Evaluation 4

How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?

Software
--> Premiere Pro CC
--> Youtube downloader
--> Photoshop

Hardware
--> MacBook Pro 
--> Camera x2
--> Tripod
--> Iphone for photoshop, taking notes

Online
--> Youtube
--> Google drive
--> Social media (Facebook, Instagram)
--> Blogger
--> Tutorials
--> line

Researching
For researching, we mostly did online research. For me, I found that online researching is the best way because nearly every information or sources are posted online especially nowadays people communicate online therefore sources are easily found.
Throughout the researching process, I have looked through Youtube Channels and Websites of famous artists and new artists to see the similarities and differences. I have also researched and compared American, British, Asian artists to see what attract the audiences and what are their marketing campaigns or strategies to help them succeed their objectives. 
It has taken sometime to research on what the record label portrays the stars and what the star whats to represent themselves as. Sometimes these artists have change their genres of music or sub-genre throughout their career which made me explore 

Furthermore, I have watched many Pop, EDM music videos and similar sub-genres to have an idea of what are the main conventions but to also see what I can do to make my artist and the music video more unique than the other music videos. Also, I have looked more on how the music video conventions have development throughout the years. 





The ideas and researches that we have found interesting, useful or linked to our tasks are then displayed on my blog. This was also to remind myself of what I can create and what I should do or should not do. Also, because I am working as a team, this can all be accessible easily. 

Sometimes, my team we write things on our notes on our iPhones first to see what we come up with, then we screenshot our notes and share it on our line group. 

Planning
For planning, surprisingly we did almost everything on paper. I have started my planning by doing a storyboard for my music video. Before our shooting of the music video, we also completed the risk assessment for the locations that we shot at. To add on, I completed 3 location scouting report sheets so we all know what the location has or hasn't and what were the limitations. Also, before we even finalized the locations, we did location scouting to see which on works best and decide which one suites our music video the most. 

To make our shooting day easier, I have made a location distance calculation between the locations to see which one we should shoot at first or last. But also to see if we will finish the shooting by the end of the day.

During planning time, we have used online communication with each other a lot. We all had different ideas especially the creation of Digipaks. For the website, there were a few times when we shared photos across our line group chat to compare and discuss our opinions on them. 
For me, I have wrote some of my plans on the lyrics and shot structures on my google drive as this helped me work on additional things later on. Also this can also be shared to my other teammates online and therefore making this all convenient for everyone. 

Filming 
For filming, we have used hardware mostly. I was the cameraman and I have used at least 2 different cameras. This was because I had to take the shots from different angles and also because we took it on different days and I have borrow the camera from our teacher and therefore I had to use another camera to take. However, this did not make the shots or scenes different while editing the music video. 
As I have said we have taken many different types of shots and therefore some shots I have used the tripod to help the stability of the shots and sometimes I have used it for performance shot as this does not need any movements. 

The filming was a difficult process for me because I have not shot a lot of videos for coursework before and the shots has to be good quality and therefore I felt nervous and worried. While filming, I nearly gave up because the shots that I have taken were not what we pictured out and because there were a crowd of people in one of our locations it was even harder for me. But in the end we helped each other and I tried to understand what we wanted to portray in the music video. Even though we took many takes for each scene but I felt I have learnt a lot from these shots taken and I feel that I have improved a lot since the first scene that I have taken for my group. 
The lighting however did not work as well for the graffiti scene as it have made Abby (Artist) looked to dark and did not shine as much as we have wanted. However, for the market location, I found that abby's white shirt have made her stand out from the shops and people around her. 

Post Production 
When we finished the shooting, we constantly transferred the files onto the Macbook Pro so this can be uploaded to Premiere Pro CC for editing. I found that some of the tools are confusing and I didn't know what the tools were for. I then decided to go on google to look for tutorials that would help me do the things that I needed to edit on Premiere. It was very helpful and we managed to save a lot of time.
The song that we used, I have downloaded through Youtube downloader and converted it to MP4 player and then uploaded to Premiere again for further editing. This was an easy step and we managed to put the song in perfectly with the music video. 
However, there was once when it was very frustrating because I accidentally saved the wrong files on my hard drive and the draft that we did disappeared. Thankfully, I managed to look through the auto-save files on the drive and got three-quarter of the editing back. 
Therefore, I learnt that I need to be careful of what I do and try to save consistently so the files are still there. 

