Component 3

Creative Critical Reflection 2

Standard

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

Task:

  • Video directors commentary on all three products with particular reference to star image & brand values.

You are working in your production group to prepare the video for this but you must contribute equally to the voice over and introduce yourself when speaking. You make some bullet point prompts together, but you must be able to verbalise and explain these concepts & how they apply yourself!

Preparing the video for the commentary.

  1. Create a new Premiere project and import the .mp4 file you exported as your final draft for your music video.
  2. Drop the video into ‘sequence one’ timeline, ‘Unlink’ the sound (A1) from the  video (V1)
    1. You will either delete the sound channel completely or…
    2. …fade the music in and out over the commentary.
  3. Record a commentary explaining the brand image you have communicated in your video, digipack and website.
    1. The emphasis in this voiceover should be how the three products are…visually, thematically, aesthetically, generically, institutionally & ideologically linked into your BRAND or STAR IMAGE!
  4. You must use media terminology to describe production techniques and you used and should also use some terms 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: Structure, themes, chronology, positioning: (Propp / Todorov, Strauss)
    • Genre: conventions (blueprint), predictable pleasure (contract) & marketing (label) (Altman)
  5. Drop in a jpeg of each pane of your digipack and screen grabs from your web site in place of, (or over) the existing footage.
    1. This means you might have a full screen image or you might layer up the images over the video in V2. 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 voice-over:

  1. How do the products reflect the star image & ideology of the artist?
    • Theorist – Dyer
    • Terms: Star image, Brand, Meta-narrative.
  2. How are the products designed to create a coherent brand identity?
    • Theorist – Blumler & Katz
      • Terms: Social Interaction, Information, Personal Identity & Entertainment
    • Theorist – Hall 
      • Terms: Active audience, preferred reading, ideology
  3. How does design of the digipack and website fit with the video?
    • Theorist Barthes
      • Terms: Signifies, encode, decode, cultural, symbolic, semic…code
  4. What are the institutional/business purposes behind the 3 products?
    • Theorist – Altman
      • Terms: Predictable pleasure, contract. Similar different. Marketing. Fans. Call to Action.

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

Essential theories – recap:

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.

Examples:

 

Examiners hints from the last few years:

Creative Critical Reflection 3 – The Vlog

Standard

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

After you have completed your reading and research and compiled some good ideas about audience engagement and distribution, respond directly to the following questions in your vlog:

Part 1 – Target Audience

  • Who are your target audience?
    • What are their ideologies? (demographics, psychographics, audience segmentation eg tribe wired etc)
  • What is your brand identity / missions statement? (genre, star image)
  • How does the design / content of your three products fulfil your audience’s uses and gratification (Blumler and Katz but you don’t need to reference them directly – just use the terms)?
  • How do the products speak to the audience and try to create a relationship with them? (AIDA, B + K, genre, star image, Hall)

Theory / terminology:

  • Hall (audience – encode, decode, ideology, demographics, psychographics, preferred reading, negotiated reading, oppositional reading)
  • Dyer (star image – metanarrative, ordinary, paradox of the star, extraordinary, present, absent)
  • Blumler + Katz (personal identity, social interaction, information, entertainment)
  • Lacey (predictable pleasure, repertoire of elements, contract, blueprint, label, conventions)

Distribution and Marketing

  • Which record label would suit your star / brand?
  • What marketing strategies would you use to create buzz around your album launch?
  • How would you reach your target audience?
  • How are you likely to make your star / album profitable?

Theory / terminology:

  • target audience, budget, distribution, marketing, social media, download, streaming, guerilla marketing, personal appearances, live performance, festivals, press releases, advertising, online, viral marketing, profile, independent, major record label. Read the blog posts to get some ideas.

USE THE FOLLOWING CLIPS TO INTRODUCE YOUR VLOG and EDIT ON WEVIDEO

  • APPRENTICE INTRO AT THE START AND CUT TO YOUR VLOG.
  • APPRENTICE OUTRO AT THE END OF YOUR VLOG.

