Goodbye, Farewell. And Thank You.

So this is it. We have come to the end of the road, or shall i say last post.

I have learnt a lot of things this college year and i will take with me the skills i learnt on photoshop and finalcut to my grave! It has been an absolute pleasure studying media, (i will not get emotion!).... 

...

Special thanks to the 4 great girls in my group! We had our lovely ups and downs with all the disasters and successful filming moments. Our KFC feasts after every filming day..ah Tomi :')

Thank you to my two teachers Rebecca and Annabel. Both very funny and teach wonderfully! (give them a pay rise candi!!)

Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read through all my blogs, i hoped you enjoyed reading/ watching them as much as i did writing/filming them. 

Goodbye, Farewell and Thank You! :-)

*que song*

Evaluation : Question 4.

What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

It was on a tuesday afternoon where all the A2 media students made there way to the Screen on Green cinema to watch there hard work being played in front of their fellow media student with great media knowledge...oh and the media teachers or course (they got reserved luxury seats)..Just Saying.
So what have I learnt from the feedback we got?... 

Well firstly, lets take a look at what I recorded that day during the cinema screening of Group 34's music video.

Here are feedbacks from our rough cut of the music video:

The rough cut feedbacks helped me more than the final edit feedback as I had a ton of comments telling me what i should improve on, and what i love about it is that i can actually improve the music video because it was only a rough cut at the time. The improvement comments i got after making the final edit were pointless as it was too late to improve the video. I realised that we needed more variety of shots as we continues to use the same ones repeatedly. 

Although one person comments, that they did not like the beginning and thought of it as pointless, in the final cut i still kept it in as it made me realise that it WAS necessary, especially as we managed to add sound to the cut away shots to reflect 'Time' and 'Reality'. 

What im trying to say is that some of the feedbacks we took into consideration however if we felt something in our music video actually made sense then we would keep it..only if we were 100% positive. But i very much appreciate the comment i got from that person as they made me realise that if i wanted to get a concept across clearer to the audience i will have to find a way (either through more filming or more editing) to make sure this happens to actually IMPROVE my music video.

Media Student's Feedback outside the Screen on Green Cinema...

I would have to agree with Nathan at the end there, compared to the reactions i got last year, I definitely received a more positive reaction this year. As last year my group got hesitant claps (quite embarrassing) we did not manage to edit our thriller to the best of our ability which is why i feel there is a massive improvement with the amount of effort i put into the work this year - i do feel i completed the music video to the best of my ability especially with the amount of time we had left and the lack of amount of assistance i got from the group. (Just a taste of my own medicine from last year as I was the slacker who relaxed way too much)

In the feedback I realised that a lot of people noticed our choice of mise en scene: costume and editing, and i do feel those where our strongest technical aspects in the music video. No other music video consisted of using over the top costume like the dress. They also said that our difference in costume from casual everyday clothing to a big fancy dress was effective as it contrasts to how she felt before with the break up before and the dress representing her healing from it. (Which was exactly our idea of using it!)
We were also told that "the scene on the bench where the male character then the artist disappear really reflects how emotional the artist actually is." 
People liked our variety of our black and white shots against the coloured ones as it made the story line clearer to the 'Time' in the video. (as in the b&w are the past and the colour ir the present)


I learnt that people enjoyed our music video, which makes me feel like all my editing has paid off. I have come into every single of of the editing days and I also am head editor, my fellow group are my opinionators (i know its not a word) - they would tell me what they think works and doesnt, on some occasions i get a pat on the back for my hard work :-) 
Many of those who watched the video, understood the concept which i was very happy about as we did not plan our editing out (having failed to upload an animatic) we pretty much improvised slight parts of it. I do feel though that if we planned our concept thoroughly the concept would've been much more effective plus we would've had much more clearer shots that would make the conventions more illustrated than it is disjunctured and amplified. 
We had some people saying we need more base tracks, which i also agree on, the fact that we lacked on them made us have to repeat the same clips again and again i.e mid shot on bench and close up on bench and dress in front of brick wall. Due to the lack of co-operation from some members of the group we did not manage to film as much as we'd hope to on each filming day.
As some points i even had to take the JVC home to video myself (the scene where i am in bed) dues to the lack of availability to each member of the group, either they were working or had other plans.'
I have put a lot of effort into the production of the main product and ancillary work that the positive amazing feedback I got for it all paid off!
I am extremely proud of myself! I would like to thank my group for putting up with my commanding leadership...after all someone had to take control or no one else would've had the initiative to get started unless told to do so. My group still loves me :P

