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

Throughout our campaign, I believe we have maintained a clear image and theme. Our main aim was to create an indie, gritty, working class product what had a clear influence of the 80's, The Smiths therefore were an ideal band and made this concept work and flourish. Our images within the photo-shoot were taken within the bike sheds of our college, this produced a set of urban, working class themed images what we could then use throughout our digipak. We used the bike shed shots on our website (the header and footer) as well as our CD cover, inside and out. The theme of the bike sheds and working class culture stretched right across our project and was really a grounding for our work. All the images were made to look vintage throughout the work of photoshop, having the same effect on each and every photo created continuity and a definite professional feel to our digipak. Our CD cover and website have both subtle and clear conventions, from the imagery to the fonts, we used the same fonts throughout the whole project to show each piece belonged and was part of a wider campaign. The theme of vintage, retro, indie, working class culture has definitely been evident throughout the project, our target audience I believe is reached throughout our whole work and we are proud of what we've both achieved.

Question Four: How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

I speak from the start till around 4:12.

Enjoy!

Question Three: What have you learned from your audience feedback?

To gather audience feedback, we made both peers and strangers watch our film, we then asked them to fill out a questionnaire which aimed to gather a clear view of what others thought of our film (see above).  The general feedback was positive, people spoke of a clear and effective narrative which complimented the performance. People also seemed to be fond of particular scenes, the shots in the pub and certain aspects of the performance, this was great to hear and we were really happy happy with the general feedback. The general criticism's were that there was little variety of shots within the performance and there was also a distinctive lack of transitions, these points are fair and understandable however we did avoid transitions to fall into any cliches and keep our video professional. Another issue was with the lighting, people seemed to think it was dark and unclear, this was a fair point and we have took this criticism on board. Unfortunately the final product was final and therefore once we had completed it we had met the deadline and were unable to change our production. Meaning we couldn't apply our criticisms and create a better/more appealing film what would meet the desires of our peers. However I don't think we would have changed much anyway as we are both very happy with the outcome of the video. I find the audience feedback fair and understandable however I do not agree with everything what was said (lack of transitions), however everybody is entitled to their own opinion and overall the learning experience and genuine fun during the creation of our media product was worthwhile and useful.

Elliot - 4. How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages? (Filmed)

Here is the filmed evaluation for question 4. My part starts around 4:12.

Elliot- 3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?

We gathered audience feedback by giving people in other groups a feedback form (see above), with which we could gather audience opinions and see what we did right and what could be improved. From what we gathered the audience really enjoyed the narrative side of our video. They thought it was funny and held their attention throughout the video (a particular favourite was the POV shot when the chav tries to get served at the pub). They also thought the performance side was very good. However, they did see some issues with the lighting (it seemed to be a little dark and unclear at times) and the performance is out of sync at some points (which personally I disagree with). A general complaint was the lack of effects and transitions throughout the video. However, we wanted to avoid using effects and transitions for the sake of it as we knew it would look cheesy. We also knew that had we used them people would have complained about our transitions and effects! Apart from these minor issues the audience enjoyed the video. I agree with most of the issues raised, however seeing as we did this exercise after we had finished the video there is really nothing we can do about it. The criticism was fair and we took a lot on board.

Elliot - 2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

In my opinion we have maintained a clear image and theme throughout our campaign. Our focus has always been combining the suburban grittiness of indie with the retro, vintage feel of the 80s, which is appropriate as this is when our chosen band was active. Our photoshoot was set in the bike sheds of our college. This was a stroke of genius as it allowed us to keep the urban theme while also adding a touch of class with the bicycles, which is most prominent on our inside CD cover. We kept the vintage theme by using Photoshop to give all our photos a vintage hue. This was consistent on both the CD cover and the website. I think the video, digipak and website are all very effective at selling the band and targeting our audience. Our clothing choice of checked shirts in the performance was appropriate to the genre and gave a working-class look to use while still looking "dapper".  Our theme throughout the "campaign" has been urban yet classy, and I think with the mixing of modern and retro we have achieved this effectively.

Feedback for Question 3

Filmed Evaluation

After completion of our music video, we are now going to do a filmed evaluation to discuss the making, concepts and answer questions on our music video.

Music Video - Comparing script to final product

Throughout song: Shots of performance (both single members + whole band/party) shown throughout the narrative.

Intro: Typical “Indie Kid” walks down suburban street smiling. When drums kick in, he gets pushed out the way by chav, the “Charming Man” of the title. When the chav is not in shot the camera effect is in an “80s vintage” style, when he appears the camera returns to normal. - We decided not to use an effect as the effects we had available on iMovie looked cheesy or were not what we wanted.

A punctured bicycle
On a hillside desolate
Will nature make a man of me yet ?

The chav rides a moped down a hill to meet his friend. - We could not find a moped to ride therefore we had to replace this scene, and the subsequent car scene, with subway cutaways and performance.

When in this charming car
This charming man
Why pamper life's complexity
When the leather runs smooth
On the passenger seat

Through these lines he is in a old, “banger” style car with his friend, “raving” and looking like a general idiot. - As stated above, could not find a suitable car in time. We also felt it would be more appropriate and effective to have our chav as a loner, rather than having friends.

I would go out tonight
But I haven't got a stitch to wear
This man said "It's gruesome that someone so handsome should care"

Chav at his house with friend. Posters of various “gangsta rappers” (2Pac, Eminem, 50 Cent etc.) adorn the wall. He is asking is friend what shirt to wear, showing 2 clearly awful t-shirts. The friend cannot choose either. - This scene was moved to the second chorus, after he finds out about the party. We felt it would be more appropriate in this order.

