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

 A Mind map to show some of the technologies that I have used

One of the media technologies that I have used during A2 media is the online programme, Prezi. This is a website that allows you to create power points with added features. During the course of this year I have used prezi to explore the conventions of a real life media product. As well as this, we also used prezi as a group to pitch our initial ideas to the rest of our a level media class. Since using prezi I have learnt the benefits of using programmes other than power point.  I used this programme during the planning and research process of our work.

One of the new media technologies that I used during the construction of our digipak and advert is Photoshop. Before studying A level media I had never used Photoshop and this was therefore a completely new skill for me to learn and it took quite a while to get to grips with the programme as there are a lot of different elements to use.

 

The main reason that I wanted to use Photoshop was to create the backing that I wanted to put behind my font. This is displayed in the image above. I am very pleased that during the course of this year I have tried to expand my skills as an individual and use new programmes such as Photoshop as it has given me the ability to create work that I think is very original and unique to our artist. Therefore as an individual my skills have developed since AS, as I have learned to use new programmes which have enabled me to create a product using greater detail.

Overall I think that the effect that I created using Photoshop was very effective to the overall look of our product. If I were to use Photoshop in the future I would try to adapt my skills even further and use some of the other features that are available to me.

Before

After

As well as using Photoshop I have also used photo editing sites to create the effects that we wanted the front cover of our digipak to contain. Before creating our digipak I had very little skills using photo editing sites, this is because for our AS coursework we were not required to include ancillary texts. As a result of this, it was a new skill that I had to learn as an individual. The images above contain the original image that we took and the image below is how I edited it to create the dark tone that we wanted to represent our artist. Overall I think that the final image that I created to represent our artist and her work looks very professional. I think that the use of the artists light skin tone contrasts against the pale background and is an eye-catching feature. Also the use of light strokes on the image adds to the distressed effect that we were trying to create and therefore reflects the music video that we have created.

YouTube

One of the technologies that I also used during A2 media was YouTube. As a group we used this online programme to look at professional music videos and other students work. It was very useful to use this website as it meant that that we very quickly got to grips with the codes and conventions of real media products, an example of this is the use of a variety of shots and a range of costumes. As well as this, looking at other students work meant that we could take inspiration and also look at their feedback to grasp what is effective and what our target audience like to see.  I think that it was useful for us to use this site as it is a very quick and easy to take inspiration. Furthermore, we also posted our own work on this site to gain audience feedback. Although one of the negative effects of this site, is that when we posted our own work we got a lot of views however we didn't receive any written feedback, therefore we were unaware of what aspects our target audience wanted us to improve.

Multi screen

The main programme that we as a group have used throughout the construction of our work was final cut.  Even though we used final cut to create our AS coursework, we were only aware of some of the basic aspects that the programme had to offer.  Therefore throughout the course of this year as a group we have developed our skills as a group. An example of how we developed our skills is shown in the image above. For example before starting our A2 coursework we was not aware of how to create a multi screen. As well as this, we was not aware of how to edit the filming and change the lighting and contrast in order to make it appear how it does in the above image. I think that it is effective that we learned this skill, this is because the multi screen became a repeated sequence within our product, therefore it was important that we learned how to use this feature

One of the other new features that we learned to use on final cut was the use of the effects available. Before carrying out our A2 coursework we had not explored using a range of effects. I think that the use of effects such as the one shown in the image above were very effective within our work. The use of these elements added to the idea of  our artist going insane and stepping out of her own body. As well as this, I think the use of these effects display that we are able to use a range of skills and add to the professionalism of our media product.  Although it was took us a while to get to grips with some of the features on final cut, I think that the overall effect that we created was very successful.

 

Furthermore, another element that we explored further into during the construction of our media product was the use of transitions. Although as a group we used transitions in our AS coursework, we had not fully explored what was available to us. As a result of this we decided to spend some time researching into the different transitions available to us and what would conventionally fit into our work. We then began to add some of these transitions to our work, we decided to add transitions into our work when there was a change in location, this is so that our work began fluent and signified to our audience a change in time. I think that it is effective that we decided to explore and use transitions within our work. However some of the transitions that we used challenge the conventions of real media products.

