Hiphop Word Board

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

Evaluation:

I used blogger to read our people's comment on my work and reflect on how i could have improved on something, in addition i used it to watch other peoples work and see how they interpreted something different to how i may of and see how they Incorporated conventions effectively into their project's. Furthermore, i read a lot of our peoples blogs to get a good understand of how to analyse my own work and how to show how i used a convention and then write it up into words.
Reading our peoples blogs helped me to understand the project i was also doing a lot better as a whole; and to get a better understanding of how others evaluated their own work effectively.
I also used blogger to keep all my findings in one place where i could easily arrange and organise all of it; furthermore i could also present some of my findings neatly and in a professional manner for me to read or for anyone else with a blogger account.
Blogger also allowed me to upload my final products onto blogger, so anyone could comment and give me feedback on my work.

I used photoshop is annotate my progress over time and to show how i did something and how i may of tackled a issue.

I used youtube/facebook to get feedback on my work, by getting others to analyse my work i was able to see where i went wrong and where i could improve on, in addition to what was effective and why. I learnt a lot from doing this as i was able to get open information as being evaluated by people who you don't know you allows them to completely evaluate the work, rather then take anything else into account.

How did you use media technologies in the construction, research, planning and evalution stage?

Construction:

I used a video camera obviously for filming the music video, however instead of just simply using the camera, i used the zoom in and out functions for effects, the lighting effects that where build on as well as my favourite, the manual focus pull function, this proved to work very well with the shots we planned it for. And also for a specific shot we used a HD camera, the quality proved a lot better and in addition to that I used the slow motion function that would record anything for a second and play it for 8 seconds, this was a very effective function, but very fiddly to use.
For the Digi pack and the poster we used a high quality photography camera as the quality it offered was very good. During filming scene's were the camera was hand held, we used a 'Fig Rig', this is a device that allows the camera user to hold the camera more steadily then with their bare hands, this was very handy for scenes where the camera holder had to follow/walk with the artist's and keep the camera steady.

Finally the school got the green screen so we was able to film with it, this was a very good but difficult to use equipment, first of all we had to get the required space to set it up in, then the space had to be the right size to fit the green screen, technicians had to be booked off, the lighting had to be perfect, camera's booked and finally the artist's. However, once everything was there it all fell into place and the green screen proved very easy to use. Once the green screen clips where uploaded i had to use Final cut to edit the green screen out, i spent many hours using the Green screen filter's and it proved to be good however there was a distinctive green line around our artists, so i tried using the 'Spill suppressor' to get rid of it, but it left the artist's very edgy.
I was stuck, however I then tried to use the 'Chroma Key' function, this worked a lot better then the Green screen filters. However once again there was a green outline so i used all 3 effects, the Green screen filter, Spill suppressor and the Chroma Key. and after playing around with the functions, i was able to find the perfect setting. I was able to copy and paste this setting onto any other clip i wanted, and at first the setting didnt work for all the clips as well as it did for the first clip i took the green screen out on ;but after some time playing around with the attributes again i found the right one for every clip one by one.

When using photoshop I found it alright to use as I had already used it, I just looked over a set of notes i made on how to do certain functions, and just attempted to use new ones. I downloaded several fonts until I found the perfect one (dafont.com), applied glows and effects to the pictures and took the background of the pictures and applied a plain black colour with ease. But the problem I encountered for a while was fading pictures, there isn't a obvious was to do so, so after using the internet's aid for a while, i tired blending the gradient's with the pictures and eventually got it too work.

Final cut at first seemed very hard and tricky to use, however after hours of trial and error i soon found it was a very logical programme to use, for example taking the green screen out and when i needed to add a effect where one artists was singing and there are tv's behind him and i had to add in clips into the TV's behind him and make it it like the TV's where playing a shot of him singing when he was actually singing.At first i didn't know where to start, however after looking into the clips attributes i came across 'Distort', and when i used it, it gave a effect of a angle on the clip like it was shot at a angle but still looked 2D which is what i exactly needed(like the Tv Screen with a blue outline in the picture to the right). and after fitting them each onto the screen behind; i faded them into the background with the opacity function; so it looked real and it was a actual shot real time.

