Question 1 - In what ways do your media products use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? Kieran Panchal 9652

Evaluation Question 2 - How effective is the combination of your main task and ancillary texts? Kieran Panchal 9652

http://kieranpanchalmedia.wix.com/question2

Question 3 - What have you learned from your audience feedback? Kieran Panchal 9652

Evaluation Question 4 - How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages? Kieran Panchal 9652

G324 Evaluation Question 4 from Kieran Panchal

Final Digipak/Advert Design Audience Feedback - Kieran Panchal 9652

As my group partner and I, both created multiple digipak and advert designs in order to create a range of designs which could be narrowed down to find the best design possible, that would be the final ancillary tasks to compliment the main music video task. To do this, we created an online poll using freeonlinesurveys.com, as can be seen in the post below, which we asked to 19 respondents within our target audience demographic.

The question below asks the audience to select the advert design (out of the 5 possible ideas) which they consider most effective. The results are as follows:
                                                                                     
                                                                                       Design 4

The reasons for the audience's choice are as follows:

  

The next question asked the audience which digipak design they preferred. The responses are as follows: 

Design 2

Ancillary Task Poll - Joshua Manley 9645

Digipak Designs - Kieran Panchal 9652

I also used both Adobe Photoshop and inDesign in the creation of my Digipak, in order to achieve constantly edited images with well designed, compact and accurately aligned text. The first step was to edit each of the images singularly (one for each page of the side of the digipak). Similarly to how i edited the images of the adverts - using the Curves, Colour Balance and Exposure adjustment tools before adding a Dust and Scratch Layer to create a gritty effect.

After editing each of the images used for each side accordingly, I added all of the appropriate conventions within photoshop, such as a Bar code. Following this, I come to the third page, which would accommodate the disc. In order to replicate where the disc would be fitted, I used the shape tools within Photoshop to create a circular vector shape as can be seen below. I then compiled each of the edited images together in a grid format to clearly show how each side of the page would look alongside one another.

Finally, as aforementioned, I edited the text within Adobe inDesign to ensure that the text could be well aligned and accurately placed. I added the fonts LeviBrush and Baron Neue to the Typekit to ensure continuity, before adding the text to each page of the digipak. InDesign was particularly beneficial as it allowed me to easily warp text using a path shape around the inside of the disc.

Joshua Manley's (Group Partner) Design Idea

Digipak Booklet Pages - Kieran Panchal 9652

Ancillary Task - Final Adverts - Kieran Panchal 9652 and Joshua Manley 9645

The idea of my designs was to produce a product that could be directly related to the main task, through its use of imagery, font and colour. I created each of my designs using Adobe Photoshop in order to edit the images to my preferred style, firstly using tools such as 'Curves' within Photoshop to create exaggerated shadows and bleached midtones as the image below shows, which shows my working process. I also adjusted the exposure, gamma correction and colour balance to achieve this bleached image aesthetic. Both images were edited very similarly, as i wanted to approach them the same way in order to achieve similar styles.

I also added a layer of dust and scratches to give the image a more gritty tone, by placing a transparent layer over the image and then using the Dust & Scratches facility within Photoshop to further enhance this, as can be seen below.

Following this I placed the final images within Adobe inDesign in order to design the text over the image. Adding the fonts Baron Neue and LeviBrush to my Typekit, I used typography stylistically, in order to make the adverts fit with the style of the video, ensuring the include all the necessary information minimally so that it didn't obscure the effect of the image.

Josh Manley's (Group Partner) Final Advert Designs

NME Magazine Advert Dimensions/Specification - Kieran Panchal 9652

The link below specifies the exact dimensions outlined by my music magazine of choice 'NME'. I considered this particularly insightful as using these guidelines would allow me to produce an album advert that would be of publishable standard in terms of image size and quality. I will

http://specle.net/uk/ipc-media/nme

The most notable points are as follows:

Final Cut - Kieran Panchal 9652 and Joshua Manley 9645

Progression from Rough Cut to Final Cut - Kieran Panchal 9652

From scrutinising the rough cut that we produced, we found that there were many post-production based improvements that could be made in order to improve the music video's aesthetic and narrative. Whilst some of these improvements were instigated by comments from participants of our focus group, there were many that we decided upon as a partnership after re-watching our rough cut as well as additional cuts after this and finding areas for improvement. Below the main changes and the reasons for these changes are explained.

Firstly, we decided to artificially adjust the aspect ratio of our video in order to create the impression that the footage was filmed in widescreen (at approximately 1.85:1). We decided that this would be necessary in order to create a more cinematic feel to our music video, which we felt would aid in creating an immersive atmosphere, which was one of our main initial goals. We created this widescreen impression by implementing two black bars above and below the central image, as would be seen if watching a film shot with a cinema aspect ratio on a home video system for example.