Ancillary Feedback:

After completing the production of my digipak and advertisement, i published them on Facebook to receive a fair amount feedbacks from my friends. Some comments were helpful towards giving advice on what i should improve on.

From the feedbacks i received from facebook about my ancillary products I feel even more confident with the production and there is only one thing i would change about it because of this comment i got from a friend which i 100% agree to (however there was a reason why i did which is explained on a separate blog)...

As to all the research i have done, it is important to put an image of the artist as the album cover in order for her face to be distinguished and promoted, however due to putting a sketch instead, i have lessened te chance for the artist to be distinguished by music audiences especially those who are not fans.

However, the sketch makes the album mysterious would could make audiences curious to who this artist may be. I guess either way they are advantages and disadvantages that level out the amount of promotion the artists gets. But if i had to improve it, then i would of definitely put an image of the artist on the front, and put the sketch in the inside panel instead. My friend Jessica made a very valid point here.

I had many feedback from a range of audiences, some where not media students which was good as they commented it without any knowledge on media terminology. This helps me to see how my target audience would appeal to my promotional products, as they are not particular media students who would recognise the links between the ancillary work and main media product (because they are professionals when it comes to media!) this does not give accurate reviews of my work and therefore a 'normal' audience is more appropriate. 

I did not manage to film there feedback however i asked them to record there opinions down on my voice recorder...

Danielle said: "omg wow, this looks so god damn profession! I love it. You are such a talented artist making your own approach to the album cover. I saw other album covers and your front panel was the only one that has been drawn. You look stunning in the inside panel and the CD design looks soo realistic i honestly would've thought it was legit. I'd definitely approach Charlie Jayne's album if i saw it on the shelf in HMV. Charlene my friend...you did a great job"

(then she gave me a pat on the back haha)

Khristine: "this looks unbelievably real! You are very good with PhotoShop init. I like the format and how you presented it all, your sketch thing is nice. Its very feminin which goes with the type of music your artist produces. Aww I love it!!"

(although khristine had no knowledge on media, she pretty much understood the links between the ancillary product to the main music product, which got me thinking: do all the non media students i interview think this too? Its it a normal instinct to consider that my ancillary products could reflect off a certain genre?)

Ade: "yeah its really good, your fonts are simple yet sophisticated and bold, very easy to read from far...and i dont have good eye sight! Would be nice to have your pretty face on the front cover though, to distinguish the artist, after all Charlie Jayne is an emerging artist and needs all the promotion she can get. Although on your advertisement poster and image of you does appear on it which is good i guess"

(Ade had pretty much the same opinion as Jessica (great minds think alike) having studied media in AS, Ade knew how ancillary promotion works, if you are an emerging artist it is important to sell yourself to the public as much as you can)

Nathan: "dude you've always been good at these kind of things. This looks professional man, i can see it up on the billboards and music shelves already. I'd approach this in HMV you know and im a guy, haha. Good job Charlene, theres honestly nothing i can say you can improve on"

(i begged him to give me something to improve on, he then said...)

"ah okay erm, the barcode could be bigger?!" < HAHA :') thanks Nathan thats very helpful!

Apart from that i feel that my ancillary work has been great success, Im not usually the one to praise my own work however this time i really do feel like i did a great job. I had a majority or media students even media TEACHERS telling me that my ancillary work looks professional! It is a real pleasure to hear these compliments! :-)

Round Up Blog!

What!? It's over already!? 아 니 오! 

