UPDATE 30-03-11

Today in our media lesson our teacher Mrs Allison told has that Friday's lesson we will be presenting all of our final production which include the music video and both ancillary tasks. Charlotte informed me that she has completed the finishing touches that were needed on the ancillary tasks which means we are ready to present on Friday and just have the evaluation to complete!

Final editing session!! 25-03-11

Today in our 2 hour media lesson we were given time to many any final changes to our production and ancillary tasks. As we have completed our production and have all our final drafts of the ancillary tasks done, we went through everything and checked it was done ready to present for the final time on Friday April 1st. Here is what we did.

1. We corrected the spelling mistakes on all 4 bio's.


2. Cropped the biography pictures to make sure they were all the same size and looked consistent. They now are all the same square size and look like CD's.


3. We added our candidate numbers to the beginning of our music video so it is now complete.

Specific focus

Amelia Costin - aged 21.

I asked my friend Amelia who fits in perfectly with our target audience some more in-depth questions about our production and ancillary tasks.


Music Video


What do you like most about the video?


I really like the variety of shots included in terms of the couple, it made the video more interesting to watch and follow. My favourite shot is the birds eye shot of the 2 characters arguing. Because there was so many different flashbacks, it really made the couple look like a real couple as there were so many different arguments they had at different times and on different days!


What do you think the story was about, was it clear?


I think the story is about a couple that keep arguing because the man has cheated on her and can't trust him? It looks as if the are falling out of love and drifting apart. I gathered this mainly from the flashbacks because it shows them constantly arguing. Also the shot when Joe walks away from Emily and she turns and sadly stares at him walking away is the point where I realised she doesn't know if she loves him anymore. The story was definitely clear although the quick sequence at the beginning of Joe kissing the other girls came and went quite quickly and could have easily been missed.


What do you think needs to be improved and why?


I think the acting could have been a bit more professional, although I do understand this is only a school project so the acting is no exactly going to be amazing! Its just that the acting didn't show too much emotion and I think if anything it should probably have been exaggerated to show how much they didn't love each other if that makes sense?! For example one of the shots where Emily is pushing Joe away looked rather comic as she waited for him to walk over then pushed him - it just didn't look natural.I also wasn't too sure about having the flashbacks in black and white although I think that is just a personal preference because I do see how it can help an audience understand that it happened in the past.


Do you think the video is professional and why?


I definitely think this is professional as it is very similar to what a girl band would do for a video. I think the video represents the song more than the actual Saturdays video does as you have included a story and 2 different locations where-as they haven't! The story and flashbacks also gives the song more of a meaning which then made me think more about the lyrics and what they meant. It was also paced well, not too fast or slow which made it very easy to follow and therefore very professional, I think you should be very proud of yourselves for making this!


Does it appeal to you and would you enjoy watching it again?


The video does really appeal to me because I am a girl band fan anyway so would enjoy this. I definitely wanted to watch it again as it was entertaining and not boring! It mainly appeals to me as I enjoyed seeing each girls outfits because I love anything girly so seeing what the girls were wearing was fun.


Do you like the dance routine and group scenes?


I liked the fact you included a dance routine as I'm guessing it was probably embarrassing to do and most of the girls aren't dancers! I think the dance routine could have been more in time as at some points some of the girls were out of time. It also could have been choreographed a bit better with better moves as the ones that you did were a bit simple and not very inspiring or interesting although I'm glad there was one. The group scenes were also good as it was nice to see you all together rather than just separately as it makes you look more like a group.


Magazine Advert


What do you like most about the advert?


I love the colouring of the whole image. I don't know how you did it but having the girls in colour and the background in black and white makes them stand out so much more! The orange and coral colours of the girls shirts makes the picture seem very summery and somehow makes them seem happier and more likable than if they were to be dressed in black or white. Its so eye-catching and when I first saw it I looked at it for a long time as the colours really draw you in.


If you could do something to improve it, what would you do?


I wouldn't know how to improve it as I think it is already perfect. I guess if anything I would prefer to see the girls with more make-up and more interesting hair as it looks slightly bland so I would make them look even more like a girl band!


