1. Evaluation Question 1:
In what ways does your media
product use, develop or challenge
forms and conventions of real
media products?

2. Introduction
In our music video we have challenged and developed forms
and conventions of real media products. We have used
numerous amounts of forms and conventions of
traditional media products in our music video. We have
done this to make clear synoptic links between our own
learning and understanding and developing it into
something new. In our media product we have also
challenged conventions of traditional media products and
in this presentation, I will be thoroughly assessing what
ways my music video uses, develops or challenges forms
and conventions of real media products based on the key
conventions of music videos from Andrew Goodwin.

3. Overview
To be able to thoroughly evaluate this question, we need to
outline conventions that are considered to be traditional
and normal in real media products and from there we
will be able to distinguish what we have used that is
considered to be traditional and also what we have
challenged. So how do we find out what is considered to
be a traditional aspect of music videos? Earlier in my
blog, I had a post dedicated to Andrew Goodwin. In this
post, Goodwin outlined key conventions that are seen in
music videos.

4. Goodwin’s six key conventions
Andrew Goodwin’s 6 Features of Music Videos
Andrew Goodwin points out characteristics and features that can be found in music videos.
Below is the six characteristics he believed to be conventions of the music video genre.
1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics.
(e.g. stage performance in metal videos, dance routine for boy/girl band, aspiration in
Hip Hop).
2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are represented with
images.(either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
3. There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and atmosphere of the
visual reflects that of the music.
(either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist
and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style).
5. There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, mirrors,
stages, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
6. There are often intertextual reference (to films, tv programmes, other music videos etc).

5. Key Convention 1 – music videos
demonstrate genre characteristics
• (e.g. stage performance in metal videos, dance routine
for boy/girl band, aspiration in Hip Hop).
• What does Goodwin mean by music videos
demonstrate genre characteristics? He means that with
a specific type of genre, you are more likely to see
specific conventions of that particular genre. The music
genre for our music video is ska/punk. This type of
music genre is actually considered to be under the
metal genre branch, meaning that ska/punk is a relation
to the metal genre of music. Therefore if we take
Goodwin’s theory into account, he states that in metal
genre music videos, there are stage performances and
this is a traditional convention of the metal genre of
music. In my music video, there is also a stage
performance of the band so this highlights that we have
developed Goodwin’s theory of a stage performance in
metal genre music videos, because our stage
performance is not typical because of our location.
Goodwin’s forms and conventions of music videos are
forms and conventions of real media products because
in many metal genre music videos, there is usually a
band/stage performance with a charismatic lead singer
and a band of individuals dressed in the punk/rock
description. From the pictures on this slide, you will be
able to see similarities between what a metal genre
band stage performance looks like and how this
concept was developed when my group filmed our
stage performance.
Key convention
used, challenged
or developed?
… Developed

6. Key Convention 2 - There is a
relationship between lyrics and visuals.
• There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals.
The lyrics are represented with images.(either
illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
• This is the second of Goodwin’s six key conventions
of music videos. This key convention states that in
music videos there is a link between the video and
the lyrics. However just because there is a link
between the two, it does not necessarily mean that
they have to work together. Goodwin states that
“the lyrics are represented with images (either
illustrative, amplifying, contradicting). This key
convention is clearly in every single music video and
it is important to decide how the music video and
lyrics should work together. For example, I have
spoken about ‘The Scientist’ by Coldplay many
times in my blog because I believe that this is a
prime example of Goodwin’s theory of the music
video and the lyrics working together well as the
lyrics are illustrative of the video. If we apply this
key convention to our own media product, it is easy
to conclude that we have used Goodwin’s key
convention theory. In our music video, the lyrics are
illustrative of the video. The lyrics say “pretending
I’m a superman” and then we see lead singer Tomas
doing antics that you would expect Superman to do
such as stopping crime therefore there is a
relationship between the lyrics and the visuals.
Key convention
used, challenged
or developed?
… Used
‘The Scientist’ by
Coldplay. The lyrics
say “let’s go back to
the start” and in the
music video, it is
going backwards to
the start. (uses
Goodwin’s key
convention theory)