Overall, hardware, software, online are all linked and perform in the production and the development of the Star. 
At first we used the camera which is hardware. We then send through the files from the memory card that was also used to store the shots from the camera through into the computer. 
I have used laptop instead of computer because I have downloaded premiere pro into my laptop which I have used it to edit my music video. The files that are sent through are then converted to mp4 so it can be edited on premiere pro. I have also downloaded the music from the internet (online) on the youtube converter website. 
I have converted that to mp3 player and imported it premiere pro to put together with the clips that we have imported from the memory card. 
When I have put everything together I then exported to Quicktime. Next I have uploaded the music video onto Youtube which is a source online which audience can come to see and share on different social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter etc.
I have also uploaded to the Star website so audience can listen to the music and find out more about the Star as well.
Audiences and editors, news reporter may find the Star and music video interesting and therefore post their opinions and thoughts both online or on paper. On paper and online both needs a hardware and software, while online uses social media or websites to post their article or feedback. 

To finalise, I believe everything, the software, hardware and online are all linked and work together to produce a Star including music video, digipak and website. They all work as a cycle and this allow to broaden audience type and allow to distribute the products more efficiently as well.

Evaluation 3

How do your products engage with the audience and would your work be distributed as real media products?

Target audience:

• TASTES AND ATTITUDES

I have used Channel 4's UK Tribes to identify my target audience. This gave me further insight on the different tribes of today's youth. 

Out of all the tribes, I believe that my Star appeal to the "Le Intro" and "Urban" groups. The Le Intro group is described as "looking to get their voice heard through their creative talent". While the Urban group is describe to be "on trend" and "chilled". However, both are similar in a way due to their love for style and creativity, they don't like to be held back from what they are doing. Also, they are opened to diverse range of ideas and culture. 

In my opinion, I feel that my target audience would be based on the mixture of the two tribes, as the artist could be pursuing her dreams of originality and individuality while wanting to be chilled and sticking to her own rhythm. 

Target audience profile!

1. 
Name: Tyler Oakley
Age: 27
Occupation: American Youtube and podcast personality, humorist, author and activist
Interests: He dedicates his time to support LGBT youth, LGBT rights, and social issues. He also post materials on social media such as queer politics, pop culture and humor. He studied communication, marketing and social media at Michigan State university to pursue his dreams as a blogger and you-tuber.
He appear on many broadcasting platforms and was one of the first people to openly say he was gay (making LGBT voice heard)




2. 
Name: Carissa Springgett 
Age: 18
Occupation: Thai Model
Interests: Loves to act and has been in a few Thai soaps for the past year. She likes socializing with her friends and goes to different festivals which she can express her own self in different costumes. Moreover, she travels quite frequently to discover more diverse ideas but also to pursue her career as an international model. 
Her favorite artists are Hailee Steinfeld, Beyonce and Pharrell.

Qualities and conventions that would appeal to my audiences:

• Relatable
• Real 
• Recent (Modern)
• Socialization
• Teenage (life)
• Teenage (love/ heartbreaks)

Key elements of products that I believe will appeal to my audience

For our music video, I believe that "the star" is one of the biggest element that appeals to my audience. The Star portray herself as a normal teenage girl who loves to go on adventures and been through similar relationships (love/ hurt) like her audiences therefore this will help connect the audience to the Star. Also, in the music video, the Star is wearing normal plain clothing conveying that she is very down to earth and is not attached to her fame. 

via GIPHY

Behind the song and the music video, we want our audiences to believe that the Star is just as normal as the audiences and she is going through the same as most of the "teenage audience".

Furthermore, because our music video has a "twist" by the end of the music video which was when the Star was unsure about her love for her girl -friend but she already has a boyfriend which she really loves. 

