Website

http://stefanking41.wix.com/kirstie-mayweather

Digipak

Brand New Day

Audience Research

In what ways is our music video similar to a music video from the same genre?

If the volume was turned down could you tell this was a pop genre music video?

What is your impression of our artist?

Do you believe there was a narrative?

Who well do our ancillary texts link?

What do you think about quality of filming/editing?

Who would be our target audience?

Improved Anamatic for 'Brand New Day'

Although close to completion I believe this Anamatic still needs a bit more work. For example, whilst editing in iMovie the programme automatically set the effect of a fade onto each each cli, therefore in some clips it is difficult to read the writing. Additionally when uploading the images a few didn't process for some reason. So I think it would be more effective if I photocopied the story board and uploaded it to my blog so it would be clearer.

Record Label Research

We decided to use 'Decca Records' as our record label as we believed it would be the perfect supporting record label for our artist. After researching into the record label we discovered that 'Decca Records' is known for supporting independent artists yet it is also a branch of 'Universal Music' therefore we know it has the right facilities and capabilities to promote our artist. Additionally 'Decca Records' is a UK based record company. It is specifically known due to its diversity in the pop genre, signing artists such as 'Bing Crosby' to 'Billie Holiday.' Our artist is not the average lively pop artist, she's different to that and we saw the artists that are signed to 'Decca Records' and we believed that she fitted more into this category because none of these artists are the same as others artists in the same genre of music.

About Decca Records:

The name “Decca” dates back to a portable gramophone called the “Decca Dulcephone” patented in 1914 by musical instrument makers Barnett Samuel and Sons. That company was eventually renamed The Decca Gramophone Co. Ltd. and then sold to former stockbroker Edward Lewis in 1929. Within years Decca Records Ltd. was the second largest record label in the world, calling itself “The Supreme Record Company”. The name “Decca” was coined by Wilfred S. Samuel by merging the word “Mecca” with the initial D of their logo “Dulcet” or their trademark “Dulcephone.”

Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis.

Planning Location and Skills

Location Shots

We used a pier near Putney Bridge as one of the main locations where our artist will be filmed and also our artist will carry a photo shoot here for the digipak. We plan to filmed for two days in this location because we want to use the different areas for different scenes in our product. Putney Pier is an ideal place for filming because it has view Putney Thames, modern and old buildings and a modern bar that looks like it's also a restaurant. The fact that it has a Thames I think is better for us because I think we can then film her looking out and singing at the same time to bring the scenery involved as well as her. We can film certain shots of our artists such as a mid shot of her looking out at the water. The scenery is really beautiful which is better because it can make pur product look more classy and well presented.

We also plan to use Putney Park as another main area for our product because we can involve the couple waling in the park and sitting for example on a bench or on the floor for a picnic. Also we can use this location as another area for a photo shoot for the digipak because of the scenery in the trees. Furthermore, we can use this location for cutaways in the plants or of the couple just sitting or walking.

In this park you can see the view of the Thames which I thought can be useful as we can also film for example a close up of our artist singing and looking out at the scenery (the Thames) as I think it would be ideal have her looking out the Thames in a different location. It can also link well with the other scenes such as in the Pier as her body language will be similar which can be used to move from scene to another.

Album Tracklist

1. Brand New Day

2. Speechless

3. Falling Love

4. Home Sweet Home

5. Timeless Moments

6. Dry Tears

7. Point Of View

8. Love Struck

9. Sunset

10. Dreamy Romance

11. Family Tree

12. Nothing Has Changed

13. Consequences (Bonus Track)

Digipack Research

Adele - 21

Front Cover 

Adele's album cover for her album '21' portrays her as very sophisticated and as a genuine person. The album cover contains a close up of Adele in black and white in the foreground and a plain black background.