Does it look professional and could you see it being a real advert in a real magazine?


The advert definitely looks professional because the image of the girls itself looks like it was taken professionally with an expensive camera. I wouldn't say it looks like a real advert as there is no enough information that I would expect to be on it. If the current image was to be adapted a little I could definitely see this in a real magazine as the pose is perfect. The outfits look professional and as if they have been picked out by a stylist as they match and really go well with the background. I would definitely love to see this in a real magazine though!


Would you possibly come across this advert in a magazine that you read? If so, which one and which one would you expect it to be featured in?


I suppose I could see this advert possibly in Cosmo as I am an avid reader and have seen celebrities advertising theirs perfumes in there but so far I haven't actually seen any music being advertised. It is probably more likely to be in a celebrity magazine such as Heat or OK maybe, although I don't recall them advertising music either. Its a bit of a hard question really as I don't really tend to see music advertised in female magazines, it seems more of a male/indie thing to do.


Do you like the pose? If not why?


I absolutely love the pose! It works perfectly with everything going on in the advert and makes all the girls look very pretty. Its so typical of a girl band to do, that's why I think it works. You all look like close friends and united to see as a group with is nice.


Do you like the font, text and layout? If not why?


I really like the colour of the font and how it matches the colour of the shirts. I also think it works much better in italics which you have used as it is very girly and seems to go with the feminine theme going on. There isn't much text on there which is good as the main focus is you 4 girls, which it should be!


Digi-pak


What part of the digi-pak is your favourite?


I really like the front cover mainly because of the pose. The fact that you are separated slightly for some reasons makes you seem more mature to me? I'm not sure why, its probably because you look like independent women as well as a group which is nice. The trees in the background are nicely placed which sounds a bit weird but because the image is so good it looks like you have been photo shopped in to a perfectly made background.


Do you like the digi-pak as a whole? What else do you like about it?


The reason I like the digi-pak the most is probably because every picture is really good and they all link in so well with each other and shows good continuity. None of them look out of place and they all fit in really well with the summery calm theme. I really like the inside booklet pictures as you all look so happy and look like you genuinely enjoy each others company. I think that by adding the picture of you throwing leaves in the air also makes you look like you are not just a serious girl band and that you know how to have fun, which I like!


If you could improve it, what would you do?


I honestly would have no idea how to improve it because I love it so much. If anything I would slightly change the back cover image as I think it would look best if you wouldn't see any ones face, but that's just being very picky! The text at the top is also slightly hard to read because of the colour.


Do you think creating an inside booklet was a good idea? Do you like the biographies?


I think all the images of you girls in the biographies are absolutely beautiful and you all look like real girl band members. I definitely think having an inside booklet is a good idea as I love reading them and looking at pictures of girl bands and seeing what they have to say. I would have loved to have seen the lyrics in the inside booklet somewhere but I guess this was not possible as there was no room for them. The biographies are definitely a great idea because I think in general people enjoy reading about celebrities and their favourite pop stars - I do anyway! Although I think these biographies are a bit basic and don't really tell me anything interesting - I could have guessed what they said as they are not particularly unique.


Do you think the digi-pak is a professional product? Does it appeal to you and would you be happy with it if you were the purchase the single?


Its much more professional than I would ever have expected. It does appeal to me because I enjoy finding out about girl bands and looking at pictures of them to take fashion advise! I would be happy if this is the digi-pak that came with the single I bought because I think its a feel-good digi-pak, although I would like to see a better biography - that is pretty much the only negative.

Feedback from digi-pak

Me, Laura, Charlotte and Sophie presented our digi-pak on Friday 18th March to the rest of our media class and teacher.

Feedback

Photographic image: framing, focus, camera angle, lighting and colour, background and mise-en-scene.

• Lighting is relevant - nice and bright.
• Image is very good - fits the typical girl band image.

Typography and text: Choice of fonts, sizing, layout, colour, readability, language register, & content.