Green screen 

Next, one of the new technologies that we used during the construction of our coursework was the green screen. This feature is available to us as a school and as a group we wanted to make the most of this element and present it within our coursework.  As a group none of us had used the green screen before and therefore this was a completely new element to learn. I think that it is very effective that we decided to use the green screen within our work. This is because it creates a very different image for our target audience to look at. As well as this, the overall feedback that we received on the green screen was very positive and our target audience thought that this original element was very effective.

Another technology that I used during the evaluation of our product was the social networking site, Facebook. Using social media is a very quick and effective way of reaching your target audience as I was able to post the video to over one hundred people in my age category. As a result of this we posted our work onto facebook during the final stages of our product in order to receive feedback from our target audience which is people aged between 16-24, in order to see what our audience thought were the positives and negatives of our work. As well as this my mum also shared my work onto her facebook page. By doing so it meant that I could see how members outside of our target audience responded to our work. Again, the overall feedback that we received from an older age group was very positive, suggesting that we could reach a greater audience than we first expected. 

Overall I think that individually and as a group we have made a lot of progress from our AS coursework. We have developed our skills as media students and over the course of the year have gained a greater understanding of the different features that available to us on final cut and other programmes that we are able to access in order to make our work as professional as possible, for example PhotoShop. As well as this, as a group we have worked together accordingly in order to overcome difficulties that we have faced throughout the construction of our product. For example some of the difficulties that we faced was the lip syncing element as it is a very time consuming process. However I think that we put in the right amount of time in order to ensure  that it was perfect. As well as this, we also found it difficult creating the multi screens within our work. Although I think that the final product is of a good standard and appeals to our target audience. 

3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?

The target audience for our product is people aged between 16-24. Our main target audience is females because our video stars a female artist and it is most likely that other females will want to watch our music video. However our video also stars a male dancer, as a result of this other young males may also want to watch our video. 

In order to receive feedback for our music video we posted it on both the social networking site Facebook and YouTube. We posted the video when our product was in the final stages of editing. We decided it would be a good idea to share our product because there  were a few things about our music video we wasn't completely sure about. Therefore it was vital that we received feedback for our target audience to ensure that the video appealed to them.

Posting our video on the social media site Facebook was very effective as it was a quick way of reaching a large amount of our target audience (aged 16-14). As well as this, it meant that we was able to receive feedback from outside of our target audience, therefore we were able to see if our video would able to a greater target audience, as originally we were aiming to appeal to a niche audience.

When we posted our video onto Facebook I made sure that I asked our target audience a variety of questions for them to answer as these were the things that we were most likely to change about our video. For example before posting our music video on social media we were not completely sure if we were satisfied with the ending of our video and therefore this was an aspect that we wanted to know if our target audience would change, to ensure that we were pleasing them. It is important that the ending of our video is up to the standard of the beginning as this is the last thing that the audience will see and it will stick in their minds. Therefore the video needs to end in clarity.

For example some of the feedback that we received from our target audience is shown above, this displays that overall our audience were very pleased with the video however they were not particularly impressed with the ending of the video. After receiving this feedback from our audience we decided that we should definitely work on the ending of the video. This is because our target audience said that the ending of our video was quite random and did not fit in with the overall tone of the rest of the video, I also agreed with this feedback and therefore wanted to ensure that we made these changes. As we wanted to ensure that our target audience were satisfied with the whole of the video and that the ending did not change their views. 

Before changes 

The image above displays the original ending of our music video. One of the members of our group wanted to focus on the artists eyes. However as you can see from the above image, it is easy to see from the artists eyes that her facial expression does not fit in with the serious tone of the music video and therefore ruins the overall narrative that has been developed throughout the video.

After changes 

As a result of this we changed the ending of our music video to ensure that the overall tone remained the same throughout the video. The above image contains the new ending to our video after receiving audience feedback. We decided to remove the close up shots of the eyes and instead replace them with a shot of our artist walking down the stairs. The use of this shot signifies the end of the video as the artist walks out of the frame. I think that it is very effective and ends the video far more professionally. Therefore I think it is useful that we posted our video on social media as it helped us to gain a greater understanding of what our target audience expect to see.

