Task 4

This is the directors commentary that Davina and i did for the pop promo...

My group and I are going to describe the technical aspects of our pop promo and digi pack, focusing on the 3 production stages; pre-production, construction and post-production. We will go into detail in each stage explaining the different elements that we used and why.

Pre-production

We saw clips of ‘Now is Everyone’ on their Myspace page and decided to contact them through Facebook. We then schedulable a meeting with the band to discuss ideas for the promo. I know people are really negative about myspace these days, but what an absolute gold mine of visual stimuli it turned out to be!
When researching initial ideas for the promo, we searched the internet, using sites like YouTube. We listened to the song repeatedly and wrote down the images and ideas that came to mind. The coloured rain came from an idea to have some of the elements in colour and some in black and white because we thought this was a way of introducing their star quality metaphor, which is “from the gutter to the stars”.
Various different types of puddles and rain effects were mocked up on Photoshop, as part of our preliminary planning. They were eventually filtered out due to the lack of time and technological ability. The creative anamtic enabled us to have an idea of how long each shot would need to be and where we would cut it.

Construction

During the shoot day we took digital stills with a SLR camera. We used them in the construction of the digi pack. It consists of a front and back cover and two inlays. The inlays are made up of a montage of stills from the shoot day, the promo and their private life, giving the audience a voyeuristic view of the band. This reinforces their organic nature.
For the front cover we made the title bold to draw the audience in and scaled the band members larger than life to emphasise their importance. The colour reflects both the mood of the song and band, tying it altogether.

The poster creates certain enigma codes. The most obvious being the positioning of the lead singer. He is positioned in the background but is the only one giving direct address, just like in the promo, showing he is present but out of reach which relates to Richard Dyer’s theory of star image and reinforces that they are, as a band, different to the audience.

When shooting the band in the studio we painted the walls green in order to use the technique of chromo-keying. To make sure it was as effective as possible we used specific lighting in order to eliminate shadows but also to light the band.



Post-production

We used an Mpeg 2 SD NXCAM which has a hard disk, to shoot the promo, this made editing easier because each take is captured on a separate file. Editing time was reduced, bins easier to manage and extended footage easier to handle. We were able to edit the footage to an effective cutting rhythm for the promo, by listening to the audio we used markers to mark the significant beats to make the cuts clean and sharp.
The wide of the band was shot using a green screen and the wall paper and floor were pictures from google images. When editing we placed an omni light into the composition in order to make the room look more realistic. We then keyed in the band by using key light to eliminate the green so the wall paper and floor were visible.
The rain was a separate layer, which was filmed on black. In order to place the rain over the footage we used the blending tool ‘liner dodge’, which makes the black go invisible. This then left the coloured rain.
For the splat effects we repeated the same process, however we had to construct a separate composition which used an animated splat effect from ‘riot gear’. We used another blending mode, darken, which turned the white see through, then placed this composition into the original and proceeded to edit it in the same way and do another set of keying to remove the black around the splats.

Finally we used the internet to promote the video and gain audience feedback by uploading the video to youtube and using a site called ‘surveymonkey’. By using this particular site it allowed us to create a questionnaire, which we then got people who had seen the video to fill out, giving us our audience feedback.

And that concludes our pop promo commentary.

Task 3

Questionnaire
In order to gain audience feedback we constructed a questionnaire using survey monkey and got a focus group together to watch the video and complete a questionnaire. We did this to make sure that the decisions we made on the construction and image of the band were correct and whether the audience that we targeted had the preferred reading that we constructed for them, and also if they were the ones that liked the bands star image the most and would buy their music.
These are the questions below

Audience expections-Part 1:

1. What kind of music do you like?
2. Do you play in a band?
3. Do you want to be in a band?
4. Looking at this product what type of music do you expect this to be?
5. What things in this picture helped you make your choice?  

            a) There clothing 
            b) There hair
            d) The locations
            e) All the above
  
     6.From this picture who do you think is the lead singer and why?
    Reactions from target audience- Part 2:

1. Do you find the lead singer attractive?
2. Do you think they are musically talented for there age?
3. Would you download there music?
4. Would you pay to see this band live?
5. What type of relationship would you like to have with the band?

        a) a relationship

        b) part of their social group

        c) Part of the band

        d) Not botherd

What the target audience gain from the product- Part 3:

1. Do you find the video entertaining?
2. Did the video hold your attention throughout?  
3. Did you feel any emotions during watching this video?
4. If yes which ones and why? (write answer in space below) 

   5. Can you identify yourself with either the lyrics or the band? 
   6. Anything else you want to add




After gathering all the information from the surveys it showed, according to the theorist Stuart Hall, that the audience had given us a preferred reading. This means that we successfully portrayed the star image of the band to the correct target audience. This was demonstrated clearly in the first section of the questionnaire where the majority of people answered that they where either already into the Indie rock genre or in a band themselves. They then correctly answered what type of genre “Now is everyone” is. The majority of people also answered that Elliot was the front man, because he was standing in front of the rest of the band in the promo and digi pack, was wearing the brightest coloured top and had the most CU's and shot coverage in general. Most females answered that they would like to be in a relationship or in the social group, where as the males answered that they would like to be in the band. 

