Question 4 - How Did You Use Media Technologies in the Construction and Research, Planning and Evaluation Stages?

Question 4 - How Did You Use Media Technologies in the Construction and Research, Planning and Evaluation Stages?

Question 4 from Austen Nuttall

Russel Howard's Good News opening title sequence:

Question 3 - What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Question 3 - What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Part 2: Music Video

Question 2 - How Effective is the Combination of Your Main Product with Ancillary Texts?

Question 2 - How Effective is the Combination of Your Main Product with Ancillary Texts?

Question 2 v2 from Austen Nuttall

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

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

Question one from Austen Nuttall

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

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

Revisited: Question 2: How Effective is the Combination of Your Main Product with Ancillary Texts?

Question 2: How Effective is the Combination of Your Main Product with Ancillary Texts?

Question 2 v2 from Austen Nuttall

Revisited: Question 4: How Did You Use Media Technologies in the Construction and Research, Planning and Evaluation Stages?

Question 4: How Did You Use Media Technologies in the Construction and Research, Planning and Evaluation Stages?

Question 4 from Austen Nuttall

Russel Howard's Good News opening title sequence:

(Draft unfinished) Question 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

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

(draft)

Unfinished

Been finding question 1 hard to understand - been using my notes but it's still 50/50 here and there.

This is what I have so far:

Final response will be presented as a powerpoint.

Music Video:

My chosen track  is of the folk-pop genre.

The theme of loneliness, directionless and exile was used throughout my music video, by doing so I used a convention of the folk genre by specifically focusing on a subject matter within my music video.

Many folk tracks range from discussing war, working, civil rights, economics and love in the artist's/band's track. 

A real media text which uses such conventions is Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues", as it touches on the subjects of social discontent - "Twenty years of schoolin'/And they put you on the day shift", drug use - "The phone's tapped anyway/Maggie says that many say/They must bust in early May/Orders from the D.A", civil right protests "Better stay away from those/That carry around a fire hose" and fighting against authority "Don't follow leaders/Watch the parkin' meters".

The locations used within my music video use and develop the conventions seen in a thriller. The use of urban sheet-lit roads and dark mise-en-scene is similar to those seen within "The Third Man". 

The Third Man

My music video

(draft) Question 3 - What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Question 3 - What have you learned from your audience feedback?

(draft)

I will upload part 2 (about music video) when I have finished editing it.

(Revisited) Question 2: How Effective is the Combination of Your Main Product with Ancillary Texts?

(Revisited) Question 2: How Effective is the Combination of Your Main Product with Ancillary Texts?

I am aware there is information needed for the middle panels (2/3) and more added for the back, but as my design is mostly the same throughout, I've chosen to wait for some feedback from my surveys.

With some feedback, I'll have to rearrange it a little. But this is what I currently have:

(Powerpoint) Question 4: How Did You Use Media Technologies in the Construction and Research, Planning and Evaluation Stages?

Question 4: How Did You Use Media Technologies in the Construction and Research, Planning and Evaluation Stages?

Draft V3.

Question 4 from Austen Nuttall

It has come to my attention that a slide with the Russell Howard's Good News example isn't appearing. So I'll have to list the hyperlink and the video below:

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

Completed Music Video

Completed Music Video

Question 1 - Notes Taken in Class

Question 1 - Notes Taken in Class

• Relate images from print + video to music text
• Aspects of mise-en-scene
• Goodwin
• Screenshots from music video
• Reference both productions
• Explain points. pee
• "My music video is ____ genre".
• Real production, how you where informed, relates to, intertextual.
• Popular culture (costume)
• Representation of gender, examples.
• Performing - male, conventional representation, focus on male performance - MUST.
• Locationas, screenshots needed, dark, cold, norwich market place, urban - challenges convetion of folk, 60's movement, civial rights protests.
• Props - guitar.
• Objects within the mise-en-scene. Newspaper = simlar to Bob Dylan's music video.
  - market place, cars, THE PUBLIC, shopping bags.
• Artist looking at the camera, Goodwin, addressing the audience.
  
• Music video theory:
  - City, shopping. Kress, Goodwin theories - challenges, the majority of people don't want to be with The Big Issue, challenging the "people inspire to be", what aspects of the self.
• What would you compare your music video to?
  - This is England
  - Representation of youth
  - Alterative worlds, poor, struggling.
  