Improved Analysis of Music Video from Artist's Similar to Ours

Improved Analysis of Music Video from Artist's Similar to Ours

Leona Lewis - Better In Time

This Music Video for Leona Lewis' 'Better In Time' portrays her as a sophisticated, polite young women. Throughout the music video she is dressed in sophisticated clothing. However the music video doesn't follow the generic conventions stated by Goodwin that all pop music videos have the same characteristics. This music video contains performance and concept elements. The common characteristics for music videos from the pop genre is to have a narrative and performance based video. The music video is set in a photo-shoot, dressing room and movie set which makes Leona seem very upper-class and extremely graceful. 

These black and white close ups of Leona portray her as sophisticated and delicate as most of the time yoga associate black and white with sophistication. Before we watched these videos as a group, Miss Ferdinand suggested that we count how long each shot is. The longest shot was around 5-6 seconds however the camera was either panning or moving slightly. This made us realise that every shot in the music was either moving or something in the shot was moving. We then wanted to incorporate this into our product. 

We discovered that the two shots above were the longest however the camera was constantly panning her or zooming out which suggested that the action never stops. This therefore makes her character seem more likeable as not only is she portrayed as polite and sophisticated a fun side of her character is also portrayed.

These panning shots of Leona, from a close up to a long shot really empathises the effectiveness of keeping the camera moving at all times. It also gives us a chance to focus on the vocal techniques in the close-up and then contrast it with our focus on her beauty in the long shot. The mid shot is an effective way of making the audience focus on both her appearance and her voice.

In the two shots above we see Leona Lewis portrayed as an elegant woman who possibly is a celebrity, actress or singer. These shots establish her sense of importances, and additionally follows Goodwin's theory in which he states that the artist is the main focus of attention. Again the shots are never not moving as they are panning which suggests a sense of action and more importantly it doesn't bore the audience.

In these final shots we discover that she is in fact an actress and the medium shots used of her suggests this as we are given the opportunity to focus on the mise en scene as well as her. The mise en scene is used to show that she is an actress and is also used to show her as a down to earth person as we see her walking with the horse. This creates a comforting sense about her character. 

Blog Post Wednesday 13th November

After analysing music videos similar to our artists with Miss Ferdinand I discovered that music videos from artists I thought were similar to our artist were actually in the completely wrong direction that we wanted to go with our artist. I believe that I just got confused with the pop genre and thought we wanted to portray our artist like; Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande and Selena Gomez. However after having a group discussion we came to realisation that we wanted to portray our artist as a mature, well mannered, sophisticated young women. More like artists such as; Adele and Leona Lewis. 

Evaluation Question Four

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

Evaluation Question Three

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

After doing our audience feedback we discovered that most people expect performance and narrative based music videos rather than concept based. 

Evaluation Question Two

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

The combination of our digipak, website and main product complement each other very well.

Evaluation Question One

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

Our Media Product (Music Video) mainly uses and develops the forms and conventions of real media products rather than challenge them. We believed that whilst challenging the conventions of a real media product could prove to be effective, it is a risky strategy and the examiner could portray our interpretation as something completely different. Therefore we decided to develop the forms and conventions of real media products. For example we analysed several different music videos in the pop genre, including; Taylor Swift's 'You Belong With Me,' Katy Perry's 'The One That Got Away,' and Ariana Grande's 'Baby I.' All these music videos followed the same generic conventions of Goodwin's theory. Both Taylor Swift's and Ariana Grande's music videos followed the generic conventions of pop music videos and were mainly narrative based and loosely performance based. Whilst Katy Perry's music video for 'The One That Got Away' challenged the forms and conventions of pop music videos and used a concept based music video. 
However we choose not to follow these artists direction as it is not how we want to portray our artist. We then went on to analyse music videos from artists such as; Leona Lewis and Adele as firstly they are london based artists and secondly we felt that they are more sophisticated and delicate then the other artists we have analysed. Therefore we believed that our portrayal of our artist should be more similar to artists like Leona Lewis or Adele. This means that we are incorporating the forms and conventions from our genre of music videos. 

