Critical Creative Reflection Blog

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1. How does your product use or challenge conventions AND how does it represent social groups or issues?

The music video I made alongside my group is one very representative of the things people go through everyday across the globe. Our video looks at the way people grief and the effects the loss of a loved one may have on someone. The music video also looks at the way people age and change throughout their lifetime, but no matter what age a person may be they never lose love for a cherished one, especially a pet. The video does this with profound use of emotional lyrics/dialogue that bring nostalgia and flashbacks to the “good old days” which is a concept that everyone around the world feels and understands; the desire to want to go back in time. Our product represents a variety of different social groups and issues globally. One of the deepest struggles and issues our video represents is mental health. An issue that takes thousands of lives each year. Our video specifically describes the struggles of coping with the loss of a loved one whether that be a pet, a friend, or a family member. Our product also tries to send an important message across to all those struggling with their own personal problems. Our message is one that tries to motivate others to seek help and talk to someone trustworthy to help them deal with their problems and to listen to them, so people do not have to suffer alone. This message was represented by our cast with various angles and use of transitions to show flashbacks and somber. 

2. How does your product engage with audiences AND how would it be distributed as a real media text?

Our product is also very engaging with audiences due to the nostalgia our music video creates and uses familiar places to draw in and interest the viewers. Our music video also uses a very catchy and well known song that has been streamed globally for several years that would keep audiences entertained and drawn in. Our product was also directed towards specific audiences in order to have the greatest effect on them, our music video was directed towards those who are sympathetic and emotional, and especially those in the early stages of their lives such as teenagers and young adults. However, the idea behind our video can be felt in all different age groups through the melancholy the video creates which forms a sort of unity amongst audiences. The only audiences that might not be able to understand the video are those who have not felt great loss or those who are too young to understand the idea of grief and somber such as children. As to where we would distribute our video, I would use platforms that have huge teenage audiences as it would have the greatest impact and effect on them. Our message of seeking help would also do much good on a social media influenced group where much hate and insecurity is spread, our message would remind them that they matter and that they are not alone. If I were to specifically choose where to publish our video so that it has the greatest impact, I would put it on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat. All these social media platforms have increasing adolescent populations and would get the product/music video to our intended audience the fastest.

3. How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

As I was working on this music video I absorbed a lot of information that I will most definitely use for my future productions. The main concept I grasped after going through all the phases of creating this music video was the process behind creating a project and a production. I also learned about the amount of time you have to put into each of these phases of a project for it to come out with a high quality. If we as a group hadn’t spent so much time planning and researching music videos for our project, we would have had a far worse storyboard and a far less structured plan to getting the project done. This would’ve led to more confusion in our schedules and our filming and editing. One little step going wrong could have derailed our entire project and made us come out with a production we wouldn’t have been proud of. This project taught me the patience required to create a good production, especially when filming as there were many things that went wrong like the dog not cooperating or the wind making the shot look silly. It took many tries until we finally got our perfect shots. I also learned a few camera skills while working on this project and improved at tinkering with the lighting to highlight certain different emotions and atmospheres almost to create the illusion of changing seasons or going through time. This project opened my eyes to the importance of planning and the importance of being meticulous while working on a project.

4. How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?

I integrated various different sorts of technologies throughout this project as I used both hardware and software various times throughout this project. One of my most important technologies was the lens and the phone we used to film and edit the entire project. The lens allowed us to adjust the camera to whatever we needed it for and allowed us to be very meticulous in how we angled and set our cameras to create the highest definition and camera quality possible. I also utilized various software throughout this project to download and edit the video clips we had filmed. I used Cap Cut to edit these video clips to my best ability and then transferred them to my computer to then use Vimeo to be able to embed the code into a format that blogger would take and use to be able to post it. I also used online technologies such as Amazon to assist me with preparing and setting up for my project. I used Amazon to purchase my lens and to assist me with selecting the best products at the best prices and delivering it to me as fast as possible so that I could complete this project by the deadline. That brings me to the last thing I learned which is, do not procrastinate projects that have multiple steps and processes, especially when they need to be of top-notch quality.