric Prydz’s ‘Call On Me’, and took note of how there were a lot of mirrors in the room and what gym equipment the actors were using. We therefore managed to hire out a gym similar to the one in the call on me video, as the gym we filmed in had 2 mirrored walls and had treadmills, rowing machines and weights. By using the internet to research locations we were therefore able to develop our narrative ideas in order to fit the genre of our artists music. 

We also used technology by using our phones to create an animatic which enabled us to visually see the order of our scenes and what shots we should take. We created our animatic by drawing out each scene onto a piece of paper, placing them in order onto an A3 sheet of paper and then writing a short description of what was happening in the picture underneath. We then filmed the scenes that were on the A3 sheet of paper and added the music of our song which we found on the internet. We then filmed each shot according to the duration of time that was stated on the sheet. This enabled us to visually see if the music and our shots worked well together and if they were long enough in order to fill the duration of the song. From filming our animatic we decided to include more scenes of the DJ to enhance the performance element of our music video by focusing more on the artist rather than the narrative. Without filming our animatic we wouldn’t have been able to visually see the narrative of our video and therefore wouldn’t be able to see if our idea for our narrative worked well with our song. This was more advanced than AS because at AS we didn’t create an animatic and instead relied on a shot by shot guide which didn’t give any information on the narrative of our film, therefore we didn’t know if the shots to our narrative worked well until after we had filmed our thriller. 

Our filming this year was more advanced than last year as our camerawork skills this year demonstrated the way we had improved as we weren’t matching generic conventions and had more choice over the way we represented our artist. We used 2 adaptable lenses rather than last year when it was one fixed lens as this enabled us to make sure that the close ups were in high definition so we could focus on the artist. The 50mm close ups were effective for selling the artists star image of a synthetic DJ, whereas the 18mm lens for the wide shots enabled us to focus on the narrative of our music video by showing the girls working out in the gym. In addition we also used whip pans which we couldn’t master last year which enabled us to match the energy of the song with the vibrancy of the fast paced movement of the camera.

Our music video required more advanced editing skills than at AS and enabled us to use after effects as well as demonstrate how our skills progressed in Premiere Pro. As we had more footage and were creating an artist’s image from scratch, we had more freedom and therefore used discontinuity editing to cut from the performance and narrative element frequently whilst ensuring that our song was cut to the beat. We cut from the performance to the narrative by using quick cuts in order to match the fast pace of the song and adhere to the conventions of dance music videos. Our skills had developed as we used after effects by using chroma key to enhance the authenticity of our video and colour correcting to make sure our video matched the colour palette of 1980’s TV shows. As some of our footage included medium shots we used the motion tools to scale the image into a close-up so instead of zooming in we were blowing up the image to make the close-up sell our artists authenticity during his performance. 

We gathered audience feedback on our products by using online tools in order to create a survey monkey questionnaire which helped us make changes in post-production. We composed several questions and sent them to a number of our target audience members to see what they thought about our products. This enabled us to gather a wider variety of qualitative data that we could analyse in order to improve our products. Once all of our audience members had responded to the questionnaire, we analysed the data and were then able to apply the responses to our products in order to increase their appeal to our target audience. 

My further research into similar digipaks also enabled me to develop my understanding of how to manipulate images and create a digipak. We used the editing programme photoshop in order to create the images to use on our digipak as well as researching digipaks of similar artists so that we conformed to the conventions of pop digipaks. One of the digipaks which we looked at was Avicii’s album ‘The Nights’, where we were able to see that a common feature of pop/dance digipaks was that the artist was not featured on the front cover. Instead, the front cover of the album consisted of the title of the album in the middle centre, an image of people dancing in background and the artists name in small letters at the bottom of the image. This influenced our idea for our digipak as we wanted our artist’s digipak to apply to the conventions of the pop/dance genre so that he would appeal to his target audience. 

