QUESTIONNAIRE FOR ANCILLARY TASK

I will be conducting a questionnaire to find out what my target audience will be looking for in an album cover and album advert. Like previous questionnaires that I have conducted, I will be focusing on a certain target audience, I will therefore be giving my questionnaire to an older audience, age ranging from 25-50+, this will enable me to gain appropriate feedback and advice for my ancillary task.

QUESTIONNAIRE 

I have made a music video to the song, People Are Strange by The Doors. Over the past three months I have focused on creating a certain star image of my artist, taking inspiration from artist such as Jim Morrison, Morrissey and Robert Smith. I am now going to create an album cover and features for my digipak and music advert.
I will need some advice on what to include in my ancillary task, in order to brainstorm my ideas and take them further .

What usually catches your eye on an album cover?

• Image of the artist 
• Abstract image 
• Artist presented in an abstract way

If a CD cover grabbed your attention would it persuade you to buy the album without knowing the artist?

• Yes 
• No 
• Maybe 

Would you prefer the artist of the album to be photographed on the front cover of the digipack, or an image or symbol relating to the meaning of the album?

• Image of the artist 
• Abstract symbol 

What do you think makes an album art work interesting and successful?

• Different - make something new and interesting that no one has ever seen before or will never expect to see
• By including an image of the artist on the front cover of the album this enables the audience to recognise the new album, therefore making the new album more successful. 
• Any other suggestions 

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Do you think the album should be named after the main single 'People Are Strange', or a name that describes the content of the album? E.g, the majority of coldplay's records are named after the man hit single that is on the album, where as other bands have named their albums, not after a song on the record. .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

How many songs do you think should be included on an album? Why do you think this?
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BUMPING UP TO HD

I have recently uploaded my final video to youtube and realised that the quality had lowered during the uploading process. I decided to export the music video again however, instead of sharing the file straight from final cut to youtube, I decided to raise the quality of the video and export it as an MP4 file and then upload to youtube.

EDITING PROCESS AND ANALYSIS

I will be using final cut pro to edit my music video. I have documented my editing process throughout the previous weeks, using different techniques such as overlaying, colour correcting, cutting clips, changing speed, and constructing my story board.

POEM AUDIO AND CLIPS

At the beginning of my music video the artist is presented in the mode of audio, reciting a poem. I took the audio of the artist reciting the poem, changed it into an MP3 file, so I was able to work with the file on final cut. I then altered the volume and texture to the audio, this is so the audio sounds clean and professional to the audience, i did his by using the tool on final cut which allows me alter the sound and texture.

After I cut and pasted some of the unwanted audio form the poem, I placed the clips of the main protagonists on top of my audio, to start the story board. I used the 'import' tool to import the files from my DSR camera to final cut. I then took the clips that I found useful and which were applicable to my original story board, so the video matched my initial visual idea. When I imported the files into final cut, I found that the light was harsh, so i used the colour correction tool to change the brightness of the clip

OVER LAYING 

I have created some overlaying shots at the beginning of my music video. I selected a master clip and pasted it where I desired the clip to go, then I took the clip which i was going to layer over the top of the master clip to create this effect. I duplicated the layering clip and used the flip tool, in the template section, to morph the image of my actor, this is what gives the mirror like effect to the shot shown at the beginning of my music video. In order to create the overlaying effect i changed the opacity of both layering clips onto the master clip.

I used the layering technique through out the video. As you can form the screen shot represented to the left, I have used the layering technique for the narrative clips of the music video. I feel that this technique work for this scene as it represent's the characters thoughts and feelings. This technique is used in films and music video to portray how a person feels or what they are thinking about. In this case the character is thinking about his encounter with the cross dresser, and his thoughts contemplating his own decision to cross dress. 

CROPPING AND KERNING

Cropping and kerning can be used to focus on a certain object or zoom in on a certain situation. I have used the cropping and zooming tool to zoom in and put emphasis on a scene. It is easy to adjust a zoom or cropping a video clip, by using the tools on the top right hand corner to manage the effects put in place. 

COLOUR CORRECTING | MATCHING COLOUR

When I filmed my music video, unfortunately there was some discolouration. I filmed my music video on different days, at different times which is easily recognisable from watching the footage back. However, ignored to fix this problem i have used the colour matching tool and the colour card tool to match the colours, and the lightening tool to adjust the brightness of my music video.

