Evaluation: Media Technologies

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

List of technologies:

Youtube
Blogspot
Photoshop
iMovie
Digital Photography
Facebook
Myspace
Camcorder
Google

YOUTUBE:

I have used Youtube to upload my work to the internet and enable myself to show my work online. This is important as it has meant that audience feedback could be collected through youtube comments and ratings. Also it allows synergy between Blogspot, as it displays a code which enables any Youtube video to be embedded within my blog.
Also this means that I can display videos on Facebook and Myspace which helped me to make the most of Web2.0. Youtube has also allowed me to view statistics including who has been watching my videos, and what has lead them to the video. Therefore Youtube has been paramount in showing my research, production and helping display my work on numerous websites.

BLOGSPOT:

Blogspot has been very important as it has enabled me to keep a record of all of my work, and my progress. It has allowed me to upload pictures and videos to my personal blog and also let me link other websites as sources. Other uses to the blog is that I can add links on the sidebar to other relevant blogs. Feedback from other students or teachers can also be collected on any post that i have made.
The effect of this has allowed me to be influenced through the advice and ideas from other people and also allowed my work to be monitored by anybody online.

PHOTOSHOP:

This program has been very important in the prodcution of the magazine advert and DVD cover design. The program itself, has enabled me to use many techniques to enhance my work, and result in a professional looking product. For example I have had to change images into black and white, so that the cover design matched the conventions of previous artist examples shown in my research. It also allowed me to select parts of images i want, and fade them into eachother, by the use of feathering and adjusting the opacity settings. Also adding text over the images, using blending options to alter the shadows and style of the text really helped to make the production completely original.

Using prosumer software such as Photoshop, has allowed me to create a product of a professional standard, without being professional. This is because prosumer technologies allow the customer, to be able to create something looking fairly professional.

iMOVIE:

Another example of prosumer software, is Apple's iMovie, allowing anybody to create their own films and videos. I used iMovie to create my music video. This was the best program to use, because tools are available such as video effects, transitions and basic audio manipulation. For example I have used cross dissolves and overlaps to blend my clips together, in order to stay synchronous with the music track.
Other uses of the program, include being able to add an audio track to the video, obviously in this case it was Destruction Preventer's Casino track. However audio levels of the clips were able to be changed and I was able to remove the sound from all clips, so only the music could be heard. I was able to add video effects such as alterations in contrast and brightness, which was vital for the live performance parts. This aided in the clarity of these parts as the lighting was originally poor.

Digital Photography and Filming

Photography is important as images needed to be collected for the DVD cover. Some of the images were taken from the bands Myspace page, but the background and other pictures were taken. Being able to take good pictures has improved the quality of my planning and DVD cover work significantly. Knowing about the right aperture and camera settings to be able to create a desire gritty effect, while also being able to change each image on Photoshop into black and white, to fit the house style of my work, and represent the band members.

Also the use of a camcorder and filming equipment, such as the use of a tripod, has been invaluable to my work. Being able to transfer my film footage to a computer via a fire-wire has also made the management of files, tapes and

Web 2.0 & Global Village Theory

The use of Web 2.0 has enabled me to attract a potential audience. For example a Facebook post, with the music video embedded, using Youtube, has meant that anybody I know can see the video, and also allows other Facebook and Myspace users to share the video with their friends. Over half of my views, when checking my Youtube video stats, have come from Facebook. This shows how effective social networking sites can be when considering the distribution and advertising of new music.

Looking at the stats from Youtube again, a world map shows that my video has been viewed from users mainly in the UK, but also from other parts of Europe, Scandinavia and even Thailand. This displays how the “Global Village” theory is taking effect, as it is easy for anybody in the world to view my music video.

Overall media technologies ultimately have allowed be to research all materials needed for my production. They have enabled me to implement my productions, including music video, DVD cover and magazine advert. New media technologies have allowed me to keep a record my progress and keep a log of all of my work, while also being able to host and upload my work through the use of Blogspot and Youtube. Finally I have been able to attract a varied audience from other countries and cultural backgrounds and collect feedback, through the use of Web 2.0.

Evaluation: Audience Feedback

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

My original target audience was the same audience of bands such as Slipknot, Iron Maiden, Drowning Pool and other rock / metal artists. This type of audience can be targeted through magazines such a Metal Hammer, and Kerrang magazines and music channels. Another way of reaching this audience is through the use of Web 2.0, such as Facebook, Myspace and Youtube.
After posting my video on Youtube and other social networking websites, I began to accumulate feedback from viewers through Youtube comments, answering the questions I had asked in the information box.The feedback received is very brief, but gives a rough idea of the responses from people who may not be involved with the rock and metal genres. I tried to make sure that the Youtube tags were relevant and attract people from who are interested in this type of music. However after looking at the results from where the viewers have found the video from, it appears that the majority of views, came from links posted on Facebook.

