Evaluation Question 2 – How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

Task: A directors’ commentary which discusses the relationship(s) across your media products.

You are working in your production group for this and will submit the same product (all must contribute equally to the voiceover and you will be assessed on the contributions you make in the voiceover).

  1. Create a new Premiere project and import the .mp4 file you exported as your final draft.
  2. Drop the video into ‘sequence one’ timeline, unlink the sound / video and delete the sound channel. Add a recorded voiceover explaining the themes / ideas you are trying to communicate.
    1. The emphasis in this voiceover should be how the three products are visually, thematically, generically, institutionally & ideologically linked.
  3. You must use media terminology to describe the production techniques that you used and should also use some relevant theory / concepts that you have learnt during the course; e.g:
    • Theory of the Active Audience: preferred/negotiated/oppositional reading (Hall)
    • Stars Image, Ideology & the Metanarrative (Dyer)
    • Semiotics & Structuralism (Barthes)
    • Narrative: themes & conflict, chronology, audience positioning: (Propp / Todorov, Strauss)
    • Genre: blueprint, contract, label & structure (Altman)
  4. Drop in a jpeg of each pane of your digipack and advert in place of (or over) the existing footage. This is will be where you are discussing those the specific links between the products and what you were trying to achieve.

Guidance

Please answer the following questions in your voiceover:

  • How do the products reflect the ideology (values, attitudes and beliefs) of the artist or band?
    • Dyer – star image – metanarrative
  • How are the products designed to create a particular (preferred) reading?
    • Hall – theory of the active audience
  • How do the designs of the digipack and the advert fit in with the visuals &/or themes in the video?
    • Barthes – semiotics, Todorov – narrative, Strauss – binary oppositions
  • What are the institutional/business purposes behind the 3 products?
    • Altman – label, predictable pleasure & similarity / difference

You may, of course, discuss other links and relationships; you should however try to show how there is a symbiotic (mutually beneficial) relationship between the three products and how this is achieved. 

Whilst your DP and Advert will not be directly linked to the actual song in the music video, you must focus on the links between them regarding visual style, genre, star image, representation, ideology and brand packaging of the performer, which will be the same.

Notes for Directors Commentary

Structure of the commentary: Timeline Map

You will need to plan some bullet points for a script of this voiceover, but you must not read it out word for word! It feel like a well informed discussion between you and your partner/s.  Plan the script first and then divide it up between the group – ensuring you have covered the main theorists and links to be discussed (see above). Once you have the script, you can think about the visuals that you need.

Example:

 

Examiners hints from the last few years:

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