Friday 4 May 2012

Representation (essay)


Gramsci’s theory of hegemony is where a social class, usually A or B, has control and influence over the other classes, usually C1, C2, D and E. The dominant class chooses what is ‘common sense’, what is ‘natural’ and what is ‘true’ and deliver these to the inferior classes to passively accept and believe, which they are expected to due to the gap in social standing. The dominating class uses representation to construct its own variations of reality, which they use to influence and maintain power over the other classes.

This is particularly relevant in media, for example the dominating company Universal uses its power to create realities and showcase them to the masses via film, which leads to the generic classes adopted Universal’s preferred reading of their text, which is exactly as intended. This in turn can also contribute to the audience’s learned cultural experiences, to the point where it becomes a ‘truth’ and ‘common sense’, possibly altering previous beliefs, and increasing their overall dominance.

Stuart Hall takes Gramsci’s theory further, claiming that the dominant class attempts to appear as though it is reflected reality, whilst really constructing it to suit its own motives. In his ‘Encoding/Decoding’ paper (1980), Hall argues that the readers do not simply accept the preferred reading as expected; he suggests there is more thought involved. He believed that dominant readings are produced by those whose social situation favoured the preferred reading. In this way, he suggests that it is the social standing that determines, or at least heavily influences the reading, leading to agreement for the dominant reading, contrasting with the conflict created from the oppositional reading. Similarly to the way I disagree with the Hypodermic Needle theory, Hall recognises that audiences do look beyond what they are fed and expected to accept. He suggests a negotiated reading, where several aspects are considered during the formation of an opinion, whilst although social standing is taken into account, it is not the defining point.

Gramsci and Hall’s theories are relevant to my music video ‘Vince The Loveable Stoner’. On the assumption that my video could enter the market and establish itself successfully, I used the social leverage to accept dominance over my viewers, and to become a gategeeper so I could included content at my will, rather than to satisfy individual demand. Once established, this would in theory enable total control over the passive majority. I agree with Hall that it would be more a case of dominant reading than instant preferred reading; and I believe negotiated readings are more common than passive acceptance. I used my dominance to create an amusing teenage reality throughout my video. I used editing to display the hyper real and increase likeability to influence my audience into my preferred reading – to make a favourable impression for my video, the song and the actors. However, despite my preferred reading, I unfortunately ended up with an unintentional reading. The song is named 'Vince The Loveable Stoner' and I've shown teenagers acting as though high; so I've accidently condoned drugs, which I assure you I never meant to do!

I used design elements such as green screen, stop motion and colour tinting to create comedy to gain followers. I had the power to create a preferred reading for my text, using my control as a gatekeeper to keep the impression delivered favourable. I altered and created my own reality in an attempt to achieve and maintain dominance over my audience. Despite this, I took Hall’s theory into account and changed my approach accordingly. For instance I chose to deliver a partial reflection of reality by casting actual students to give my audience familiarity and connection, which gave them the opportunity to form their own negotiated reading. However, despite this, I was still able to manipulate their reading by omitting certain errors, and using editing to create the best possible view whilst keeping the realism. Mixing the real and hyper real gave me more believability so I could therefore exaggerate the humour without losing my audience. This was my version of reality whilst appearing to reflect reality, as Gramsci includes in his theory.

As much as I influenced my audience into adopting my opinions through representation, I agree with Gramsci when he says the habit can be broken. He believed that if any class wanted to overthrow the existing dominant class, they would need to progress from passively accepting in light of their inferior social situation and look at the bigger picture. He believed they would need to rationally and intelligently decide on their own morals, truths and common sense, whilst taking every opportunity and compromising where necessary in order to gain social standing and leadership. I think this could greatly affect the media for the better, allowing and encouraging different opinions; and at the risk of sounding like a preacher, rather than letting the world deteriorate into a state of mindless brainwashing, expansion and knowledge should prevail.

Tuesday 3 January 2012

Evaluation: What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

Unfortunately there has been a problem with exporting this video, and a good half or so of the video is missing. I'll re-export and upload it again so you can have the full viewing experience. For now, here's the unexplained cropped version:
I am really pleased with the response I got from my target audience. Overall I think my products were a success, as it mainly had the desired reaction of laughter. I think it comfused a few people, due to the sheer randomness of it, but everyone who saw it said they liked it (and I got them to pinky promise honesty!) 