• Font is nice and appropriate.
• Great use of colour co-ordination with the text and colours of t-shirts.
• Spelling mistakes on all of the biographies need to be corrected.
• Text positioning on all images is good - in particular the front cover.
• Language register is good on bio's- talking directly and relating to fans.

Layout decisions: rule of thirds, text positioning, sizing, balance of image and text, focus of attention.

• Text across the tree on the individual pictures with the bios was effective - gave a nice theme.
• The focus in all the pictures is always on us. Very typical of a girl band and fits genre nicely.
• Consistency of size of all the shots aren't good. In particular the back cover is not square enough to be a CD cover - looks more like a DVD. Therefore all pictures need to be adjusted to make sure they are all the same size.

Genre codes and indicators of audience targeting.

• The colours of the costumes are nice - very girly (pinks & oranges). Well co-ordinated.
• Good posing. Very standard of a girl band therefore fit criteria well.
• Hair and make-up very professional and to a very high standard.
• Direct gaze into camera on group shots and individual pictures are very effective and will attract audiences.

Overall impacts - what works/what could be improved.

• Consistency of size of shots is the main issue and definitely needs to be addressed.
• All the photos look professional and glossy
• Very good use of the sun - images came out vibrant and crisp

Whats next?

• Presentation of ancillary tasks to the rest of our class on Friday 18th March.


• Once feedback has been received, many any adjustments according to the feedback.


• Finish the final draft of our magazine advert.


• Prepare both magazine advert and digi-pak for final presentation.

Editing the front cover

The final picture we edited was the front cover as I think this is the most important part of the digi-pak. Here is the final image:

We felt that this picture was perfect for the front cover as it is very typical of a girl band and is very posy. Editing the colour, once again we brightened the picture and contrasted it to give it more colour and brightness. For the text we used a simple font which we found on word called freestyle script. Charlotte created the text on word and gave it a black shadow which looks like a black outline in order for it to stand out more. We created a 5 star rating in the bottom left from Elle magazine. We did this because we felt the front cover needed more to it but not too much as we wanted to keep it as simple as possible. Overall I am very happy with the front cover!!

Editing the backcover

Here is the final draft of the back cover of the digi-pak:

This is my favourite picture as I think it really represents the closeness of our 'band' and really makes us look like a united girl group. The way we are walking away from the camera also looks good as the back cover. We have 3 songs on this single and have put the titles of these songs at the top above mine and Laura's head as there is a perfect space for it. We made each song a different colour so that they gradually get darker as you read downwards, this matches our colour scheme of orange, pink and coral. We found a bar code on the internet which I simply copied and pasted onto the picture as it is essential to have a bar code on the back of a digi-pak. We added The Saturday's record label - FASCINATION on top of the bar code in the colour red which is the actual colour fascination use. Underneath our shoes we have the copyright text in white which we copied off of JLS's album although we adapted it to match The Sundays.

We edited this picture quite a lot in terms of the brightness and contrast. We made the colours of the shirts stand out a lot more than they did before which created a really nice warm effect. Overall I love the picture!

Editing the individual pictures and creating the biographies

The next thing we edited was the pictures of us individually then created the bio's to appear on top. These pictures will be featured inside of the booklet and will be placed opposite one of the group pictures. Here are the final drafts:

The warmify effect

We used photo shop on the schools computers to create and add the biographies but decided that we should use the warmify effect which was on Charlotte's photo shop on her laptop (Picasa). Therefore once the bios were complete we copied the pictures onto Charlotte's laptop and used the warmify effect to make the pictures more colourful and warm. Here are the before and after pictures using Charlotte's as an example:

Before warmify:

After warmify:

Clearly the picture looks warmer and less cold and dull. We thought this looked much better and was worthwhile doing.

Editing the inside pages of the booklet

Today we also edited the pictures that will be placed inside the booklet opposite the individual pictures. Here are the finished pictures that will be used:

These pictures did not need much editing at all as the original copies were close to what we wanted. We played around with the brightness and contrast and decided we wanted every picture to be brighter and more contrasted as it gave the edited look to the pictures which we wanted.

