Evaluation of previous work

From analysing existing work by other students that included short films, trailers and music videos. We gained ideas of how to portray are chosen genre and also saw a lot of useful camera techniques that looked very effective and gave the videos a creative feel.
Certain music videos were very effective as they used a range of camera shots and angles, and also edited certain shots by putting them together and flashing through them to give the effect of the character thinking back to memories, this was a very effective and creative technique and made the video more interesting to watch.
One of the music videos inspired us and gave as a lot of ideas for our music video, as it had a very clear narrative that fitted well with the chosen genre and the performance shots also fit in will in the video. It involved effective camera shots and techniques, that appeared simple yet effective. Certain shots such as when the boy is reflecting back on pictures he has been in with this girl and then it cuts back to the time the pictures were being taken, this stood out to me as it was a creative idea that was very effective.
There was also black and white effects used in one of the music videos this was very effective as it helped to symbolise past events and it also creates a dark and gloomy atmosphere with a sense of sadness. This helps to relate to the narrative of the video and also fit in with the chosen genre.
I think that analysing previous videos has been very useful as it has given my group a lot of inspiration and new ideas for when it comes to producing our music video, it has helped us to think of what story lines we can produce and make it clear as well as fit in with the performance shots. t has also given us a lot of creative camera shot ideas and editing techniques to make the video more interesting and appealing to watch.

Creative Techniques

When filming we used many different creative techniques that made the video look more effective, such as tilting the camera upwards to show the scene of the crime which is someone dead on the floor and also show a view of the killer and their reaction to the death which effectively built up tension. We used a filter in the editing soft wear to make the scene appear darker and create a more gloomy atmosphere, this was very simple yet effective as it created more suspicion and fit the chosen theme. We used pan as the killer walked behind the pillar and through the doors this was effective as watching her walk away from behind builds up the suspense for the audience and leaves them questioning who it could be. We also used a high angle shot to show the killer walking down the stairs with a view of her feet and the top of her head, this is effective as again it creates tension and unawareness for the audience of who the killer is. The creepy and tense music that is played throughout the video is also very effective has it adds to the suspicious theme, and fits in with the idea of a horror/thriller genre. I think that using these creative techniques has been useful in giving me ideas for what techniques work well to create a certain theme.

Skills Development

When i previously began my pre-production for my magazine in AS media studies, i have different strengths but i also had areas that i needed to develop and improve. I think that researching and analysing existing magazine covers was one of my strong points and was very beneficial in helping me decide how to make my magazine fit the chosen genre. As looking at the different genres gave me a chance to understand how the appeal to the target audiences, and was helpful in order to make mine follow the typical conventions of magazines and appeal to my audience. Another one of my strengths during the pre-production process finding out the information of what appeals to my chosen target audience by conducting a questionnaire as this gave me ideas of what to include in my magazine so that it is interesting and appealing.

The weaknesses in my pre-production were the institution research, as when i was finding companies that would distribute my magazine i should have gone into a lot more depth and detail in my analysis. I did find this difficult as i was unsure of what sort of companies to research and how to explain why they would distribute my magazine. So i would need to improve my research into institutions to find out more information therefore creating a more detailed analysis. Another one of my weaknesses was the planning for my photo shoots, as when it came to the shoot i needed to be more prepared and know more about what sort of poses to use etc. so i would need to plan more ahead so that i know exactly what i am doing.

In the production of my magazine my stronger areas were choosing images that suited the genre well as from researching and analysing existing magazines i was aware of what sort of layout i wanted for each page of my magazine. also had a set plan of each of the pages and how i wanted the layout to appear so i was prepared when using photo shop in order to edit certain titles where i wanted them to be. However, i could have improved the research into the font styles and colours etc. as i found it difficult finding certain fonts that fit in with this genre, so i would research in more detail what sort of fonts and colours are appropriate for the chosen genre.
Another area that i feel i was weak in is my photo shop skills, as i struggled to edit my chosen images to make them look professional so i would need to improve my skills by working on editing a lot more.

Overall, i have areas that i am confident in that i have explained above that will be very useful to me in my next practical. But i also have certain areas that need to be improved and developed as i need to research in more detail which allows me to have an analysis in more depth and also be more prepared in my practical and have in mind have it fits in with the genre. Each of my weak points need to be improved as they are very important in creating my practical and useful skills to have.