Click Me!

Well it was fun while it lasted! Thank you to every single member of my group! You worked had and we finally made it to the end of blogging season! Thank you to Rebecca and Annabel! I'm apologise for my awkward and random moments (many in my talk to cameras haha) Thank you to everyone who watched the music video, gave me feedback and encouraged me when I needed it.  This is Tomi, signing out of blogger for the last time. And I shall leave you with this GIF of me :)

Click Me!

Evaluation Question Four

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

On the 6th of December the whole media department went to the 'Screen on the Green' to watch the music videos we had all participated in. After watching all of the music videos we left the cinema to interview  other members of the media department about what they thought about the music video.


A lot of the viewers said they like the acting in the music video, especially the parts of the flash backs. Some people said could feel the anger and the heat of the argument when the two actors were throwing clothes at each other and when the artist slaps her ''boyfriend''.
They said that the music video was very clear and it was easy to distinguish from the ''past events'' because of the framing and the use of black and white editing. 

Every time someone was interviewed they would mention the dress that the artist wore. Many people thought it was the best part of the music video (when she is singing in the field) and some people thought it was too much of a copy from 'Best Thing I Never Had' by Beyonce. And some people just didn't find the dress attract due to the colours. 

This is what one person sent me after watching our music video via Vimeo (after I shared it on FaceBook). There is mostly good feedback and some constructive criticism (some I don't understand) 

We did not get a lot of comments on the shots we had, so I wanted to share this.

Not a lot of music videos had a narrative to it, so many  people commented on it,

[I apologise for my pale looking face, I have been really ill this week]

Formal Signing Off...

So I have finally completed all my blogs and have official finished my A2 media coursework. I have really enjoyed this part of my course and I am looking forward to completing the rest of my A2 media year. I would just like to thank my whole group as I think we have done an amazing job producing a music video, thank you all for having me in your group. I would also like to thank my  media teachers Rebecca and Annabell who have helped me with throughout my coursework.. Also Mickey and Marissa who helped me when I needed help with final cut or soundtrack pro. Also to the media students who gave me feedback on my work which allowed me to complete my evaluation. And finally thank you to the media teachers that helpedme with my work during workshop at lunch times.
Thank You!!!

Evaluation Question Three

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

Throughout the process of creating our music video and our ancillary work I used many media products/technologies to help research and give me ideas, and also expand on them to make them my own.

When we first researched songs for our music video we used YouTube. We listened to many different songs on the site, looking for one that we could visualise making a music video to. The song we chose was Pixie Lott's cover of  'Use Somebody' by Kings of Leon, we later changed the song to 'Cry Me Out' by Pixie Lott.

Because I cold not find a contact email for Pixie Lott I contacted her via her YouTube page, but I did not get a response.

We also viewed many different music videos to help us expand our ideas, including 'Someone Like You' by Adele and 'Best Thing I Never Had' by Beyonce.In our classes we went on another video streaming 

In our classes we went on another video streaming called Vimeo. We used this website to look at past student work and how it varied in style. We were also able to look at the hall of fame and the not so good work. Our final products were also posted on this website. This was good because our music videos were not made public and it did not breach any copyright laws.

The website I used most was of course Google. I used this web browser to find other/all the websites I was  looking for and used it to help me find images that would inspire me with my digipak and advertisement.  YouTube is also part of the Google family, which again helped me find music videos and song that inspired my work.

When it came to filming our music video we used a lot of equipment. We used:    

Video Camera

Flip Camera

Digital Camera

SD Memory Cards

Video Camera Batteries

All of these were used to help film the raw videos that we used for our music video. Memory cards were where the footage was stored, video camera batteries to use the video camera. The digital camera was used to take BTS pictures and the flip cam was used to take BTS footage.

When we started editing our music video the main program we used was Final Cut Pro on the Mac computers.  This software is used to make television shows, movies and music videos all over the world, and we used it last year. This software is easy to use once acquainted with it. 