• Digi packs:
  - Use, develop and challenge print productions.
  - Pick one + explain how you have used it.
  - No repeating from/in Q3

Print Production - Final Panels and Magazine Advert

Print Production - Digipak and Magazine Advert

Panel: 1

Panels:
2                                                           3

Panel: 4

Magazine Advert:

Revised Magazine Advert

Revised Magazine Advert

Version 1:

Version 2:

Question 2: How Effective is the Combination of Your Main Product with Ancillary Texts?

Question 2: How Effective is the Combination of Your Main Product with Ancillary Texts?

(DRAFT)

Just publishing this post for the moment, I've done the first few slides - then I'll revisit it, complete, then upload the rest.

I'm unsure what to do, how they connect? Music video and prints?

Question 2 from Austen Nuttall

Question 4: How Did You Use Media Technologies in the Construction and Research, Planning and Evaluation Stages?

Question 4: How Did You Use Media Technologies in the Construction and Research, Planning and Evaluation Stages?

(Draft)

Notes:

Remember to Mention:
Construction:
- Tech: general use on blog  = ✓
- Film tech: how it has been used = need to do.
- Editing tech: challengers etc  = ✓
- Converting footage: from MOV to MP4  = ✓
- Photoshop/GIMP: panels and what-not = kinda/need to finish.
Planning/Research:
- Blog = ✓
- Youtube = not yet, need to do.
- Camera = ✓
Extra:
- Equal out each section.
- End of notes -

I have divided this question into 4 sections: Research, Planning, Construction and lastly Elevation. However, there will be exceptions and I've also added extras such as Previous Experiences and an introduction to begin this question.

Click image to view a larger size.

To begin with, the technology which I have used the most during my planning, research, construction and even elevation has been the use of the Internet. It is ever changing how we conduct planning and researching media texts, as well as how media is distributed and marketed, I will refer to these points later during my response

The Internet has helped a great deal as a source of information, which previously could be unavailable but now has been made easy to access to a vast amount of unlimited information.

One way which I have achieved this was through the use of Google's Advance Search. The advance search allows you to use specific words to get to information on a webpage which you are specifically look for.

For example, if I type "Media" "Studies" "Example" into the "exact word or phrase" box, Google will only load websites which include these words. This has helped me gather specific information when researching artists such as Sinéad O'Connor and Andrew Goodwin's music video analysis when I need something specific related to the topic either, how to explain, describe or even give examples of the text.

Along with Google search  I recently got a new Ipod with Internet capabilities; it has allowed me to check any new E-mails and comments posted onto my blog at anytime where I have access to the Internet. As well as having the ability to post from my device. Although, this feature I haven't used often as I haven't had access as unknown devices are not allowed to connect to the sixth form wi-fi, or so I have experienced. However, it has helped me to keep notes and reminders while at home and during class as it's simple to use without any problems.

Previous Experiences:

Previous Experiences - "Spoiler Bars"

One of the technologies which has continued into my research and planning from my previous blog is the use of "spoiler bars". A spoiler bar is a piece of HTML text which allows the web-user to hide text or images on a, or their website until a user clicks on the "spoiler bar" to show the content. This has continued to be useful when I've needed to hide large sized images to allow the blog to load quicker, or even to minimize the amount needed to view a post, such as optional readings or viewings of images.

An example of the code can be seen below, enjoy many hours of clicking fun!
(Displays an image with the HTML code).

  

Click Me! :

Research:

Research - Social Media:

On the subject of devices and access to work, Facebook has helped with my research in finding and choosing our song - "Information", by Brian Korteling. The social media website had allowed Myself, Sam Wright, James Kent and Jack Monahan to keep in contact during the selection process while we where together as a group.

Click image to view larger size.

To enable the MP3 of "Information" on my blog, I needed to find a piece of HTML code to allow users to play the song on my blog, as blogspot/blogger doesn't allow uploads of MP3s or other sound files. Luckily, I found "Amazing Tunes" where Brian's song had been uploaded. I used their embed tool to customize the code to fit with my blogs template and design, then I shared the code to my fellow group members so they could use it also.



http://briankorteling.amazingtunes.com/tunes/28990

Planning:

Planing - Social Media

Click image to view larger size.

Facebook also placed a part in my planning, I used the site as a questionnaire so my friends would be able to fill it out. This helped as Facebook would notify me when someone would leave a response  allowing me to quickly gather the data to put onto my blog.

Construction: Filming, Editing and Photoshop:

Construction - Filming

When filming my group's music video we used my Canon 600D digital camera, I've previously used this camera for my A.S. Media, Thriller Opening. The reason behind using my camera again was due to the fact it can record in full HD electro-optical system (eos), I asked Sam many times if we could use his home camcorder also, or for him to rent one from the school so when he's 'out and about' without me and my camera so he would be able to capture anything passing by unexpectedly or of interest, but he didn't.

