Directors Commentary

Tyler's Final Evaluation

) In What Ways Does Your Media Product Use, Develop or Challenge Forms and Conventions of Real Media Products


We have mainly tried to follow conventions of other Hip-Hop genre music videos.

- Hip-hop locations are usually one of two settings. Firstly, they are very trendy or expensive places such as parties and clubs or expensive rooms. Secondly, the streets are often used as a location. This is because Hip-Hop originated from the streets, so videos stay true to their genre. We decided to use the streets as our location, as it follows hip-hop conventions, but also is cost-free, making it the perfect location to shoot. Using Cambridge streets allowed us to create a very relevant video to suit the style of the song, and create scenes within the video the audience can clearly associate within the Hip-Hop genre.

- Another convention of these genre videos is taboo substances such as drugs (mainly cannabis) cigarettes, knives and or other weapons and alcohol. Although on discussion we felt our music video didn’t’t warrant any of these, we have incorporated a shot of Harry with a cigarette in his mouth. Although the shot is brief, we felt it necessary to follow conventions of real media products, and used the cigarette to help build up Harry’s on screen character into the thug we wanted to portray him as.

- Real Hip-Hop media products often contain similar branded costumes, dressing in expensive or well known branded clothes. These brands contain brands such as Nike, Adidas, Ralph Lauren, Rocawear and many more. We felt this was perhaps was one of the most important conventions to follow, as we wanted to get across strongly to the audience the Hip-Hop appearance. Harry was dressed in full Nike tracksuit, where as Tyler has Nike trainers and Dan’s appearance features his wearing a Ralph Lauren Jacket. We planned these costumes carefully to enable us to demonstrate to the audience through our costumes the genre of our video. Although people don’t automatically relate all these brands with Hip-Hop, when seen on screen it adds to the thuggish scenes that are taking place.

-Camera shots throughout this genre consist mostly of three different camera angles; long shots, close ups and extreme close ups. These specific angles are used to promote props such as expensive clothing or assets a rapper possesses. This cements the stereotype that people in the Hip-Hop circle are generally ’cool’ people, respected and envied by others. We have chosen to develop this convention and include various long shots, close and extreme close up’s during our filming stages. A particular angle we felt warranted these kinds of shots was the shot of Harry as he commits the mugging. We have used a long shot showing his running away to show the realism of the mugging scene, and his seriousness as he runs from the crime. This shot shows a vital part of the video, and again builds Harry up into an important and dramatic character.

-Often Hip-Hop music videos include very attractive females to feature throughout the video. This aims to strengthen the stereotype that these kinds of artists regularly surround themselves with these types of females. We have chosen to challenge this convention by not including any females at all in the video. We chose to do this to not make our video almost commercial, and create gritty scenes throughout the music video. We felt the song had no particular emphasis on females, so following Goodwin’s points of matching the lyrics to the video, didn’t’t include any females.

-Lastly a Hip-Hop music video usually follows stereotypes of the genre, not a storyline. This means shots of random parties, social events and performances are used to create the video. We have chosen to challenge this convention and include a storyline within our video. This creates a music video our target audience can engage with. The idea of including such a strong narrative was inspired by two people. Firstly, videos from famous video producer Jonathon Glazer, and secondly different videos created Eminem. Although we decided to challenge this convention, we still believe we have created a music video which is extremely gripping and entertaining to our audiences.

So, although we decided to follow and develop most of the hip-hop music video general conventions, we have challenged them also In hope of exposing originality into the video, to try and separate the content of the video from the many other Hip-Hop products.

Q2) How Effective Is the Combination of Your Main Product and Ancillary Texts? 


We believe the complete package of our music video, magazine ad and DVD cover is very positive. The combination of the three creates a stylish and appealing Digipak that we believe will definitely appeal to our target audience.

We have tried to make the Magazine Ad and DVD cover link strongly to our music video. This was the basis of ensuring that all three created an effective combination.

Throughout both the Magazine Advert and the DVD cover, we have incorporated the same style of font, and also have used the same colour. We aimed to create a successful Dig pack by constantly demonstrating positive continuity, so it was vital that the two had the same style and colour of font.

The font included on both is a graffiti style font, again complying with the Hip-Hop genre. As well as this, the background of our lip-syncing scenes is a graffiti background. This directly links the two ancillary texts directly to our music video. This not only shows positive continuity again, but also emphasizes and relates the three together to the genre of our music video.

After this we decided to involve pictures of a microphone and money on the DVD cover. This foreshadows instantly to the audience that these two props will be strongly involved during the video. We thought to use these images on our DVD cover instead of using a picture of the actual artist. We chose this as we felt it more effective to introduce the narrative straight away to the audience, as they will be much more involved with the actual narrative, rather than the characters. 