Editing the CD and background behind the CD

In today's lesson we focused on finishing the digi-pak as we have completed our magazine advert and have a deadline to meet which is Friday 18th March where will we be presenting both tasks.

Here is our final picture which will be used for the CD as well as appearing behind the CD:

There wasn't very much to do to this picture to edit as the original version could have been used as it was not much different. We played around with the brightness and contrast and made the sun brighter so it really stands out. For the disk itself we will be using the same image but in the shape of a CD, we will also be adding text to the CD to make it look more realistic. This will be done in Fridays lesson.

Target Audience Screening

Mrs Allison suggested that we carried out a screening of our music video to our potential target audience and receive they're feedback. This feedback is the most important as it tells us whether we have created a video that our target audience actually like. Our target audience is mainly females aged 13-35 although we have also tried to target males too.

Here is a picture of the 5 people I questioned.

I asked them 2 questions about the music video and 2 questions about the ancillary tasks. Here are the 2 questions I asked about the music video:

1. What is your favourite part of the video and why?


2. What part of the video would you change and why?

Here are the 2 question I asked regarding the ancillary tasks:

1. What do you really like about the digi-pak and magazine advert and what is your least favourite part?


2. Does it appeal to you and would you be happy with the product if you were to purchase it?

Feedback

Sophie Hulbert - aged 19

Music Video

'I like the part where glass smashes then goes back it goes back in time and reverses, the effect is cool.'

'I wouldn't change anything but would add more group scenes as it shows the unity of the group.'

Ancillary Tasks

'I like that you've got your own unique font and the corally coloured theme is very identifiable and it stands out as being very unique.'

'Yes it appeals to me because I am into pop musics and pop bands and I would be very happy to purchase it because the images are good which makes me feel that I am in for a treat.'

Tyler Baxter - aged 18

Music Video

'My favourite part is the last scene where they are laughing as a group on the tree because its fun.'

'I would put a colour filter in to vary the shots and differentiate them.'

Ancillary Tasks

'My favourite part of the digi-pak is that fact that it looks really professional. My least favourite part is the name of your band and the font that is used for the front cover of the digi-pak because it is too girly.'

'It doesn't really appeal to me because it is aimed at a feminine audience and I am fairly masculine. I wouldn't purchase the product in the first place as the song is not my taste of music but I do think it is a professional product.

Sian Butcher - aged 17

Music Video

'I like the end bit where the faces fade in and out of shot because its cool.'

'I would add more dance routines into the video rather than have the girls just swaying and strolling'.

Ancillary Task

'I think the digi-pak is very professional and I LOVE how you have used warm bright orangy pink colours and it really gives a nice feel about the group. My least favourite part probably has to be the font. The colour blends in too much with the background which makes it hard to read - although I do like the style of the font as it is girly.'

'The digi-pak and magazine advert both definitely appeal to me as they look like a fun, cool girl band who could inspire me to become fashionable. I particularly love the inside booklet pictures of the group as they look like best friends and remind me of me and my friends having fun and they look like generally nice people who make good music.'

Faye Gibbs - aged 18

Music Video

'I like the part where the 2 characters are sitting at the table and gradually get further and further apart.'

'If I could change anything I would add in more flashbacks of the couple as I think they are really effective and portray a good story.'

Ancillary Task

'I love the picture you will be using for the cover of the CD as it is not too overpowering and really links in well with the music video. My least favourite part is how the magazine advert background is in black and white rather than colour. I think that it would stand out more and be brighter if the background was the same colour as the rest of the picture.'

'This doesn't really appeal to me very much but it definitely is a good product and it only doesn't appeal to me because I find girl bands annoying and don't really like their music. This is a very professional product and I could imagine my friends that are into girl bands would be buy and love this product.'

Tom Gallacher - aged 19

Music Video

'My favourite part of the music video is the woodland background as it suits the tone of the song and looks good.'

'I would change the part in the video where they do the dance routine as I think it could have been done more professionally and looks a bit amateur.'

Ancillary Task

'I liked the general photography as it looked very professional, more professional than I would have expected, I found it quitwe hard to read the text on the digi-pak front cover as the orange coloured font blends in too much with the background.'