In contrast to last year, we had to create a website for our artist in order to help sell their star image and their products. In order for us to understand what content to include for our website, we researched into the websites of similar artists such as Chris Brown. We noticed from this research that these websites included a homepage that advertised notices such as his new music video and album which appeared consecutively across the page. We also noticed that these websites included bookmarks for merchandise, tour dates, an about page and contact information so that fans can easily navigate the website and find the information they’re looking for. We applied this to our website by using the website creating page ‘Wix’ where we were able to develop new skills and have a better understanding of how a star’s image is emphasised on their website. 

We also had to make sure that our website included other online technologies such as Facebook, Twitter, Spotify and YouTube. We created links to our artists profile on these online media sites so that our artist’s audience can easily access these pages directly from his website. By linking these pages we were also able to spread the message of our artist to a wider audience through the use of the internet.

Evaluation Task 3

Audience feedback on our music video 

The feedback we received from our target audience about our music video was mainly positive, as our audience really liked our 1980's colour scheme and filter that we used as it made our music video more eye catching. Our audience also enjoyed the narrative of our music video as they thought it was creative and very original. They also commented on the DJ in our music video, stating how his star image of a synthetic pop/dance artist was clearly demonstrated through the close ups we used in our video. 

However we also received a few criticisms of our music video. Some people thought that we had not included enough shots of our artist and that we had focused more on the narrative than the performance of our music video. Other members of our audience also thought that we could improve on the lighting in our music video as it was a bit too dark in some of the shots of the DJ. We were also told by several members of our audience that our shots were too repetitive and that it gave the impression that we had run out of footage and that we were dragging it out in order to increase the length of our music video. 

Overall the feedback we received was very constructive and would therefore help us meet the expectations of our target audience in order to sell our product to them. 

Audience feedback on our digipak 

The feedback we received from our target audience regarding our digipak was mainly positive, as our audience commented on how they liked the colour contrast of the red and black as they thought it stood out and that the design highlighted the pop/ dance genre of our artist's music, which was what we intended. They also commented on the picture of our artist from the inside cover, and how they thought this picture really illustrated the synthetic nature of our artist and emphasised his DJ status. Our audience also thought that we demonstrated continuity throughout our digipak by using the same colours. 

However, we received one criticism of our digipak which was that the writing on the front cover was not directly in the centre of the cover, which our audience found annoying to look at. 

Overall we are very happy with the feedback we received on our digipak as it demonstrates how we have successfully created a product that appeals to our target audience and illustrates the synthetic star image of our artist. 

Audience feedback on our website

The feedback we received from our target audience regarding our website was mainly positive, as our audience found our website easy to use as the bookmarks at the top of the page made it easy to navigate in order to find the information our audience were looking for. Our audience also liked the colour scheme and layout of our website, as they thought the bright colours helped to highlight the pop/ dance genre of our artist. They also stated how they found that our website was very informative as it included all the information our audience were looking for. 

However, we did receive one criticism about our website, which was that our website doesn't include a link to our music video. Our audience felt that if we included this then it would help the audience see who the artist is that we are trying to sell. 

Overall we felt that the audience feedback we were given about our website was mainly positive, and that we had successfully matched the design and layout of our website to the genre of our artist, therefore illustrating his star image. 

Feedback from our survey monkey questionnaire

The constructive feedback that we received from our survey monkey questionnaire enabled us to gain an insight into what our target audience liked and disliked about our music video and what their opinions were of our artist's star image. This feedback also enabled us to make changes to our music video in order to appeal more to our audience. 

Focus group feedback on our music video

Evaluation Task 2

Evaluation Task 1

Codes and Conventions 

Music Video

Digipak 

Website

Performance element of our music video

In our music video we focused on our artist Tyson Tyson and illustrated his star image through his DJing. This was the performance element of our video, which helped us sell our artist to his target audience. 


We used quick cuts to cut from the narrative to the performance element of our music video in order to merge the two scenes together so that our music video flowed well. We showed how talented our artist is through the close ups of Tyson Tyson operating the DJ decks which enhances his synthetic DJ star image. The strobe lighting in the DJ scenes also add to the performance of our music video as they create the impression that Tyson Tyson is performing in a nightclub which relates to the genre of the music that he is playing. 