CCR 3 – Background research (DISTRIBUTION)

Standard

Read the attached articles:  re distribution and marketing.

  • Take some ideas from these articles and use them to respond to the questions.
  • Why not create your own ideas too?
  • We are presuming you have already found a record label who has taken the performer on to their books.
  • Now you adopt the identity of distributors & marketers, and have to get the record out to the target audience. How will you do this?

Distribution is the way that recorded music gets into the hands of consumers. Traditionally, distribution companies sign deals with record labels which give them the right to sell that label’s products. The distributor takes a cut of income from each unit sold and then pays the label the remaining balance.

Digital distribution is a service by which music and/or video content is being distributed via the Internet in digital format to various online music services (download stores and streaming services) which then exploit downloads and/or streams of this music for any sort of portable music devices and computer used by consumers. Where a traditional physical distributor would ship out your physical albums to stores, EPM Music distributes digital copies of your music to various music services such as iTunes, Rhapsody, Napster, AmazonMP3, eMusic, Zune, LastFM, Spotify, etc.

Please note certain major online music services such as iTunes, Play.com and Spotify require artists and labels to use a digital distributor such as EPM Music to make their music and video available in their stores.

Remember, the real money now lies in live performance – the revenue in streaming is usually not sufficient to keep a band afloat – it needs to be performing to raise revenue from tickets sales and merchandise.

Some of the first avenues you should consider are:

  • Order CDs.
  • Distribute album to online stores and streaming services.
  • Sign up for any/all social media accounts.
  • Tell everyone you know and submit for airplay.

ARTICLES AND WEBSITES TO READ

Independent distributors who will get my music out there on Spotify?

How to find a record label?

What is music distribution and how has the traditional distribution model been disrupted by technology?

A new online technology that might disrupt music production (mastering)

Some surprising ways in which music is distributed in order to create buzz online

Free music distribution…?

 

 

Creative Critical Reflection 1

Standard

How do your products use or challenge conventions and how do they represent social groups or issues?

Task: Prezi (Individual Task)

You should describe and analyse your three products with reference to specific examples and use terminology to describe how those conventional features have been used, developed, challenged (designed) by you to construct/represent a specific set of ideas, which is: your brand or mission statement! 

You must then go on to say how your representation (ideology) of your star and issues raised in video were shaped by you.

  • The conventional design features in your video, include examples such as lighting, framing & composition, camera movement  mise-en-scene, editing styles, filters, effects and rhythmic editing…
  • Conventional print design in your digipack: images, filters, adjustments, graphics, colour palette, typeface, stroke, fill, gradients, arrangement (Bring Forward, Back)…
  • Conventional web design: call to action, hero shot, social media tours, interactivity, merch links…

 

Example Prezi

Select images from professional examples and your own texts. Remember you should be able to compare or contrast the examples.

There should be five examples from your music video and three each for digipack and website.

In the video you should consider…

  • images that shows a link between themes in the music and how they are amplified / illustrated in the narrative
  • generically (un)conventional star image
  • images that demonstrates conventional use of camera
  • images that demonstrates conventional use of lighting / colour
  • images that demonstrates (un)conventional mise-en-scene
  • images that show an (un)conventional use of narrative
  • images that show you’ve drawn  inspiration from other music videos & media texts
  • FORMS (technical conventions) of lip syncing, editing to the beat, repeatability, narrative/performance ratio/ type of narrative

In the digipack you should consider…

  • how do the images scheme reflect the genre of music?
    • conventions of photo composition
    • filters / images adjustment
    • colour scheme
    • design of mise-en-scene / art work
  • how is the layout / DTP conventional for digipacks and adverts?
    • typeface selection & size
    • graphics
    • typeface size and selection
    • spacing
    • relationship between image and copy
    • FORMS (technical conventions) i.e. tracks, publisher, copy, album name, performer name, image, advert image from DP.

