How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary tasks?
In all three media products (Digipak, album advert and music video) there has been a brand identity that links all my products together.
I thought long and hard about how I was going to link all three media products together as I had totally different ideas for each media product. However I decided to link my media products together by the colour scheme I would be using and this would be my brand identity. I decided I wanted a black and white theme, as I felt that this would be most appropriate music genre – acoustic folk. To keep to my brand identity I made sure that the three media products were black and white. Though my entire music video the scenes of footage were all in black and white; I used an effect on the premier elements program to do this. I felt that this gave the music video a calm and relaxing effect which would fit in with the genre of music. My ancillary tasks had there brand identity too, I made sure I used the same colour scheme. On the album advert I constructed it to have a white background white black text on it. The images on the album advert were also greyscale adding to the brand identity effect. On my Digipak I had constructed it to have a black background with white text and the images were also greyscale – used the greyscale effect on all images as I wanted all my media products to link together. I made sure that my target audience would have a clear understanding that these media products are all linked together.
I have used the same front style thought out my ancillary tasks this made the ancillary tasks link together because of using the same text style thought out the ancillary tasks. I used this front because it was bold and stood out on the ancillary tasks; this would attract the target audience to read the text on the ancillary tasks and it would be clear and readable for them to read easily.
Overall it was quite easy to create links within my media products so that the target audience of my media products would be able to recognise that all these media products link together. If I was to improve I would properly think of more ways that I could link my three media products together by making certain aspects of the three media products the same.
How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
I believe that my knowledge of the technologies used to create my media products (Digipak, abum advert and muc video) has improved considerably since the production of my preliminary task. This is because now, I know a lot more about how to use the programmes I used, such as Photoshop elements, Premier elements, movie maker,Flickr, Prezi, google, youtube, ZAMZAR, video camera, flip camera, stills camera, Slideshareand many others; this meant that I was able to add a lot more in because I knew how to use the tools which created different effects.
I used Microsoft word as a way of writing up my portfolio work, which I then put onto my blog; this helped me have less spelling and punctuation errors on my blog pages because Microsoft word can detect these errors; then if errors are found, I can change these errors and correct them. I found that Microsoft word was an easy program to use and also the tools that the program helped me make the presentation of my portfolio better.
I used movie maker to produce my preliminary task and my rough cut. I found that this program was easy to use and it was pretty easy to learn the basics from Youtube videos. The program was good as I was able to use the different tools and effects to make the end outcome of the music video better. The end outcome is good when using this program. We used this program to gain some experience on how to edit footage properly, this would help us when making the final music video.
I used Premier elements to produce my final music video. I used the programs transitions and effects to make my music video more professional looking to my target audience. I thought Premier elements was a much hard program to use than what we previously used to product out preliminary task video and rough cut video with. However, I used Youtube and the internet ‘how to work’ tool to help me teach myself on how to use the program to the best of its ability. I found that this program got easier to use when you learn all the basics, its sort of trial and error when you first get started. However the end outcome is good. Even though I had already gained some experience when editing from movie maker, I was able to gain a lot more from this program and I was able to gain experience when using the different transitions and effects the programs offers.
I used flickr when I was showing you some research analysis in my blog work; I have already had experience using flickr when I doing my AS portfolio blog work so I already knew how to use it. Flickr is a great program to show notes or annotations of you work.
YouTube is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos. I used Youtube during the research of my portfolio when researching into music videos. I also used it when teaching myself how to use different software programs that I didn’t know who to use – it teaches the basics of how to use the program. I also used Youtube when I uploaded my music video onto it; this is a way of getting feedback on my work and lets others view my work. Youtube is very easy to used, no need to learn how to use it.
I used ZAMZAR when getting my soundtrack for my music video. I used ZAMZAR because it is a quick and easy method of dong this. You click what soundtrack you need and its sends you a link to you email so you can download the track, it’s totally safe and legal. Then the soundtrack will be placed into your work area for use.
I used Slideshare when showing work on my portfolio. Slideshare is the world's largest community for sharing presentations. With 60 million monthly visitors and 130 million page views, it is amongst the most visited 200 websites in the world. Besides presentations, Slideshare also supports documents, PDFs and videos. I have already had experience using slideshare when I doing my AS portfolio blog work so I already knew how to use it. Slideshare is a great way to present your work to the world.
I used prezi as a way of displaying evidence on my blog. I have already had experience using s prezi when I doing my AS portfolio blog work so I already knew how to use it. Prezi is a great way to present your work to the world in a different way.
I used a flip camera I used the flip camera to film extra footage I needed for my music video. I found this equipment quite simple to use.
I used a video camera used a video camera to film some parts of my evidence of research for my portfolio and also I used the video camera to film footage I needed for my music video. I found this equipment quite simple to use.
I used Google as a resource for researching about my media products. I found Google very easy to use and it’s a great way to find out information of any kind. Without Google some of the technologies I have used I.e. Youtube, ZAMZAR, prezi and slideshare wouldn’t be able to work.
Photoshop elements was the program I used to create my Digipak and magazine album advert. I also used Photoshop elements to edit my photographs that were taken from my photoshoot which would be going on to my Digipak and album advert. This program gave me the opportunity to manipulate photographs i.e. using the effects tools on the program to manipulate the image to look professional looking like the images that real Digipak and album adverts. Other tools on the program helped me set out a structured layout to my magazine Digipak and album advert, making them look appealing to the target audience.
