Scandalous By Beatrice Fatusin

Before we started our primary task, which was to make a music video we designed a mood board showing what we wanted to incorporate in our video (a picture of this is shown below).

We used colour themes of red, black and white, this was due to the fact that when we looked at girl bands music videos e.g. Pussycat Dolls we saw that they used colour themes and we therefore wanted to include this in our video. We also looked at Rihanna and Taylor Momsen for make-up ideas and how to make it edgy. We wanted edgy make-up ideas to use in our video as it was part of the ideology of Studded Roses.

In the duration of our video we used elements of Goodwins theory.

Relationship between lyrics and visuals

There is a relationship between the music and visuals, in which the music amplifies the visuals. This is a common theme in R and b videos.

Intertextual Referencing Use of close-ups, as they are new artists so it allows the audience to identify with them.

We are challenging typical representations of women as they are usually seen as sub-standard compared to men; however in our video the female band members are seen dominating whilst men are inferior. The fact that the females are seen as strong/dominant individuals within the video relates to their ideology and this is developed as they take charge over the men. Also we are challenging forms and conventions of real media products as women in R and B videos are usually seen as quite provocative often showing a lot of flesh. However, we challenge this as the band members are seen as quite glamorous and edgy.

I used the same images on the front cover of my digipak and put them on my poster. By just using faces it gives the connotations of the band being strong and fierce, as well as the studs on the sides of the poster. Generally, the poster looks similar to the digipak which allows the audience to easily identify the digipak as they know what they are looking for. I also stuck to the codes and conventions of album release posters, such as: where the CD can be brought/downloaded from, the release date, album name, record label, DVD logo, band website, album reviews.

I used the same colour themes-as what was in the video being black, white and red. I believe that most of the pictures I used were quite fierce which represents with the ideology of the band. Also the pictures on the front cover are very strong as all the band members are staring directly at the camera. In addition to this I included the conventions of digipaks onto my own such as: the billing block, record label, album name, CD/DVD logo and so on.

I also changed some aspects of my digipak which is seen from the two pictures above.

As audience feedback was a crucial element of our evaluation we presented our music video, to our media class, displayed it on twitter, facebook and on YouTube. We presented our music video to individuals between the age range of 15-30, particularly female and overall the feedback we received was positive. Below is a prezi that I made showing the feedback that we received from our class and based on these responses we altered sections of our videos. Generally, most individuals said that they liked the concept our video but the common problem we had in relation to our feedback was that some people said that the narrative was not really clear. This of course was a major problem as the narrative is one of the most important elements of a music video and if the narrative is unclear the audience are likely to struggle to understand what the video is actually about. However, obviously is what too late to change the narrative. Also, many people thought the scene at the end with the crime boards was too long, in which we adjusted. In addition to this, some individuals were confused as to why Joe (the guy in the sequence) only appeared once in the sequence. Due to this, we developed this and added some more shots of Joe, cutting with different segments of the video, particularly when the band members were walking towards the screen which shows they are dominating. I believe that the audience feedback was really helpful because it allowed us to see our video from an audiences perspective and work on the elements of our video that did not prove to be so effective. In addition to this, the feedback we were given, I believe was very constructive and on the whole positive. We tried to alter parts of the video that need developing or changing in response to the feedback we received from our audience.

Social networking sites were also a very useful source for our audience feedback. When we displayed our video onto facebook, we were given a range of feedback, most of which was positive.

As Amy has a Twitter account she also asked different individuals in the music field to re-tweet our video. So far Su-Elise Nash (who was in the band MisTeeq) re-tweeted our video. This gained us more views.

She also commented on the video as well which I really appreciated, as it was their song and below is what she replied:

The internet was obviously a very useful resource throughout the stages of my coursework and it allowed me to use sources such as: YouTube, glogster, social networking sites, prezi and so on. I used YouTube mainly for research throughout the duration of my coursework. I used it to research and analyse a range of music videos, especially those that are pop/r and b as it allowed me to see the codes and conventions of music videos of that genre.
I also used Facebook and Twitter for the evaluation stage of our coursework. These social networking sites were useful for our feedback in which we posted the videos on there in order to receive responses from others. I also used Prezi for some aspects of my research, particularly when I was analysing digipaks and album release posters. Using prezi for these analysis helped me to identify the codes and conventions of both and present my research into a format that was clear and engaging. Prezi was also use for elements of my planning such as: digipaks ideas and the production plan.

We used the Flip camera for the construction stage, to film most parts of our video. However, at times we used Megan and Amys camera as there were a few occasions when the batteries died. Also, at times when we were filming the quality of the camera was not really good; so alternatively we had to use Amy/Megans camera.
We used Google calendar for the planning aspect of our coursework. I found this really beneficial as we could plan when we are going to film (time/day), where we are going to film and what we would be doing in lessons. So from this source no one was left out and if anyone was uncertain of the plans we had during the week they could check the calendar or their emails as a reminder was sent to them a day before prompting them as to what we would be doing the next day (if there was anything we had doing).

We also used our phones to play the music in order to get the lip syncing parts right and also for the band members to walk at the right pace during the walking scenes.

I also used glogster through the duration of my coursework, in which I used it for research when I was looking into the codes and conventions of our chosen genre as well as for our audience profile. I liked using this social network as it allowed me to present my work in an engaging format in which I could use images to exemplify what I was talking about.
I also used Wikipedia to research our music video genre and different music video directors .

We used the video production iMovie for our animatic, in which each shot from our storyboard showed whilst our song scandalous played. This animatic showed what our music video will be like.

EDITING

PHOTOSHOP

We used Final Cut Pro as a software to edit our video. I found it quite a complex software to use; however it was really effective as it allowed us to use different effects to make our video appear better. For example the use of split screens.

I used Photoshop to design my digipak. I found it initially quite hard to use Photoshop as I haven't used it in a couple of years, but after a while I got used to it and became confident in using it. I found this software effective as I could change the contrast on the pictures and also add effects to the different texts.