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I believe this will entice to many audience because in this era, everyone should be able to express their thoughts and feelings, therefore this will makes more people aware of what others are going through and raise the matter of equality. Plus, there are many bloggers who are not straight such as Ashley Mardell, Alli Hills, Kiera Rose etc. which will be entice by the music video or the Star herself because of the non excluding of different genders and shows that different is normal. 

Ashley Mardell

For our Website, we have used many social media sites to help support such as Instagram, Facebook and twitter. For these social media sites, we have created a link to the website as well (vise versa) so the audience are able to go through different sites to find out more about the Star, also to catch up with latest news. 

Moreover, we have created a hashtag for the new song which is #youngeryesterday. I felt that this appealed to audiences most and this also widen the audience type because this would be shared online so many people will be able to see and share but also they will be able to recognized the song and Star that made the hashtag.

Our audience is mostly based on teenagers and young adults, so when the audience post their photos they can reflect on their childhood. Plus, they will be able to interact more with the star as they will be able to share their photos online and compare with other audience or stars. Making the audience more engage with the star, the song.

David Buckingham audiences

"Buckingham believes it is essential to situate young people’s media use within the context of their other social activities and experiences due to the fact that many young people are using the media as a wallpaper: a wall of noise to fill up ‘down time’ or just to pass the time due to boredom. That many of their interactions with the media are not contrived, committed or concentrated but fleeting, visceral and meaningless."

Core Audience
Core Audience are also described as focus viewers. They are an active audience who consistently follows the artist updates etc. They also focus more on deeper meaning, complex narrative, and use of signs and symbols. 
Our music video mostly based on deeper meaning and complex narrative such as  love "triangle" relationship, gender realization and true-self. This is mostly seen by the last half of the music video where the "Twist" happened. The Star herself start to realize that her love for her so-called friend is developing. However, this is different from her love with her present boyfriend because this is love for the same gender. The shots shown between her and her so-called friend are mostly close ups and mid shots of them holding hands, laughing, sitting, dancing etc. to portray the different times that the Star developed her feelings. 

via GIPHY

We also used vibrant colored locations such as the Graffiti or the market to represent youth and life. When someone is in love, they usually describe their life as more colourful and a life with more purpose. 

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Another significant feature that I feel that the active viewers would be interested is the fact that the Star and the actors all wear a white shirt. This was because to make the personas stand out from the bright and diverse color background. Also because white symbolizes goodness and sincerity therefore the persona wore white. Plus to show that everyone is equal and not excluded.  
Overall, we want to give the message to our audience that being different (having feelings or love the same gender) doesn't means it wrong. Teenagers, young adults and everyone should be able to express themselves without feeling guilty or wrong. 


Tertiary Audience
Tertiary audience also can be called "Glancing" audience. These are non-focused audience where they are possibly audiences who coincidently watch through a site or social media without paying attention to the details or the Star as much.
I believe that the vibrant locations and shots of the different objects or nature would attract these audiences the most. This is because the locations are fill with colors and life therefore I feel that the audiences will be entice most. Also, the quick cuts of the different objects in line with the rhythm of the song will make it more enticing and more unique as it also shows further significance of the culture of the area.


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3b. How would your work be distributed as a real media product?

My media product will be distributed using mainly social media. 

I have produced a Prezi Powerpoint to present my explanation as a simple timeline.
I have created this on Prezi because I felt that the points are all connected and Prezi can explain the points well enough. 
When I planned this tasks the points were not all written out and I have added many other points in as well so my product is well distributed throughout the music industry.

Evaluation 2

How do the elements of your production work together to create a sense of "branding"?

Evaluation 1d Website

Website Comparison

This first website is our website that we have create for our Artist. I have compared our website with Demi Lovato's website. This is because she is a pop singer and is quite similar to our Star. 

Home page 

The homepage is very significant because it needs to give a good first impression of the Star and the website. If this doesn't appeal to the majority of the audiences, the Star may fail to promote herself and her songs as well. 
For our website, we have used white as our background color for the Home Page. We also used a moving background so the page becomes more lively and interesting. 

On the other hand, Demi's page used still image. The still image is based on her new album as well.