During my work i had to track and show my progress so i used a 'screen grab' function to take pictures of what ever was on screen to show how i did something and to show my progress in my work over time.

How did you use media technologies in the construction, research, planning and evalution stage?

Planning:

I used the aid of youtube once again, but this time i used it to finalise how i may use a shot or maybe to show my point my a member of the group if i was trying to explain a convention and how we can incorporate it into our music video.
In addition, i also did a practise session with photoshop, i took some pictures of a class member behind a big white screen and upload the pictures to photoshop. I played about with nearly all the functions to give myself a good idea of how to use it and i also noted the effects that i thought would be effective for our poster/digi pack. Ive already uploaded my final product of the practise session to blogger.


I also recorded around 20 different shots and uploaded them to final cut to practise of them as well, i found out the importance of certain shots and in addition got to play with the camera settings, like the focus pull. I learnt simple things such as the 'blade' tool and the chroma key function, however i decided to take it further and play around with the distort function.
The reasoned i filmed these specific shot was so i could know how to do them and if i thought to incorperate any into my




Finally, we used a 'white screen' to practice on rather them a green screen becuase the school didnt have one yet, but we learnt how to take out the background and add one it, as well as the importance of setting up the 'green screen' correctly.

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

Research:

For majority of my research i used media technologies to gather the necessary information about my genre and the target audience.

I used YouTube to watch hundred of Hip Hop videos to get aperfect understand of what effective hip hop videos do to be effective as well as watched loads of poorly made videos to see what i should stay away from. I also read them comment's youtuber's posted of videos to see what they thought was effective and why and trying to implement some of the ideas into my own video.

I also used blogger toread other people's analyses of hip hop music videos and

how they perceived them, whatthey thought was good/bad and why as most of the

blogger's i looked at had a very good understanding of what makes a music video successful an

d why, so by reading

their comments it helped my to know what to research.

Furthermore, i used a lot of Hip Hop magazines websites to research the adverts in them and the difference between how the famous artists where portrayed and the 'upcoming' artists.

What have you learnt fron your audience feedback?

Youtube/Facebook

I used the social media websites to get some good audience feedback of people, by varstly expanding the amount of people who can now see the video, it gives it a more of a music video feel as any and everyone can watch it and give their opnions of it rather then who i decide or target to watch it.
I learnt the music video suited the song very well and that we captured the vibe of the song well, and in addition we added in conventions at the right times, for example cutted to the beat for sometime but then cut to the lyrics for others, and then would of added in effects to the beat.

However, feedback is very limited in these forms as people find it hard to express why they felt this way or what the felt in dept over the internet, so it is limited.

What have you learnt fron your audience feedback?

I made sure i met the conventions by doing audience research on my target audience before i constructed my project, so i had a better understanding of what the conventions where in addition. I did this by asking my target audience questions, showing them videos, posters and digital packs that where all classed as 'Hip Hop' and asked them to make a list of their 5 most favourite conventions about them and to feed them back to me and why. By asking these questions, it answered all and every doubtful queiry i had on the hiphop genre as asking hiphop fan's i new they'd be able to aid me, furthermore reinsure me. After a few weeks into construction my project i got together a few friends who where within my target audience to analyse the music video, poster and Digi pack. I asked them several questions like 'Does this look professional to you', 'What conventions can you instantly recognise?' and 'What conventions have you seen but then seen me develop and change into our own convention to fit our project better?'. And with each of these question i asked if they thought they where effective and if no, how i could improve on them. I found that the conversions i put in matched my genre perfectly, and the way i used them to interact with one another was good, for example how Digi pack cover was of the artist's face's which is a convention, but we split the faces in half showing half of each, this being our own little twist on the convention to make it suit us better. I also found out less can be more, instead of flooding your music video with conventions its better to progressively have effective ones rather then loads of basic ones. One on One Feedback : I showed my music video two 2 people from my target audience and got them to write a summary of what they thought about it. Critic 1 : I think the music video was very well put together, i really like the way it tells a story openly but has a subliminal once running through it as well; it was put together very creativily and the ideas behind it where onbviously planned well ahead, as well as done very professionally. FInally the editing is perfect, in hiphop music videos the editing plays a very big role; and in this they have done is perfectly to suit the genre and songs itself. Critic 2:

What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

Once our project's where complete (music video, digital pack, poster) we showed them to each other to feed of each others work, give constrictive criticism and see how we could of improved our own.
By getting Pier's to evaluate my work on more then 2 occasions and by people who didn't meet my target audience it was a bit different however a good experience.
I learnt even people who don't meet your target audience can still admire your work, not for the music but for the shots in the music video or the effects on the poster or the way the camera was used for the Digital pack.

I found out that for various parts in my music video especially when the video was cut to the beat of the music my piers liked it, they felt it gave the video a good feel and vibe, as well as it changed the pace of the music video keeping it exciting when nothing exciting may of been actually showing. So i learnt how a video is shot can contribute a lot to how effective it can be regardless of what it consists of

What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

During the construction of my project i constantly got the 2nd opinion of a teacher to ensure what i was during/planning was effective but not only from more point of view but by theirs as well.
By sitting down and speak to a teacher with our finished story boards it helped me decide what shots where effective and could have more of as well as what i might think of changing for something else. Thanks to the nature of the song we picked it allowed us to experiment a lot with different shot types; however in addition to the music video, having them by when planning the Digi pack and poster allowed us to get a idea of what shots could be effective and what we could do to make it more effective. For example, how certain fonts convey different messages and how we should choose one that means something rather than just looks nice.

By doing this i learnt how planning can be very important and everything should be taken into account and if it helps to sometimes make various final copies if necessary.

What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

At the start of my project i carried out some audience research by asking my target audience various questions about what the perceived my genre was. i asked them question from the conventions to how the video's are edited. I learnt how i should target my project, in addition what shots i would come back to in my music video, in addition what i can include in my digi pack. This helped me get a understanding of what i was heading towards as well as how i would go around making sure i reach my target audience effectively.

I found out the the viewers enjoy Hiphop songs with a meaning, and ones that tell a story; which helped me decide what type song to pick, i found out that most of them liked a certain artist more than others, i also found out the lyrics paid a big part in the music video being effective, if i could capture the essence of the music video it would almost certainly make it effective. In addition, i found out that the viewers didn't want to see the artist's in a stereotypically light, neither did they want to see them in a extreme or a unfamiliar way. I also found out that seeing more creative album cover would encourage the viewer to purchase it more then if it wasn't which gave me inspiration to start to think of ideas, and finally how the artist is presented makes a big difference on if the viewer likes the artist's, and if the artist's are 'liked' they are more likely to be successful; this helped me audition my actors and know who i wanted and what costumes id need to get for them.

These question also helped me get a better imagine of my perfect target audience; id know what they wanted more a music video, how they interoperated them in addition what they appreciated, which would ultimately decide if they purchased their album or not.

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

Ancillary Tasks :

(Only Front cover)

Music Video :

(have to upload clip still)

Both the main product and the ancillary tasks completement each other well, in the main product the artist's are wearing hiphop clothing however their own style within hiphop, and in our ancillary tasks their artists are own again wearing hiphop clothing, but different clothing from what they wore in the photoshoot. This has been done to make them look stylish in the 'new' clothes but keep it to the genre.

In the Ancillary tasks our artist's are presented with a certain 'swagger', this swagger is kept throughout the ancillary task's and music video, this is to hold the continuity and to make sure the character's image is kept strong so its more rememberable, making the different peices of media more relateable and effective together.

In both digi pack cover and the poster each artist has their own side, this is so the viewer can easily recognise and differentiate between the two, and in addition both artists are wearing the same hats in both pictures; this is so a viewer who has seen one of the 2 can see the other and use something to relate them both to, making them more rememorable. Even in the music video, both artists are wearing hats; this has all been purposely done to create a image for the aritsts.