All the females who answered the questionnaire said that they found the lead singer attractive. This is important for the record label to know as it shows that the girls will be likely to become fans of the band because of Elliot’s looks. The majority answered that they thought the band were talented. This shows that they have respect for the bands ability and reinforces the fact that they are a talented young organic band which is one of the major selling points that we pushed throughout the process. All answered that they would download “Now is everyone’s” music and a majority said that they would pay to see the band live. This shows that to become as profitable as possible the band would need to tour as much as possible as this is most reliable and sure way of earning money and is also favoured by the audience that have been exposed to the band so far. Downloads and CD sales are at a greater risk of illegal copying and therefore a less reliable source of income. Most people also said that the song and video made them feel reflective and empowered. The most common reason given for this was that they felt like the band were speaking for them and that the images coming from black and white to colour made them feel better about life as a teen or young adult. The video also managed to hold the target audience’s attention throughout, this shows that they found it both interesting and entertaining. Because of the positive feedback from the audience it opens up the possibility of viral marketing. The audience if they find it interesting are likely to show it to friends or re post the video on sites like face-book. The more the video gets published though new media the more recognised the band will become within the target audience and to a wider audience. 
Many of the males who answered the question said that they found the band inspirational, as they where almost the same age as them and yet the band had already achieved so much (have a following, performed at music festivals / gigs, have a music video and many professionally recorded songs), most of these also answered earlier on in the questionare that they where themselves in a band. Being inspirational and succeeding against all odds is also one of the major selling points of this band.

Task 2

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

According to Richard Dyers theory, star image is constructed from a range of materials. In order to construct my bands ‘star image’ I also used a range of materials this included the Pop promo itself, a digi pack and a poster.

This is an example of my video material that conveys their star image…

This is an example of the digi pack…

Image of the poster…

The USP and characteristics of the start I have constructed.

• They are an organic band – they are more naturalistic and an authenticity about them. They seem to have written their own music and have their own voices and choose their own clothes and style. They haven’t been engineered and controlled by their record label.
• Their quite young therefore they have a lot of potential – Youthfulness
• They write all of their own songs – Creativity and talent
• They try to relate to modern audiences by setting themselves in familiar locations.

   These are some of the stills that I think communicate their star image…

These images communicate their star image because it shows all of their USP’s. Their young and youthful, their creative and talented because they’ve written the song and they play their own instruments and they base themselves, in the video, in a relatable location that the audience will recognise and relate to.

The location is a key aspect of the bands image because, like I’ve said, the audience can relate to it but also it is used as a metaphor for the band and their emotional discovery behind the songs influences.

Looking back at my institutional context of the band was the beginning of the star making process. They were a new band that needed moulding and I did this. At the beginning of the process they had an unoriginal, indie rock look…

So in order to change their look to make them more appealing and to get a wider audiences attention I got them to wear things that were more colourful. It sounds very simple but by adding colour that immediately draws attention to them and separates them from the usual indie look. Originally we were going to have them in military style jackets but I decided that it might restrict them in the future and cause them to lose fans if they decide to change their look.

Also we wanted them to be in clothes that represented them as a band. Which is why we had them dress like this…

Artists like Biffy Clyro, who happen to be signed to the record label they would like to get signed to, have heavily influenced them.

The record label is called “14^th Floor Records”

This is a sensible record label choice for them because the label seems to sign artists involved in similar genres like Biffy Clyro, Joshua Radin and Marmaduke Duke therefore they would have experience with handling bands like ‘Now is Everyone’.

According to Keith Negus there are two distinct ideologies in the way a bands image and career is created. These ideologies are: Organic and Synthetic.

As I have already mentioned in the bands USP’s they are an organic band meaning they had some control on the clothing image and that they have composed their music and play their own instruments. This makes them an authentic band. They haven’t been controlled or engineered by a record company they have been nurtured which is what I did when I changed part of their original image however I ran it past the band giving them a choice.

Keith Negus says “What I’m looking for is the working act. The real act. The act that can get up on stage and do it. That act will give you a career.”

Going back to Richard Dyers ‘Star Image’ theory a paradox should be created between the band and the audience. My band does this through direct address in the video, digi pack and poster. This is when a band member makes direct eye contact with the camera. There is then an incoherent relationship created between the artist and the fan.

A paradox was also created by the use of location. By using a location that is recognisable to an audience and having the band walk, in the video, through parts of it, the audience then think of the band as people like them however when the direct address or location isn’t used they are soon shown that they could never be in the bands world. Hence the paradox is created.

