Q4 How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Throughout the process of my A2 media portfolio, the usage of technology was essential and extremely helpful throughout the duration of the course. However, there were several difficulties as well. For example, the magazine advertisement took me a long time to create as i wasn't experienced with using Photoshop at all, and what made it more difficult was the fact that it was programmed on the Apple Macs which were also new devices to me making me struggle throughout. 

Uses of technology:

Blogger (Blogspot):

To begin with the whole A2 course is located within (www.blogger.com) meaning that technology was used right from the beginning of the course. This is a useful factor as it automatically creates a safe, organised and an easily found storage of your coursework. Also by putting the work on blogger helped us to know what we have or haven't done with ease.

Still camera: 

The camera which we use to record our media product was the 'Cannon EOS 600D. This camera had everything we need to record a professional looking video. To begin with it is an 18 megapixel camera with a built in flash which allowed us to record at late time with a clear visual.

Cubase

Cubase is the software which i recorded my music on. It is a complicated process which records the voice in HD quality making it superb for professional use. However, this software belonged to the studio which also had several pieces of gadgets such as the expensive recording microphone.

Fruity Loops

Fruity loops is the software which I sampled the beat and put a little change on the instrumental. I done this by changing the drum pattern from a club song to a Hip Hop song and by changing the guitar sounds in background. This was all done by the electronic drum pad and keyboard all connected to the software 

Sony Vaio

Sony Vaio is the laptop which i used to edit the media music video with. This laptop was very useful as it allowed me to edit work at home meaning that within school i could concentrate on the written work (blog) and at home i could spend long hours editing the video.

Apple Mac

Apple Mac was again a useful resource as my ancillary texts were all created on it. The magazine advertisement and the Digipak as well the magazine front cover. However, I had to learn many things as i was new to the software. A website which helped me with that was www.YouTube.com

Youtube

YouTube has to be the most crucial piece of technology used as my main piece of coursework was released and put on there. As well as this, for my research and planning I had to view many similar Hip Hop videos and analyse them to get an initial idea of what my product should look like. Additionally, after the music video was uploaded it allowed me to check on several thing such as :

The feedback from the audience. This allowed me to know that my main media product was a success, the statistics shown on YouTube also tells me that our product is successful. The 6,614 views show me that a good number of people have viewed this video, meaning that this number of people have heard the message we are trying to get through to the audience. Also, The number of likes (108) is much greater than the number of dislikes (13) proving that this product is a success as not much hatred is sent towards it. Furthermore, knowing that the video was uploaded on the 21st of January 2012  estimates the number of views to increase as they have done rapidly.

The use of technology also allowed me to track where the videos has been viewed. Statistics show that the video has been most viewed within the UK. This shows me that I have achieved what i wanted to as my objective was to educate people about circumstances happening within the communities we live in. After the UK, the video has been viewed in Sudan(Africa) a great number of time. The video addresses things from poverty to violence, problems which happen in the African continent on a daily basis. Then in third place comes Northern America and Canada. This is also an achievement to me as people who live similar lifestyles outside of the UK can relate to the music. The use of technology helped me analyse the level of success my video had reached.

However, there was a downfall within my task. Another important factor is that the use of technology helped realise if I was connecting with the right age group. Unfortunately, the age group (14-17) did not view the video as much as i had wanted them too. Nevertheless it seemed to have connected with the elder side of the public, raising awareness to people who had less of an idea about the countries problems. Also a few of the comments increased my understanding of the product being a success. A  comment stated "How could someone dislike this" and the comment itself had 25 thumbs up, meaning 25 people also agreed with his statement.

Social Networks

Throughout the process i used several social networks such as Twitter and Facebook to share and promote my video with the potential target audience and other music artist. This is essential as it spreads the word throughout the net rapidly. One of the best ways of advertising a product. For instance, you see this type of advertising from companies such as the guardian. They post up interesting news on the homepage and the word spreads. Another example of this is the KONY 2012 campaign which raised awareness to millions of people in a couple of days.

My First Project

Magazine Advertisement Finalised

1. Ancillary Text

Magazine Advertisement

Album Front Cover

 Back Cover Of The Album

Main product - Lost Since Birth (Hopes Up) Music Video

(Click on the link below)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUQbpW2FGtQ

(WATCH IN 1080p FOR THE HIGHEST QUALITY)

Extra Products

Magazine Front Cover

Alternative Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYpPY0AeT5o&feature=relmfu

This video was not used as our initial one due to the lip syncing not being on point. The syncing was slightly off  making us consider changing a lot of things. Firstly the song didn't have a specific meaning behind it. This gave me second thoughts about keeping this song as my first one. After I found out what I will be examined on, I decided to create a song which the lyrics were more media related including all the conventions of hip hop. From this, I created 'Lost since birth' a song which was more media challenged including  plenty of stereotypes and conventions to talk about.