  By matching the colours, this gives the impression that I filmed the video clips on the same day with the same lighting set up. There are a lot of scenes to my music video, so it is inevitable that I had to film on different days. Take for example this screen shot, i have used the colour matching tool to match the colours of two clips that come after each other through out the duration of my music video.

LETTER BOXING 

I have been researching into editing techniques used in music video, the most common feature applied to music videos is the latter box feature. This gives a more cinematic and legitimate feel to the music video. Most narrative music videos have a letter box border, as this adds a more film like vibe to the music video. I have decided to apply a letter box border to my music video. I have used the tools in final cut to adjust the height and width of the letter bow tool. 

I also changed the offset of the video, as when I applied the letter box feature i found that it cut off the image of the shot to much. By changing the offset of the image I was able to still capture the image successfully.

MUSIC VIDEO FINAL CUT

Here is the final cut of my music video. I will be conducting more focus groups to gain a response from my target audience.

FOCUS GROUP 

ANCILLARY | MUSIC ADVERT ANALYSIS

Recovered file 1 from msharrattmedia

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY EDITING INSPIRATION

At this point I am in the process of editing my music video. As i have discussed before in previous posts I will be using final cut pro to edit my music video. I have recently been playing around with the different effects that final cut have on the programme. After playing and experimenting with the overlaying tool I have come up with an idea that is inspired by Queen's music video to Bohemian Rhapsody.

I have been inspired by the overlaying used in this music video, including the black background. The artists are shown singing the lyrics of the song, I like the way the performance pieces of this music video are filmed. Whilst editing my music video I have been inspired to use overlaying on the performance pieces. Overlaying was commonly used during the 70's and 80s, however it is not used widely in present music videos, this is why I am going to use this effect in my music video. The song that I am using was released in the 70's, therefore I will use some aspects of vintage eating techniques. This will also appeal to my target audeince as they will be familiar to the editing techniques used, demanding the attention of my target audience.

CONSIDERING TYPOGRAPHY AND COLOUR CONNOTATIONS ANCILLARY TASK

Typography.
Typography is the art of text, and arranging type in order for language to be visible and clear. Typography is a crucial part of the conventions of a magazine. Eye catching font is the one of the first things the audience will notice. The arrangement type involves, font type, font size, line length, leading and kerning. The arrangement of text is extremely important when creating any magazine, as using the correct arrangement can potentially make the magazine appear more official and professional. The font has to be easy to read, most magazines use serif fonts as they are easy to read and eye-catching.

After analysing the conventions of digipacks and music adverts, i have realised how important the font/typography is, if the typography is poor it can impact the magazine negatively, which leads to the magazine not selling effectively. When creating my ancillary products I shall pay attention to how I structure my typography, including kerning, leading and lining. When researching album covers i have come across the difference between Sans and Sans serif, and that most magazines use Sans Serif for big titles and magazines.

When creating my album cover I will be sure to use sans serif font for large titles,as it is clear and easy to read. I will also pay close attention to kerning and alignment. As these too, are very crucial when apply text to my album cover. Kerning is the process of adjusting the spacing between characters, so that the font is in proportion, to achieve a visually appealing structure. Improper kerning can also cause great difficulty when reading articles.

When creating my album cover i will pay close attention to the typography and be sure to achieve proper kerning, leading and font type.

The colour wheel was invented in 1666 by Sir Isaac Newton. The colour wheel is a visual diagram showing contrasting colours and a graduation from light to dark tones. It is based on primary colours such as red, yellow and blue. The colour wheel is an easy display of which colours work well with one another and which colours contrast. The colour wheel is based on 3 catergories of colour based on the colour wheel. Primary, Secondary and Tertiary colours.

Primary Colours: Red, yellow and blue
Primary colors are the 3 pigment colours that can not be mixed or formed by any combination of other colors. Many other colours have the basis of these hues, the 3 colours are the base and start of different tones of the colour wheel.

Secondary Colours: Green, orange and purple
These are the colours formed by mixing the primary colors.

Tertiary Colours: When primary and secoundary colours are mixed, tertiary colours are formed. The colour then usually posseses a two worded name such as, red-orange or blue-green and yellow orange.