Brand New Day Script

  

Analysis of Pop Videos by Artists Similar to our Artist

Analysis of Pop Videos by Artists Similar to our Artist

Ariana Grande - Baby I

In this music video Ariana Grande is portrayed as a fun loving party girl, however there is also a portrayal of innocence about her character as she is wearing bright, vibrant summery clothes and nothing too revealing. The Music video is set in the streets, a party and rooftops this makes her seem relatable to the audience and like a normal girl. Another aspect of her seeming relatable to the audience is when she is on a bus. The most common shot in this music video and pop music videos in general is a close up and long shot. The close up is used to establish the artist to the audience and creates a connection. It is also used to focus on the facial expressions and the singing. The long shots are used to establish the scene and setting and in some occasions it is used to show a dance routine. According to Goodwin's theory this music video would be mainly performance and concept based, it has no reference to a narrative however. This is un-generic for the pop genre as they usually follow a narrative based upon love or a break-up.

This long-shot of her sitting on a car suggests her rebellious nature however it is contrasted throughout the video by her sense of innocence. The long shot additionally identifies the scene and the feel of the video. Simply just from this shot it is obvious and clear to tell that this is going to be an uplifting song rather than a depressing breakup song. The miss-en-scene in this shot suggests that she is very fashionable and is constantly up to date with the trends.

This close-up of Ariana Grande lying down singing towards the camera is used to show her relaxed, chilled out nature. It can also demonstrate the tone of her singing and the expressions she needs to use to hit the notes. It could be argued that her innocence is additionally portrayed through this close-up as you can only see her face, which does not suggest any sexual connotations, and the fact that she is lying down makes her seem almost childish.

Another use of the long-shot is to show the performers. It establishes the performance of the male and female dancers. Ariana Grande is in the centre of the shot which suggests she is of the most importance in the shot, another reason why she might be suggested as the most important as she is also the only one sitting down on her side. The long-shot is effectively used in this shot as it clearly shows everyone in the shot and establishes them as a group.

The long-shot used in this shot simply addresses the audience with the scene and set. In the bottom right hand corner of the shot we see a bus named 'Baby I' which is also the name of the song. This reminds the audience that this is not real life but just a music video.

In this shot the use of a mid-shot suggests to the audience that Ariana Grande has a good relationship with the dancers as she is seen dancing and smiling with the dancers. This additionally suggests and reiterates the point that she is a performer and not just a singer. The shot which tracks down her whole body shows she is a good dancer and a friendly person as we are able to see good body language and good dancing through the use of a tracking mid shot.

This long-shot additionally shows her as a performer rather than just an artist. It is also used to introduce the dancers to the audience. The long shot is used mainly to identify the dancers and the dance routine. The use of the long shot displaying the dancers as part of the group is conventional to the pop music video genre and therefore is pleasing for the audience as they are used to seeing it.

Ariana's cheeky and childish attitude is portrayed through the use of a close-up in this shot. Her target audience is young females therefore this close-up showing her childish attitude is perfect in displaying her as relatable to her childish audience.

In this long shot we see Ariana Grande dancing and showing off her body in a way that some could argue being provocative. She is also placed in the centre of the shot which suggests she is the centre of attention. The mise en scene used in this shot also portrays her fashion sense and the uplifting atmosphere the song has.

In this mid shot of her, Ariana is portrayed as a fun loving part girl. The shot is very crowded yet you still get a distinctive view of her at the foreground of the shot. This suggests to the audience that she is the centre of attention and that she is the artist in the song.

This close up of Ariana makes us focus on the vocals and the range of her voice rather than all the other performance based elements of the video.

Taylor Swift - 22

Taylor Swift's music video for '22' is generic to the pop music video genre as it contains the two main elements of a pop music video, which are performance and narrative based concepts. Similarly to the music video for Arian Grande's 'Baby I' Taylor Swift is shown to be a fun loving, happy, joyful girl. The mise en scene used in the music video contains scenes set at the beach, by a pool and inside a well decorated house. This suggests that the music video contains a very summery vibe and portrays Taylor Swift as a sophisticated yet fun loving girl. For example, Taylor is seen as sophisticated in the scenes where she is on the beach looking out into the distance, whereas she is portrayed as fun-loving and innocent in the scenes where Taylor Swift is jumping on a trampoline or playing with her friends. The audience can also relate to Taylor Swift in this music video as she is hanging around with a bunch of girls her age, but who look like normal, average people. Later on in the music video we see Taylor Swift getting ready, in the shots used there is a contrast between her being sophisticated and her being child-like. Her sophisticated attitude is shown by her elegant dress and how she puts her makeup on however her child-like attitude is portrayed by the cat ears she is wearing.