For the sound effects we had at the start of the music video  we used Sound Track to create it and merge the sounds together, helping set the atmosphere for the song and the music video.

 When we finished our music video we shared it on  social networking sites to get feedback from our friends and all other viewers.

When it came to making our digipak and advertisements we used the software Photoshop Elements to edit the pictures that I took for my digipak/advertisement. I had no experience with Photoshop prior to this work, but it was something I got the hang of very soon and enjoyed using.

During the testing digipak that we created we used a software called 'Quark' to help with the font of the digipak. Before this exercise I had never even heard of Quark but it was interesting to try something new

Final Blog

to be continued...

EVALUATION: Q4 - What have you learned from your audience feedback?

When visiting the screen on the green it was a really nice experience and i was able to understand and learn what the audience enjoyed the most and what they didn't like. 

In the cinema the audience was very quiet so i think they were intrigued by it, through out the whole video they seemed interested un till the end where there was a huge reaction to our artist in the long shot of the 'dress'. It was really nice to get that reaction because it made us feel really happy that we decided to use a good costume which made the video standout more.

After the screening I decided to interview some people, the video got a lot of positive reviews and i was happy with them


Vox Pops :

Jazzine - "I liked the scenery it went with the song very well, specially with the dress and the leaves - I don't think it would have been appropriate if it was used through the whole video"

Jazzine "the first scene was the skylight so i thought it would be a slow song, like Ellie Goulding but it was actually more upbeat and visual type which was quite nice"

Jade - "I liked the song, I think it went well with the video and matched up. I also liked the concept of the video with the girl lying in bed, arguing with her boyfriend and the dress as it suited the whole song"

I then asked about the risky bench scene and the black and white parts.

Jade - "It made it more effective with having the artist there having a good time then she's not. I also think that the black and white parts worked well because that needed to be there to show a clear story"

When listening to this feed back I could tell what they liked more and what should of not been the best choice to make for the final. For example if we used to many scenes of the long shot of the dress it would not of created any suspense. As well as that if we didn't add the black and white parts it would not of been clear to the audience that it was flashbacks of her and her boyfriend and would of made it confusing. The good parts from the feedback was that the costumes and scenery worked well, the effects of the bench scene and the black and white flashbacks.

What i would of changed from hearing other peoples opinions would be:

• The way we shot the bench scene, as some of the shots of the bench was in a different position to the others.
• The flashback shots could of been distorted more and maybe we wouldn't of had to use the effect in black and white. Some people said we could of used other effects.
• Got the timing right with the beginning shots of the scenery as some of it was off time.
• Shown more shots of artist at embankment since there was only one or two shots of her singing over the balcony
• Use more shot types, instead of close ups and medium shots.

Overall i think that the video was very good and up to standard of other music videos, we showed our understanding of using amplification for our video, telling a story and also having performance from the artist. I think the effects we did were good and showed the audience that we experimented and tried different techniques. However we could of done more various shots of the artist as well the editing

If we had to start over again i would of done everything the same just add those things that i listed above  

Evaluation Question 4:

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

So once we had finally finished making our music video we had the opportunity to go and see our music video at the local cinema near our college. This would give us a chance to see our music video on the big screen  and it also gave us the chance to see what people thought of our music video.

Here is a mini video of our music video being shown in the cinema:

Just need to add the video..

After watching our music video on the big screen in the cinema I would say that the reaction was a positive reaction as many people said that they enjoyed watching it.

Here are some things people said about our music video: 

• Good use of locations 
• Fantastic mise en scene
• Clear storyline 
• Good lip singing 
• Could have used more different shots

After listening to fellow students feedback I have decided to anaylse one postive comment and a comment which suggest what we could have improved on if we had a another chance. When it came to getting audience feedback the one thing that kept coming up was the use of mise en scene that we had in our music video. When it came to planning our music video we knew that we would have a few costume changes, as we thought it would show the versatlility in 'Charlie Jayne's' mood. For instance when she was in the park on the bench wearing the dark grey scarf with the jacket it was showing that she was quite depressed as she is remembering the happy times she shared with her boyfriend. An then towards the end of the music video we see Charlene as Charlie Jayne wearing a beautful ball gown with green embroidery. When wearing this dress we notice that Charlie Jayne is finally ready to move on with her life and she is no longer wanting to get back with her ex boyfriend she is ready to carry on with her life. I like the fact that people commented on the use of mise en scene throughout our music video, as it shows that people took the time to really watch and engage with our music video. 