Colour Harmony

Colour harmony is pleasing to the eye, as it engages the reader and creates an inner sense of order and a balance in visual experience. When a colour scheme is not harmonious this can cause its either boring or chaotic. If the colour harmony is too bland then it becomes boring and unpleasing for the reader, therefor the reader is not engaged with the text or image. The human brain rejects anything under-stimulating information. If a colour scheme is too random and chaotic the reader will find it difficult to study, and does not engage with the colour. A chaotic colour scheme causes the reader to not look at it. The human brain disconnects from something that it does not understand. CDolour harmony delivers visual interest and a sense of order. Extreme unity leads to under-stimulation, extreme complexity leads to over-stimulation.

Anologue colours are any three colurs which are together side by side on a colour wheel such as red- orange, and orange yellow. Isuallyy one of the three colours os more dominant, and has the most pigmnet. A colour analogue shows which colour schemes are appropriate to use when creating an image.

In order for a magazine to appear official and sophisticated, it has to require an appropriate colour scheme. Colour schemes are crucial when dealing with front covers. The colour is the first aspect of the magazine that the audience attention will draw upon. The colour scheme includes the main image and font colour and the overall appearance of a magazine page. When designing a magazine, designers have to come to terms with which colours contrasting well with each other, and what colour schemes will demand the attention of the audience's eye. A colour wheel is useful for a designer as it shows a range of colours for the designer to use. Different colours connote a certain atmosphere.

RED - The colour red connotes a sense of danger and authority. It is also associated with energy and love. Red is a very intense colour and demands the attention of the audience's eye. Many magazine mastheads, font colour is red as it is eye catching and interesing, such as 'NME' magazine. Red is also a key colour for when designing logos, as it is brings texts and images to the foreground. Red is also perfect for stimulating the audience to making quick desicions - this makes red perfect for advertising, and many advertising fonts such as, 'BUY NOW'. Brighter reds and pinks connote a more possitive atmosphere than darker more brown tones.
ORANGE - The colour orange connotes a happy atmosphere, and is usually used in cgildrens magazines, as the colour is associated with happiness, enthusiasm and creativity. The colour stimulates metal activity. Orange is of high visibilty, it is normally used to catch attention ad highlight the most importan aspects of your design.
YELLOW - The colour yellow is a bright colour and is assosiated with joy, and happiness. The colour yellow is used to evoke pleasant and cheerful things. The colour yellow when discussing magazine, stands out against black backgrounds and is usually used to contrast a colour scheme, as it is not a strong, pigment or colour to stand on its own. A magazine which uses the colour yellow is 'Kerrang', the magazine uses the colour to contrast against the darker colours. This demands the attention of the reader, and is highly effective.
GREEN - Green is usually used when advertising medical products. Green is directly related to nature, therefore it is used to advertise 'green' products. Green is a calm colour and is the most restful colour for the human eye.
BLUE - The colour blue symbolises trust, loyalty and wisdom. Blue sets a calm tranquil amosphere. Blue is used to adverise cleanliness, by advertising cleaning products such as alcahol. However blue can also symbolise a very masculine colour, and is used to target males.

Black - The colour black connotes a sense of danger, wisdom, evil and mystery. Black is a very evocative colour however black is used frequently in text as it contrasts against a vast amount of colours on the colour wheel. It is simple and easy to read. Black gives a feeling of perspective and death.

White - The colour white connotes a sense of purity, and simplicity. White is very easy to read against dark colours. It is also a very sophisticated colour to use when advetising products as it is simple and tasteful. 

GAINING FEED BACK

FOCUS GROUP
AGE RANGE - 17-52
GENDER - MIXED 

I have recently played the content of my music video so far to a focus group and requested them to suggest things that I could improve on my music video.

WENT WENT WELL | SUMMARY 

The majority of my target audience suggested that the story line was very successful, and that they wanted me to complete the rest of my music video as soon as possible, as they wanted to find out more about what was going to happen to the narrative.They also suggested that the characters were very interesting and that the cast that i picked for my music video was successful. I was unsure wether or not to use some of the clips presenting the husband and the wife, however now that i have gained positive audience feedback from my focus group I have decided to keep the shots of the couple in my music video as I feel that they add to the narrative of the music video, furthermore creating a relationship between the audience and the characters, which will demand the attention of my target audience.

I also gained positive feedback on the use of the poem at the beginning of the music video, an aspect which I am happy about my self. The focus groups suggested that the poem was different and unexpected which made them feel intrigued to listen and watch more of the music video.

