Thursday 28 January 2010

Evaluation

Evaluation question 1 – In what ways does your media product use

Question two is a video commentary however it is too long to upload onto youtube or onto this blog and so i am going to burn it onto a disk.

Evaluation question 3 – What have you learned from your audience feedback

Evaluation question 4 - how did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Wednesday 27 January 2010

Final cd case images

Album cover:



Cd print:



Inside of cd case:



Back of cd:

Close call!

This could have been a huge embarrassment! Just as i thought i had finished i realised that the image inside of my cd case had a word missing in the song title, below is the corrected version.

Tuesday 26 January 2010

Cd cover

This image is a development from my last cd cover mock that i am considering as my final cd cover.

Back of cd case



This image is to be the back of my cd case, the yellow lines either side are to indicate where the folds will be that show the artists name and single along the side. I have lightened these side panels so that the text is clearer.

I feel this image sums up the character of Connor, the converse represent the life of the subject, well worn in and the stereotype of a indie music fan. I wanted this mage not to hold the attention most out of all the cd digi-pack though still maintain the same theme and conclude that this younger Connor is still present in the older generation. The faded effects i have continued to use i feel represent this element of past.

Ooop i forgot the all important barcode, i have corrected this below:

Inside of cd case



I am thinking of using this image for the inside of my cd case cover both the back of the cd cover and the other side behind the cd.



The image above i have made intending it to be the inside of the cd case.



Above i have altered the font as the previous text was too hard to read and i felt that this font portraying hand writing was most appropriate for the genre and a font for displaying lyrics. The previous one although nice i think it was too stylised and precise.

Below is the section of the above image where i am going to apple to apply to the cd. This works as the cd wouldnt break up the image behind, it becomes part of it.



This image is an alternative with simply the original photo can just the band name.



This s an example to show which part of this picture would be printed onto the disk. (ignore the yellow circle it is whats inside
that i want to focus on.

Final music video



Youtube doesn't do the effects or the colour justice and i am not able to just upload the quicktime movie so for now this will just have to do.

Final single release advert

Advert editing



This is my first edit of the single release advert. My aim to to keep the text minimal and keep the emphasis on the main imagine. I have selected various font i feel are appropriate for 'Rock and Roll' such as the text of the track name. I have also included my fictional record label 'RedRock Records', to create the backwards font i downloaded it off the following website from via google http://www.fontspace.com/wa2ise/backwards. So far this mock hasnt got all of the text on it though it is a working progress which id appreciate feedback on. I have manipulated the hue and saturation levels.



Above is the window within Photoshop that allows me to do this. I have chose the colours blue and red shades to be highlighted throughout the image, the connotation of these colours are that the blue shades appear cold and lifeless as this is the character from the past and the red shades are the future though there is no subject to represent this as he is still living in the past as portrayed through the video. This effect successful separates Connor and the foreground with the shadow and the gate in the background, i feel this reflects my video appropriately and continues the same these of a second identity through the shadow.

Monday 25 January 2010

Further editing effects



This is the first 20 seconds or so of the music video with additional effects. I have applied an effect called overdrive to the clips relevant to resembling the past. Below is an image of where this effect is in final cut.



The default of this effect is set as below:



Below are the changes that i made to tone down the effect:

Colour editing and connotations



This is my latest edit of my video where i have began to develop the colours within various clips to highlight and support the narrative throughout the video. During this editing process i have reduced the saturation for all the clips featuring connor when he is younger clips where elodie alone; these clips now appear completely black and white, where as the clips in present day with David and some when he is with elodie are a reduced saturation though not black and white. When i first made these changes the clips in the present day were the original colours though they seemed too much of a contrast and as the lighting continuity wasnt perfect i chose to reduce the colour.



