Evaluation Question 2

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary task?

Throughout the creation of my media product and ancillary text, it has been crucial that I made sure all my products have continuity with each other so that they are identifiable and easily recognised by my target audience, so it is noticeable that each text are all for the same purpose. I believe all three of my products are successful and that I have created and combined theme in an effective way as I have met the desired conventions and expectations. In this post I will be discussing the effectiveness of the combination of my three products.

(click an image for full size view)

An important aspect that would create identity to my product is the linkage between my ancillary and music video. To do this I made sure that the use of colour, font, imagery and mise en scene. My running theme was influenced by relaxing elements such as nature (which is a big convention within my genre), and watercolour as water symbolically refers to tranquillity and peace. My main colour scheme throughout all my products were orange, green and blue, I have chosen these colours due to their symbolic meaning; green for nature, orange for summertime, and blue for spirituality. The imagery throughout all my products have remained continuous in terms of the composition of images and also the imagery of the artist – I have even developed a motif for my artist; his heart condition I have used as way for his audience to recognise him this also played a major part in the narrative of my music video. In terms of font I will only but this in context with my ancillary task as I have not used any for my music video; the font matches throughout and the name of the artists flows with my watercolour theme. 

Below I have made a Prezi discussing more about the consistency of my products:

Does it meet the expectations of a real media product?

All three media text that I have produce meet the expectations of a real media product as I have used the conventions of real media products and the conventions of my genre of chillwave. For example as my music video is narrative based I have used Todorov’s theory of narrative as music video follows a common structure of equilibrium, disequilibrium, and resolution, the reason I did this is so that my music video seemingly has the structure of a real media text.

Blumler and Katz also theorise that audiences have expectations which they expect to be satisfied, my product offers the pleasure of diversion and personal identity; my music video as it being from the chillwave genre provides a form of escapism from daily life especially when the person has had stressful day or after a party/getting stoned they may finish a night listening to chillwave, the viewer of my music video may feel influenced by how we see ourselves and our place in which we live as personal identity is a major element to my narrative and its meaning.

I believe my target audience will be satisfied by all three products as I have followed the conventions of chillwave. Neale’s theory of genre states that genres are made up of not just groups but also audience expectations, and discourse including marketing, and media discussion. My audience will understand that it normal to have a weird abstract narrative however in indie music video it would not be therefore audiences will have different expectations through different media text. My audience will also have different criticism and feedbacks about my product. In the chillwave genre it is common to not use the artists’ imagery as a way of creating recognition unlike pop artists which there promotional packages will typically have direct emphasis to the artists’ appearance hence why I have decided to make my music video as a narrative rather than a performance and also why I have decided to make digipak and magazine advert less direct and more emphasis on the artwork.

Improvement

Critically speaking there are still a few improvement to be made for instance with the music video it is still lacking the cinematographic professional look of most real media music videos – if filmed with a high quality camera I believe a real audience would appeal more and take the product seriously. The magazine advert also has bit of an issue with the positioning of the character due to incorrect cutting and placement in Photoshop, for a real media text this would not be acceptable as the audience may get sceptical about quality of the design of the product. In terms of my digipak I am pleased with the whole design a part from the front cover as I feel I could have used a better quality image or one that is less up front.

How successful are your products? Are you happy with it?

Overall I am happy with both my ancillary texts and music video, I feel that the combination of the products shows my capabilities of planning and producing a promotional package. I through consciously researching different conventions I am pleased about how all three text could easily be interlinked and recognised as being a part of the same media product, through both the similarities in promoting and visual appearance.