A jumped up pantry boy
Who never knew his place
He said "return the ring"
He knows so much about these things
He knows so much about these things

Chav goes to a small corner shop and tries to steal a typical “chav” item (White Lightning?), but is caught easily by the shopkeeper and is chased away.

I would go out tonight
But I haven't got a stitch to wear
This man said "It's gruesome that someone so handsome should care"
Na, na-na, na-na, na-na, this charming man ...
Na, na-na, na-na, na-na, this charming man ...

Chav sees a status on Facebook from “Indie McMorrisey”, saying something about a party. He then goes to the bathroom and grooms himself, trying to make himself look good. This of course fails, but he still thinks he’s God’s gift anyway. - Clothes scene was added after this scene.

A jumped up pantry boy
Who never knew his place
He said "return the ring"
He knows so much about these things
He knows so much about these things
He knows so much about these things

Goes to the party with his mate, the band are performing at the party. Chav looks in through the window then rings the doorbell/knocks on the door. The door is opened by the same guy he pushed over at the start of the video. The mate gets in but Chav gets rejected. - Only difference here being that the chav comes on his own due to our decision of him being a loner.

Outro: Slow tracking shot of Chav walking away glumly and band finishing performance

 

As you can see, we kept a lot of the video the same where we could, with a couple of scenes changed around and a few scenes taken out and added in. The parts we took out were due to a lack of resources (car, moped etc.) and this is partly why we filmed so many cutaways. For the most part, we have stuck to our original script.

Music Video Complete

After months of hard work, preparation, filmimg and editing, our music video is finally complete. Here is the finished product.

Question One: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real music videos?

 

                                             The Smiths - There is a light that never goes out

Oasis - Wonderwall

Within our video, we have aimed to both follow and conflict with existing conventions of the indie genre. As you can see in "There is a light that never goes out" video, there are clear similarities to our video. The video aims to create a gritty, urban feel with an evidently British concept. Shots are primarily based around the city, which is what we also aimed for in our video. The Smiths video's all consistently revolve around there roots and have a very British working class influence, this is evident as there locations tend to be within estates consisting of terraced housing. We took on this idea and aimed to keep the shots within urban areas. We decided to follow these conventions as even though we aimed to contradict the lyrics, we thought keeping the secure, British style of The Smiths would show our understanding of the genre and our ability to read and mirror the conventions of the "indie" style. Obvious ways in which we followed conventions are that we used a full band in an urban setting, a house party. This therefore appeals to our target/teenage audience. In our video as you can see above, you see the main character traipsing the streets, visiting the pub and smoking through a vandalized subway, all aiming to reflect his roots, express his british culture and really fulfill The Smiths iconography. 

However following the conventions and style of The Smiths and indie genre, we also aimed to contradict the lyrics and play around with the concept of the title, "This Charming Man". We based our character on somebody who wouldn't traditionally be seen to listen to The Smiths. Our protagonist is a working class "chav" who goes against the idea of a charming man. Stealing, smoking and being rude are his key traits and are literally the opposite of the concept of the song. This adds both a comic and deeper value to the song, also making it slightly more interesting then sticking to the genre and making it less tedious. 

We did not exactly use and apply postmodern ideas within our video, however we aimed to use modern social technology by displaying content from the ever expanding social networking site Facebook. This therefore will appeal to our target audience who will recognize and instantly relate to the reference. This is a form of intertextuality, as we are utilizing another media form for our media form. This can be seen as developing conventions for our particular genre. Within the days of The Smiths and other bands like The Cure, Rolling Stones and other classic bands, the key to promoting there bands was through flyers and word of mouth. We acknowledged this idea and thought of how bands marketed and promoted themselves in a postmodernist society. We then decided that it would only be appropriate that we show this transition of technology and promotion within our video. 

Elliot - 1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

The Smiths - Nowhere Fast

Oasis - Supersonic

Our Music Video

It is clear that we have used the forms and conventions of indie music (both contemporary and "classic") in order to establish our genre and target audience. The most obvious way we have done this is include a solid performance, with a full band (in the video for Nowhere Fast, The Smiths take the performance to the extreme by setting the video in the studio, seemingly as they record the song), in an urban/suburban location. We have also used the idea of a house party to appeal to our target audience (teenagers/young adults) as this is what they are now notorious in the media for. This is a way of showing development of the conventions of indie, adapting them for a contemporary audience.

 Our mise-en-scene, sound and shot types/editing are all fitting within our media form and genre, including locations such as pubs and petrol stations. This is similar to Oasis, who filmed the video for their debut single Supersonic on a rooftop. The shots are quick and punchy, with fast editing, as they should be in an effective music video.

 One way we have challenged the conventions of our genre is by having our main character as a Chav, completely subverting audience expectations, as they would expect to see a more "indie" individual as the main character in an indie music video. This is why we show the indie lead character at the start of the video, to create a false expectation for the audience. This is a form of irony, as you would expect to see a charming, dapper man in a video for a song called "This Charming Man", not a Chav. Despite the seemingly miscast lead character, the video works on the basis that the Chav is seen to be the complete opposite of a "charming man", which is what the song is about. This is including irony in our video. Also, our target audience would enjoy seeing a chav trying to fit in with them and failing miserably.

We did not explicitly use postmodern ideas in our video, however we did use modern social technology by including a Facebook status. This will appeal to our social networking target audience. This is a form of intertextuality, as we are utilizing another media form for our media form. This is also developing the conventions of the indie genre, as Facebook has become the replacement for the "flyer" method of promoting bands. Instead of physical flyers promoting band's gigs, as many famous bands used when they were starting out, Facebook pages and events are used to promote gigs, as we use in our video.