Q3

Media Video Feedback:

Me and the group asked a person who had viewed our video a few questions about the song as well as the video. We done this to see if what we wanted to achieve, was accomplished. From this video we realised that the male proatogonists within the video would be stereotyped due to the characteristics portrayed. Also our main objective was to help people realise situations which are happening here in the UK. This means the song is educational as well entertaining. From the feedback, I realised I achieved this objective as the interviewee tells us people need to understand problem which are happening within our community effecting lives around us.

Magazine Front Cover And Advertisement:

1. What type of things would you expect to see on a hip hop magazine advertisement?

2. Would you prefer the product to be text based or picture based?

3. Does the cover of the album have any influence in your choice of buying the item?

4. Are you a regular reader of magazines?

From the research feedback, I grasped the idea that the majority of the public are into the urban scene. This allowed us to know which type of magazine to locate the magazine advert. However, we needed to know what specific details must be included for it to stand out and to suit its customers satisfaction. From our research I also identified that even though the the colours which portrayed throughout the productions are dark, I knew we had to keep the same dark contrast, However, the professionalism of the magazine advertisement will be shown by creating a sophisticated product behind all the darkness captivated. This also metaphorically explains the use of binary opposition as the the contrast between dark and light refers to the good and bad represented within the music video. As well as this, Allowed me to develop on the initial ideas I had for the magazine ad. Therefore the audience feedback strengthened the audience satisfaction levels.





After the research and planning side of the production, immediately after all products where completed we asked for feedback from the audience. The videos above thoroughly explain what people first feel when they see the advertisement. I got feedback from two different perspectives to show me a wider understanding of the audiences feelings towards the product.

Digipak:

Immediately, when you see the album cover, you see what you expect to see. An album cover which includes darkness. The use of dark imagery has been shown all the way through the productions. The scenery which is portrayed includes the use of pathetic fallacy creating a dark and mysterious atmosphere, again relating to the way the music video was edited. As well as the scenery the use of graffiti text show that this is an urban genre again connecting with the text used for the magazine front cover. Finally, I put the parental advisory sign on the bottom right of the cover. This was done to show that explicit and violent language is used within the CD warning people before they buy it. The reason behind making the rating a 15+. 

Question 2

i have used a lot of techniques to combine the style of my music video to the ancillary text. This has been show as i have made several links and resemblances between all three products. For example, i decided to utilise  particular style throughout, therefore I combined the visual aspects of the music video with my print production  (Digipak and Magazine advert). The visual aspects which was used in my music video "Lost Since Birth" was the consistent usage of dark imagery. Predominantly, the sepia effect which reflect the lyrics within the song. The sepia effect is also the effect chosen for the ancillary text. In addition to this, the clothing portrayed and props within the video are mainly black and white, plain and dull colours which is similar to the font on the Album cover. This makes the album name noticeable to the audience, hence the reason behind having it designed in large black font, highlighted in white. The colour of the fonts and digipak are also the same colours which are used in the music video. Furthermore, additionally to the colour combination throughout the productions, I also ensured the band/group name '"SUD" was highlighted throughout the three productions. This is so the music group is recognised for their individual and the team's musical abilities.

Furthermore, I decided to create a magazine in which the advertisement will be publicised in. This is due to the fact that there isnt much magazine which have adapted this hardcore style of Hip-Hop, hence the creation of the added part of the course. when doing this I looked at familiar magazines and adapted all their aspects and added extra details which would attract the precise target audience.

Midway through the production, I reached a slight dilemma. The problem was that our first video did not reach the required audience satisfaction. This video was not used as our initial one due to the fact that the lip syncing not being on point. The syncing was slightly off beat making us consider changing a variety of things. One of the questions which were asked was 'What do you think of the 'Stay Schemin Remix' video?' the first replied saying "The song was decent, but nothing special. A problem with having many people on a song is that one of the artists may be good and the other not as good". This critical reply was majorly one of the reason why I decided to change the song. I asked another the same question and he replied saying "The editing was not the best. The variety of shots where of high class and excellence however the lip syncing was not as good as it should have been. This brought down the overall rating of the video". That answer made me change the whole thing and start from the beginning.

The video can be seen on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYpPY0AeT5o (WATCH IN 1080p)

Firstly, the song did not have a specific meaning behind it. This gave me second thoughts keeping the song as it was overall. From this, I decided to change the song to the finalised one "Lost Since Birth". Secondly, when i discovered what I will be examined on, I decided to create a song which the lyrics were more media related including a vast range of Hip-Hop conventions. The song "Lost Since Birth" is more media challenged as it plays with the stereotypes of ethnic origin and their class in society. The song is educational as well entertaining. Another problem i stumbled across was that I wasn't able to get the approval of using the original instrumental. This was because the song is highly rated and is in the media a lot, making it hard for me to get in touch with the record label.

