As

1. How what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media productions?
How have you used, developed or challenged the language of music videos?
I set my music video in and around a school in order to create the atmosphere of a
busy world going on around these two people in which the video happens to focus
on, suggesting they are part of a bigger picture. Andy Medhurst suggests that
‘stereotyping is shorthand for identification’ which I have followed by using a school
location as an easily distinguishable element in which my target audience can
identify and relate to. Other texts such as ‘Elephant’ use a similar technique to
create a familiar environment in which the youth audience will easily identify with.
I also used certain shots of the drums to connote to influences such as whiplash in
which I sighted in my planning process. I used similar shots as a proairetic code in
order to move the action along whilst still giving the shot its own purpose and
meaning. This technique is typically used in media texts to move from one section of
a story to another. In the film ‘Fish Tank’ the proairetic code come in the form of the
protagonists extended walking.
School location
Proaietic code
Fish Tank

2. How did you use, develop or challenge genre conventions in your music video?
I used the heavily used prop of drums and drumsticks to connote to the motif of the genre and connect my music video to
identifying factors for the audience. The drums, unlike many performance videos, also added to the narrative of my video
through proairetic code.
Andrew Goodwin states in his conventions of music videos that a video will include ‘lots of close ups of the artist’ which I used on
numerous occasions in order to create empathy towards the protagonist and create a brand through the recognisability of the
artist himself.
I decided to use a GoPro for the specific effect that the camera creates. The fish eye effect seen in my video creates an imitate
voyeuristic sense which is yet another suggestion of Andrew Goodwin saying ‘there is a frequent reference to looking’. This
positions the audience with the protagonist and allows identification, also suggestive of his isolation and self consumption as he
seems to be in his own bubble. This affect also references the genre as seen in many of the influencing texts throughout my
planning process.
During one particular scene when the couple are arguing in the canteen, I pan out in order to show their growing distance. This is
emphasised by the continuous cutting to other memories which builds tension to a climax with the music. This is often seen in
music videos as there is often a relationship between ‘music and visuals’.
Fish eye effect Panning out

3. How did your print productions use, develop or challenge conventions of media language and genre?
My print productions were influenced greatly by the ironic stylised technique of the genre as seen in my planning process. As
Andrew Goodwin states ‘a motif is created’ in order to produce a coherent ‘brand’ I used reoccurring images in my productions
such as the flames to develop this convention in my own production.
I also used bright eye catching colours which is also seen in many of the albums seen in my planning process such as Neck Deep,
Green Day and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. This hypo realistic cartoon artwork, often in bright eye catching colours is used by the genre as a
form of ironic social connection. Almost making fun of their own stereotypes which in contrast is often seen as dark and
depressing. This suggests an opposition to identification, however has now become a genre characteristic itself.
I also used a font which is often seen within the genre, similarly to the bright cartoons, borrowed from horror films and
subverting as an identifying factor of their own. This also connotes to an ideological characteristic such as horror and destruction,
similar to the flame motif mentioned previous. Ideological connections are also a common factor media texts with the use of
‘reoccurring motifs’ to create an ideological brand. This is also seen in the Green Day artwork in which an explosion promotes the
bands ideological desire for anarchy and chaos.

4. Narratological analysis of your music video
In my music video I utilised Todorov’s suggestion of narrative structure through a three acts. In which, the first act there is an
equilibrium, in the case of my video it is the forming of a relationship between two young people. The action then moves to the
second act where a disequilibrium is created, the relationship is seen to breakdown and disharmony takes its place. Finally, in the
third act a new equilibrium is formed in which the relationship ends and the girl walks away to move on with her life.
This structure also creates a circular narrative when the couple both begin and end the video apart such as a cycle of
relationships. I therefore decided upon this narrative structure as a comment on the ideological closure presented by
simplification of youth relationships with simple narrative structures. As Richard Dyer would suggest ‘stereotypes legitimise
inequality’. Similar to Bjork's ‘Bachelorette’, I used my narrative to suggest an opposition to the affects of the narrative by
suggesting that youth relationships are simplistic and disposable therefore ultimately unimportant.
I decided to use a linear narrative structure to represent this simplistic tendency by broke this with flashbacks and cut always to
drumming to suggest there is more unseen by hegemony.
I also used a build of tension in the music as a narrative tool to progress from each act in Todorov’s three act structure. This use
of proairetic code in conjunction to the build of music also connotes to Andrew Goodwin’s convention that a relationship
‘between the music and visuals’ is created in music videos.