In what ways does you media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

(not final poster)

The poster i created shows both characters posing and presenting themselves like in most Hiphop magazines. They have both adopted different 'roles' for the picture however the roles still correspond to the roles they both took in the music video. This is a very common Hiphop convention as then the viewer's can identify each artist by their swagger. However in most Hiphop adverts they tend to have something stand out and nearly con traversal; we've decided to keep both artists the main idea of our poster and add no effects directly to them. This has been done because they are upcoming artists, they should be openly presented, their face's posture and style should be easily identifiable as they are upcoming artists. In addition, throughout our music video the artist's are presented in this way, the same artist whos on the left will be in on the left for majority of the video and vise versa for the other. If the viewer saw the advert and then the poster; he/she would be able to match them up a lot more easier. The viewer must be able to recognise the artists again if they are wearing different clothes, they are shown in a different way or if they decide to alter their style. But by showing them in a raw but stylish form, i believe it has allowed us to make a perfect poster, as well as will allow us to make a even better and interesting poster once they are established

Furthermore, the reviews and record labels at the bottum of the poster are on all hiphop posters, we havn't filled ours up with reviews and etc. In face we decided to leave the poster as 'bland' as possible, as we wanted everything on the album itself and the promotion rather then make it go off the point with more things to distract the viewer from the artists. This will force the viewers to take a good look at the artists and admire the writing associated with the album. We have incorerated the same ideas into our digi pack and video; our video hasnt got a too many effects and shots, the same is with our digi pack; it isn't full of pictures and text. We've kept everything 'neat' and tidy, presented with class.

In what ways does you media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

In my music video i've edited the video so it is cut to certain parts in the music, either the bass, the snap or the lyrics itself. Cutting to the beat is a massive convention in HipHop music videos, and i have done this however i have developed this by also cutting to the lyrics, when ever the lyrics had a certain feeling to it and a subject changed i would cut after the artist's said a certain word that would allow a nice edit into another shot.

For most this music video it follows Andrew Goodwin's Theory and especially the part about Illustration, majority of the video is cut to the beat and the music video is related a lot to the lyrics and its message

However, the music video is related to the lyrics but not in a obvious way, we wanted to challenge the stereotype of associating success in HipHop music videos to money, girls and cars. Instead we focused on success being any aspect of life and how its the viewers interpretation of success that they will be viewing. By having two spectrums in our video, one artist's working his way up and the other being rich; it challenged the stereotype of HipHop music videos

However, we did touch on some aspects of his idea of Amplification, the message of our story was obvious and was portrayed in a subliminal.

I think have aspect from both which work very well with one another and to use them both in progression has worked very well; and allowed us to use, develop and challenge the HipHop music video conventions

In what ways does you media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

My Album cover shows both our artists face's however only half of each. The face's are cut in the middle showing the left of one and the right of the other. This has been done to show the artist's face right to the audience, the audience can then get to know both face's at the same time. Showing a artists face on the front of a album cover is a common thing in the hiphop genre however by halfing both face's it puts a new twist on the whole 'face' on album steretype.

This album cover by rihanna only shows her face, this was one of her more recent album cover's however she still wasn't that 'famous' at the time this album was released. So by putting her face on the cover of the album that would ultimately make her a world renown artist made sense. But apart from just putting her face on the album cover, she's shown covering her right eye, and her left eye is fixed on the viewer, no matter where you look from, she is still 'watching' you.

These successfull artist's use simple techniques but in a effective way to make a simple thing like their face on a album cover look appealing.

So by also showing your artists face's just on the album cover like in a lot of Hiphop album's however adding a new aspect to it, and one that would develop the convention, it add to tne effect the convention already had. Instead of just helping the album and artist to address the viewer better; it also add two personalities to the album, as there are two very different Hiphop artists, however notes their simularities as they've come together to make a single face; portraying its the 'best bit's' of both.