Question 4 - How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

The above video answers the following question, and shows I range of media softwares and technologies I used within the construction of my A2 Coursework stages, as well as stating what software I used for each of the tasks (main and the two ancillary tasks).
To bullet point, the following technology I used:
- Premiere Pro (for constructing the music video and short videos like this one).
- After Effects (the effects and the applying lyrics on the screen).
- Weebly (constructing the website task).
- Blogger (storage space and a show wheel  of all my research, planning and evaluation I did in my
                  A2 work).
- InDesign and Graphics Tablet ( for the construction of the CD Digipack)
- Photoshop (animation part of the music video and the layout of the CD Digipack).

Question 3: What did you learn from your audience feedback?

Question 3 A2 media from Shaun Hardwick

One improvement, that I could have improve if I was to recreate the production was to get feedback from the audience during the productions. Furthermore, I  have got some audience feedback during my music video production, as this could have helped with the some improvements with the production. Such as my targeted audience for the music video production (from my research and planning post about identify my targeted audience) was the fans, who like the 'rock' genre. As the only audience feedback I was given, was a group of teenagers, who like more pop music than rock music.

Reception Theory and Uses and Gratification Theory

Applying Hall's Reception Theory to my production is that the audience would be taking a 'dominant, preferred reading' from the music video production. As I want the audience to understand that this music video belongs to the rock genre as shown by the mise-en-scene (the props and the costume of the band members). As when applying Blumler and Katz Uses and Gratification theory can be represented by the reasons why my targeted audience may view this media production for 'personal identity, sense of self, personal relationships with companionship and sociability and a emotional release as well as escape from reality'. All these reasons can be represent with the music video by the use of variety of camera shots (such as close ups of the band singer and the female character, which shows an 'imaginal' relationship between the two characters that the audience may use for their 'escape from reality' and 'personal relationship'). Furthermore the editing of the music video can help with making a media text meaning to the audience that they will be 'active' and have a clear understanding about the production 'preferred' meaning (Reception Theory).


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

Question 1 A2 Media Studies Evaluation from Shaun Hardwick

Question 2: How effective is the combination of your product and ancillary tasks?

 Answering question 2 for the evalution on my A2 Media Productions (Music video, CD Digipack and Website).

Website

For my A2 Media Studies Coursework, I did all the ancillary tasks, as at the start I did the magazine advert task and the CD Digipack. But towards the end I chooses the best two of the three ancillary for this was the CD Digipack and the website.
This is the following website that I created for the album 'Tragedy and Time' and the band 'ReRock' : http://shaunhardwick8.wix.com/rerock.


I decided to change the magazine advert ancillary task to the website ancillary task, as the website would allow me to be more experimental and design the website more creative and better than just producing a magazine advert. I used the following website creator known as 'Wix' to make an effective, eye-catching website to promote the band and the album.

Final Version of the Magzine Advert

PowerPoint for the Magazine Advert

Magazine for the Album from Shaun Hardwick

Magazine Advert For The Album

This is one before then final version, as the one below is the final cut for the advert.

CD Album/Digipack

Digipack from Shaun Hardwick


PowerPoint of the Digipack/ Album for my Tragedy and Time album.
Explains how I create the designs by using Adobe CC Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign as well as showing screenshots of me using the software by the designs and photos on the album in the CD case.

Tragedy and Time Music Video (Take 2)

This version is the final one, as in the music video there has been a few changes and updated to make it more interesting and clearer to understand. However the majority of the music video is the same as the previous version which was uploaded onto YouTube. Enjoy.

CD Album Digipack

This is the front cover for the CD Album Digital Pack.
I have used the colours- black and white, as they are very eye-
catching; this matches to its genre- rock.
This is the first version of how the front cover for the album may look
like if this is the final, finished version.



This back cover for the album is the first version,
as there a few changes to make.
Similar features as the front cover with the use of black
and white colours and the band logo on the back as well as
the front.

This image above shows some ideas I had for
the design for the back cover for the album.
As there similar features between them like I
kept the same colours and general layout for
the back cover for the digipack.

This image shows the final outcome of the general
design for the album, as I had used Adobe CC Photoshop
to layout the images which was created in Adobe CC Illustrator and InDesign.
Furthermore the photographs were taken myself and were placed correctly behind
the created illustrated designs on Photoshop.
The bottom right is the main front cover and the bottom left is the back cover
for the album. The other two parts is for the reverse sides for both the front cover and back cover.

Tragedy and Time Music Video

Used InDesign to create the Album

Using Adobe CC InDesign to create the Cd Front and Back Cover for the Cd Digipack.
Furthermore, I have used a graphics tablet to create the logo and the general design for all the album.

This image above shows the layout of the CD Album in how each section (front, side, inside and back covers) will
look like when it is put into a CD case.
The bottom right picture is the front cover of the album, the top right is the inside in which is a flip version of the
front cover and the bottom left is the back cover for the album.

Production idea inspiration

From watching some existing music videos, I have noticed that some of them have special effects such as flames, sparks and lightning. So for my own music video, I plan to have some of these special effects within the music video, as they will allow me to play with Adobe CC After Effects.
However I will not have them all the way through the music video, as only at certain parts of the music video.

One of the music video that used special effects such as flames was 'New Divide' by Linkin Park.
As I used this official music video some inspiration for designing my own special effects for my own music video.

 

Magazine For ReRock

 

To create the magazine advert for the band ReRock, I have used Adobe CC InDesign and Illustrator to make the advert. In order to what to write on the advert and a rough idea of where the writing will go, I looked at my research of looking at existing magazines adverts.
For example on the magazine advert the date of when the album is available needs to go on to tell the fans (audience) when they can purchase the new album. Another example is to put the band's website name on to allow the fans to visit the website for more information about the band or to purchase merchandise or watch music videos or listen to other songs.
This is important as the band and their fans can build a strong bond between them.

Adobe CC Illustrator
To create the logo and the images/designs.

Adobe CC InDesign
To create the advert by positioning the writing
and the general layout.