As well as this, we then got some of our target audience members to watch the music video again after making these changes to our video and the feedback that we received was very positive. Our target audience told us that the ending of the video was a lot more clarified after removing the close up of the eyes. 

Next, a piece of positive feedback that we received from our target audience is that overall they liked the use a dancing element within the video. As a group we thought that it was a good idea to include a male dancer within our work because to begin with the product was completely centred around the female artist and there wasn't a lot of variety within our work. The use of positive feedback from our target audience cemented our initial thoughts that the dancer was a good element to add within our work. As well as this, the use of a dancer follows the codes and conventions of real media products.

One of the negative pieces of feedback that we received from some of our target audience members is that they thought there were too many transitions within our work and effects, this meant that it was unconventional to what is expected in real life media products. Although I can see where our target audience members are coming from with the aspect that our video is different to what you would typically expect to see, I personally think that it is a good element. I believe this because we have not tried to be too unconventional with our work however we have tried to make it our own and by doing so you must at times try to be unconventional. It is important that in order to stand out and be noticed in the music industry that  you make changes unique to your own work.

In contrast to this we also received some constructive criticism for our work. One of the members of our target audience gave us overall some very positive feedback and said that we used a good variety of camera shots throughout our work. However they commented on how some of the lip syncing aspects of our video were slightly out of time. This is crucial feedback to receive as we need to make sure that the lip syncing within our video is completely on time to ensure that we can make our work look as professional as possible. As a result of this we looked back on our work and changed some of the timings in order to ensure that our work reached the standard of what is expected.

Another piece of feedback that we received from our target audience is that in order to ensure we could get the greatest amount of marks and make our work look professional, we should have changed some of our costume choices. However at this stage in the process it was too late to adjust this. Therefore this feedback is useful to know but unfortunately we were not able to act on it. As well as this, the costumes that we chose to use were featured in order to represent our artists feelings, this is because of the use of dark colouring to reflect the negative mood. Furthermore, the use of grey clothing signifies the artist is stuck in between and is unsure as to how she feels.

Next, a piece of positive feedback that we overall received from our target audience is that they liked the use of the repeated sequence throughout our work. This is useful information to know as we decided to use the repeated sequence element throughout our work because it is a code and convention of real media products. The target audience liked the use of the repeated sequence element within our work because it linked all of the video back together. Furthermore, we also received positive feedback on the use of various multi screens throughout our work. Our target audience liked the use of these screens because they created variety within our performance and they are also unexpected, this is because they go against the codes and conventions of real media products.

Furthermore, after posting my work onto the social networking site Facebook, my mum also shared our work with her friends. This meant that we was able to receive feedback from audience members outside of our target audience to see if our work would appeal to a wider audience and a different age group. 

The feedback that we received from an older age group was once again very positive. This suggests that our work could appeal to a wider target audience than we first expected. Without using the social media site we would not be aware of this.

Overall, I think that it is effective that we posted our work on social media sites as it meant that we was able to receive both negative and positive feedback from our target audience. The use of posting our work online had an influence on the overall ending of our video and therefore it was very helpful. I think that the changes we made to our work due to the feedback that we received overall benefited us as a group and meant that we could make our work as appealing to our audience as possible.

Some of the initial feedback that we received from our target audience was in the beginning process of constructing our work. This is when we created a questionnaire as a group to ask our target audience what they typically expect to see in a music video and their favourite genre of music. This questionnaire is displayed below:

1.     What is your gender?

Male      Female

2.     How old are you?

16-18     19-21     22-24     25-27     28+

3.     What is your favourite genre of music?

Pop       Rock      Classical      R&B       other

4.     Do you often watch the accompanying music video to a song you enjoy? If so why?

5.     What type of music video do you prefer?
Emotional     Upbeat      No preference     other

6.     Do you like the music video to match the lyrics? Why? 

7.     Do you tend to listen to a song first before you watch the music video?
Yes      No     Sometimes

8.     Where do you normally find out about a new music video?
Social media   YouTube    Friends    Other

9.     Do you normally only watch a music video once or several times? Why?

The initial feedback that we received from our target audience is that they liked pop and R&B. As a result of this we decided to create a music video that was a combination of both of them genres. This was so that we could appeal to our target audience and insure that as many people as possible. 