The similarities between the two is they both have white plain backgrounds to convey simplicity and goodness. Also, on the top of their pages, they have links to other pages that illustrate more about the Artists. Also, both has social media links to their own private accounts or fan accounts that the audiences can follow on other updates or know more about the Artist in other areas. 

About me!/ Bio

This is the biography page or "About me". It tells the highlight of her and her becoming famous. 
This is to attract more audiences as well because this would let them know more about her personally and her interests. 

This is Demi's biography. It is quite similar as it starts off with what their interests or jobs are. It follows through with social media accounts and how many followers they have to illustrate that they are popular and are well-known by many. 
The difference between the two is Abby is still in high school therefore in her bio, it based more on her hobbies and interests. But also just a little paragraph on how she became famous in such a young age. 

On the other hand, Demi based her bio more on her awards and top hits as she stayed in the music industry for many years and therefore she wants to portray herself as a more successful and independent.

Gallery

This page is filled with pictures of Abby (Star). As people usually say, "A picture can mean a thousand words" therefore I feel that these images can portray so many traits of Abby and can attract many audiences just by looking at her images in her normal daily life activities. 
These images are before her fame and now. These photos show that even though she is now a "Star" she doesn't change her routines or her love for her interests. 

For Demi's photos, these where based on her tours and award shows therefore it doesn't convey a lot about her personal life. Moreover, the pictures that are posted looks strong and powerful therefore she wants to portray to her audiences that she has a lot of "sas" and a different perspective to her old self or another self that she does not want to portray in currently.

Shop

This is open to everyone. However, the products are mostly targeted at female audiences as the designed are made similarly to the Star's fashion or clothing. 
The shirts are and most products are simple as they can be worn daily and the price should be appropriate and affordable by majority of the customer, because the target audience are based on teenagers or young adults.

However for Demi, there are diverse range of products available to her audiences. It is opened to both male and female as well. The difference here, is that the products also vary when a new album releases so it matched the theme or the color. Also, her target audiences are both genders so her products have more variety. 

Evaluation 1c. - Digipak

Digipaks Evaluation

I have annotated the digipaks on Thinglink. I evaluated each point using features such as fonts, genres, representation of the star and imagery. 

Front Cover

Inside Cover

Back Cover 

With this digipaks, I have compared this to Selena Gomez's album "For You". I have chosen this album because the colors of the digipaks are very bright and vibrant. Also, the color schemes are very similar and appeals mostly to female. Moreover, the genres of the songs are quite similar so it could appeal to similar type of audiences.

Evaluation 1b

Conventions associated with your sub-genre

--> How are social groups or issues represented - think about what my video is about: love, partying, youth, fun, heartache - how did I present it?

• love
• fun/ enjoying life
• youth
• true identity

Love 

via GIPHY
The first scene is Abby (Artist) and her boyfriend (Rute) on a sofa bed just waking up. The mid, side-shot of the couple sleeping next to each other shows clearly the setting, and the status of the performers. The way she puts her hand on her boyfriend's chest, the way she positioned her body to face her boyfriend conveys that she is deeply in love and focuses just only on him. This scene is one of the most significant scenes in the music video because it shows clearly that the Artist is in love and is loved. However, after the first few scenes of the music video she becomes more opened to other genders and giving her a sense of confusion. After Abby wakes up, the male performer/ boyfriend also wakes up and stops Abby from walking away by grabbing her hand gently and dragging her back giving an impression of hanging on and shows that they both care and need each other. 

The use of Goodwin's theory also supports this music video. The principle of the links between the lyrics and visuals. This is supported by the lyrics "something inside me's change, I was so much younger yesterday". This conveys that the couple has changed because they fell in love with each other and they became something that they have not experience before. This can also be seen in the following giphy as well.


via GIPHY
Later on in the music video, the Star (Abby) found herself falling in love with her girl-friend. The scene was shot on a sports field where they spend a lot of time there. It is also where most feelings and emotions developed, because as Moji slowly moved her hands towards Abby's hand it conveys that Moji has feelings towards Abby and wants to be more than just "friends". 



via GIPHY
As the shot moves on, the star and her "friend" sat together in a living room where Moji makes another move again to show her true feelings. As they were having a fun time, they had a slight eye contact and Moji gently moved Abby's hair back to show her care. Therefore, this shows that there was something going on between them and it may be more than just "FRIENDS".