These reasons further support the thoughts that our digital and Music video created a successful Media product, and one that we believe is a consistent advertisement for the video.
However, upon discussion between our groups we believe we could have possibly created a stronger magazine advert. Although we are happy with the final version and believe it meets all of the concepts we were hoping to achieve, there are certain elements we know we could improve. 
Firstly, we all agree we could have preserved more time to create a more appealing and aesthetic advert. For instance, the picture of the DVD cover we have inserted onto the magazine still has a light blue line surrounding it. This happened because we didn't leave enough time to fully edit the picture.
As well as this, we would have liked to have created a more professional outlook on the magazine advert. For instance, other magazine adverts usually contain quite wavy or subtle graphics that add to the background and help to create an all round professional outlook. If we had more time, again, we would have included more of this to improve our Digipak. 
Other than this, I believe we have created an all round successful combination for the reasons above.  

Q3) What Have You Learnt From Your Audience Feedback?


 We have learnt a lot from feedback concerning our product.

Initially, the feedback of our pitch was that the idea for the video was mediocre. The events that we wanted to include felt a bit cliché to our audience, and that it had an apparent 'teenage boy' atmosphere.  The initial storyline regarded dealing drugs, which after the regarding the feedback we decided to keep the basic idea, but try and intelligently expand upon it. 
We decided to change the idea from drugs, to people dealing microphones as if rap was illegal. We felt this was a lot more of an individual video idea, but one we could shoot in a Hip-Hop fashion. 
Also our feedback stated that we needed to keep our video related to the song, and we didn't go off track and create a completely irrelevant video, trying to 'act' cool instead of creating a real media product.   
So, initial feedback taught us to change our former idea to a more effective and intelligent video. .

After changing our idea and taking notice from the initial pitch feedback, we shot our rough cut. This enabled us the chance to receive new feedback from classmates, teachers and peers.
 We summarized the information to the following.  ‘The  editing and transitioning were used effectively, the idea of buying  microphones not drugs was a very good narrative, better than our initial pitch or using drugs. Also that the two main characters was a good idea, instead of using one specific character. Also, short shot duration was way too long, the variety of shot types was not enough, and we needed to be included in lip syncing.

Here we learn that the narrative was effective, and the consistent cutting and transitions of the tracks was appreciated and understood by the audiences. We had tried to include various shots of the same scene, to create a more professional video, and also in inspiration from other Hip-Hop music videos. This is a factor we felt was effective, but maybe a bit unnoticed by the audience. 
Not only did we take on board the positive comments, we also took criticism on board as we felt it was vital in the editing stages of our video. From our feedback, we tried to cut the length of the shots down and insert more shots that cut quicker, but in time with the beat following good-wins points. As well as this, we tried to vary different camera angles more frequently to ensure the same shot isn't shown by one continuous camera angle. Lastly, a major point given from the audience feedback was that we needed to include lip syncing, as although we wanted our video to seem like a series of events, it played too much like a short film, not a music video. So we planned to shoot clips of Martin lip syncing throughout the choruses. 

After this we shot our final shots and last scene in accordance to previous feedback. We felt that upon using this feedback constructively, we could create a product that appealed and made sense to the audience.
The feedback we received from our final version is concluded as the following; 

We learnt that the audience feels we stayed well within the hip-hop genre, and the twist of using microphones during our narrative instead of drugs was very effective. We left the audience constantly engaged as well, although a few of our shots were a bit shaky, with the mugging scene a bit unclear in places. Based on this feedback, we have learnt that we should have switched from handheld to the tripod in some places, and perhaps edited the mugging scene so it was clearer to the audience about the event that was happening.

Q4) How Did You Use New Media Technologies in the Construction and Research, Planning and Evaluation Stages?


Throughout the construction of our music video I have expanded upon, and learnt many new skills involving various different technologies associated with our task.

 Firstly, the main program I have used throughout the entire stages of the video is the blog. The blog is almost a diary, where we can record and update with posts concerning the development of the music video and other tasks we was set to complete. Although I have regularly used the blog before, I felt a lot more confident this time around. I was able to navigate around the website easily, knowing how to directly get to our groups blog.

As well as this I have learnt how to list our blogs to edit each one specifically, which is a new skill I have used. Aside from the actual website, I have also developed my ability to constantly update and use the blog to keep our groups thoughts updated regularly. This is a skill in which I have used a lot better than previous encounters.

The next technology program I was used is Photoshop. Photoshop was a new program for me as I’d only used it a very few times before this. I have learnt a lot regarding how to use Photoshop to edit or create the digipak which we have created as a group.

The first thing I believe I have learnt is how to use layers throughout the buildup of our product. The layer tool allowed us to create graphics in stages, so we could move/ delete or edit a certain image or font, without damaging the rest of our image. We used this to test new ideas, move certain images or create new graphics to really improve our digipak.