After hearing the comment of "you could have used more different shots" I decided to go back and watch our music video again and really analyze this comment and I have to agree I think we could have used more different shots. I am not saying that we didn't use a variety of shots, because I feel that we did but I now feel that we could have the locations a bit better. In saying that what I mean is that as we used a variety of different locations, I feel that we could of used the locations a bit better than we did. For instance I feel that when we went to Golder's Green park we didn't use our time in the park as well as we could of due to fact that it got dark pretty quickly and also because the park was closing.  


Going back to what people's reaction was at the cinema I would say that when Charlene appeared wearing the dress this is where we received the biggest response. As a lot of people were asking whose dress was it and did we hire out the dress just for our music video. Luckily Charlene's friend allowed her to borrow the dress so that we could film a part of our music video with Charlene wearing the dress. 
If I could change or do anything to my music video I think that I would make sure we included a lot more different types of shots such as more long shots or establishing shots. 

When making my ancillary products which include my digipak and my advertisement I always knew that I wanted my digipak and advertisement to be quite simple as I didn't want it to become over cluttered.  After showing my ancillary product to my friends they all mainly said the same thing that it was: 

• Pretty
• Girly
• Simple
• Plain 

After hearing these comments I would say that overall I would say that I am pleased with what people have said about my ancillary products. Although I dont really think that my ancillary are plain, my digipak and advertisement are quite simple compared to other ancillary products I have seen. When I was designing my digipak in class, a lot of students commented on the picture of Charlene that I used as they said that it was an amazing picture to use as it is was a professional photo. They also said that the colour scheme I used for my ancillary products suited really well with the font style and the image of Charlene I had used.  

After hearing the comments pretty and girly I am very pleased with these comments as this is exactly what I wanted people to think of my ancillary products. As I think that from the image I used for my poster and digipak you would assume that the artist is very girly and that she like pretty clothes. When hearing the comment simple some people might see this as a negative comment but to me its not as i think that "less is more' in the sense that as I have kept my ancillary products simple. I dont think that I have over cluttered my ancillary products and I think that I have promoted my artsist really well. 

If I could change anything about my ancillary products it would be that maybe I would try and be little more experimental with adobe photoshop elements. By this I mean maybe play around with my image by adding effects to the image. If I could change anything about my advertisement the main thing I would change would have to be the way I positioned everything. Instead of doing my doing advertisement landscape next time I would do it portrait as I think it would be better. I would also add more things to the poster such as Charlie Jaynes tour dates and maybe that you could follow Charlie Jayne on twitter and on face book. 

After taking into consideration all the comments to my music video and my ancillary products I would say that from my audience feedback I have learnt that if I got the chance to make another music video I would include a range of different shot types. I would also be more experimental when it came to designing my digipak and advertisement. 

Evaluation Question 3:

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

When it came to the research, planning and evaluation stages of our music video I had used a range of different equipment and new techonlogies that I had never experienced using before. So from this process of making a music video I havent just produced a music video, I have also learned how to use a range of new techonlogies. 

The research stage of my music video: So before we would be able to begin filming our music video we would have to do a lot of research, and planning. During the research and  stage of my music video I used a number of websites and technologies such as:

• You Tube

To watch a number of music video's to gain inspiration and to see how music video's were filmed and how they were editted. 

• Pixie Lott's website

I went on Pixie Lott's website to see what kind of music artist Pixie Lott, although I had heard a number of Pixie Lott's songs. I never knew much about Pixie Lott as an artist so I wanted to see if the website would give me any information on Pixie Lott.