My Canon 600D can only record in (dot) .MOV files, allowing a crisp outcome. However, due to software limitations in Adobe Premiere Pro CS4, the .MOV plug-in isn't allowed to be installed. Meaning we needed to convert our footage from .MOV to (dot) .MP4.

I learnt that technology can be forgiving, yet harsh at the same time if it doesn't work. I spend many hours and late nights trying to convert our footage to a correct file format. I tried many different programs, such as Zamzar, MOV to MP4 and even Windows Movie Maker to save as a different file type.

This process involved me converting the stock footage into a file format which Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 could read. This involved me coming into school, test if a converted file would work and if not, start the process all over again. I could of done this from home in Adobe Premiere Pro CS4, however I was unsure if the school version would be limited in what I could access or not.

The only disadvantage of converting the stock footage was that the quality would dramatically decrease. I was happy with this, as then we would have something to edit in Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 and more importantly at least show arrangement of mise-en-scene, but I am unsure how Sam felt about this. It is safe to say though, If it wasn't for me, my group wouldn't of been able to edit anything at all.

From this experience, I have learnt that you should double check before you start what the technology can do and can not do, in terms of formatting and compatibilities with the school software editions. This is something which I am sure I will continue to do so from now on while at sixth form.

Construction - Editing

I learnt new ways to edit video files while using Adobe Premiere Pro CS4, one was adjusting the lighting effects by using Omni lights and Spotlights. Adjusting the contrast and levels of the clips as well as saving in the correct file format so the problem would be able to load the save the files.

Although I've had experience with Sony Vegas Pro 12 before, Premiere is very different. The layout appears the same but I found it hard to begin. and find effects, menus, filters and other special effects until I had more experience.

However, on the bright side after gaining experience from experiments such as overlaying clips and editing the lighting and contrast, I became more confident with editing to produce a professional outcome.

ABOVE = Everything currently re-done so far. (Need to add extra points too).

BELOW: Need to reword and add anything extra too.

Construction - Photoshop and GIMP

The editing programs I used to create my digi-pack and magazine advert where Photoshop and GIMP. I've had previous experience with both these programs: Photoshop and GIMP. I've used these when editing my photography photographs.

However, it felt like learning all over again when creating my panels and magazine poster.

I used a mixture of tools: such as the Section, Merge and Create New Layer from Viable to help create my outcomes. The two most recognizable tools both used in my digi pack and poster are the Artistic Effects and Fill tools. The Fill tool allowed me to fill in blocks of color quickly, whereas the Artistic Effects allowed me to change the appearance of a layer in a mixture of different ways. I choose the Palette Knife effect on my artist to give the impression of a pop-art appearance and feel.

Before:                                                                                       After:

Why Pop Art Effect?

Pop Art is an art movement which started in the mid 1950's Britain and in the late 1950's for the U.S. which used many popular culture imagery such as advertising and news, unlike traditional fine art.

Campbell's Soup Can labels, by Andy Warhol took imagery from product labeling and logos to create a new form of art. The strong connection of 3 bold colours; red, black and white makes a bold statement of hope, yin and yang and vigor, as mentioned in question 2. This was an aspect which I wanted to use in my album artwork.

Current Panels and Magazine/Poster Advert

Current Panels and Magazine Advert

Front:

Middle:

Back:

Poster

Back Panel: Further Progress

Back Panel: Further Progress

Error: Spelt "Second" wrong, but will be corrected in the finished design.

Mock Up of Poster Using Found Images

Mock Up of Poster Using Found 

Images Based on My Concept

Concept art:

Outcome (using found images):

As we are not allowed to use found images, I've created the below to portray what I am aiming towards for my finalized poster design, mostly based on my first idea above and if I continue the same idea - after all, I might not!

Of course ratings/reviews, websites and other important information found on posters/adverts will be displayed in the finalized design, this is just a visual to show in more detail my concept idea located above.

Final Digipak Idea?

Final Digipak Idea?

Front Panel

Panel 2 + 3

 

Awaiting Feedback: Back Panel

Error: Spelt "Second" wrong, but will be corrected in the finished design.

Process with Digipaks V.2

Process with Digipaks V.2:

Developments and improvements from the previous post

Idea to build upon:

Built upon ideas below based on my concept above:

Please note no text or images have been added. A track list will appear on the white negative space on the back panel and the CD on panel 3, with "something" on panel 2 - perhaps an outline of a side view of Brian Korteling's face.

