Evaluation Question 2

The above production is evaluation question 2: 

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

Below is the more detailed script of this video:

There are a number of successes within our music video which makes it successful, and much of this was established through audience feedback. Our location, lighting and mise en scene was strong in each shot as we always ensured there was strong, natural light and that we removed as many possible restrictions or interruptions in the background of the scenes. One of our most successful shots is the panning shot of Lee and Bella which is over the Brighton pier and the sunlight is directly central over the sea and there are many birds flying in the sky in the background of the scene. Adding to this, the quality of the camera we used was very high and the camera was professional therefore all of our shots looked more professional as they were able to pick up strong light along with avoid bad shadows and it also made the whole production and actors appear more pristine and their make-up and hair is appreciated. The fact that Bella is dressed in flattering and somewhat glamorous clothing is effective as not only does it conform to conventions of popular music videos, but it also makes her appear more like a real-actress rather than someone who is a friend and have not before been involved in a production. We ensured that her hair, make-up and clothing did not clash and looked professional and appropriate so that we could do as little editing as possible if necessary. The kaleidoscope effect was rated by many as effective and this is something that we agreed on, it was a creative and unique way of including lip syncing without repetition from the previous scenes and without it appearing boring or basic. Something else that was important in our video, was that our male character was involved, but did not overrule the female artists part in the production, we wished for her to be the main feature of both the video and the ancillary tasks as the artist in the actual song are female therefore this would avoid confusion in terms of who the artist actually is. Adding to this, the angles we used within the production were also very effective, we tried to ensure we had as much variety as possible in our shots and this is why more than one angle is used for many scenes such as the bed scene, or walking along the beach scene. This makes the video more technical and allows us to express our experience and creativity with filming.

Moving on from this analysis of how our video was successful, is how all of this relates to the effectiveness of our ancillary tasks. Firstly, we ensured that we used the same camera for both the filming and the photographs to ensure that the quality remained consistent and it appeared to be produced by the same company or franchise. We also ensured that the back drop (the white screen) was white and had bright lighting as this is a consistent theme within our video and this needed to be shown within both tasks so that our overall work would look effective and relative to one another. Again, we ensured that the artist was wearing flattering or glamorous clothing, we chose to chose a fur coat for these images as she is wearing fur in some shots of the video and as well as this, the coat she wears within the ancillary tasks is the coat she packs for the journey within the music video. This was effective as we continued themes from the video to the ancillary productions. This is shown again through the kaleidoscope effect, we used this in our music video to express creativity therefore we thought this would be sensible to continue through to our still productions. We used a range of kaleidoscope effects and I edited them into a range of colours, we decided to chose the red lips image for the image behind where the CD would be held and the two pink/purple images to be used within the insert to separate the black and white images and add a splash and creativity and uniqueness. Another way in which all productions are effective with each-other is the use of the male actor, we chose not to include him at all within the images as he is not in fact relevant to the artist and was only a feature in the video therefore if he was included in the artwork, people may suggest he is part of the band or industry. We also decided to take our images in a range of angles, from close up, straight on shots to mediums shots of the side of Bella. This is because much of our music video is taken from a variety of angles and we wanted to also express this creativity through our ancillary productions.

Our magazine advertisement was consistent and effective alongside our digipack as it was clearly from the same photoshoot and did not defer too much from the other images therefore it was easily recognisable that the two would be from the same company or production. This is important as if there is a lack of consistency within the advertisement and actual video then it is likely that people would not recognise that what tour is advertised, would be for the specific new album. It was also important for us to have the video consistent within our ancillary tasks so that we could use the music video as the promo single for the album as it includes elements from the tour poster and also from the entire album.

There are also some things we could have included in our video to make it totally effective that we did not use. For ultimate consistency, we could have shot both the ancillary tasks and the video on the beach location to keep the theme, however this is not such a negative as there are also shots outside of the beach in our video therefore we could argue that our shots are still effective. Also, we could have been consistent with the clothing between all productions so that the artist was clear and consistency could have been at its maximum, however this may have appeared then that the artwork was solely for the single released in the video rather than the entire album. Finally, we could have incorporated themes more than just the kaleidoscope effect, for example, romance, hand holding or outdoor scenery rather than a studio-like production.

Overall however I would suggest that our production is effective as not only does it hold consistency and quality, but our productions were all rated as professional and successful fro audience feedback. Our thorough research and planning allowed us to realise and apply conventions and recognise creativity and fluidity between productions and this is something we ensured to include throughout all 3 mediums created.