The other views are mostly from people actually searching for "Destruction Preventer" in Youtube. When I did this myself, I noticed that this is not an uncommon name, and that there are more popular videos with the words "Destruction Preventer" in the titles. Therefore it is likely that some of the views have been by people wanting to see the other videos, and have stumbled onto my music video. Taking all of this into account, the comments made on this video are unreliable due to the viewers not seeing the video because they are looking for a rock video, but because they have been curious and followed a link on social networking websites such as Facebook.

From this feedback it is clear that some parts of the video could be improved. The effects on the live performance part of the narrative are possibly too unclear for the audience. The change in contrast and brightness i thought would present a gritty and dirty filter over the band playing live, however the audience seem to think that the image is just unclear. To rectify this however i would need to re-film and consider lighting in more depth next time.

The unusual thing about the people who have viewed the video, is that they are spread throughout the UK, but also Scandinavia, Europe and even Thailand. This is interesting as Scandinavia is quite well known for its heavy rock bands such as Apocalyptica, Lovex and HIM for example. Although it was never my intention to target an audience outside the UK, it seems there has been an international interest in the video. This shows that the global village theory can mean my music video can be seen by anybody in the world as easily as somebody who wants to see the video locally.

After looking at the Youtube stats and comments, it was apparent that i needed more feedback. So I arranged a screening, for my video to be played locally with room for an audience of roughly 8 to 12 people. It was very important that i produced a feedback form and made copies so that everybody could answer relevant questions after watching the video.
These were the questions presented in the form: 

1. How old are you?

2. What part of the video did you like the most?

3. What do you think could be improved in this video?

4. What is your favorite type of genre?

5. In what magazines or music channels would you expect to see this video to be shown/advertised?

6. Can you think of any similar videos?

7. Did the video manage to keep your full attention from start to finish?

8. Does the video match the song well?

9. Do you think the video matches the rock and metal genres?

10. Finally how does the video make the band members look?

These ten questions are designed to lead the audience into giving responses about the video, which could have shown my research to have been effective or not. 

Question 1 shows that the range of the audience in the screening is between 15 and 18 (mixed genders). This means that the data collected is more reliable than that of youtube because this is the the kind of age group the video is meant to be targeting.

Question 2 shows what part of the video is liked the most. My results show that over half of the 12 forms that were filled out, comment about the live performance and guitar solo as being the best parts of the video. This shows that more people enjoyed the performance than the casino narrative. 

Question 3 showed comments about how the quality of the live performance could have been improved because it was unclear. This may suggest that the changing of the brightness and contrast may not have been as effective as planned. Other criticisms include there should be more casino footage, with more of a storyline. This may suggest a stronger narrative is needed for the casino scenes.

Question 4 told me that most of the audience in the screening were interested in all music, not just one genre, yet there were some who enjoyed indie rock, rnb, and metal as well. This shows that the audience is diverse and therefore as a result the data is more reliable because there are rock and metal fans in the audience too.

Question 5 showed that 11 of the 12 forms made reference to the video being featured on Kerrang and 4 people made a reference to Metal Hammer. This shows that what i have created meets the intended audience and therefore would be shown by institutions who feature similar styles of music and video.

Question 6 was left blank for all of the 12 forms. This shows that because the audience is quite young, they possibly are not aware of similar videos, as I took quite an old fashioned style. Also the fact that i borrowed devices from film, such as the shot types in 'Lock Stock' suggest that this may not be a conventional video with usual shots that you would expect to find in a rock video. 

Question 7 showed that 10 of the 12 members of the audience were engaged in the video from start to finish, and the 2 forms that were not fully engaged, made a comments about a lack of storyline as the worst thing about the video. This is therefore invalid as they were not paying attention enough to understand the dual narrative and what was going on possibly. 

Question 8 showed that 12 out of 12 said the video matched the song well. This i can presume is mainly down to the speed of editing and mise en scene used to show the band and represent them. 

Question 9 has detailed comments on the mise en scene and how it compliments how the band fit into the genres of rock and metal. This shows that the props and costume of characters are effective in displaying the type of genre the band fall into.

Finally question 10 shows that the band are represented as looking like "old school rockers" and "Hells Angels bikers". This representation is clearly displayed through the use of tattoos and leather clothing. Also there is a reference to the band being shown as aggressive, which matches how i wanted them to be shown to the audience. 

To conclude, the evidence above shows that my research in film and other music videos of the same genre, have meant that the audience recognise the genre, and have accepted the band as aggressive rockers, which is exactly how the band wanted to be shown. Therefore I am satisfied with the feedback as it shows the worst parts are the parts i also thought were worst and had problems with. This means that if i was to do it again, i would know exactly what o change to improve the video.