• Vimeo

I went on the website Vimeo to look at previous A2 media students music videos, to see exactly what we would have to do to make a successful music video. Also by looking at previous students work it gave me a chance to see what kind of music genres they had chosen to for their music video. This is also the website where our music videos have been uploaded too.

• Final Cut Pro

We used Final Cut pro when it came to editing our rough cut music video and our final music video. As last year I wasnt really confident with using Final Cut Pro this year I decided that I would practise and try to edit parts of our music video. I would say that I was successful when it came learning how to use FinalCut Pro and I am now confident enough to use Final Cut Pro on my own. Whilst using Final Cut Pro we also decided to experiment with effects as you can see from our music video we added in some fade in fade out dissolves and some cross dissolves.  We added in these effects as we thought it would flow well with the way we had edited our music video.

• Sound Track Pro

We used Sound track when it came to adding sound effects to the beginning of our music video. As I had used Sound track Pro last year, being a film studies student. I decided that I would help with the process of adding sound effects to our music video. As I felt confident enough to use sound track pro on own without help from my media teachers.

• Adobe Photoshop 

We used Adobe photoshop when it came to designing our digipak cover and advertisement. What I liked about Adobe Photoshop is that you can start with a simple image and the end result would be something completly to what you started with. This was because of all the effects you could use to transform a simple image. I have to admit that I wasnt very comfortable using Adobe Photoshop as I found it very confusing and difficult to use. But once you get to the nag of how to use it, you will be totally amazed at just what you can do with photoshop.

• Qaurk X Press

We used QuarkXPress when we were practising how to make a digipak and advertisement. I wasnt really confident with using QuarkXPress as I had never heard of the programme before and becuase I never knew how to use it properly. We also used QuarkXPress for fonts, as QuarkXPress had a lot more fonts to choose from.

• Facebook

We used social networking sites such as facebook to get audience feedback from our music video and our anicillary products.

• Mobile Phones

We used your mobile phones to record videos of our teachers talking during class, this was so we had the lesson on our phone and if our teacher was giving us information on the progress of our music video.

• Ipods

We used our ipods in the making of our music video so that we would be able to learn the lyircs to our song Pixie Lott Cry Me Out. We also used our Ipods when it came to filming our music video as we needed to be able to hear the song so we plug my Ipod into a speaker.

• Digital Camera 

We used a digital camera to take pictures of our locations, also of  Charlene when she was getting her hair and make done by Zahra. Also to take pictures of our digipak and advertisement so that we could post them on to our blog.

• Flip Camera

We used a flip camera during the filming and editing process of our music video. We decided to use a flip camera to film when members of our group were editing our music video.We also used the flip camera when we filmed our group on the way to film parts of our music video.

• Video Camera

We used a video camera to film our music video in various locations such as Rosie's house and Alexandra Palace.

• Memory cards

Before we began filming our music video our media teachers gave each group 3 memory cards 2 of the memory cards were for us to be able to film our music video. The 3rd memory card was for a digital camera, so that we would be able to take photo's of the process of us making a music video.

• Batteries

We used the batteries when were using the video cameras, as to be able to use the video camera you had to insert a battery to be able to use the video camera. If we would be filming outside of college we would take a spare battery with us just in case the other battery run out of power.

• SpotLight 

We used a spot light when we needed light, we used the spotlight when we filming in the park and also in Rosie's house. We used a light that could be placed on top of the camera.

• Photobucket

Is a website where you can upload unlimited photo's for free. With photobucket you can also design slide shows.

• SlideShare

This is the website we used to create a slide show for when we presesnted our music video pitch to our media class and media teachers.

• Screen Grabs

This was a technique I learnt in media last year and have continued to use it this year aswell. It is a technique you can do on Apple computers or laptops it is where you screen grab and you will take a picture of what you have on the screen. To screen grab you press down command shift 4 and then you will be able to take a screen grab.

• Video drive 

We used the video drive to store our files on such as our music clips, but also our images from the digital camera.