In the website you should consider…

  • Pages
  • Content (videos, music, album art, merchandise…)
  • Social media links
  • Design & brand
  • Fonts & colours
  • Backgrounds
  • Images

 Examples from previous students:

SASHA BELFORD

HOLLY BROWN

TERMS

Some of the concept / micro terms you should include…remember to use the terms related to Genre:

…conventional, generic, typical, usual, frequent, unusual, subvert, unconventional, challenged, used, applied, developed, manipulated, exaggerated, amplified, increased, augmented,  + repertoire of elements, genre, blueprint, contract, ingredients, star image, audience expectations, paradox of the star, ordinary, extraordinary, semic codes, cultural codes, symbolic codes, mise-en-scene, camera, lighting, font, integration of copy and images, shot distances, composition, editing, camera movement, narrative structure, disjunctive/amplified narratives, character types…

You should also regularly use ‘analysis words’ such as: represents, implies, suggests, connotes, reflects, signifies, emphasises, highlights, underlines, illustrates, shows, contributes to.

And always explain how your have…applied, developed, challenged convention. Also synonyms such as extend, subvert, amplify, exaggerate, increase, improve, extend, copy, contrast, contradict are useful alternatives.  MAKE SURE YOU HIGHLIGHT THESE KEY TERMS/WORDS AND THEN YOU KNOW YOU HAVE ADDRESSED THE QUESTION.

CCR4 – How did you integrate technologies, software, hardware and online in this product?

Standard

For this CCR, you will need to revisit your technology journey through Component 3 which comprises of your Music Video, Digipak and Website products.

Task 1

Create a series of 3 fun physical theatre representations of the 3 technologies you pick out of the hat with your group and show to the class to see if they can recognise and recall the particular technology you are representing.

Task 2

Revolve around the tables and note down as many examples of technology as possible that have been part of Component 3.

Task 3

Understand how this question, done properly, will really help prepare you for Section 1a of the exam – Skills,  which is all about how you have used skills in your A Level Media Studies and how they have creatively impacted on your products.  In fact, it will be half of your notes, examples and evidence you need for this question if you do it properly.

Task 4

Review the exemplar INFOGRAPHIC that has been creatied in piktochart.com.  You will need to sign in with google and then on the home page scroll down to the FREE TEMPLATES.

The package is really easy to use – Mrs C designed from scratch this one in 2 lessons so you only need to use it as a template, choose your own design and then complete it with your own examples.

Task 5

Using the exemplar as a template, design your own infographic. You should include:

  • Chronology – timelines
  • Products
  • Stages of production (research and planning, production, post production and CCR)
  • Colour coded examples of technology (software, hardware, online)
  • Pictorial examples – preferably from your blog of the technology being used.
  • Written evidence on how that technology was used – example.
  • Written evidence on how that technology had a specific creative impact on the product – analysis, significance.
  • The template is a guide – feel free to add other examples in.

Guidance

Hardware & Software technology could include:

  • Cameras (stills and video)
  • Lighting Equipment
  • Premiere
  • After Effects
  • Photoshop
  • Publisher / Illustrator

Websites & online technology could include:

  • Edublogs (WordPress)
  • Wix
  • YouTube
  • Twitter/Facebook/WhatsApp
  • Pintrest/Gomoodboard/Canva
  • VoiceThread/Screen Castify
  • Flikr/Prezi
  • Google Forms
  • Online Tutorials / Adobe TV

You should be specific about how you employed the technology. Be specific in terms of what you were able to achieve creatively & organisationally with these various technologies, such as…

  • Researching conventions in professional media texts
  • Gathering inspiration & sharing ideas
  • Production planning / inspiration
  • Production organisation & group communication / collaboration
  • Production techniques (Framing, camera movement, backdrops, lighting…)
  • Cropping /  timeline editing
  • Using filters & image control
  • Using brushes and filters
  • Transitions / Colour Correction
  • Using key frames
  • Layering images / using opacity / blending
  • Stop motion
  • Converting / compressing files for different use (DVD, Online, Print)
  • Uploading and embedding media
  • Audience feedback
  • Tracking & recording progress

 

Please click on the image to see the full image in detail

Here are some resources that might help:

List of media technologies used and useful buzz words to include in your analysis

Think about how you are going to get screenshots / images which illustrate how you have done these things at the various stages of production. Please do not simply use logos / generic images, rather use images of you actively using the technology from your coursework blog (look at your CCR section).