'It doesnt appeal to me purely because that is not my type of music, although if I did own this product I wouldnt looking mind looking at it as the girls all look really good!'

The feedback I have recieved is very positive therefore I am very pleased as we have managed to meet our target audiences expectations. Obviously there are parts of the video that people wish to change as it is not a professional product therefore is not going to be perfect. Everybody enjoyed the video which is what I hoped for and had many more positive things to say rather than negative.

Advanced production portfolio deadlines!

March 7th: 1st ancillary task finished, preparation of 2nd ancillary task. Evidence of planning and drafting the ancillary tasks and feedback of 1st ancillary task.

March 14th: Completion and presentation of 2nd ancillary task. Evidence of planning and drafting the ancillary tasks and feedback from presentation of 2nd ancillary task.

March 21st: Final improvements of all 3 products, including focus group testing. Focus group feedback.

March 28th: Presentation of final portfolio. Feedback of final product.

April 4th: Final tutor assessment. Final versions of all 3 products and the evaluation

Editing - Digi-pak 11-03-11

Today we continued working on the digi-pak as so far only Charlotte's bio had been completed. As the schools photo shop is hard to use, we have arranged for us all to meet at Chauncy on Tuesday 15h March to continue editing using Charlotte's laptop and photo shop rather than the schools computers. As we knew what we wanted to do which wasn't possible on the schools photo shop we didn't get too much done today.

What we did achieve:

• Did the biography for Sophie's individual picture using Rockwell font.


• Also did the bio for Laura's picture also using Rockwell font.


• Slightly lightening Laura's picture as it seem much darker than the other 3.


• Decided to use a different picture of me as mine is portrait where-as the others are landscape and therefore does not fit as nicely as it could.

Plan for Tuesdays editing session!

• Pick a new picture to use for my bio (landscape).


• Write the bio and adjust picture if necessary.


• Photo shop and edit pictures to be used for inside the booklet and place them opposite the individual pictures.


• Create backcomb of digi-pak by editing the picture if necessary and adding song list and production company logo etc...


• Create design to go on the CD and image behind where the CD is placed.

Progress on digi-pak

We have made some progress on our digi-pak although not masses as we decided to concentrate on getting the magazine advert done first!

We decided on what picture we will use for each part of the digi-pak, here they are:

The front cover

The back cover

The CD itself and image behind CD

Inside the booklet - Opposite individual pictures:

Individual pictures for inside booklet:

We have decided to do a little biography of each group member to go with their picture. The bio will be on top of the picture and we have completed one so far, which is Charlotte's. We hope to do the same to the other 3 pictures in our next media lesson (Friday 11th March).

Feedback on magazine advert

In Fridays media lesson our group received feedback from our class on our 1st draft of our magazine advert.

Feedback in terms of photographic image: Framing, focus, camera angle, lighting and colour, background and mise-en-scene:

• The main picture really stands out due to the bright orange colours used, it also gives the picture more depth.
• The background is interesting in black and white - complements the main picture.
• The pose is very authentic and that of a classic girl band (slightly cheesy)
• The way we are giving a direct gaze is appropriate.
• Our facial expressions are different - giving each member a different look and uniqueness.
• Good link with the background and the actual music video - same location.

Typography & text: Fonts, sizing, layout, colour, readability, language register & content:

• The text at the bottom giving more information about the single should be smaller.
• The pictures and logo's of stores should be moved to the left to look more even.
• Not sure about whether the text should be all in lower case or the the first letter of each word to be in upper case with the rest in lower case - will have try each suggestion.
• The colour of the font is good as it is warm and matches the colour of Charlotte's shirt. This is similar to what Cosmopolitan magazine do!

Layout decisions: Rule of thirds, text positioning, sizing, balance of image & text, focus of attention:

• The positioning of Missing You should be higher than what it currently is. Possibly making it bigger and moving it to cover the shoes.
• Focus of attention very good - very attractive and eye catching.

Genre codes and indicators of audience targeting:

• 'Genre code spot on' a quote from Mrs Allison
• Clearly targeting the right audience and looks like a real girl band.