It was very interesting to watch my audience's expressions as they watched my video. It was good to see them appreciating certain parts I'd hoped they would. One of my favourite parts was hearing the different opinions on the lip sync issue. Most of them agreed with me that it would have ruined my video (or made it a bit unbelievable) however some were more intent on the inclusion of lip sync. To be honest, I really think it is down to personal preference, as I am very fond of certain videos that do use it, and some that don't. I don't see it as a major factor in the quality of a video, as each video has a different edge to it, a different intention, which would be spoiled if they all had to be the same and follow the same rules. Sometimes making things a little different is the way forward in my opinion, but not to the point of different for the sake of it; it has to make sense with the concept.


My audience seemed to get the viewing experience I'd hoped they would, so I'm rather pleased and proud of the eventual outcome. It made my day when they had trouble coming up with faults and things they would change, I've got a real sense of achievement due to them. :)


Another thing that pleased me was a comment I received about my digipak. I was told that the front of it reminded them of the Foo Fighters album Wasting Light -->
I was also told by my dad that the back of the digipak reminded him of a Pulp back cover!

Evaluation: How did you use new media technologies in the construction, planning and evaluation stages?

In the construction of my video I used a lot of different technologies and methods. I filmed it all using a Panasonic camcorder. I edited everything on an Apple iMac using iMovie '09. I really like using the Macs for editing, I get along with iMovie particularly well. It can be a little infuriating at times when some features aren't in the version available, or the times when it randomly changes the settings. Other than those irritating moments, overall it is a brilliant program I'd love to work more with, and hopefully go on to FinalCutPro. 


Here are my particular construction tools:
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Green Screen:
I used a green screen for most of my shots and edited them on with iMovie. I learnt how to get the most out of the green screen. It became apparent that pinning the corners to the wall so the fabric was stretched tightly with minimal creases produced the best effect. I spent quite a bit of time experimenting with the green screen and iMovie to perfect it before filming the actual video. I taught myself how to add green screen layers to existing videos. 


Unfortunately with iMovie, it is only possible to add one layer to a video, which became a problem when I wanted to add more. I solved this problem by exporting the first layered video as a HD project, before importing it and adding another layer on top of that. Although this worked to get the effect of several layers (particularly with my green screen stop motion over Tom over the sky) it did significantly decrease the overall video quality, leaving it faded and pixelated. It also meant that if I were to edit the green screen layer I could only do it once, and then after it was exported, imported and the second layer added, I couldn't change anything on the first layer unless I began it all again (which I had to do a few times). 


I sifted through the various settings and searched online for a solution to the pixelation, but the only option seemed to be to install a version of iMovie that supported plug ins, which I didn't have the access to do; or to purchase FinalCutPro which I can't afford. I felt like my video was ruined by the sheer drop in quality, and I debated losing the effects just to keep the quality (I export my videos regularly and keep back ups just in case I change my mind or have to back-track) but I had nothing to fill the gaps without adding layers. So stuck in my dilemma, I decided to look outside the box. It took a fair while but eventually my persistence paid off! I discovered that if you change the entire problem section of the dual/triple layered video so it has a 'Hard Light' effect, the pixelation completely vanishes and the colours appear really bold! I was so happy and proud to have figured it out, so I carried on layering my video and going ahead with all my original ideas.
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Stop Motion:
I used a Panasonic DMC-TZ6 camera on a tripod to take photos of fridge magnet letters to form the title of the song. In truth, I must have looked an odd sight - I had the green screen resting on a table with colourful letters arranged spelling 'Vince The Loveable Stoner' with a tripod on top of the table, me standing on a chair taking a photo, leaning over the move the letters a millimetre, take another photo...etc. It took about an hour and a half to take around 250 photos of these letters forming the words. 


I then uploaded them to iPhoto on the Macs, and imported them to iMovie. I changed the frame time for each photo (in one go, not seperately or I would've been there years!) to 0:03 which is the standard for basic stop motion. Unfortunately iMovie wouldn't allow 0:03, so I had to make do with 0:10 with the intention of speeding it up after I'd exported it as a movie. 


This worked, but firstly I had the problem of the preset photo settings. It was set so every photo had the Ken Burns effect so the image would zoom in across the frame time; so that meant at such a high speed each image zoomed really quickly and the whole thing was ridiculously jumpy. I fixed it by cancelling the Ken Burns effect on my project as a whole, then exporting it and speeding it up to a decent speed. 