As you can see from the above, the feedback that we received in the initial process helped to shape our work. However it was quite minimal feedback where as the feedback that we received after posting our work on social media had a greater influence on the narrative of our work.

In conclusion I think that it was very beneficial to us as a group that we posted our work on the internet for a large amount of our target audience to view as it helped us to shape our work and adjust any final changes. 

2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

We wanted to create a music video that appealed to a niche target audience, this is because the music video that we created is part of the artists debut album and therefore we wanted to appeal to a niche target audience to begin with and then broaden our horizons. Along with the music video we also created the digipak for our artists album and a magazine advert to advertise these products. These products are displayed in the below images.

I think that as a complete product that these three elements of our music video, the digipak and the poster worked very well together. One of the reasons that I think this is because whilst creating the digipak and the magazine advert I tried to ensure that they were a reflection of the music video that we have created. As a result of this I made sure that we continued with the dark tone of the video by using a dark colour scheme in the other products.

As you can see from the images above of two of the ancillary texts, I think that they work very well together. This is because they both have the same main image and I have tried to use a similar background on the magazine advert as I have on the digipak cover. Even though these two products look quite similar I think that it is very important as it makes the whole product come together as a whole. As well as this, after researching into professional artists and real media products I found that they very often use the same image throughout their work. It was important that we carried out this research as we wanted our work to be a reflection of the music industry.

Additionally to this, using the same image and font throughout our work meant that our artist would very quickly establish her own image. This is important when working in the music industry as it means that the artists target audience will very quickly be able to recognise the artist's style of work.

I think one of the main things that makes all of the products work together is the use of the dark colour scheme. The use of the grey and black colouring on the ancillary texts meant that it is reflective of the music video that we have created. This is because the narrative of the video is about the emotions you experience after breaking up with a partner, therefore it is important that we chose colours to match this dark mood.

One of the elements that I think is successful about the digipak that we created is the use of font and the backing on the font, this is displayed in the image above. I think that it is effective that we chose to add a backing to our font, this is because it gives our digipak its own unique element as very often with professional products they will not use a backing on the text. Moreover because the backing is not a complete block of colour, it is once again reflective of our music video and the range of emotions that the artist is currently feeling.

However, one of the weaknesses of this product is the background. Although we chose to use quite a plain background because we didn't want it to draw away the attention from the list of tracks and after researching into professional products they often feature a plain background on the backing. We found from our audience research that some people would've preferred an image on the back, this is because the list of tracks is displayed on the far left hand side and as a result of this it means that the right side of the back cover looks very plain. Although, I personally think that if we added an image to our back cover, it might have begun to look quite cluttered and this was not the overall image that we wanted.

Following on from this, if we were to recreate our digipak I would change the costume that our artist is wearing. At the time that we took the images we were not planning on putting a backing on the front. However as we began to edit the image and put the work together, it very quickly became apparent that the backing on the front was very similar to the artists jumper. Although I think that the use of similar patterns ties all of the work together, it may also have weaknesses of being difficult for some of our target audience members to read. Therefore I would change the artists outfit so that there is minimal confusion.

One of the elements that I think is successful about our magazine advert is that it is representative of our digipak. As I have previously mentioned, we chose to use the same image. I think that this is a successful marketing technique as it ensures that our artist and the product become easily recognisable.

Another element of our magazine advert that I think is effective is the overall layout and the information that we chose to include. I think that we have included the right amount of information so that our target audience know all of the crucial information, along with marketing techniques such as including some of the songs that are included on the album. But I also think that the poster is quite minimal so it does not contain too much information and starts to draw away information from the important details. 