Secondly, I have really improved my knowledge on how to use and edit font using Photoshop. This was an important factor of our digipak, as the font would somehow have to be specific to our music video. I was taught how to change/ download/ move and edit font to manipulate it to our specific requirements. This was a part of the program I believe we have used a lot, and I have become a lot more confident with.

There is still many more factors I could improve upon to become a better Photoshop user which I would expand upon if we was to make any graphics again, or for another task.

A program that we have used hugely is Final cut express. This programme is where we uploaded our footage to, to begin editing and constructing our music video. This technology allowed us to cut down clips to create short and snappy shots. This helped us to build up tense atmosphere and fast moving action throughout the video.

Next, the ability to include transitions meant we could make the cut between different shots seem more appealing. This was a concept we used a lot of.

After this I have learnt how to use the tint tool, which we used throughout our video. The ting tool allowed us to make scenes appear black and white. We used this to almost distort different shots, creating an exciting atmosphere for our audience.

There are many more tools from final cut express which we frequently used, but these few are mainly the ones I have used during the construction stages of the product. During the planning stages of our video, we each used a HD still camera to collect various still shots which could help us to plan our video. This technology enabled us to build up an idea of particular costumes, locations and props, and what they would look like on camera. The main area I have used and improved upon regarding the still camera is the ability to upload the photos quickly onto the desktop.

Finally we have used a HD video camera to actually shoot the music video. Although using the camera is very basic, using the tripod to aid the camera proved a great concept whilst filming. The ability to zoom in and out of shots also proved very efficient during our filming stages. It enabled us to capture clear and consistent footage for us to use as our video.

 

Day Plan

today we are filming our group responses to the evaluation questions. Our responses have been developed through a combination of the best parts of all of our answers, creating an overall answer from the best ideas and conflicts. This makes our group answer a good conclusive response that should satisfy the demand of the questions as we thought in depth of the different conventions we met, developed and challenged.
Our task is to put the answers into the form of a video, making it more media related.

Or final Magazine Advert

Final Digipack Cover

What should be included in a magazine advert and DigiPack

Magazine Advert

• Pictures of the 'artist'
• Age Ratings
• Information about artist and song
• Release Date
• Matching Themes 

DVD Cover

• Bar Code
• Matching Themes
• Age Rating
• Possible pictures from video
• Pictures of scenes and/or artist
• Artist and song name
• Reviews

Analysis of Eminem DVD cover

not eye catching
simplicity at its finest, doesn't need to cram the cover with information due to his standing fame and popularity.
pictures from music video for each song, shows the audience the genre and feel of what the DVD is about
tracklisting
age rating

Dark, representing his lifestyle

Background of our story

When planning our video we decided to try and represent the culture that surrounds hip hop which is the genre of the song we chose. We thought we would try and include violent and drug culture but then we decided we could be more clever and try and link it more to the song. We decided to make our video about buying microphone's illegally like a drug deal. The background to the story is that rapping is illegal in the UK and there is a black market for rappers to get hold of microphones. This is similar to the BBC children's drama 'Bootlegged' which was about the government banning chocolate and the black market that emerged after this point.

Ideas for magazine and DVD cover

These are some of the ideas for photos we could use for the magazine/ DVD cover. We decided to capture this whilst filming our music video footage as we were in the appropriate setting for the genre of our music track. We thought it would be effective to use the same setting as featured in our music video as the audience will be able to relate to the video and characters. We have used one of the antagonists form our music video as the character on the front of the DVD/Magazine cover as this allows the audience to relate to the characters in the video.

We captured a range of pictures so we could choose from a variety of poses/backgrounds that fit most appropriately when we come to publishing/developing the Magazine/DVD.

 

Editing Ideas

After going through some of our footage, we have thought out some potential knew editing ideas.
Firstly during the scene where Harry does a robbery, we have shot a POV shot from the victims perspective. We have slightly slowed this shot down to emphasis the shot, creating an effect that this shot is shocking when it is viewed.

Another idea we have had, is to re-wing and re-play the shot where Harry has his cigarette knocked out of his mouth. We will possibly include this to show a bit of humor, and also to reinforce that this action has sparked an instant hatred between Tyler and Harry. This is an idea we are not yet settled upon whether to use it, or not.

Lastly we are aiming to include a split screen when Harry and Tyler are composing their texts. This has been done to cement the fact that two different people are sending text messages to the same person. This is effective as it aids in creating a narrative that is easy for an audience to follow

Ensuring Camera Safety

As the weather was rainy, we have used an old t shirt folded and laid upon the camera to make sure that we didn't get the camera wet and create a problem for the camera

Props We Have Used

We have included a few props throughout our music video. We have used these to make our footage seem more realistic.
Firstly we have used a mic through out our video. This is because it is very necessary as the video narrative strongly involves microphones.