EVEN BETTER IF | SUMMARY 

As i presented an unfinished music video to my target audience, I asked them for advice on what I should fill black spaces with.
A member of my focus group suggested that I should fill the blank space with an image of the main character dressed up as a woman, or subtly implying that he is dressing up as a women. From this constructive criticism, I will meeting with my actor for a final time to film shots of I'm putting on a wig and suggestively dressing up as a cross dresser.
I discussed with my target audience whether I should present the actor in full cross dress, to create a more raw narrative, however my target audience disagreed. They suggested that I should suggestvely imply that the male character wants to dress up as a cross dresser. I asked my focus group how i would put this across to my audience in my music video, and they suggested a few tips:

• "i think you should film the actor with out including his face, you should take shots from a shoulder point of view or from the back of the actors head"
• "you could film your actor looking at women's make up and admiring it" 
• "is it possible that you could film your actor putting on the same wig as the cross dresser at the start of the music video to show more of a connection between the two characters I like the way the two main protagonists work together and the relationship that they have"

AN UPDATED SCHEDULE

I have updated my schedule in order to keep track of my progress throughtout the process of my music video 

TASK	Predicted completion date	Actual Completion Date
Arrange date and time with actor to take pictures for ancillary task	1st November	1st November
Start research for ancillary task	9th November	9th November
Brain storm ideas for ancillary task. Poster/Digipack	10th November	10th November
Take pictures of actor for ancillary task	11th of November	11th November
Film shots of actor 2 playing piano for instrumental section of track.	23rd November	23rd November
Editing the first 2 minutes of my music video	30th November	29th November
Poster Ideas and Digi pack layout designs	3rd December	2nd December
Complete rough cut of music video	8th December	8th December
Complete final cut of music video	10th December	9th December
Audience feedback	15th December	15th December
Complete digipack mock	16th December	15th December
Complete poster mock	16th December	16th December
Audience feedback	17th December	17th December
Revisions	20th December	20th December
Evaluation	3rd January	25th January
First hand in	8Th January	9th January

ALBUM ARTWORK BRAINSTORMING

Brain storming album artwork ideas from msharrattmedia

EDITING PROCESS SECOND EDIT

I have continued editing my music video, and I have decided that I am going to change and re edit some shots of my music video. I have listed a few changes that I am going to make to my music video:

• Extend the fading shot at 0.49 
• Change the production name to M.SHARRATT RECORDS 0.51
• Look closely at the beat of the music and change the jump cut at the start of the music video, 1.12
• Slow down the image of the man walking past the cross dresser at 1.24

NEXT SHOTS TO CONSIDER 

• Shots of actor implying his longing to wear women's clothing 
• Shots of actor admiring his wife applying make up 
• Admiring make up 

EDTING PROGRESSION FIRST EDIT

I have started to edit the music video for my project. The editing software that i am using includes Final Cut Pro. By using Final Cut I am able to experiment with different techniques to create a better quality music video. The editing software is very flexible to use and is easy to navigate to different tools, that I will need to use when producing my music video.

FIRST EDIT

I have taken screen shots during the process of editing. As you can see I have made a start on editing my music video, I have successfully imported all video files onto the programme and selected appropriate footage for the beginning. I will be creating a more detailed blog post on the editing techniques that I have used in the near feature. 

I have watched the contents of this edit back and i have listed a few things that i would like to add/alter about my music video. 

• Change the brightness of the music video 
• Make audio clearer and louder so the audience is able to hear what the actor is narrating 
• consider future clips by referring back to the previous story board

DIGIPACK ANALYSIS

For my artists I will be creating a digi-pack which will promote the music of my artist/band. I will be using photoshop to create my digi pack and poster. A digi pack is a CD Case, normally made of card, which has several folding panes along with either one or two plastic holders for the disc inside.
I will be analysing two digipacks to understand the layout and format of ideas, that i might use when creating and drafting ideas for my product.

