In what ways does your media product use develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products [autosaved]

INWHATWAYS DOESYOUR MEDIA
PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE
FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL
MEDIA PRODUCTS?
Evaluation Question
1

What did I learn about my music genre
conventions and what genre conventions have
I included in my video or not and why?
• In Andrew Goodwin’s book ‘The Distraction Factory’ he discusses how media products have different conventions
within them such as ‘thought beats’.This is shown in our video when the image of the band stood in a square
formation is cut to beat for a stop motion style of the colours moving positions on the screen.
• An example of this which already exists is shown in Glass Animals music video for ‘Life Itself’. It shows a lady dressed in
white who closes the curtains quite abruptly right on the beat of the song where it finishes a verse and goes to a small
instrumental piece.This has a significant impact on the video because it puts emphasis on the drama and tension
which is building up through the visuals and installing emotion for the audience.
David Duff – definition
of genre is ‘genre is a
recurring type or
category of text, as
defined by structural
and thematic criteria’.

• The first example of an indie pop convention is the use of an oligochromatic colour palette which is
consistent throughout the promotional packages and reflected in the music videos. Each band/ artist has a
certain style regarding clothes and colour and bright ones in particular are a key convention for indie pop.
• The indie pop female artist,Aurora, has an interesting colour palette in ‘Runaway’. She has very pale white
skin, steely blue eyes and wears a long floaty pale blue costume in an outside location which is snowy.This
creates a white, blue and grey colour palette and then the melted snow scenes in the forest shows more
greens and browns and the character wears a large forest green coat which therefore continues the idea of
a consistent colour palette.

• We achieved a lot of colour in our piece.The studio had shades of red, blue, orange and yellow and the colours for the
forest scenes were especially colourful along with some green and browns from the trees and forest floor.
• This contributed to make a very consistent image which had an unusual crossover of colour at the end of the video
whereby there was orange paint and a yellow/ orange bearded dragon in the black and white surroundings.

• In post-production the footage is edited, regarding colour, and this is conventionally done to give a ‘vintage’ look by adding filters and making it look
slightly grungy and abnormal.
• We changed the colour of our video to go along with the conventions for the genre and to also emphasise the storyline of crossing between fantasy and
reality in the characters mind.We put a fade and pink tinted filter on the ‘in dream’ parts as well as amping up the brightness and changing the contrast
for the studio shots to make it look even more abnormal and made the ‘out of dream’ parts in black and white which made a significant and obvious
juxtaposition between the colourful dream and boring everyday life outside of it.
• Hozier’s ‘Cherry Wine’ has a slight brown tinted filter which compliments the soft, low key light of the house setting which is unimposing and calm which
significantly contrasts the abusive storyline.

• Disjuncture of lyrics to visuals are common for this genre as it is a style
of music which allows for individual interpretation for the audience as it
pushes them to use their imagination and weird things are included to
test what messages are brought from it. Sometimes this includes deep,
philosophical and political references which are represented creatively
and not a simple conveyance of message.
• We took on a disjointed approach for our video so that there wasn’t too
much literal meaning and connection with the lyrics and this allowed us
to be creatively free.We had some links such as the inclusion of the
bearded dragon which relates to ‘the thing’ as well as the use of the
verb ‘raincoats’ which we connected by having a green screen of rain in
the background for the chorus.We also had the inclusion of the ring
which created our own interpretation of the lyrics and made our own
narrative for the video which, as a whole, is quite distant from the
lyrics.
• There are some links between visuals and lyrics in the music video ‘Let
It Happen’ byTame Impala.This is shown through the man looking at
the alarm clock and the song going ‘I can hear an alarm/ It must be
morning’ but the rest of it is quite disjointed as the video shows a man
having a hallucination after having a heart attack.
Richard dyer – genres are
pleasurable because they offer
escapist fantasies into fictional
worlds. – utopian worlds offer
something out of the ordinary
that is interesting to the
audience. The idea of escapism
is enjoyed greatly by audiences.

• Concept pieces are common for this genre with a small amount of performance. Our video for ‘a-Punk’ has lip syncing in it which is performed straight at a
camera which provides the performance element but the large majority of it is concept as we wanted the audiences attention to be on the mise-en-scène
and story rather than the image of the ‘star’.This is shown in a lot of videos but one example would be from Foster the People, ‘Coming of Age’ - it has parts
of the video where the shots are of the band and their instruments but the large part of it is random images which have been edited together to make a
disjointed sequence.
• Close ups are frequently used in indie pop videos because it makes the audience focus on particular elements of the video which are important to the
narrative storyline and contributes to voyeurism. We used close ups of the colours face parts as well as of Johanna to show her facial expressions and really
clearly show the confusion of the video. An example of this which already exists is shown in ‘Riptide’ byVance Joy. Lots of the close ups in this video of
particular items that are being placed down into a box as well as of the woman’s face to show how bedraggled she is getting as the story progresses.
• Relationships are a key theme for indie pop whether this be platonic or romantic and can be displayed literally or through more creative approaches and
metaphors which spark enigma codes and therefore maintains audience attention.The idea of using imagery to convey a message in a metaphorical sense
could be shown in our video as the symbolism of the ring is that its something which binds people together (through marriage) but the meaning of the
lyrics instead conveys that there is separation which has occurred through lies and deceit and the evidence for this will be hidden ‘at the bottom of the sea’.
Abercrombie – we derive
pleasure from observing
how the conventions of a
genre are manipulated.