This long shot shows Taylor Swift as the centre of attention as she is the only on in the shot. The plain white background also suggests that she stands out from everyone. This jus shows that mise en scene is just as effective in portraying symbolism or meanings.

We again have another long shot however this time it is of Taylor by a swimming pool with a bunch of friends. This shot establishes Taylor as not only the centre of attention (as her friends are looking at her and copying her movements) it also suggests she is a fun-loving, popular girl.

This close up of Taylor Swift is used so we can focus on the music and her voice. Goodwin's analysis of music videos states that a convention of music videos is that the visuals usually reflect the music. In this case he is correct as the visuals are of her singing and the music is the song being played.

Taylor Swift's fun and childlike attitude is portrayed in this medium shot of her. The mise en scene includes the use of props such as pom-poms and the over-sized megaphone. These goofy objects make her seem very likeable and fun to watch.

The use of an extra-long-shot in this scene establishes the scene very well, similarly to the shot shown below. In the foreground we can see Taylor Swift and her friends, who look like they are running and smiling. This shot could be seen as very peaceful, as the scenery is beautiful and calming. Towards the top of the shot we can see a house and blue skies. 

Again an extra-long-shot is used again to establish the scene. This shot is very effective as the sun is just floating above the sea in the background whilst Taylor and her friends are running and enjoying themselves in the foreground, it is aesthetically very appealing. It is probably used for people to relate or reminisce of happy times.

Correspondingly to the two shots shown above this extra-long-shot is used to not only establish the scene but this time to suggest that Taylor Swift is just an ordinary girl. Her and her friends are scattered around the shot rather orderly, however if you didn't know who Taylor Swift was it would be hard to pick her out. The demands of the record label most probably suggested this as it would make Taylor more relatable to the audience. Nevertheless there is still a suggestion that she is slightly more important than the others as she is placed in the centre of the shot.

In this mid-shot which is looking up at Taylor we see her once more having fun with her friends, which makes her seem more similar to her audience. She is also seen as very up-to-date and fashionable as she is wearing shot blue denim shorts, a flowery, elegant shirt, sunglasses and a yellow bandanna. 

This music video contains mainly the generic conventions of a pop music video, which are performance and narrative element. Although there is less of a narrative element then performance element in this music video there is still a vague narrative. However the performance element is a very strong element of this music video. In this long shot we see Taylor dancing and singing by a swimming pool. It portrays a very summery vibe. 

In this long shot we see Taylor Swift jumping and playing on a trampoline with her friends. This reinforces her playful and childlike aspects. It additionally suggests she is a fun girl who doesn't take everything too seriously. 

This close up of Taylor Swift getting ready in the mirror shows a much more sophisticated side to her character. We see her in an elegant, classy dress with her hair perfectly combed. It also again gives us a chance to focus on her vocals again as she is singing into the mirror. However we are still able to see this funny, child-like aspect other character as she is wearing cat ears, which suggest innocence.

This close-up of Taylor Swift makes her look very sweet and cute. As she is smiling at the camera we get the feeling that she is a sweet and nice girl. The mise en scene also backs up this sense of sweetness about her character as the fairy lights are very delicate, possibly used to represent her.

We have another close up of Taylor, this time we see she is walking somewhere accompanied by two other girls. The fact that Taylor is in the foreground and middle of the shot whilst the two other girls and in the background and following her it suggests that Taylor is the centre of attention. She is looking at the camera which creates a connection between the audience and the artist. 

In this final shot of Taylor we see her dancing and smiling at the camera. This advocates the idea that she is a party-loving girl. This is a similar shot used by Ariana Grande in her music video for Baby I. This suggests that the demands of the record label is to depict the artist as someone who portrays innocence yet still loves to party.