Panel 2 and 3

Back:

Process with Digipaks

Process with Digipaks:

More Creations and Developments

The below design was based off Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" album, I think it looks artistic but due to the lack of mise-en-scene it's very uninteresting. I created this to open my mind to other designs and to reinvent my ideas to create something new.

Note error: Only one "L" in Korteling. This will be corrected in submitting pieces - you can easily forget this, it's just "one of those names".

Possible front:

Possible style and appearance 

for either front, or inner covers.

I really enjoy looking at this design, however the lines could be removed, or kept in a further development. It's very propaganda influenced and reminds me greatly of old World War Two posters. Propaganda is a form of "information" used as communication aimed towards influencing the public.

Digipak Idea V.2

Digipak Idea Version 2.0

Front Cover:

What I like about the design:

• Bold colors that stand out against black background.
• Newspaper theme - "Information".
• The red font is similar to the newspaper cutouts.

What I dislike about the design:

• Black background where something, or someone would be there. However, having said this, the boldness of the writing and also the design as a whole might suffer from an object distracting your view.
• The font. It was hard to find, or even create a font which matched the style of the newspaper "Information". The best which I could do is this slightly "goofy, uneven" styled font. It works, but I still wish to change it as it appears silly and unprofessional.

Note error: Only one "L" in Korteling. This will be corrected in submitting pieces - you can easily forget, it's "one of those names".

Inspiration from:

Layout/Mise-en-scene:

Simple and understandable.

Possible Font:

Back cover (track list) could be based on:

Lists name of artist, track titles, lyrics and album title - "Heartattck And Vine".

Possible matching poster idea,
or "freebie" included with album?:

Advert/Poster Idea

Advert/Poster Idea - Basic Outline

This idea came to me during our first lesson discussing Digipacks and posters - what we can and can't do. Examples where also shown during the lesson.

This idea of mine is based off my group's music video. Considering that we feature Big Issue sellers around Norwich, UK or as I like to call them "Red Coats" within the video and based on the fact that our chosen song is called "Information", the concept of my idea came to me within an instant.

The idea is that we see a Big Issue seller, holding the Digipack I created against a black background while sitting on a stool, or standing up. This is a brilliant way to advertise my artist and Digipack as it relates to both the song (music track), the video's mise-en-scene and lastly the niche unsigned artist - who is much like the Big Issue sellers, he's unknown by the music community and is trying to make a living for himself.

Excuse the basic drawing/outline , but this is just a concept at the moment.

Digipak Ideas and Outcomes

Digipak Ideas and Outcomes

Having looked at The Beatles' cover art/font, I came across a similar style of the color pallet and a similar armament of the mise-en-scene. It was the "Gilbert and Sullivan festival's" display picture (DP for short) on their Twitter page. I liked the eye catching style as white on black creates a strong comparison between the colors. The red is bold and draws your eyes - just like a traffic light, audiences will notice that any highlighted red wording has a great meaning or seeks attention from the one viewing - it's important.

Concept images which ideas came from for the following design:

Idea 001:

EDIT: Missed out the letter "R".

Silly me. Never mind, the concept is what matters most.

Note error: Only one "L" in Korteling. This will be corrected in submitting pieces - you can easily forget, it's "one of those names".

Front panel

Back panel

Both panels where created in an editing program similar to Photoshop  called GIMP (V2.8)

What I like about the design:

• Bold.
• Simple but effective.
• Eye catching due to the color choice.

What I dislike about the design:

• Writing too big, but I wouldn't of thought it would have worked otherwise.
• Un interesting - as in, the design is simple, as I've mentioned above but might be too simple.
• Lack of interesting mise-en-scene
• Un-art-like, not very artistic.

Collection of Digipaks Which Have Inspired Me

A Collection of Digipaks Which Have Inspired Me So Far

I like the font type used here, this is something which I would also
like to included on my digipak - an "old fashioned" newspaper representation.

Again, the font type used here to me and layout of the
digipack fits well within the image's mise-en-scene.

The outline of the two artists, Simon and Garfunkel are insistently recognizable due to their pose. I inspire to use a similar technique on either my poster design or digipak so the public will also, recognize my chosen artist. However, as my artist is unsigned, the public may not even recognize him as an outline - it may just look like another person. This is a downside, although, for me, it'll add to artistic effect.

The picture frame is what I could
include in a poster, as my chosen song is called "Information", I could base my poster
on the concept of it being a newspaper reel or stand.

The artwork and symmetry to me are very eye
catching due to its repetitive pattern on either side.