Fun/ enjoying life

via GIPHY
This is one of the middle scenes in the music video. The rhythm of the song here becomes more upbeat as Abby skips through and sliding her hands across the wall. Her bounces conveys that she has a care-free attitude while her motion of her hands and arms shows that she is feeling the vibe and having a time of her life. 

This is intertextual from the music video Boom Clap by Charli XCX. The scenes from the Boom Clap music video is very similar because of how she moves along through different locations. 

via GIPHY

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This is also another shot that portrays her enjoying life. The vibrant background colours and the bright graffiti wall suggests that the location is for "young, active teenage" and is an urban space to hang out casually. The long shot here shows the environment surrounding Abby as well as Abby. Conveying that she is not only having fun because she is, but also the atmosphere gives the impression of positivity and enjoyment. 

Youth/ Adulthood

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As seen in these two scenes, both the Artist and her "special" friend (Moji) are having fun and this is usually portray in 'Youth'. The setting also supports the concept of youth as the greenness of the sports field shows that they are still at a student but are having fun on the fields as it gives more freedom than classrooms or rooms. 
The first gif of the girls dancing shows that they are having their moment and the upbeat rhythm of the song conveys the activeness of the performers. It also shows that youth is endless if anyone believe that they are young!
The lyrics "Till I tasted you" was also sung through the scene where Abby gets on Moji's back. It symbolize that throughout her time with Moji, she felt a connection with her and because of youth, she expresses herself by jumping onto Moji's back to give her a feeling of love and happiness. Their facial expressions also portray that they were having fun and is feeling the moment.


Identity

via GIPHY
"something inside me's changed, I was so much younger yesterday...". As you can see, Abby is sat between her boyfriend and her "special" friend. The focus here is on Abby's body positioning and her facial expressions. As she is about to sit down on the sofa next to her boyfriend, the lyrics "something inside me's changed" conveys that she is hesitated about who she really is. Her facial expressions are not as clear to what she really felt about both of them. The way she positioned her body against her boyfriend shows that she loves him more. On the other hand, her face is facing her friend and looking nervous and unsure. 
However, in the start of the music video when the same lyrics was sung, it was a different atmosphere and feeling because as she changed in the first place, she found her happiness which was her boyfriend. She believed that she really knew her real identity but she became uncertain because of her feelings towards her girl-friend later in the music video. 
This issue is a representation of what many teenagers are facing right now, which is their "true identity". This artist therefore portray this issue in her music video because to show that it is a normal thing to be unsure of your real identity and it may take time to realize your own self. 

Evaluation 1 - Codes and Conventions

Evaluation 1 - How do your products use or challenge conventions?

Conventions: the accepted/ expected ways of doing things

Conventions of music video....
--> following Andrew Goodwin's theory, my music video

: illustrate the relationship between lyrics and visual
because the lyrics is about a a girl "starving" for love, which in my music video it portrays that the girl is loving her life as a couple with her boyfriend but also there's a little plot twist where she has another feeling for another girl. But overall, I would say that it amplify because she is finding love and she loves it when her lovers (both her boyfriend and her female friend) with her. also, it emphasize that she is starving for more and is not as innocent as she was before.

This giphy below also shows how the visual link with the lyrics. "Something inside me has changed" was sung here and the visual illustrate how the Star realized that she is very in love with her boyfriend. As her boyfriend drags her back, there was a smile on her face conveying that she is enjoying the time and couldn't let him go. Portraying the Star has grown up and is experiencing a new phase in her life with her boyfriend. And something inside her has changed!

via GIPHY

:illustrate the relationship between music and visual
I believe that it illustrate because the positive, cheerful actions of the performers and co-performers. Also the when we edited the music video, the scenes are cut in sync with the beat of the song. However, we tried to make the scenes slow motion except the performance shot, but the music is mostly upbeat throughout the song and therefore I feel that the visual doesn't really follow the music. But overall, the visual illustrate the music because the song is happy and upbeat while the scenes are mostly happy and vibrant.