• Representation of gender is non binary in indie pop videos – they are fluid with representation regarding gender identity and this is especially shown by
the lead singer forThe 1975, Matt Healy who has, on multiple occasions, dressed in skirts and worn makeup and just highlights that self expression can be
however you want it.This therefore means that there are no conformities to meet. Countertypes are more prevalent than stereotypes for indie pop music
videos which provides a lot of creative freedom.
• Intertextuality is a key part of songs and are evidently reflected in music videos.When they are made well they can be very effective and it pleases the
audience because it allows them to connect to wider pop culture and political references which can install more enigma codes for those watching.
• Some may consider there being intertextual references within our video as the colours of the band are relative to that for the childrenTV figures ‘The
Wiggles’ as well as the group from ‘Heathers’ as the costume decisions mimicked this appearance of each individual having a unique colour worn to
themselves.
Abercrombie – we derive
pleasure from observing
how the conventions of a
genre are manipulated.

• There can be explicit examples of intertextuality such as that in ‘Love Me’ by the 1975 where there are cardboard cutouts of celebrities
such as Harry Styles and Elvis Presley which conveys the idea (along with the lyrics) that people become famous by having connections
with other famous people. Or it can be shown in a more interpretive way which only niche audiences will understand (and therefore
most suitable for indie pop/ alternative genre music).This can be shown in MGMT’s video ‘Little Dark Age’ which has references to
popular fairytales such as Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White and Rapunzel. These are shown through the characters which are
portrayed as well as the actions they are doing (for example, reference to Rapunzel could be displayed through the close ups of hair
brushing and the meticulous concentration of that which seems abnormal).
• Another significant example is from alt-J’s ‘Tessellate’ where the image of a large group of 21st century characters stood in a room
similar to the famous painting of ‘The School of Athens by Raphael’.
What did I learn about my music genre conventions
and what genre conventions have I included in my
video or not and why?

Other videos which have provided inspiration through a varied list of conventions include the following:
• ‘TongueTied’ by Grouplove - uses some POV shots which immerses the audience and edited to be in reverse which is confusing but entertaining.
Medium long shots which show the location and is, conventionally for indie pop, at a house and in an open outside environment.The costumes which
the band wears links them together and the consistency of this is appealing to look at as well as supporting the ideal that indie pop groups have a close-
knit relationship.To represent what it feels like to be the drugged guy, some the clips has been edited so that images are repeated and colour filters are
added which distorts the image and makes it confusing to watch but an interesting approach to representing his point of view.
• MGMT’s ‘Time to Pretend’ music video has some weird green screen clips and a generally different way of making a video to the usual. It also has a
mixture of narrative and concept with mismatched costumes and this unique and abstract appearance is highly entertaining to the audience.
• Ok Go have a very creative way of performing in their music videos regarding quality unique content as well as costume and props which are frequently
a bit ‘out there’.They also use stop motion which provides a different style of video.

• Connan Mockasin is a musician who uses odd makeup and intense eye contact with the camera in his videos - in particular, ‘It’s
Choade My Dear’ and ‘Forever Dolphin Love’. Self expression of the artist doesn’t conform to normality and this is quite interesting
to see because it is so different to the usual.
• Oh Wonder in their ‘WithoutYou’ video gave me inspiration when regarding colour as they chose a pastel scheme for background
which matched the costume and this pulled together a very professional look.

• Relation of visual to song: disjuncture is apparent for indie pop but there are sometimes some links
between lyrics and visuals. ‘Saw the thing’ (bearded dragon), ‘the raincoats coming’ (using the green screen
rain and an umbrella).
• Star image and branding: Artists and bands more often than not have a star image because it makes a
recognisable icon for the audience to see and create an expectation for. Brand is created through how the
creator is presented i.e. the lifestyle they have, how they dress day to day and the things that they do.The
artist/ band can create this however they want but the idea is to get attention from the public so whether
that be through something controversial, random and different to usual or just being exceptionally
recognisable just through the products they make.
• Merchandise is a key way for the star image and brand to be conveyed as the formation of their own
signature font or colours make them recognisable as well as what products they sell, for example you could
have conventional items such as t-shirts, hoodies or keyrings but some artists sell strange or
unconventional products such as props or pieces of clothing from music videos which are, evidently, limited
and big fans will spend a lot for these items.The branding for our products is a fun, unique and weird choice
of footage which has a lot of variation regarding shots and editing.

• Voyeurism: the idea of looking is displayed through the eyeline shots we used when Johanna noticed the
bearded dragon.The camera shots we used made it seem as if we were following her eyes and this
immerses the audience greatly.
• Things that haven’t been included: we didn’t include any star image because we wanted to have more focus
on the characters which the band were rather than what they represented through fame. Our
representation of gender, age and ethnicity is not entirely varied but it is the conventional choosing’s for
indie pop.One thing, however, is that we have used one make and 3 female band members for the video
when the original band forVampireWeekend are 4 male members and therefore the voices for our final
video do not entirely match up however I think this can be representative of us moving away from the
binary and having a different way of seeing identity.