Magazine advert first draft!

We looked through all the pictures we took at the photo shoot and decided what one we wanted to use for our magazine advert.

The picture

(Stage 1 - the original picture)

We choose this picture for many reasons and think it is perfect for our advert! The pose in this picture is one of my favourites as we look like a typical girl band and our poses are all very similar but a little bit different. We also look united as a group and our facial expressions are inviting which will hopefully persuade people to buy the single. The woods in the background looks particularly nice in this picture with the large tree positioned nicely behind us. The lighting in the picture is very good as it looks like a warm autumn day which it certainly wasn't when we shot.

Editing

We began editing this picture by playing around with different brightnesses and contrasts to see if it looked better. We knew that when wanted the picture to look slightly edited so we cropped the image, taking a lot of the woods away at the sides. After playing around with colours, we had an idea to have the background in black and white and us in colour as it will make the advert look interesting. As we were using the photo shop on the schools computer none of us were really familiar with how to use it. Although luckily Charlotte does photography and is therefore an expert at photo shop unlike me, Laura and Sophie who have no idea! Charlotte showed us roughly how this would like and we really liked it so so have agreed this is what we will do. As Charlotte is more familiar with the photo shop she has on her computer at home, she agreed to take the picture home and do this editing for us. We were really grateful for this as it took a very long time. We made the black and white background as dark as possible to make the colours of our shirts and the font stand out as much as possible.

(Stage 2 - the picture Charlotte took home to change into colour)

The next thing we did was the wording, this was pretty simple as we already had a clear idea in our heads of what we wanted. We found a girly italic font straight away and decided to use it for the band name and single title. We tried the wording in different colours but the coral colour looked best as it matched the colours of our shirts. After trying the text in different positions, we agreed we wanted to keep it minimal with the main focus being on the picture of us rather than the text. That is why we had the song title placed in the bottom left in a small size. We also decided to have 'now available for purchase and download in selected stores' shown at the bottom to make it look more like an song advert.

The finished 1st draft

(Stage 3 - The final image)

Here is the first draft complete after Charlotte took the picture home to continue editing. She did a really good job as the photo shopping is not noticeable at all! The brightness of our shirts really stands out which we were really happy about as that was what we really wanted. Charlotte changed the text at the bottom slightly to a more standard font which makes it easier to read. She also added in some pictures of shops that the single could be purchased from. This is the advert that we will be presenting to the rest of our class on Friday 4th March!

What magazine our advert will be featured in

As a group brainstormed ideas about what magazines we thought our magazine advert could be featured in. We all agreed it should be a women's magazine rather than a music magazine as this is more typical of a girl band. Cosmopolitan magazine is the ideal magazine that we would want our advert to be featured in.

To understand Cosmo and its readers more, I have looked at their brand profile and core buyer:

'Cosmopolitan meets and tackles all of its readers concerns, passions and ever broadening interests. Advice on relationships and men continues to be the very Cosmopolitan offer but is also backed by relevant, topical features, imaginative fashion and beauty and the latest health and career news.

Glamorous and gutsy as well as frank and intimate, Cosmopolitan celebrates being a woman by recognising that women today are stronger, braver and more exceptional than ever.

Cosmopolitan supports, encourages, congratulates, entertains, amuses, inspires and uplifts - helping its readers be the very best they can.

The core Cosmopolitan buyer is ABC1 and in her mid to late twenties. Intelligent and independent, she is determined to succeed - in her career, her social life and her relationships. She wants to take full advantage of the many choices and opportunities open to her but understands that self-fulfilment comes from having fun, treating yourself and feeling good, as much as from work and material achievements. Sex, men and shopping are essential part of her life.

She is part of the post feminist generation who assume they have equal rights. She has grown up in a world that has grown progressively smaller and more accessible, so is far less constrained by society's rules, physical boundaries or tradition than her predecessors. She will judge her success on her own terms.

As well as Cosmo - we have come up with some other woman's magazines that our advert could be featured in such as Glamour, Marie- Claire and Elle.