During the shoot day we took digital stills with a SLR camera. We used them in the construction of the digi pack. It consists of a front and back cover and two inlays. The inlays are made up of a montage of stills from the shoot day, the promo and their private life, giving the audience a voyeuristic view of the band. This reinforces their organic nature.

For the front cover we made the title bold to draw the audience in and scaled the band members larger than life to emphasise their importance. The colour reflects both the mood of the song and band, tying it altogether.

The poster creates certain enigma codes. The most obvious being the positioning of the lead singer. He is positioned in the background but is the only one giving direct address, just like in the promo, showing he is present but out of reach which relates to Richard Dyer’s theory of star image and reinforces that they are, as a band, different to the audience. 

Overall both the main product and ancillary texts support each other to reinforce my group and I's intentions for the band to make sure we promoted and marketed the band in a positive way in order for the target audience to give us a preferred reading of the band (a theory by Stuart Hall) and make the band popular and successful. 

Task 1

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

            My pop promo has used, developed and challenged forms and conventions. I have picked out specific shots in my pop promo to explain which forms and conventions I have used, developed and challenged. I think my pop promo has mainly used an established promo blueprint, theorised by Dudley Andrews, however some shots go against and challenge this convention. 

            I think my pop promo has mainly used an established promo blueprint, however some shots go against the convention. This first shot is a concept shot. It introduces the audience to a character in the pop video. The audience are yet to find out that he is the lead singer, Elliot. He walks towards the camera but doesn’t look at it. At this point in the video he doesn’t make any attempt to make a ‘relationship’ with the audience. This seems to make him unknown and separated from the audience pulling them in. This is because there has been no direct address. This allows the audience to look and study the singer, this is known as a voyeuristic view. Also in this shot, the lead singer walks toward the audience meaning he’s getting closer and closer to them until in the next shot he’s further away. This teases the audience and pulls them into the video. This is an example of a popular editing convention used in 80’s action movies. They would use CU’s to entice the audience in and then cut away to a WS to distance the audience again not allowing them to go into that world. I have tried to do this so that the audience to stay focused and interested by the band and the video. This first shot is also part of three shots that are an example of continuity editing. It goes from a CU of the lead singer, to a WS establishing the location where the band are from, promoting their star image and allowing the audience to associate with the area and then to a CU of a puddle with the lead singer walking through it. Then there is a cut away to the first performance shot.

      

Staying with the beginning shots, the particular shot that is cut away to, from the 3 continuity-edited shots is a WS establishing the whole of the band. I used this shot to introduce and show the audience for the first time the entire band. Also at this point the lead singer, finally allowing a connection between him and the audience, uses direct address. However this still keeps the audience at a distance because the shot is a WS.

      



The shot after this WS is a mid shot of the lead singer. This finally, clearly identifies him as a member of the band and also suggests that he is the most important as most of the shots have been of him up to this point in the video. Also, this is the first time a clear direct address is used to generate a ‘relationship’ between him and the audience, inviting the audience into his world.

Keeping with the classic pop video conventions, I used significant shots of the band members and their instruments. I cut this in such a way that each member of the band had a medium CU to establish who they are to the audience and then a straight cut to a CU of the instrument they are playing. This is so that when ever a performance shot of a band member playing their instrument is cut to throughout the video, the audience can associate and identify the instrument and match it to the performer and vice versa. Here is an example using still from the video of Kris the guitarist...

 This first still below for my video is the beginning shot that starts an example of cross cutting and this sequence of shots also demonstrates the video keeping to the rules of continuity. As you can see from the still below each concept shot is followed by two performance shots. This is because I wanted to break the shots up to keep the audience interested and also so that there are more performance shots of them playing because they are a new band and so they need to prove to the audience that they are something different and special and also need to exhibit the star image and qualities. This also creates a faster pace which is one of the basic pop promo conventions. I chose to uphold this stereotype because it is recognised by audiences and therefore there is less chance of them forming an aberrant reading.

Throughout the video I always decided to come back to shots of the lead singer this is because he the face of the band, the front man. He is the only member of the band in the video to use direct address. This means the audience are able to create a ‘relationship’ with him making them feel like they are closer or know the band itself. This is known as a paradox. This still is an example of direct address and demonstrates the use of the convention ‘significant shot’s of the bands organic nature’ which is key to the success of any band.

I have deliberately made sure that the same intentions follow through from the pop promo and the digi pack. Again, in the digi pack i have used the stereotypical conventions and not challenged the form and conventions because, again, i don't want to put the audience off of the band because they are new and need to be liked and i don't want the audience to reject them straight away.  

Digi Pack Artwork

Photoshop Work for Digi Pack

These are some digi pack experiment work that i did mainly experimenting with the front cover...