One of the elements that we had to overcome when creating our magazine advert is that we wanted to use the same main image that was used on the front of our digipak. However the image used on our digipak is of a square shape and we wanted the image to cover the whole of the advertisement so that it stood out on the page. However as I began to create the magazine advert it very quickly became apparent that the image would not stretch to the size that we wanted it to because it began to look un-proportional. We resolved this issue by looking at professional magazine adverts and I found that some artists lay the magazine advert out as if the CD is present. Therefore we decided to keep the image the same shape and size as the one on the digipak and place the information that is needed below.  I think that the use of this layout is effective and it means that our image is able to keep its professional quality. 

I think that one of the weaknesses of this product is that some of the information is not easy to read because of the patterned background that we decided to use. For example the release date of the album is not easily visible. This could be an issue for some of our target audience. However the use of a white font throughout the rest of the advert is effect because it is contrasting against the dark background. In order to overcome this problem, if we was to recreate the advert we could either change the backing of the advert and place the patterned element where there is no writing, or we could change the colouring of the font.

Following on from this there are also positive elements and weaknesses of our main product, which is the music video that we created.  As I will explain below.

Lip syncing

When looking at our main product I think that the successful elements include the lip syncing aspect. It was very important that we included lip syncing within our work to display a variety of skill. The overall feedback that we received from our target audience was that the lip syncing of the video is very accurate and therefore adds to the professional element of our video. If we were to recreate the music video we would perhaps add more lip syncing elements to the close up shots of our artist to display our skills even further. However one of the problems that we encountered whilst shooting our music video is that the song we decided to recreate is of a very fast pace at times within the song and our artist found it quite difficult to follow the lip syncing aspect.  In order to over come this problem, we made sure that we included lip syncing aspects that our artist was comfortable with following to ensure we had the most professional finish possible.

Example of a location

Another element of our main product that I think was successful was our use of a variety of locations. We thought that it was very important whilst creating our music video that we used a range of different settings to ensure that our target audience did not become bored whilst watching the product. I think that the overall look that was created through using several locations was very effective and a change in scenery meant that our target audience were constantly being introduced to something new. Along with this, we also made sure that in each of our locations our artist was wearing a different costume. Once again I think that this is a successful element within our main product as it meant that our artist could establish her own image very quickly and our target audience might become inspired by the different outfits.

Visual effect

Following on from this, I think that another successful element within our music video is the use of a variety of effects. Whilst creating our product we tried to be very experimental with final cut pro and use as much of the facility that was available to us. One of the effects that was most successful within our product is the use of the blur effect, this meant that the visual image created made our artist look like she was stepping out of her own body. This therefore adds to the "disturbed" narrative that we were trying to create.

Mid shot 

In contrast to this, I think that one of the weaknesses of our main product is that we did not use a variety of camera movement.  The camerawork throughout our product is very still, this is because we wanted to ensure that we created a sturdy shot to edit the lip syncing in. However it is likely that in professional music videos they will use a variety of camera movements. As well as this, there are also a lot of mid shots throughout our video. We chose to use mid shots because we wanted to establish our artists image so that our target audience could become familiar with her and her style. However, if we were to recreate this product, as a group we decided that we would try to add a greater variety of shots to our work in order to ensure that our target audience did not become disengaged.

green screen element 

Next, one of the difficulties that we overcome whilst creating our work was the use of the green screen element. As a group none of us had used the green screen element before and therefore it was a completely new skill that we had to learn. First of all it was quite difficult trying to figure out how to edit the green screen on final cut pro. Although as a group we overcome this problem together and as a result of this I think that the overall look of the green screen is very effective and adds a unique element to our work, setting us apart from others.

Another problem that we encountered when we first began to film our main product, is that we had to change the person who was going to be our artist. This meant that at the beginning of the production process we lost some time. However I think that it was good that we decided to make this decision early on in the process as it meant we had enough time to deal with this issue.

Opening title 

Overall I think that all three of the elements that we have created work very well together. I think that the digipak and the magazine advert are reflective of the video that we have created. As I have previously mentioned, I think that it is effective that we used a similar colour scheme throughout our work as the use of dark colours reflect the element of mystery within our video. As well as this, the same backing has been placed on all three of the products. For example the patterned is featured at the beginning of the video with the title of the video and then it is then placed on the background of both the digipak and the magazine advert. This element helps to link all three of the products together. However if we were to recreate these products I would try and add the same font that is used on the ancillary texts to the beginning of our video. This is so that the font would become iconic to our artist. Furthermore, I also think that it is effective that we used the same image throughout our work as it means that our artist is easily recognisable.