What did I learn about real Digipak
conventions and what digipak conventions
have I included or not included and why?
• Artistic, colourful digipaks consistency on all panels. Some use mixed media which shows the bands creative flare.
• Have simple capitalised text and the typography typically includes an image of the band or artist on the front cover or an arty piece
or photo and then the other panels have images which relate to the group or the messages behind their song, for example Arctic
Monkeys use an image of cigarette butts on their ‘Whatever People Say I Am,That's What I'm Not’ album.
This is my digipak which follows
many of the conventions which
are seen on real products by
other indie pop bands

• Conventionally, there is a track list on the back panel of the digipak which also has institutional information on it which
holds the facts of who produced the music and the copyright which are essential pieces of text that I included on mine.
Copyright information, release date, place of production
Well known
music
industries
which
commonly
produce music
for the indie
pop artists
and bands

• The alt-J digipak for their album ‘This Is AllYours’ shows several coloured paint streaks which are randomly
put onto a white background and although this is quite simplistic I really liked the look of it and thought
that a niche audience would certainly find the appeal in it too. I therefore took on this concept for my own
digipak as I painted a streaky purple background for the panels which made it look quite rustic and
mimicked the style of alt-J’s.
• Additionally, Grouplove’s album ‘Big Mess’ has a homemade feel to it with the painted front cover which is
messy, hence the name, and child like and although this may be seen as unprofessional I think it looks
quite abstract and fun which mirrors the message for our products.

The messy childish look can also
be displayed in a couple of Kate
Nash’s digipaks which uses fonts
which look like young
handwriting as well as a collaging
look through the choice and
placement of images.
Additionally, digital work has
been done to Photoshop the
image of the artist on an image of
a dollhouse.

• Repeated imagery is a significant part of any digipak especially
when regarding font as there needs to be consistency among the
package for recognisability and a professional overall look.
• This means that I needed to find a font which was appropriate and
after researching I took inspiration fromVampireWeekend and
alt-J as they both used a slim boxy text that was slightly elongated
and I adopted this style for my own.
• I also took inspiration from ransom notes made of cut out
magazine letters to make the font look more interesting and
weird.

• For the front panel I took inspiration from Gorillaz ‘Humanz’ album which shows the band members separate faces in individual equal
squares with bold block colours in the background for each. I used Photoshop to manipulate the images used on the digipak especially
the inside back cover and inside front cover which shows the band surfing on a cloud and this relates to the dreamlike nature of our
music video and therefore providing a textual link through the products much like that which other bands have done through having
images that relate to their lyrics/ moral messages.
• I upheld the conventions of including images of the band members which many professional digipaks have and provides a consistency
for the ancillary products.
• I included the necessary information on the digipak as well as the artist’s name and the name of the album on the front in addition to
the spine.

What did I learn about real advert conventions
and what advert conventions have I included
or not and why?
• Conventional features of a magazine advert – artist name/
album title/ release date/ album artwork or imagery/ artist’s
official website/ record labels website/ record label logo/
where you can purchase the album from/ shows popular
tracks or the single names/ critical acclaim from official
music magazines and music moguls.
• Similarities must be apparent between the advert and the
digipak through font, colour, layout (etc) so as to create
consistency and sell an image to the audience and remain
appealing and recognisable.

or not and why?
• I took inspiration from the Bombay Bicycle Club and
imitated their layout which is quite linear and formal with
the use of lines to box of certain bits of information.
• I made a clear indication of a link between the ancillary
products as I used the imagery from the front cover of the
digipak as the central image on the advert and this is a
prevalent factor of many indie pop products.

or not and why?
• I included the font digitally for the advert as I found one which
suited the conventions I had previously found for the digipak and
worked on the purple painted background. I think that the dark
green contrasts the lighter purple quite well and, again, reflects
the bold text of Bombay Bicycle Club.
• What I included: artist name/ album title/ release date/ album
artwork or imagery/ artist’s official website/ record label logo/
where you can purchase the album from (I included the iTunes
logo which is a popular music platform which the target audience
commonly use)/the name of the single and critical acclaim.

or not and why?
Indie bands commonly miss out
conventional elements on promotional
packages such as adverts which supports
their unusual and out of the binary way of
presenting themselves and this meant that
I didn’t include the record labels website,
as there was already plenty of text on the
advert and popular tracks as it seemed to
be unnecessary information to include.

Kind of conclusion
I believe that my media products (music video, digipak and magazine advert) will
gain a suitable amount of audience attraction from both the target audience and
secondary audiences because the colourful nature and fun aura is greatly appealing
and different to what is commonly seen in the music industry.
The alternative aesthetic is maintained throughout all of the media products and
largely conform to the codes and conventions of the indie pop genre however there
is the individuality of the artist weaved in as well as challenging the regularity that
other media products may have.

In what ways does your media product use develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products [autosaved]

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