The performance element of our music video was influenced by other well known DJ's such as Martin Garrix and Calvin Harris who DJ in front of crowds of people worldwide. In our music video we aimed to show off Tyson Tyson's create talents in order for people to watch and share his music across social media platforms. 

Similar digipaks to ours

Magazine cover of our artist

For artists to connect with their fans, they need to be promoted on the front cover of magazines so that they can access their target audience and advertise their star image in order to attract their audience. 

We looked at several pop magazines to help us design this front cover for our artist:

We chose these images of our artist as they give a clear image to the audience of what he looks like. He looks very sexy and attractive which is a feature of the star image of pop artists which we demonstrated in these images. We chose the larger photo of him to be positioned bigger than the other photos as it shows his synthetic image the most out of the other two photos which will attract a pop fan to wanting to read this magazine. This image also shows him being an urban dance performer who is hi-nrg. The quote underneath the photo ‘I express my feelings through DJing it changed my life to express my emotions’ can help fans connect as they may be able to relate to him. 

Timeline of our music video

Costumes in relation to genre, target audience, star image and synthetic image

Iconography of album cover

Our perfect audience member

The Facebook profile above is an example of what our perfect audience member would look like. From the information shown in her Facebook profile, we can see that Sailor is 18 years old and would therefore be an ideal audience member as she falls within the age range of our target audience of 14-25 year olds. Based on her likes we can also see that she listens to artists who's music is of the same genre as our artist Tyson Tyson, so therefore she would be interested in his music as these artists are all very similar to ours. Lastly, we can gather from Sailor's profile that she enjoys attending concerts, therefore Sailor would be a perfect audience member as she likes to support her favourite artists. 

How we were influenced by different lighting designs for films and other music videos

Rehearsals

For the rehearsals we were quite time limited and as we had 6 people in our video it was very hard to get everyone together on the same days because people had other things to do which we had to aware of as they were doing us a favour.

This being said all the producers and the three girls went to Pure gym in Edgware to practice what they will be doing e.g going on the machines and following what the gym instructor tells them to do.

We made them do this just so they got a feel for the real thing, the level of profession they will be working with and the sort of equipment they will be using.

Tyson on the other hand is a professional DJ and already knows this sort of industry and therefore doesn't need much rehearsing as the only time we need him is when he's by himself, so with no interactions with anybody or doing anything too advanced we decided it wasn't necessary to do a rehearsal with Tyson.

Analysis of editing

Learning how to use after effects and colour correct

Adobe after effects is an important programme used when editing. Therefore we had to learn how to use adobe after effects in order to enhance our music video to make it look as professional as possible.

Below is a video I watched that taught me some effects to use in my music video:

Once I had watched this video I added my footage onto adobe after effects and tried out some of the tips from the video to see how I could make my work better. However I wanted to make my video look as professional as possible so I watched another video to enhance my video even more.

Below is the other video I watched: 

We also had to learn how to colour correct in order to make our music video more effective. Colour correcting is a very important part of editing. It ensures that each shot from the same scene looks consistent and gives you control over the final look of your production as well as adding to the production value with little cost or labor. 

Because colour correcting was something new to me I watched different videos on how to use colour correcting in order to enhance my video. I also read steps online on how to colour correct which helped me a lot. 

Below is a video that I watched on how to colour correct: 

These videos on how to use after effects and colour correct contributed to the development of our editing skills and enabled us to add more technical elements to our music video. 

Breakdown of development of our artists website and conception

Development of website

When creating our website we had to make many drafts as we had to decide where to place different images or bookmarks on our website to make it look as professional as possible. 

Below are 2 drafts that we made which were screen recorded to show the website clearer.

DRAFT 1: 

We received feedback from our class on what they thought needed improving or what they liked about the first draft of our website. From the feedback we received, they said that we needed to add some more tour dates and locations to the tour section of our website, and to update some of the images to more recent and relevant ones such as the album cover on the music playlist. As well as this, it was also evident from the feedback that we received that we needed to link our music video to the button on our website.

With the feedback we received from our first draft, we were then able to apply these changes to our website in order to create draft 2. 

DRAFT 2: 

Research into merchandise by similar artists

How we created the website