UPDATE / CURRENT SITUATION

I have almost finished filming for my music video, and have began editing for my final product. After looking back at the footage that I have accumulated, I have decided to cut some scenes and shots out of my music video, due to the short duration of the music track.
Unfortunately I will not be using the projection screen technique, as I feel that it may not be relevant to the narrative of my music video. As the track duration is short, I am still going to keep the poem recording at the beginning of my music video to introduce the narrative of the music video. Over the past weeks I have learnt a lot about producing a music video, I now have an understanding of why some directors may decide to cut shots out of a film/music video due to the irrelevance or successful aspects of the shot.
I will also be referring to my story board whilst editing and making alterations the structure of my storyboard.
I have arranged times with my actors to finish the final parts of my filming. After I have finished filming I will review all shots and scenes and finish producing my music video. I have contacted my actors via text message:

Reflection on Filming

Reflection on shots from msharrattmedia

RISK ASSESSMENT

LOCATION	RISK ASSESSING HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW	PERSONS WHO MAY HARMED	RISK	RESOLVING/PREVENTING RISKS
CANARY WHARF	HIGH	CAMERA CREWAND CAST	·         Traffic ·         TRAINS AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT	·         Sensible approach to crossing roads. Due to the low lighting I will make sure that all cast and crew are visible to drivers at all times and make eye contact with them whenever possible. This is especially important when working in low light condition such as dusk or dawn or in inclement weather. Know and follow all traffic rules, signs and signals. You need to be aware of the rules vehicles around you must follow to properly anticipate what drivers do. ·         Act sensibly when approaching trains and adopt a sensible behaviour when shooting.
TOWER BRIDGE	HIGH	CAMERA CREW	·         Collision with pedestrians whilst filming ·         Crossing a busy road	·         Put down all smart phones and hand held elec6ronic devices. Avoid wearing headphones, to be alert. ·         Know and follow all traffic rules, signs and signals. You need to be aware of the rules vehicles around you must follow to properly anticipate what drivers do.
STUDIO	MEDIUM	CAMERA CREW AND LIGHTING CREW	·         Use of the camera ·         Trip hazard, lose wires ·         Heat from lights and danger of sharp edges ·         Backdrop – tripping on edged of the backdrop whilst the lights are out	·         Camera equipment is heavy and should be handled with care and moved on a certain way using a certain technique ·         Clearing and tiding of the surrounding area will prevent anyone from falling. Use floor matt to cover loose wires ·         Lights to be turned off when not in use to prevent from over eating. Gloves and helmets to be used when handling. ·         Ensure actor remains on the back drop when the lights are out.

OUTTAKES SCENE 1

When filming the performances shots for my music video, some shots and footage did not go exactly to plan. I have created a short clip which presents the out takes of the scene. The video portrays how I have experimented with lighting and setting, whilst also showing the interaction with myself and my actor.

IF DIFFICULTY WHEN PLAYING MUSIC CLIP CLICK THE LINK BELOW 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9DNiaLJF2g&feature=youtu.be

ARRANGEMENTS WITH MY ACTOR

I have been interacting with my actors via email for important information to be shared and noticed. I find that using email is a reliable way to contact actors as many people usually check up on their email system at least once a day.

Here is some evidence presenting the communication between myself and my actor;

RESPONSES

SESSION 2 - PERFORMANCE SHOTS PART 1

PERFORMANCE SHOTS WITH MY ARTIST 

I arranged a session with my actor to film the performance pieces needed for my music video. I used a studio with black walls and a black back drop to film the pieces. Before I filmed my music video I took some test/practice shots. This is to show the setting and colour of the shots.

At first I used a black back drop, however the harsh lighting created a light grey colour against the back drop, which made the shot look unprofessional and cheap. It is important that I carried out test shots, in order to experiment and discover the best way to shoot my music video. To prevent this discolouration from occurring, I experimented with the lighting, and settings on the cam corder to achieve a more professional look to my shots.






After experimenting with the lighting and setting during my test shots. I was able to capture shots that appear professional and clear. I like how the shots portray an eternal darkness, as shown. The shadows of the shot also portray a sinister atmosphere, with my actor, I was able to experiment with different angles and movements by playing around with the shadows created from the lighting and setting.

BEHIND THE SCENES PICTURES 

Some of my crew, were able to capture images of me filming these performance shots. As you can see, I filmed in a black studio whilst using a strong white light. I found that before filming, i had to experiment setting up the equipment for my music video. Partly, I believe that achieving professional looking shots, is all down to try and error whilst also including skill and knowledge of appropriate lighting and setting to use. As I am creating my music video on a low budget, I feel that I have managed to produce professional shots with the limited equipment provided.