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

Firstly, one of the ways that our media product uses the conventions of real media products is through the use of storyline that we chose to follow as a group. We decided that we should create a narrative video with elements of a performance. This is quite common for real media products to use this style of work, as it keeps the audience interested in the product as the video is not so repetitive. A real life example of this is the video for Sam Smith - Not the only one. The video contains a narrative of the realisation of a woman discovering her husband is having an affair, Although the video also cuts to clips of the artist, Sam Smith singing. This is to ensure that the audience can engross in a narrative but also see the artist themselves. 

For our own music video we included a narrative of the artist going insane through the consequences of a bad breakup. We had to be very careful when thinking of the narrative for our video to ensure that it appealed successfully to our target audience (16-24 year olds).Therefore we decided that the narrative of our video should be focused on the emotions surrounding a breakup, as it is quite likely that most adolescents would've experienced these feelings and can therefore relate to our music video, meaning they are more likely to want to watch it. As well as this, it is quite often that real media products feature these issues, for example artists such as Taylor Swift and Adele focus on these issues. As a result of this our media product uses the conventions of real media products. 

Dancer 

As well as this, we also featured some clips in our video of a dancer. We decided to feature a dancer in our video because it was originally completely focused on the artist and after receiving some audience feedback that the video became quite repetitive we decided that we needed to add something additional to our video to make it more visually interesting. The use of a dancer in our video uses the conventions of a real media product as many music videos feature a dancing element. For example the artist Sia, features a young dancer in all of her music videos.

Locations

One of the conventions that we have developed through our music video is the use of locations. It is quite often that a music video will feature more than one location, in order to keep the target audience interested. For our own music video we developed this convention by using 5 locations. We decided that it would be a good idea to use quite a few locations because our music video is mainly focused on the artist and we thought that it in order to keep our audience interested in the video we must use a variety of locations. I think that it is effective that we used a variety of locations because if we were to shoot all of our video in one or two locations it might have become quite repetitive for our audience to watch. 

Repeated sequence 

A convention of real media products that we followed is the use of repeated sequences. It is a common feature in professional music videos that they will refer back to a certain sequence in the video more than once. As a result of this, we decided to use this element in our own music video. We decided that we should repeat one of the most important sequences in the video, which is the opening scene. The feedback that we received from our target audience after repeating this sequence throughout the video was very positive and they liked the aspect of some of the shots reappearing. I also think that we repeated the shots the correct amount of times, if we'd of done it too frequently it could've become quite boring for the audience to watch. 

Transitions 

One of the conventions that we challenged against real media is the use of transitions, as shown in the images above. Although real media do feature transitions within their work, we used them far more regularly than what is expected. I think that some of the transitions that we used through our work were very effective. However some of the feedback that we received from our target audience was that at times there were too many transitions within our work. I think that if we was to recreate our work we would remove some of the transitions from our work, this is because at times I think that it takes away some of the professional elements of our work. Although, viewing it in a positive light is that it makes our work stands out from others and has its own originality. It is important that our product has its own unique element even if that means challenging the conventions of real media products.

Camera work

Another convention that we have challenged against real media products is that our camera work is very still. For example the image above displays a mid shot of the artist and this is generally the type of shot we used throughout our video, along with close ups and long shots. When filming a professional music video it is likely that they will have a wide variety of shots, which include camera movements such as panning and tracking because they have the technical facilities to do so.  However because the only piece of equipment that we had was a tripod, we tried to ensure that the shots within our work were quite still. This is because we wanted to ensure that we had a clear shot of our artist but as a result of this it meant that our work did lack some variety of camera work. Therefore, this is a flaw in our product. If we was to recreate our music video I would try to add some movement to our work, even if it is only minor. This is because it is crucial to keep our target audience interested in the video and they might become quite bored watching similar camera shots throughout the video. On the other hand the use of mid shots means that our audience can clearly see our artists appearance, this is very important then first releasing work as you want your target audience to become familiar with the artists appearance and style.