Above is a screen shot of my film being edited in final cut, if the arrow is visible this is where the saturation bar is (in the top middle window)

Below is a close up of this window:

Tuesday 19 January 2010

developing cd cover



This mock of a cd cover again was created in photoshop. I have cut out Connor from my first cd cover and layered him on top of a still frame that i have taken from my music video. This frame include three clips as all of the transitions are over lapping; i felt this was my first idea that began to resemble works similar to Sigur Ros. The text in the background over the road sign wasn't finished it was just to show the basic idea.

ideas for cd digi- pack



This was one of the photographs that i took a while ago of Connor in Leicester, here i have cropped it in photoshop and applied a graffiti font that i downloaded off the internet. I was experimenting with this to create either the back of the cd case of the inside of the cover. Although this font may fit in with the original graffiti on the wall it fails to fit into the indie/ creative genre that i am aiming for.

Latest music video edits

It is apparent that i forgot to post my latest edit on my music video back at the beginning of December, i will post it below as this version includes the lasted filming i did as well as my editing process as i have begun to explore appropriate transitions to help communicate the narrative throughout my video.



This second version is the same video though i had dramatically reduced the saturation on all the clips as i felt something wasn't right in the consistency of lighting and the colours limited the emotion of the narrative.

Sigur Ros influence

Again i have taken examples from Sigur Ro's work to help direct my own cd designs. His album covers all successfully communicate individual thoughts and messages using unique methods of presentation. It is clear that the use of photography is common with in his work, relying on outside locations and the realism that it created by this. It is also apparent that distort effects have been used and alteration of lighting; both these effect implies various things, the dark blurred photo suggests mysterious and depth whereas the lightened photograph of naked men running i think exaggerates the energy and humour conveyed from this idea. The other cover is a simple print which is equally as interesting as this black print reveals little about the character features and the lighter silhouette of trees around the subject provide many areas for peoples interpretation to explore. Personally i interpret this as a men lost in a whole new world.



It is apparent that all of these cd's follow similar conventions in that the image is relied on to capture the attention rather than the artists name. This creative edge suggests that the music follows a similar path, which consequently it does.



These are various edits i have made to my most recent mock of the cd cover, each have be edited only by varying the saturation levels. I feel that the change i have made to the text on the last one makes it merge in with the image more than the previous examples, though at the same time it stands out and looks realistic.

I am going to get feed back on these images which will help me come to a conclusion as to which is most preferred and effective.

Monday 18 January 2010

Developing cd cover

Since my initial mock of the cd cover i have edited this further in photoshop and applied a non-digetic light source effect that exaggerates the natural lighting in the original picture.

first mock:


The difference between the two i believe is effective as this more powerful light almost implies the same as a spotlight suggesting that the focus is on this character and the highlight provides more energy making the photograph appear more interesting.

second mock:

Friday 15 January 2010

audience analysis

Female. 25. musician.
She feels passionate about presenting herself as an individual; this includes her expressive attitude reflected in her unique style and her motivation to be herself and not follow a particular stereotype, consequently she dislikes expensive clothing labels and prefers to shop in unusual vintage shops that she comes across. As a musician she appreciates all genres of music however she isn't a huge fan of heavy music. Her lifetime ambition is to be successful in whatever she pursues though her current ambition is to create music that represents herself and appeals to those with similar views. She produces music because she is inspired by something or feels passionate and not for a specific purpose or audience. Her musical preferences are those similar to herself and those who produce unique music not music intended for a mainstream audience; these often are unsigned bands/artists. Her influence is reliant on modern culture and works by respected artists in industry. Other than music she enjoys socialising and spending time traveling spontaneously around the country.

female. 22. student-business studies. moved from France as a child.
She enjoys city breaks that allow her to fully explore everything available to her as well as providing her with the satisfaction that she is largely independent on herself and can achieve anything she applies herself to. Despite her adventurous personality she dislikes spending holidays orientated around beaches and steers away from the lifestyle that involves clubs. Additionally her interest in music reveals contrasting opinions as she enjoys indie music and going to festivals with friends however dislikes reality tv shows involving music such as xfactor and pop idol as she feels they lack technical aspect of the subject. She is a huge fan of Florance and the machine as well as Oasis therefore favouring the indie genre of music. Her ambition is to make the most of her life and not allow anything to hold her back, however her employment aspiration is to eventually begin her own company and for it to be successful. She idolizes models such as Kate Moss and Seinna Miller as their character is similar to herself. Her interest in fashion may have some influence in these aspects of her life. She religiously watches Sex in the city, regularly goes to the cinema with friends and her favourite channel is MTV and is happy to watch anything they show, including their music.