Also your comments must be specific in terms of what you were able to achieve by using the technology – highlight the effect, moment, event that was possible due to the technology – how did the technology specifically impact on star image, genre, narrative, audience and representation (concepts!).  Please avoid: made it more appealing/eye catching/interesting!

Buzz words: copy and paste and then delete as you use them.

  • Use: implemented, applied, engaged, used, tested, signed up, explored, investigated, analysed, planned, gauge, delegated,
  • Progression:  improve, extend, develop, enhanced, exentuate, analyse
  • Create/creativity: develop, design, map out, collate, draft, experiment, aesthetics, design, layout, conventional, adapt, tweak, alter, amend
  • Achieve: succeed, result, deliver, appropriate, win

EXAMINER’S COMMENTS

Your Media Exams

Standard

Your Exams

Component 2 – Key Media Concepts (Exam)

  • Textual analysis of an unseen TV Drama Sequence (50%)
  • Essay on the Music Industry (50%)

Component 4 – Critical Perspectives in Media (Exam)

  • Evaluate your media production skills development
  • Analyse your own media products using key concepts.
  • Explore postmodern media.

“Hang on we haven’t finished, or indeed started, the evaluation questions yet! Just forget the exam for now Mr G & Mrs C,” I hear you implore!

“Ah ha!” we reply. “We had a plan all along!”

We have chosen all the briefs you have done this year to focus you on the music industry. Which is the topic in the second half of question 2 in Component 2 (Key Media Concepts).

Furthermore, we have already taught you everything you need to know to complete the first half of the final media exam, also known as Component 4 (Critical Perspectives). 

So, when you are doing the Critical Creative Reflections you are also preparing for your exam! To prepare you for all this, throughout Year 12 & 13, we made you complete blog posts on:

  • Media Language
  • Representation / Star Image
  • Genre
  • Audience
  • Narrative

…because, these concepts all appear in the exams!

We have made you do a range of  tasks geared to help you understand and learn about media skills:

  •  use of digital technology
    •    creativity
    •    research and planning
    •    using conventions from real media texts.

All of these are skills that will come up in the exam

50% of Component 4 is about your ability to tell stories about your skill development and analyse your own production work as if it were a professional text!

‘Wax on, Wax off. Daniel-son’

…and when Mr Miaki says, “Look eye! Always look I.” He means, “IDEOLOGY” – YEAH BABY!

Coz that’s what Media Studies is about!

Go on, explain if you can…

Create a Sitemap

Standard

This is an essential web site planning task.

TASK: Create a sitemap for your band / artist website.

  • You should do this as a group.

Follow the conventional features of websites you have researched, analysed and evaluated in previous tasks.

Here is an example sitemap, which I created using Creately.com.  However I did find it a little tricky to add pages, so…you could just  draw your version by hand or use shapes & connecting lines in Google Slides.

Your site map should include:

  1. A home or splash page
  2. The main pages
  3. A list of content on each page.

 

Mrs Cobb’s WIX website

Standard

This is not good but I literally did this in half an hour so your submissions will be infinitely better and more exciting.

I had fun though and if I can do it, you can do it so much better!

Website – Previous Students’ Work

Standard

Please take a look at the following student websites from other centres:

Find one that you like and then assess it using the following criteria:

  1. How accessible is the website?
  2. How easy is it to navigate?
  3. What information were you able to find out about the star?
  4. How did the branding of the website communicate a consistent brand image as portrayed in the music video and digipack?
  5. How far does the Website fulfil the audiences’ uses and gratifications (Blumler and Katz):
  • Information
  • Personal Identity
  • Social Interaction
  • Entertainment

Embed the website so that the examiner can see it too. Remember to cite specific examples from the website in your analysis and use the correct terminology for the technical forms and conventions.