Script for Evaluation Podcast

Here is the script for a podcast that will evaluate our final products.


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

Grace: Using a digital video camera enabled us to construct and complete our music video whilst providing a clear narrative and insight into the artist. For example, we filmed a variety of shots of the band playing, including close-ups of individual members and their instruments. We were able to construct Proppian character types through our camera skills. For example, we used POV shots and tracking shots of the main character to establish him as the Hero.

Amy: For A2 we used the software imovie9, which was a lot more advanced than imovie8. It enabled us to create daydream-like effects, add colour to individual shots of the band members, and offered a wider range of editing tools such as fast-motion and slow-motion effects to create the fast paced life styles of teens in our shots of the party and slow, romantic shots of our couple for the love story narrative. It also enabled to effectively lip sync and create a fast-paced music video.

Grace: We used websites throughout the research, planning and construction stages. Unsigned.com enabled us to find an unsigned band within the same genre we are working in, as well as access the lyrics and mp3 of the song by contacting the band.

Amy: We used photoshop.com and blibs.com to edit and adjust our magazine poster and CD Cover. For example, we added cartoon-like and colour-pop effects to create a light-hearted mood to our CD Cover mock-ups and make the album title and certain colours stand out. On blibs.com we were able to target the online audience by creating an animated banner for our MySpace page, as well as experiment with a variety of fonts for our poster and CD cover.

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

Grace: We have constructed a conventional fast-paced, light-hearted pop rock music video. For example, when editing, we used quick straight cuts between fast-motion shots of a party during the chorus, which is parallel to the fast-paced and jumpy music. We identified this convention of fast-paced party scenes from our music video analysis, for example Paramore’s ‘That’s What You Get’.

Amy: We used conventional settings such as a party, which is found for example in Green Day’s ‘Jesus of Suburbia’, a school, a stock setting for pop rock music videos, for example in blink-182’s ‘Josie’ video, and a skatepark, which is found in Simple Plan’s ‘I’m Just A Kid’ video. We followed the conventional use of props such as mobile phones to target our teenage audience, such as in Paramore’s video for ‘That’s What You Get’, and props to connote a young, rebellious identity to the audience such as alcohol bottles, conventional in pop rock videos such as in the party scenes in Green Day’s ‘Jesus of Suburbia’.

Grace: We also used conventional camera shots found in pop rock music videos, for example, during shots of the band playing, we included close-ups of instruments and individual band members, especially the main singer. We identified this convention whilst analysing videos like Paramore’s ‘That’s What You Get’, in which the main singer and instruments like the drum kit and guitar are constantly framed in close-ups.

Amy: We developed the use of different coloured shots used in a split screen to introduce the band members in McFly’s ‘Five Colours in Her Hair’ by using individual shots of the band members and adjusting the colours of the shot whilst editing, so each band member had their own colour, which were pink, blue and green. This creates the conventional light-hearted mood, fun and energy of a pop rock video, whilst also giving more of an insight into our artist by providing an identity for the individual band members.

Grace: We utilised the conventional storyline following a teenage Proppian hero in his quest to rescue the princess in our music video. This conforms to the pop rock genre as from our textual analysis we identified this in videos such as Wheatus’ – ‘Teenage dirtbag’ and Simple Plan’s - ‘I’m just a kid’. We also utilised conventional and stereotypical ‘teen’ issues within our music video of love, relationships and friendship, which is for example found in the love story narrative of Wheatus’ ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ video.

Amy: Our CD Cover uses the conventional central image of the artist framed in a medium shot, such as in Weezer’s Blue Album, to capture the costume and body language of the artists to put them on the ‘same level’ as our audience. We have used the conventional youthful, casual clothing such as hoodies and shorts, such as in Paramore’s Riot cover, and the body language of the artists is laid back e.g. hands in pockets, hoods up in order to connote the stereotypical rebellious attitude of youth, to attract our target audience.

Grace: We made sure the lead singer was the focal point of the cover and had a direct mode of address with the audience- he looks straight at the camera, his head cocked to one side. This is a convention of the pop rock album cover- for example, Gwen Stefani in No Doubt’s CD Cover for Return of Saturn, and Hayley Williams in Paramore’s Riot cover. The colours of our CD Cover are conventional bright, clashing colours, however we decided to ‘pop’ the colour green whilst leaving the rest our image black and white, in order to make the album title stand out on Amy’s t-shirt and clash with the bright pink band name. We found this use of one bold colour used on Weezer’s Blue Album and Green Day’s Kerplunk.

Amy: We followed the conventional layout of a magazine poster so information on our product was clear and easy to read and understand; we placed the band name at the top of the page, an image of the band and the album title and information on the album underneath, in bold, capitalised font, which is used in for example Panic At The Disco’s magazine poster for their album A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out. The use of a plain background, as in the magazine poster for New Found Glory’s Hits, grabs the audience’s attention. We also followed magazine poster conventions by including a website address and ‘Available at HMV’ at the bottom of our poster.

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

Grace: Overall, through constructing a stereotypical representation of youth in our video, CD Cover, magazine poster and Myspace page, we have effectively targeted our audience. For example, the fast-paced, hedonistic lifestyle we have portrayed in our music video appeals and is even admirable to the teenage audience. Applying the ‘hypodermic needle’ theory, one could even suggest that our video could cause a ‘moral panic’ by injecting the ideology of this rebellious lifestyle to our audience. On the other hand, one could also apply the Uses and Gratifications theory and argue that the audience could personally identify with the characters, situations and lifestyle portrayed.

Amy: We have produced an effective marketing campaign for our artist by creating a Myspace page alongside our magazine poster and banners. This helps us reach more of our target audience as we are appealing to the ‘online age’, making us more accessible to our audience. Also, by creating three different magazine banners for three different magazines, we are targeting more of our target demographic. For example, our black and white magazine banner has a darker feel so would be used in Kerrang! Magazine, like the black and white image on Feeder’s poster for The Singles, also found in the before mentioned magazine.

4. What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Grace: Our audience feedback helped us to produce a more effective Myspace page to aid the selling of our artist, as it was suggest that we try personalized backgrounds. We added a graffiti background to the web page and now feel it looks more personal and professional.

Amy: We were told our video worked effectively for the pop rock genre as it felt ‘realisitc’ and therefore would target our audience, and the CD Cover worked well because it connoted the stereotypical rebellious attitude of youth.