Q1 In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

1.     Q1:  In what ways does your media project use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products

The target audience for my A2 media project is predominantly males aged 14-21. This is because young

teenagers and adult will understand the content behind the music’s lyrics. Some will be able to relate to the incidents the male protagonists are talking about. Therefore, this genre (Hip Hop/Rap) would instantly attract a male fan-base aged 14-21 because people within this age group have either experienced similar problems in their lives and other are currently trapped in a similar predicament. Alternatively, I wanted this music video to be seen by an elder public audience. The reason why is because a lot of the elder people do not understand the troubles younger people have or complain of.  Targeting the video to an elder audience allows more people to understand the downsides of UK’s society. However, my ideal target audience would be for the younger generation as I want this music video to let them understand that this lifestyle is not the best for them. This type of music is educational as well as entertaining.

 As well as this it focuses on the black ethnic group as that is the group which has mostly been stereotyped and affected by the media. This way the lyrics presented within my song ‘Lost Since Birth’ would interact with that group of people more. Having a thorough understanding of whom my target audience would be allowed me to write the lyrics and record the video in a style which would appeal to the codes and conventions of the genre. To begin with, the songs genre is Hip Hop therefore the lyrics had to relate to problems which are happening around British civilians (mainly those of a younger age) so that the song could immediately interact with the public.

 Furthermore, in the editing stages of my production, I ensured that mis-en-scene was captivated to show the darkness within the music video. This is due to the fact that the lyrics are mostly of a dark and violent nature and this contrast to the mis-en-scene of the video. The snapshots below show the impacts the mis-en-scene, costumes and props have with the codes and conventions of hip hop. The variety of camera shots such as the mid-close up or the tracking shot emphasizes on the different ways my music video developed and challenges the forms and conventions of real media products:

1st shot :

 Immediately, as soon as the music video starts the image above is shown. The image shows how the picture slowly develops from complete darkness to a slow sunrise type of picture, slowly building the atmosphere. We edited it this way because it will create a certain mood towards the audience, different types of thoughts and emotions will run through your head depending on the type of way you want to interpret it. As well the opening scene being interpreted in this way, this slow, dark, colour contrast change works extremely well with the way the instrumental is played. During this moment of the song all you hear is a humming noise before the song starts to kicks in and becomes upbeat and the use of the sunrise effect causes a soothing emotion towards the audience.

2nd shot:

 As soon as the instrumental changes into an upbeat rhythm, the colour changes to a brighter contrast and stays at that colour throughout the music video. By putting the colour at a brighter level this resembles the start of a song. This could also be metaphorically compared to the awakening of a person, by this meaning the persons eyesight becoming clearer. This metaphor explains the changes between the first and the second scene. In this shot, the camera shows everyone who is included within the video standing around the two main characters within the music video "Eazy" and "Y-Ko" the rappers who are the first verse and in the second verse.  This shot creates a more intimidating look towards the rappers as the camera pans upwards making the rappers dominant and powerful. By including the panning camera effect, it also allows the audience to see the mis-en-scene showing them the different faces portrayed. Additionally, this effect if very crucial as it shows the audience the stereotypical fashion of black youth, hence the choice of clothing worn by the participants, also implying that this video is of an urban genre

On the bottom left of the snapshot, you can see an American Bulldog and Stafforshire Bullterrier on screen. By including dogs in the picture, this emphasizes on the danger given by the characters within the video. Some people would compare many men to dogs such people say, that they are violent and cruel animals whom are similar to the description of a stereotypical black teenager.

3rd Shot:

The third shot shows a mid-close up of the first artist right before he starts rapping. This shot emphasizes the emotions running through the rappers head. From the image portrayed, you can tell that the rapper is disgusted or upset about something and this can be seen by the lyrics.

 Also, on the top right corner of the snapshot there is a leafless tree located in the background. The leafless tree implies winter and the type of year which the video is shot at. Setting the atmosphere for the audience.

 4th shot:

The 4th image captivates the first artist rapping whilst a gang of people are standing behind him. This shot which has been captured is somewhat provocative as this group of people look very intimidating.

5th shot:

the 5th shot captivated perfectly the transition between two scenes and this scene captures the one thing which is usually seen in a hip-hop music video, the sight of smoking. The sight of smoke is seen by the likes of 2pac, Biggie Smalls and many more
Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G smoking in their videos(iconic artists).


Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa also smoking in their music videos. Smoking in videos has become a trend to all hip-hop artist now, however it has caused a bad influence towards younger viewers.

6th Shot:

This shot shows two characters within the video dragging two dogs as they have a play fight. Again playing with the stereotype theory of danger and in this aspect the dogs look extremely dangerous within the clip.

7th Shot:

This shot is very appealing towards the audience as it engages their eyes towards the background as well as concentrating on the figure standing in the middle. Reason behind having this shot is that captures the definition of the lyrics so this image suits the way the video was recorded in similarity with the song.

8th Shot:

The eighth shot is very appealing towards the hip-hop fans as it has all aspects of a hip-hop music video. From the baggy clothing to the graffiti on the wall behind the rapper.

Additional parts to the project

Additionally, I and the group decided to add a magazine front cover as well as the magazine advertisement. This is because, the audience will understand what type of magazines will be present advertisements such as the one I am creating.