male. 20. student-visual communication. London.
He shares a large interest with such media based projects for example independent photography and short films. This interest has began to come alive since taking up course in visual communications at university. His other interests involve music, attending a variety of gigs while socialising and often going out to local music venues. However within the media industry he dislikes the concept of appealing to a mainstream audience as he believes this limits the creator to producing something that fully represents the artist rather than providing a large market with a minimal outcome to suit all audiences. This refers to things such as repeating the same ideas, sounds and conventional ideas. His passion for music and film doesn't leave him much room for other activities and consequently has no interest in sports or sequel tv programmes. His ambition in life is to create visual work implying multiple messages making reference to current social topics, and for this work to be accepted in the media industry. Due to his interest in new and unique material he often listens to new and unsigned bands that try to create a new sound. He looks up to respected artists and directors within the industry such as Sigur Ross, Wes Anderson and Quintin Tarrantino.

genre analysis

General


In what context did you encounter it? (web, film, TV etc)

What influence do you think this context might have had on your interpretation of the text?

To what genre did you initially assign the text?

What is your experience of this genre?

What subject matter and basic themes is the text concerned with?

How typical of the genre is this text in terms of content?

What expectations do you have about texts in this genre?

Have you found any formal generic labels for this particular text (where)?

What generic labels have others given the same text?

Which conventions of the genre do you recognize in the text?

To what extent does this text stretch the conventions of its genre?

Where and why does the text depart from the conventions of the genre?

Which conventions seem more like those of a different genre (and which genre(s))?

What familiar motifs or images are used?

Which of the formal/stylistic techniques employed are typical/untypical of the genre?

What institutional constraints are reflected in the form of the text?

What relationship to 'reality' does the text lay claim to?

Whose realities does it reflect?

What purposes does the genre serve?

In what ways are these purposes embodied in the text?

To what extent did your purposes match these when you engaged with the text?

What ideological assumptions and values seem to be embedded in the text?

What pleasures does this genre offer to you personally?

What pleasures does the text appeal to (and how typical of the genre is this)?

Did you feel 'critical or accepting, resisting or validating, casual or
concentrated, apathetic or motivated' (and why)?

Which elements of the text seemed salient because of your knowledge of the genre?

What predictions about events did your generic identification of the text lead to (and to what extent did these prove accurate)?

What inferences about people and their motivations did your genre identification give rise to (and how far were these confirmed)?

How and why did your interpretation of the text differ from the interpretation of the same text by other people?



Mode of address


What sort of audience was your text aimed at (and how typical was this of the genre)?

How does the text address your classmates?

What sort of person does it assume they are?

What assumptions have you made about their class, age, gender and ethnicity?

What interests does it assume they have?

What relevance does the text actually have for you?

What knowledge does it take for granted?

To what extent do you resemble the 'ideal reader' that the text seeks to position you as?

Are there any notable shifts in the text's mode of address (and if so, what do they involve)?

What responses does the text seem to expect from your audience?

How open to negotiation is their response (are they invited, instructed or coerced to respond in particular ways)?

Is there any penalty for not responding in the expected ways (think in terms of enjoyment for the audience or consequences for the institution)?

To what extent did people find themselves 'reading against the grain' of the text and the genre?

Which attempts to position your audience in this text do they accept, reject or seek to negotiate (and why)?

How closely aligned is the way in which the text addresses you with the way in which the genre positions you (Kress 1988, 107)?



Relationship to other texts


What intertextual references are there in the text you have created (and to what other texts)?

Generically, which other texts does the text you created resemble most closely?

What key features are shared by these texts?

What major differences do you notice between them?