Next, after considering feedback provided from our focus group, we considered it imperative that we carry out a colour grading and correction process. We did this in order to give the video a seamless feel, improving the flow, and making it fit together in its entirety, aiding to create the impression of a product as a whole rather than a series of individual shots or scenes. Furthermore, this gave us the opportunity to use colour to create mood and tone. For example, we desaturated much of the footage in order to give many shots a bleak and moody feel, this aided us in creating a desolate atmosphere increasing the sympathy that is felt for the character. We did this by using a variety of the colour correction tools within Premiere Pro, such as the Three-Way Colour Wheel, the Colour Balance Tool, the Shadows/Highlights tool and the Brightness and Contrast Effect.

Following this, we noticed that some of our footage was not particularly steady or stable, which not only was a distraction for those watching our product, but it also appeared to reduce the professionalism and credibility of the video. In addition, it reduced the smooth and sombre aesthetic that we were looking to create. We found that one way to reduce this was by using the Warp Stabiliser Effect. However, we had to utilise this cautiously, as it had the tendency to warp some footage disproportionately. In order to counter this, we had to choose clips that were not overly unsteady, and shots that showed a clear subject and background, so that any warping was not obvious.

Another area for improvement mentioned in the focus group was the use of static shots following handheld shots, particularly in the performance-based final scene. After reviewing this criticism, we found this to be true, and fixed shots appeared to be hindering the flow and energy of some sequences, which is what we wanted to capture, as the movement in this scene expressed the character's release and sense of relief. Rather than removing these shots from the edit as suggested, we decided that we would incorporate movement into the mentioned shots, making them fit in within the scene better. We used timescaled, progressive movements such as zooms and pans using the motion effects also found within the software.

After this, we attempted to create a smooth transition/distinction between the narrative and performance scenes, as we found that in our rough cut, the drum performance did not create the impact and surprise that we initially attempted to create. We considered the best way to do this was to simply cut to black, leaving a black screen for a few seconds as the music stops. We then cut straight back into the scene, at the same time as the music in order to create impact. Also to create impact and a feeling of a build in tension, we edited the pacing of the sequence prior to the emergence of the smoke. We did this by using a greater number of clips in the sequence each for shorter durations. We feel like this has improved the cut significantly, and increases the dramatic effect and suspense a great deal.

Focus Group - Rough Cut Audience Feedback - Kieran Panchal 9652 and Joshua Manley 9645

After producing a rough cut for our video, we decided to conduct a focus group. We figured that this would be a good opportunity to not only gain some feedback from our target audience, but also observe the reactions of an audience watching our product for the first time. We ensured to choose four participants who fit into the bracket of our target audience (we deduced this from observing the initial research questionnaires that we preliminarily carried out upon deciding upon the initial idea). Furthermore, we decided to show the audience our rough cut rather than waiting until the final product was complete, as this allowed us time to consider the feedback that we were given and then incorporate it it in our final cut if we felt necessary and appropriate. This proved to be a particularly worthwhile task as the feedback given was useful and the advice was almost entirely transferrable into our music video project. From carrying out this focus group the main points in terms of improving the piece are as follows:

• Additional stabilisation is needed
• A colour grade is needed
• The pace of editing should be adjusted in order to fit the song's tempo
• The drums should be more accurately synchronised to the soundtrack
• More careful consideration of diegetic sounds needed (helicopter)
• Improve shot decisions in order to ensure continuity throughout
• Further consideration of the transition between the narrative and performance scenes needed
• Consideration of the use of static shots next to shots that incorporate movement

We will try to amend each of these issues when improving our edit. In addition, we felt it was important to gauge some opinions regarding some positive aspects of our music video. This allowed us to consider whether we were on track to achieve what we desired, in particular, an immersive experience for the viewer. Our audience feedback so far suggests that we have achieved this.

Rough Cut - Kieran Panchal 9652 and Joshua Manley 9645

Edited Images from Shoot - Joshua Manley 9645

Teaser Trailer- Kieran Panchal 9652

Edit Decision List - Kieran Panchal 9652 and Joshua Manley 9645

Poster/Advert Production Practice - Kieran Panchal 9652

The creation of these adverts was primarily for practice purposes. I decided to create these posters after taking photographs after the first or four shoots, in order to experiment with editing photos and different  fonts. The fonts used in these posters were Newcastle BasicClean, Gotham Bold and Argumentum Thin and Light, as well as Alvetera Bold. I decided not to incorporate many of the design elements such as the fonts and monochrome filter in the production of my main ancillary tasks, as after seeing the product as a whole after the video was created, I didn't feel that these features were relevant to the main task - particularly the nature of the Serif and Sans Serif fonts which in my opinion carried an overly formal connotation.