Secondly, we have used a fake cigarette that is slapped out of Harry's mouth. This is played out like this to give Harry a further motif to mug Tyler.

Lastly we have included a Car within the video. We initially didn't want to use a car, as we thought it quite cliche. After discussing the matter, we thought we would include the car but use it not to make a huge 'gangster' 'show off' effect, but just to assist the footage in trying to achieve the clear narrative we wanted.

Continuity That May Appear

We have discussed any issues that we may have during the editing to make sure that we know of any discrepancies that can possibly occur.

Firstly, the weather is different over the different days of our shooting. Although they wasn't hugely dissimilar, there was much more rain and puddles during day 2 of shooting. This is an issue that may be spotted, but cannot be helped by us as a group. Martin has tried to edit the colours in the two different shoots to make them seem more as one.

As well as this we recognize that Harry has had a hair cut between the two shoots. To try and overcome this, we tried to include shots that would require Harry's hood to be up, so audience members wouldnt spot it as a major difference as the music video has been played out.
During editing, we will continue to check for continuity to ensure it doesn't occur.

Continuity Prevention

As we have shot our footage on separate days, we have focused a lot on ensuring we keep any continuity as UN-noticeable as possible.
As we have filmed, we all used the exact same costumes that we originally wore on the first day.
This ensures that no blaring differences will appear when the footage is viewed.
As well as this, we have checked that shots don't over lap EG the same thing happened in two different shots. This adds to our narrative as well, to make sure that no differences will corrupt the final version.

Making Shots Realistic

When filming we have ensured we have acted as professional as possible.
We have checked each shot to ensure we have no issues such as leaving unwanted props EG the tripod in any of the films.

Whilst filming we have made sure no direct eye contact has been made with the camera, no faces have been pulled, no laughing and no talking during shots have happened. We have checked for this, as in previous projects we haven't checked thoroughly and shots are unprofessional, hence the reason for double checking.

Deciding on New Locations

During our film, we have decided to change locations as we went along.
This is because we found more suitable locations, and also ones that would better suit our needs eg; not enough people.

We have swapped the original cashpoint for a LLoyds TSB cashpoint which has a more urban setting surrounding it.

Also we have used Cambridge City car park also to shoot our car scene instead of the original setting of a known car park from one of the members of the group.

We believe the change in locations have made our footage better, and suit the genre of the footage better than the original ideas.

Issues That We Faced Whilst Filming

We faced many issues whilst filming.

Firstly when we first shot footage, our camera battery died. This meant that we could not continue filming after we had initially planned to film more in one go. To get around this, we planned another filming session to enable us to shoot the missing footage.

Secondly, we didn't have enough members to film the shots we wanted to shoot. We used the tripod to our advantage to shoot when we thought we needed another person. By shooting the clip when we was getting ready, we got the camera into position and are planning to cut the unnecessary clips out that we don't need.

Lastly when shooting there was a downpour of rain. As we needed to shoot using the tripod, we constructed a cover from a t-shirt to completely protect the camera from any rain, , meaning the camera stayed in good working order, but also no rain interrupted the lens of the camera

Creating a Narrative That is Easy for the Audience to Follow

During filming we constantly thought out how to try and make the narrative we have created easy to get across to the audience.
We have constantly tried to link shots together as we change scenes, meaning we have allowed a story which is easy to follow when viewed by the audience.
By constantly viewing recorded film, we saw how we could effectively link scenes together to therefore create an effective narrative.
We believe by constantly thinking about our shots, planning them and constructing the shots to play smoothly together we have created an effective narrative that any audience could follow. 

The Autuer Theory

The Auteur theory is a way to analyze a film or other media forms.

This theory was created by Andre' Bazin, a French

Andre believed and held that films should reflect the personal vision of a director.

Andre was a film critic

If a director is an auteur, they are known to have full control and authority and will be left to be the leader of the production of the film or music video.

The auteur has connotations of the power that an author has of the writing and publishing of a novel.

If a director is an auteur, there will generally be a resounding theme within other works in their portfolio and similar shot types, cuts and special effects being used.

Goodwin's Points

The main points that are used to analyse music videos according to Goodwin are

1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (e.g. stage performance in metal video, dance routine for a boy/girl band)
2. There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals (either illustrative, amplifying or contradicting).
3. There is a relationship between music and visuals (either illustrative, amplifying or contradicting).
4. The demands of the record label will include the needs for lots of close ups of the artist(s) and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style)
5. There is frequently reference to the notion of looking (screens within screens, telescopes etc.) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
6. There is often intertextual reference ( to films, TV programmes and other music videos etc.

This is an important element of music video analysis and helps when considering points while watching a music video.