Following on from this a way that our work develops the forms and conventions of real media products is through the use of multiple split screens, as displayed in the image above. Very often in professional work they may feature a split screen however it does not contain as many images as the one above does. I think that overall the use of multiple split screens within our work was very effective and it sets us apart from other people. Elements such as this means that our work has its own unique element which is very important when starting out in the music industry. 

Effects

Another way in which our work develops the conventions of real media products is through the use of effects. When we looked at Rihanna's video of Disturbia we found that in her video she did use blur effects slightly. As a group we were very interested in this effect and thought that it added to the overall dark tone of the song. As a result of this we developed this convention even further and used it several times throughout our work. I think that the use of this effect adds to the professional element of our work and displays a good variety of skill. Furthermore, I think that the shots above are very visually interesting and therefore keep our target audience interested. I think that it is effective that we chose to use effects within our work, as once again it adds a unique element to our work and it creates variety. 

Green screen 

In contrast to this, one of the elements that we have challenged against real media products is the use of a green screen.  In professional music videos they have the budget to be able to travel to a variety of locations, this means that they do not have to use technical elements such as the green screen. However because we do not have the budget to do so, therefore we decided to use the facilities that were available to us and we created the visual image that is shown above. I think that it is effective that we decided to use the green screen element as once again it adds variety to our work as it is something different for our target audience to focus on. I think that the choice of setting that we used is also effective as it fits in with the dark tone of the song and adds an element of mystery. The setting may also be reflective of the artists emotions as it is very empty and lacking life.

Costume changes 

Finally, one of the ways that our media product uses conventions is through the use of costume changes. The images above are an example of some of the costume changes throughout our video. in real media product it is very likely that the artist will feature in more than one outfit and this usually changes along with the location. As a result of this we tried to use a variety of costumes throughout our work to ensure that we followed a professional standard. Also, if we were to use the same costume throughout, the video could've become very repetitive for our target audience. Moreover, the use of different costumes signifies a change in time and location, therefore adding to the narrative of our work. 

Even though our artist is wearing a variety of costumes we wanted to ensure that her overall style remained this same, this is so that she can develop an image for herself as an artist and her target audience can become familiar with her. Therefore we tried to use dark colours throughout the video such as black. Also the use of grey colour is reflective of the narratives within the video as the artist is unsure how she is feeling. 

Overall, I think that as a group we have created a good product. I think that our work has a good amount of variety and it follows some of the typical conventions which are expected from a music video, this is good because it means that our target audience are familiar with that they are viewing and certain things appear as they expect to see them. However the use of challenging some of the conventions of real media products means that our work has its own originality. This is important when starting out in the music industry.

One of the ways that our ancillary products which is the digipak and the magazine advert follow the codes and conventions of real media products is the use of the same image repeated throughout the work.  This is a common feature in real media products as they often want the artists work to be easily recognisable therefore the target audience begin to associate a certain image with the product. I think that it is effective that we have used the same image throughout our work because it means our artist can easily establish her own image.

Furthermore, another way that our digipak follows the codes and conventions of real media products is through the use of the layout. This is because we have displayed a large image on the front of the cover with the artists name and the album. As well as this the backing of the digipak also follows the codes and conventions of real media products, this is because we have contained the vital information needed such as the copyright rules and the bar code. Along with this we also have the list of songs featured on the album. 

However one of the ways that our digipak goes against the codes and conventions of real media products is the use of the songs being displayed on the far left hand corner. It is often the case that artists will display the list of songs within the centre of the backing, if they are not using an image on the back. As a group we decided to put our tracks on the left hand side because we thought that is where it looked most effect, especially because we have a backing on our font and we felt that when we place the text in the centre it looked too compact.

In conclusion I think that both our main product and our ancillary texts have elements that follow the codes and conventions of real media products but also have aspects that challenge them. I think that it is important that as a group we carried out research to ensured our work followed the conventions as it meant that it is more likely to appeal to our target audience if they view something they are expecting to see. However, as I have mentioned previously it is also important that we challenged some of these conventions within our work.