I then exported the sped up version and imported it as a green screen effect onto the already green screen-ed video of the sky with Tom over the top. Due to the fact I'd taken the photos on a green screen background, my newly created stop motion video was able to happily layer over the entire video!
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Ancillary Tasks:
I used Wix to create my website for Stereotypical Blues Train. I like this web-based website builder. It's better than some in my opinion, because although there isn't the freedom to create a site entirely from scratch as there would be using a program (like Serif WebPlusX4 for example) it is very good for special features that would otherwise be rather tricky. 


I used a mixture of programs to create my digipak. Mostly I used Picnik for the effects, Picasa for the structuring, placement, contrast editing, and text adding etc. I prefer to work on a selection of programs as it opens new worlds of effects and options rather than being limited by a scarce selection you might find in a single program like these. I like to utilise the most helpful options and build together a final product which will look a lot more professional than had it been created in one.
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Research:
I used the Internet to do my research, particularly using websites like YouTube and DailyMotion to watch videos. I used Wikipedia and various search engines like Google to get the information I needed. Other sites available to me include survey websites and social networking sites which proved very helpful for getting opinions on my project.  
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Evaluation:
I used the camcorder and green screen again for my evaluation. I did this so it would be clear which part of the video my audience are talking about in the audience response videos. I put their seats in front of the green screen and positioned my camcorder so they sat just in the side of the frame before I interviewed them. I later put their comments over the relevant sections of the video so it is clear to see using iMovie to cut down the irrelevant sections and to make it more entertaining and comprehensive with titles etc.


I also used the Internet to exhibit my final products to a wider audience, which recieved a warm welcome, particularly on FaceBook and YouTube. I also used my email account to send my work to the Head of Media at Aberystwyth. And of course I used Blogger to document everything.

Evaluation: How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary tasks?

I think the combination of my media products together is a successful one. The two ancillary tasks both follow the same house style of a black background and reds. I've gone for simplicity and sophistication for the website, to show the sensible side of the band, and the sincerity, so the audience don't think they're a joke. I've included everything a band website needs to be fully functional, and promotional - especially by including the digipak on the news feed on the home page. The video is also available in the media section of the site, so it all fits together as a package.


The digipak continues with the simplicity, however the image of Tom repeats in a pyschadelic pattern, to fit in more with the video. The main image of Tom on the front is taken directly from the video itself, so it would lend itself perfectly to a television advert as well. I chose the bright neon colours to reflect the craziness of the video. I edited the same image of Tom and repeated it again to reflect and symbolise the stages of the drugs effects - e.g. partially blurred image for blurred vision...saturation for heat flushes...etc. The image of Tom is quite striking and will grab attention, as intended on shop shelves and online. It also includes the web address on the back cover, to encourage consumers to discover more about the band.


I think the combination of the different approaches whilst maintaining a clear house style works to show various aspects of the band to get the best possible reception. It was very important that I got across several views of the band from this collection, and still managed to ensure that they are clearly of the same package. I think I've done that well, as each the house style runs through both ancillary tasks to unite them, whilst both including things that clearly came from the video so it stays tied in. As the video is brighter than the ancillary tasks, I feel it does depend a little on the image of Tom and the song name being mentioned, however this is similar to current bands, where the album and websites fit in with posters and adverts etc, using slightly less noticable connections to the videos, as they cannot all be exactly the same or it would be dull. An example of this is Take That, with the continuous yellow of their Progress album, through posters, adverts and website, however not all of their videos are bright yellow as there has to be some differences.

Tuesday 6 December 2011

Evaluation: In what ways does your media product develop, use or challenge forms and conventions?

I think my media product is a mixture of conventional and unconventional aspects. Typically, the average music video will include a variety of shots and locations. Mine definately includes many locations all to fit in with the nature of the song - it is about a man called Vince who is high, so I've chosen crazy locations. My plan was to stick to the vibe of the song rather than follow a narrative like many music videos as I wanted to use combine my filming with the song to create a mood rather than a story. I realised this could be difficult if not done thoroughly enough but the song pretty much speaks for itself in terms of quite random interludes and fairly upbeat, manic beats. This made it more of a challenge to match the level of the song to provide the audience with something they'll feel compelled to keep watching. I'm proud to say I think I achieved that (as no-one left of boredom or anything!) 

One of the main conventions I've challenged in my opinion, is the camerawork. I deliberately stuck with predominantly one shot: a head on view of the 'stoners'. I was aiming for a wide shot, to get the effect as though the audience were watching on a screen. I hoped it would seem trippy as though they were meant to be watching the background and the 'stoners' are simply interrupting their viewing for comedy value. This differs from the average music video, as the artists are usually the most important part. I've tried to include both, using more interesting shot choices for the background, with the contrasting frame of the 'stoners' over the top. 