: use intertextuality
I have use intertextuality from many music videos. I have firstly used some of the couple parts from the music video"Rock Bottom" by Hailee Steinfeld. Nowadays, the music videos are montages of love stories



I have also snip some parts from the music video "Prefect Strangers" by Jonas Blue. The parts where the female actor is walking around in the colorful, vibrant market. I felt that the bright colors would make my music video more lively and more attractive, and also it can be used in my music video as well as the song is quite positive and upbeat.



Moreover, we have used intertextuality from the music video "Girls like Girls" by Hayley Kiyoko. Because we kind of change our plot a little bit in the end where the performer is not only into boys but also girls. Therefore, I have used this music video to show how the actress is also in a situation where she also has a feeling for another girl even though she has a boyfriend.
The part where the female friend (who likes the actress) looks at the actress with her boyfriend, is one of the main parts where I have intertextual into my music video.


via GIPHY


: Voyeurism
There was many voyeurism in this music video. There were many shots of the couple together and also scenes of the actresses having an intimate time together. Also, the actors (female) have apart of their body revealed. If their body were all covered, the music video would not look as appealing because the performer and actor may not look as attractive as a teenage girl. Moreover, the song is quite fun and therefore the feeling should be like people having fun and should have exposure. 

: Objectification 
As we target audiences most to the teenage female audiences, therefore I felt that the performer doesn't have a lot of objectification. However, there are some objectifications because in this modern era, females should appear to be "ideal" for the audiences. Because of this, most shots of the performer should appear to be appealing and even though they are natural shots, the scenes should be edited to get the most captivating part for the music video. The shots that were taken were mostly of the performer having fun naturally and her actions are not fixed to the plot. Because we have made the scenes more slow motion, the performer and the actors appear to have been more objectified as it emphasizes more on the performer's movements.
However, for the actor (male main) is not as objectified because he isn't the main focus. 

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: Some expression of the demands of the record label - How is my star represented?

My star is shown at a different perspective to famous stars such as Beyonce or Rihanna. These stars are portrayed as untouchable, queens and powerful in the music industry. However, for Abby, the record label have represented her as more ordinary and touchable. Also, she is symbolized as a "girl next door" because the record label wants her to be represented as a girl who has an ordinary life as a teenage girl who just loves to sing so the artist would be relatable to audiences life or teenage life. 

With boyfriend issues, shopping with friends, hanging out with friends in the music video this becomes even more relatable to teenage life and gives the audiences a feel of youthfulness and enjoy-fullness of the artist herself as well. 
On the other hand, the star herself is open to all genders, this is shown in the music video as well that she is not only restricted to one gender but to every. This is to say that the era has change and she is representing equality for every gender as everyone is the same. 
The music video may show that the star is confused about her sexuality but this was to show that this may happen to teenage life and its not wrong to choose any sexuality as long as you are happy about who you are. 

The band "t.A.t.u" also tried to show in their music video that everyone is the same and loving the same gender is alright. However, they have shown in a different way where it may have offended many. Many audiences felt that the band have promoted too much on lesbianism and pedophilia therefore the band did not send the right message through and got many critics. 

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Magazine

Hellooooo, 

For evaluation 3, I have to write up the steps to portray the artist and her new album. 
One of them was to promote the Star (Abby) on a teen magazine. 
Moji decided to help me photoshop the photo and produce a cover photo for Teen Magazine.

We firstly decided on what kind of magazine we want our Star to be in. 
I have suggested some such as Cosmopolitan,Seventeen, Nylon etc.
I want our magazine to be both readable by young teenagers and young adults. 

When I had some idea of the magazine in mind, Moji and I we took some time to choose the best photo. Because we had limited amount of photos that we shot, we decided to use the photo of Abby and Moji together to promote the music video. Also, our music video has a hidden symbol of self-realization and gender equality therefore using both girls attracts a wider audience base. 

It taken sometime to photoshop but Moji managed to edit it using the scene that I have taken at the Graffiti location.
We decided to call our Magazine "Teen Magazine" and Moji also used some of the phrases (intertextual) used to make it more realistic and more attractive as a magazine for young audiences to read.