Hero Of My Soul: Media Evaluation

1. Hero Of My Soul: Media Evaluation

2. In What Ways Does Your Media Product Use, Develop Or Challenge The Conventions Of A Real Media Product? • Our Artist Simon Williams has described the genre which he feels that he falls into which is the singer/songwriter. We found that similar artists to this such as Paulo Nutini, James Morrison, Newton Faulkner, David Grey and other similar artists. • He decided to get into music and learning the guitar as he liked the band Nirvana, he liked the style and sound that they created. One of his main influences is some of Nirvanas lighter and less heavy songs, am example of this is the cover of David Bowies song ‘Man Who Sold The World’. We have created a music video that we hope follows the main convention of singer songwriter, but we also aimed to develop and challenge the conventions.

3. In What Ways Does Your Media Product Use, Develop Or Challenge The Conventions Of A Real Media Product? • We started looking at different kinds of music videos for the singer/songwriter genre. This gave us With these we found that within their videos they all seem to have shots of them playing an instrument (normally guitar), they normally have some form of narrative and a performance running through the video. • Looking at videos such as: James Morrison’s “You Make It Real For Me” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRxccy-zcJ8 we found that this is a classic layout for a singer/songwriter video. The main focus is on the artist, with close ups as an introduction which shows that he is the main star and focus of the video.

4. In What Ways Does Your Media Product Use, Develop Or Challenge The Conventions Of A Real Media Product Continued… • Like Nirvana and James Morrison we used a real performance because it makes it seem more personal. With our video we felt using a real performance would also make it personal. We felt this because it is saying here is a new artist this is him, nothing fake or manufactured about him, he is a genuine singer/songwriter who can play his own instruments.

5. How Effective Is The Combination Of The Main Product & Ancillary Texts? • I think that the limited colour palette that we have used (for example the sepia colour that we have used on the advert for the album release and also the colour tint on the background for the digi pack cover) links in quite well with the limited colour range we have used in the video, for example the hotel room was mostly cream (as can be seen in the picture), with the performance aspect the only colours that were visible were the brown of Simons shirt, the red guitar and the orange flames from the candles. Although we didn’t do this intentionally I feel that it works well together and reinforces the simple image that is the singer/songwriter genre.

6. How Effective Is The Combination Of The Main Product & Ancillary Texts Continued. • Throughout both the ancillary texts and the video the star image we have portrayed for Simon is that he is a very down to earth man and true to the singer/songwriter genre. We have portrayed this with his costume which consisted of jeans, shirt and a leather jacket (as shown with the picture), which is in keeping with the singer/songwriter genre. This simple costume is carried throughout the video with the narrative and performance aspects. • The ancillary texts there isn’t any support to some key lines in the song e.g. “live my life in a sleepy dream world” . However when in the process of doing the ancillary texts we did toy with the idea. This is opposed to the video, for example on the line “live my life in a sleep dream world” we have a close up shot of Simon singing the line, which then places more meaning on it. This is something that we could have carried over in the supporting texts.

7. I feel that both our ancillary texts and video conform with the codes and conventions of a singer/songwriter. The colours used weren’t heavy dark colours, and add to the light and breezy feeling that we have shown in the advert and also in the narrative aspects of the video. We have made Simon the main focus throughout the video and to show this is normal for most singer/songwriters and their first album releases. • The setting also backs up the codes and conventions for a singer/songwriter. Most of the focus is solely on Simon and Vicki who is the only other person, which makes them look like the two most important people in the video. • Overall I feel the combination of the video and ancillary texts is successful, with the softer colour palette transfers well between the video and ancillary texts, the star image has been portrayed well throughout and I feel it has portrayed the image of the singer/songwriter very well.

8. What Have You Learned From Your Audience Feedback? • Overall I have found that the feedback given about the video has has been mainly positive as can be seen from the blog. http://sandhurstmediagroup1.wordpress.com/about/ • In order for us to get the good, constructive feedback we have, we posted the link to the blog on Facebook and got friends to give us their opinions that way, which seems to have been successful. • Comments included one being from the artist Simon Williams: “Thankyou so much for producing this video for me, I honestly think it is superb, you guys have done a great job and there are some lovely camera angles and particularly nice performance shots. Thankyou for working so hard on this and also to vickie for playing such a great on screen girlfriend!”

9. How Did You Use Media Technologies In The Construction & Research, Planning & Evaluation Stages? • Throughout the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages of this project we have used several pieces of media technologies. These include: • Video Camera • Photographic Camera • Scanner • Apple Mac Laptop • Final Cut • Photoshop • Wordpress Blog • iTunes • Internet • Phone (contacting Simon & Vickie and taking photos of filming) • Facebook (contact with Simon & Vickie and posted link to blog for audience feedback • iPod (song, “Hero Of My Soul”)

10. How Did You Use Media Technologies In The Construction & Research, Planning & Evaluation Stages Continued. • When planning, researching and constructing our video and ancillary texts we used a video camera or filming, we also used it to film an interview with our artist Simon Williams about his influences in music and such. When filming some of the hotel and all of the performance shots we used an iPod and speakers in order for Simon to sing along with the music. • In order for us to get in contact with Simon & Vickie we used mobile phones or Facebook. I also used my mobile phone camera in order to take photographs of Callum or Jade filming. • For the editing process of the video we used an Apple Mac Laptop with the program called “Final Cut”. In order for us to do the lip synching we had to import the song into iTunes and then transfer it across to final cut.

11. When constructing the digi pack and advert we did a photo shoot with Simon so we had a photo to use for these. We also used Photoshop and a scanner in order to get the digi pack and poster we have now. • Throughout this whole process we have used the internet for video research on music videos for the singer/songwriter genre and also to use a Word press blog in order to post ideas for our ancillary texts up and to get feedback on them on things we could change or keep the same, and also in order to get feedback on our video.