I figured that a stoned person would probably be in overload mode with bright lights and crazy hallucinations, so that's what I tried to aim for. I debated using more editing, for example tinting, but I wanted to keep it as though the audience weren't part of the drug-fuelled craziness, instead just observers. As much as I wanted it to be funny and entertaining, I didn't want to be seen as condoning drugs, but at the same time I was worried about losing my audience's interest if it got too serious. So I compromised by excluding most of the extra effects, and added a subtle hint with the cup of tea at the end. The cushion in the background reads "Where there is tea there is hope" which I can claim to be a reminder to sober up, and that even total stoners can be helped. I liked being able to slip that in, as it means the band can defend themselves against anti-drugs campaigners, yet can maintain the amusement and appreciation received from the intended audience. I'm not entirely sure how many bands already use a similar tactic - I'm sure there are many, but the nature of it makes it difficult to detect.

As with the lack of narrative, I've used multiple actors in a random way which is fairly unconventional. However I do inevitably have a main character, which is 'Vince' played by the brilliant Thomas Martin. He is on the screen as the song title appears. This is another unconventional aspect of my video, as most music videos themselves don't include the title, as it is usually displayed on TV music channels automatically as the video begins. Despite this they do sometimes include the band name, which I have chosen not to do. I wanted the title to dance across the screen in stop-motion to give it a completely unrealistic and cool effect. I've tried to go for the unexpected and random, by having the letters act independently across the screen. 


I think the convention I challenged the most would be the inclusion (or exclusion in my case) of lip sync. This caused a fair amount of discussion within my lessons. Quite a few people were of the opinion that music videos don't work without lip sync, but I felt it would have distracted from the vibe of the song. Also it would have been too unrealistic to have drugged up people acting all crazy, yet still being able to remember and time the lyrics without looking rather phony. I was reluctant to leave it completely without lip sync, so I decided to develop it and go with more humour and including the brief "I have no idea what I'm singing" parody of Chinese lip sync. I think this adds to the video, giving a different part it, one of only 2 clips without green screen (the 2nd being the split second Tom is visible pointing - the same image as on the digipak - during the song breakdown section). 


Although special effects are commonly used in music videos, I'm not aware of that many that use constant green screen throughout. My concept was to do this in a way that wouldn't become boring or too predictable. I think I've successfully evaded any boredom however there is only so much you can do with limited resources and time, which I feel has left it a little predictable in places, which is one of the reasons I chose to have multiple actors. I think Matt Horan's yoyo-ing helped me to add a bit of variety to the green screen effects and I was particularly pleased with the way that worked out, looking like an added animation rather than green screen (see my audience feedback for agreeing comments)


I think overall I challenged more conventions than I used, which was fully intended, as otherwise I don't think the concept of 'stoners' would have worked as well. The most conventional part I would say, would be the background footage, purely because I filmed it all naturally, as I would have done had they been establishing shots. I would like to extend on this concept one day, and experiment with different technologies and effects to create an even more visually dynamic video.

Finished Video: Vince The Loveable Stoner


Ancillary Tasks: Website

I've tried to keep the website more sophisticated to show the serious side of the band, so they aren't seen to be a joke. I've included all aspects that a good band website needs, with special attention to including the digipak and video within the site. This helps my products all come together as one package.







Ancillary Tasks: Digipak




Here is my finished digipak! I've gone for a pyschadelic style so it relates to the nature of the video. I've not made it totally crazy, as its a digipak for a whole album and not just promoting one song. For this reason, I've kept it more conventional and eye catching so it would be noticeable in shops and online.










I've chosen a repeating pattern to show consistency within the band, and to keep in with the house style of the entire digipak. The website address is featured along the bottom of the back, to link my products together.













































I chose to do an insert for the band without the rest of the Stoner theme, so they don't get forgotten. This is the front for the band booklet (all part of the digipak)






















And here is the back, with the actual band member's featured in the panel shapes.

Shooting and Editing Schedules

My green screen filming will all be done after schools over the next 3 days (as not all of my actors are free at the same time) in the Media Studio, as it is less likely to be in use outside of school hours. I don't intend to spend any longer than 3 days filming, as I already have the background footage, and will need a fair bit of time to edit everything fully. 

I will be editing during my Media lessons, as well as during my frees and after schools while I wait to get home. This should give me on average at least 2 hours a day to work on perfecting each stage of editing. I suspect the layering of videos will be quite time consuming , as I'll have to export it each time before continuing, so this time really will be necessary to do a decent job.