I used a tripod (A tripod is a three legged stand which a camera sits on so it can be very still and stay in the same place while filming footage or taking photographs; it steadies the video camera or stills camera producing a focused shot ) in the photoshoot and when filming my clips for my music; I used the tripod because It helped me get great footage when I was filming because the footage wasn’t shaken, this made the footage look a lot better overall and the photographs I took in the photoshoot look focused .. Using a tripod helped me take photographs that looked professional, for my magazine pages.
I used a stills camera in my photoshoot to take photographs with, for my Digipak and music magazine album advert. I planned the photographs that I was going to take in my photoshoot in a shot plan. The shot plan gave me idea of what my still images would look like once taken in the photoshoot; these meant that I was able to make any changes to the shot plan before the photoshoot to make the photographs appropriate for my genre of music video (acoustic folk). The stills camera helped me take focused photographs; this made the overall appearance of the Digipak and album advert look professional and attractive to the target audience.
I used a computer for different reasons in most of my portfolio work. I used the computer so I could create my Digipak, music video, album advert and portfolio, by using computer programs like Photoshop and premier elements. The computer allowed me to use these programs to their full potential by using the tools and effects that the program offers.
what have you learnt from audience feedback?
Feedback is one of the most important aspects of producing media products in this case the music video and ancillary tasks (Digipak and magazine album advert). I needed feedback for my media products because I see things differently as others people might see them. For this reason, I don’t know what reaction or impact my media products will have on other people because they may have different opinions to what I have on my media products. Feedback is a constructive way of giving strengths and criticisms about my media products, this way I will be able to take all feedback on board and make changes to my media products to improve the media products for the better.
I decided that the best way to get feedback from a variety of different people from the target audience would be to use a questionnaire to get the constructive feedback I needed. I felt this would be an appropriate way of getting the feedback I needed from a range of people in my target audience, meaning that I would have a good section of feedback when all my questionnaires were complete and handed back. I asked four questions and asked that the person filling in the questionnaire would expand on their answers so that I could receive detailed feedback from my questionnaires meaning that it would be more helpful in improving my media products, also from this I will be able to see what good and bad about the media products.
Questionnaire questions
Did you like the media products (music video, Digipak and magazine album advert)? If so why? If not why?
What are the strengths of the media products??
What are the weaknesses of the media products?
What improvements could you suggest to make my media product better for my target audience?
This was the feedback I got from my questionnaires, this feedback would help me make suitable improves to my media products and make them better for my target audience. i felt that these questions would be the best to ask to get good idea of people thought of my media products and what they thought the strengths and weaknesses of my media products were and also to get constuctive feedback on what impovements could be made to make my media products better for my target audience.
I felt that getting constant feedback on my music video and ancillary tasks helped me focus more on what my target audience wanted and what sorts of things appealed to them – what sorts of things they liked and didn’t like. I made sure that I got feedback for all my products, as I felt that it was a great way to find out what my target audience thought of my media products when they were still be constructed, this meant the constructive feedback they gave me helped me to tweak parts of the media products to make them better. I did this with all of my media products; this meant that I could make changes to all of my media products by using the constructive feedback; this meant that I could produce great final products.
For example, when I finished the first draft of the Digipak, I got people who were of a similar age group to my target audience to look at my first draft of the Digipak, many of those I asked said that the first draft was okay, however much improvement could be made. They told me what the strengths and weaknesses of my Digipak, from this I was able to see what they liked and didn’t like on my Digipak. They gave me constructive feedback on how I could improve, they said that if a changed a few images and manipulated those images to stand out more on the Digipak, this would give the overall Digipak a more professional look, also they mentioned that the grey colour used on the Digipak should be changed to a much darker colour like black, they said that this would make my media products link together more and give my Digipak a more attractive and appealing look. Even though I wasn’t keen on the idea of using black as all of my images I used were in grayscale so I felt that using dark colours would connote a different genre of music to the one I was doing – acoustic folk, however I changed the colour regardless because I knew that this is what my target audience would want and would appeal to them. Once I made these changes there was a huge different in the way that the Digipak looked, the appearance of the Digipak looked more professional and more appealing and I came to like the changes I had made. Even after I made these changes I still got continuous feedback on the Digipak, so that I could still make improvements that my target audience has suggested to make the Digipak better and better. I used this same method of continuous feedback to help me in producing what I think is a great album advert.
For my music video I made a rough cut in movie make, I then showed this rough cut to people that were of a similar age to the target audience of my music video and from this is asked them to give constructive feedback, this would help me when making the final music video with the premier elements program. Once I edited my footage on premier elements and added effects and transitions, I then showed it to my target audience again to get more constructive feedback, once I made even more changes to the music video from the feedback I received I was then finished the final music video. Due to the feedback I received and the changes I made, I think that it made my music video of whole lot better. The feedback helps me see what footage my target audience preferred in the music video I.e. camera angles shots and camera movement and also to see what they though of the effects and transitions I used during the music video.
Overall the audience feedback I received helped me a great deal, as from the constructive feedback I was able to make changes to my Music video and ancillary tasks to improve them and making them better and more professional for my target audience.
