Evaluation question 4

Feedback for music video

After the cinema screening were all the music videos were viewed by the A2 year, we got feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of our music video. The target audience was originally a young female demography, so we got most of our feedback from the female pupils. However, to make the feedback unbiased, we also got feedback from a male pupil who also viewed the music video. Below is the feedback that we received.

This is the feedback that we received from Zhane. All of the feedback that she gave implied that we did a good job at not only during the process of filming, but also the way we planned the music video. For example, firstly she mentions that the idea of the narrative was good for a number of reasons. She began by stating that the narrative was fairly easy to understand. This may be because the structure of the video helps to create the bigger picture of the narrative as they can visualise and anticipate from different gestures shown in the video. This includes the editing, mis-en-scene and camera work. She did not mention any weaknesses in the narrative which goes to prove that the main focus of the video, which is the narrative, appealed to her, 

She also picked up on the amplification of lights. Our main target was to ensure that the audience recognise the synergy, being the lights in the mis-en-scene referring to the name and concept of the song. If she managed to realise this synergy, it would be very useful for her to realise the distinction between the music video and ancillary products. Overall, her feedback suggests that it appealed to her as a young female audience. There were not any criticisms about the music video which is very positive.

The feedback that we gathered from farheen was unexpectedly similar to the feedback from zhane. This is something that we wanted because the similarity of response shows that it also appealed to her in the same way. Farheen similarly implies that the narrative was good, but also gives a reason which was that the locations used in the narrative were effective. She aslo says that the costumes worked well with the theme of the song as they were bright colours that contrasted with the colour of the night. This is a good suggestion due to the fact that it brings up the idea of synergy once again as the bright costumes refer to the theme of lights.

Farheen identifies that the camera work on the artist was very good because it makes her centre of the stage. This is a statement that was very positive because it shows that we have promoted the artist in a way that she can be recognised. 

Unlike Zhane who gave full postive responses, Farheen spotted a weakness that we could improve on. This is to do with the lighting used in the night scene as some shots were unclear, limiting the visibilty of the artist. This is something that has had a huge impact on the response of the video, as it has given me a variety of ideas that could i change and possibly improve upon. 

How we could improve for future use

Whilst filming at night, we did have difficulties with the lighting equipment due to the fact that some filming sessions, we were limited to a small amount of batteries. Therefore, we were not able to film with the highest standard of lighting. To improve, I believe that if we had a better source of lighting, we could have filmed to a better standard were the the artist as well as the location could have been presented to the viewers in a much clearer manner. I have learnt from this feedback that the audience automatically picks up on the visibility and brightness of the mis-en-scene. Therefore, i have gathered that filming at night time must involve high preparation to overcome the slight glitches that have caused this negative response.

Lastly, we gathered a response from a male pupil who also viewed our media product, Brandon. This is to contradict with the opinions of the female target audience, to show the clear difference in the way a male would percieve the video. Bringing in different views allows me to openly discuss the wide range of responses from an unbiased perspective. 

Like the previous feedback from Zhane and Farheen, he also mentions the strengths in the narrative. However, he realises the simplicity throughout the music video. The concept of simplicity is a structure that we decided to follow and from this feedback i have learnt that we have executed it very well.

Criticisms

He similarly criticised the brightness of some of the shots. On the other hand, unlike Zhane and Farheen, he brings up the idea that there was a lack of costume changes. I have learnt from this that Mulveys theory of the male gaze has fitted into the way that the male viewer forsees the video. The two female responses did not mention any ways that the costume was limited, but the suggestion from Brandon instantly adapts to the ideas that i have previously learnt from the research of mulvey, due to the fact that the negative response revolved around the female artist. Therefore, i have learnt that for this type of music video to appeal to a wider audience, specifically females and males, the presentation of the female artist is crucial.

What i have learnt overall from all the feedback

I have learnt that the mis-en-scene is more crucial than the aspects of camerawork and editing. The camera work and editing that we used was very simple, in a way that was rather effective in engaging the viewer. However, the mis-en-scene is what most of the criticisms were based upon, including the lighting and props. There were not any negative comments on the in-complexity of the editing and camera work. Also, from research that was done through the earlier stages of this project, the main focus of the research revolved around the aspect of mis-en-scene including clear lighting, suitable locations etc. Research also suggested that editing and camera work were to be simple in order to make a conventional pop video. We did the editing and camera work simply, following the ideas of Carol Vernallis but lost focus on the mis-en-scene were the artist was involved. Andrew Goodwin suggests that a music video is a way to promote the industry further but with the lack of lighting, it could have possibly affected the promotion of the artist. Affecting this type of promotion could be very crucial in the real world, as gaining publicity would be very hard if some unclear shots make the artist unidentifiable. 

Feedback for the ancillary

Firstly, i started of my ancillary feedback from Brandon. I chose Brandon because i wanted to get a view of someone who does not have much knowledge about media as he does not study the subject. The reason i decided to do this was to test the audience, such as consumers too see what they are really intrigued by. I have learnt that the only way industries promote their artists and products is not only by showing products within an industry but by exposing it to a wider range of people. What i have learnt is almost an abstract of me (being the industry) willing to promote the artist (Farha) and album to a wider range of people (Brandon who is a male).

Brandon was the first to give me comments about my ancillary products. Instantly, he identified the theme of lights. Throughout my production, i acknowledged the fact that synergy is a very important form of promotion, due to the fact that it is a better way of appealing to an audience. As Brandon identified the lights first, it goes to show that Synergy is not only a term but a way of audience interaction. He also mentions the simplicity of the video which is also connected to the simplicity of the video. From the research of real life products, I learnt that the feeling and atmosphere that the music video bring should be reflected in its promotion products which is why i chose to follow this little form of complexion. 

Brandon seemed pretty amazed by my ancillary product although i am at an amateur promotion level. However, this review is an example of how real life media products can catch the eye of audience in the outside world other than media students, as media is a world wide business and industry.

I contrasted the views of Shrepsa purposely to Brandons so I can get a criticism from a female media student. She also realised the theme of lights and simplicity which is a similarity between a ;less knowledgeable media consumer to a experienced female media student. This strengthens what i have learnt about synergy and the way it is identified by people from different background, social groups and age. She crticised the colour use of the green on the inside panels and the different style font and colour on the advertisement. I learnt that having two different texts can make it confusing for the audience and can make it seem over worked and over exaggerated depending on the amount of colours and text/fonts used.

To conclude with...
The feedback has not only helped me on improvements that need to be made from critics and comments. It has also shown the improvements made during the whole process of this project from what i have learnt and from the mistakes and comments on previous work that i have adapted to. Mainly out of all the feedback of the products that have been were that the mis-en-scene is most probably the main thing that engage viewers and mistakes in the mis-en-scene will easily be identified. However, throughout the whole process from when I started of learning concepts of music videos through research to this very evaluation has shown that the whole process has taught me a lot about everything to do with music videos and promotion. All of what i have learnt have been expressed in the production and feedback from the audience concerning the media products that i have been involved in creating.