7. Key Convention 3 – There is a
relationship between music and visuals
• The tone and atmosphere of the visual reflects
that of the music.
(either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
• This is the third of Goodwin’s six key
conventions of music videos. This key
convention suggests that there is a
relationship between the actual music and the
visuals. He argues that “the tone and
atmosphere of the visuals reflect that of the
music”. This convention means that for
example, if the tone of the music was upbeat
and fast, it wouldn’t be strange to see fast
visuals such as a chase scene. Also if the tone
of the music was dull and gloomy, the visuals
could be in black and white and the pace of
the editing could be extremely slow. Applying
this key convention to my music video, I think I
can identify that we have used this convention
but we have not developed it. Where the song
is fast and upbeat we have many visuals of
Tomas running around pretending that he is
superman, and also of the band dancing to the
upbeat music, however when the song slows
down, we then have a long close up of Tomas’
face. Then to proceed, the songs pace
increases, we then have a chase scene with
Tomas attempting to stop crime. In this way
we have used Goodwin’s third key convention
effectively.
Key convention
used, challenged
or developed?
… Used

8. Key Convention 6 - There are often
intertextual references
• There are often intertextual reference
(to films, tv programmes, other music
videos etc).
• What is meant by an intertextual
references? An intertextual reference
is the way one form of product
whether it is a book or a music
video, draws links to another form of
product. If we take this key convention
and apply it to my music video, we can
see that there is one huge intertextual
reference that was purposely done by
myself and my group. Earlier in the
course, to get a sense of what is
considered to be an effective music
video, my Media studies teacher
showed us a music video and said that
we must do a blog entry about this
song because of how unique the video
is. This video was Sinead O’Connor’s
‘Nothing Compares 2 You’. Everyone in
my group has a blog entry about the
effectiveness of this video and prior to
filming, my group and I decided that
we would like to have an intertextual
reference to this video. In this way we
have effectively conveyed and used
Goodwin’s key convention of
intertextual references in music
videos.
Key convention
used, challenged
or developed?
… Used

9. The Digipak
• The digipak is actually part of the media product as a
whole. This, with the magazine advert and the music
video together come together and make my media
product. So we also need to assess how does the
digipak use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products. When designing
the digipak, we knew that we had to add imagery and
links that the audience will be able to recognise link to
the magazine advert and music video for the purposes
of consistency and also so that the product looks
cohesive. Therefore we knew that the digipak will have
a black and white pattern colour scheme because of
the connotations to the ‘ska’ genre of music that was
used in our video. In the digipak we also pre identified
that we will need images of Tomas our lead singer. We
also wanted to include a tracklist on the back of the
digipak as well as the record label. In addition we had
the intention of including the bands name and album
name on the digipak which conforms with Andrew
Goodwin’s key convention theory that “successful
albums should be representative of the song”. Overall
my digipak has used forms and conventions of real
media products as this was necessary to ensuring that
we make a successful digipak. Key convention
used, challenged
or developed?
… Used

10. Magazine Advert
• In regards to the magazine advert, myself
and my group’s main priority was making
sure that there was a sense of consistency
between all three products but particularly
between the magazine advert and the
digipak. With this in mind, my group and I
included the black and white chequered
‘ska’ pattern that was used in our digipak
and has been ever present throughout our
music video through our appearance.
Going further my group and I decided to
use the image that was used on the digipak
of Tomas looking over the River Thames, in
our magazine advert, with a few minor
adjustments such as the size to fit on A4.
Our magazine advert is an example of how
Andrew Goodwin’s key conventions have
been used and reinforced once again. On
our magazine advert it states “the new
album out now” which is a key convention
that Goodwin suggested saying that certain
words and phrases are used to help sell the
product. To conclude we have once again
used one of Goodwin’s key conventions of
real media products and this has once
again aided us in making an overall
effective product.
Key convention
used, challenged
or developed?
… Used

11. Conclusion
• In what ways does your media product use, develop or
challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
• To conclude, there are various ways in which my media
product uses and develops a lot of forms and conventions
based on Andrew Goodwin’s key conventions of real media
products. My media product has not challenged any form
and conventions of real media products but has used and
developed them extremely effectively with good
explanations for the audience to understand the reasons
behind it. The digipak, magazine advert and music video
conform and develop Goodwin’s key conventions and when
looking at the product as a whole it is consistent and
professional making it an effective overall media product.