1. A2 Media Studies Portfolio Evaluation Questions
1. In which ways does my media product use, develop or challenge
forms and conventions of real media products?
Synaesthesia: images seen when listening to music video. (Andrew Goodwin)
used sadness images and pictures of the past as indexical signs of reminiscing
death.
Audience
Symbols and theories
Narrative and performance
Representation
Digipak
Website
Research
Used star image (dyer)
Challenge
Interpretation and compare it to different media texts
toderov1. A state of equilibrium (All is as it should be.)

2. My music video is addresses issues such as grief and bereavement and how
you have control over your own thoughts and cognitive view and can
therefore determine and decide your outlook on life, post a traumatic or sad
event
As well as this it looks at the possible interpretation of sisterhood and sorority.
Could challenge music videos as they do not tell such poignant stories. Both
mine and these othervideos.
The audience are able to relate to the other characters such as the older girl
who is getting over her personal loss of the sister. Just like in when you’re gone
by AvrilLavigne, we empathise with the pregnant expecting mother whose
husband goes to war. (Partner)

3. Preferred readings:
It can be said that my music video has multiple interpretations. Audience
that’s watchedthis some said that from the very beginning it was clear that
the girl had gone but some knew she was dead and others believed this was
a light hearted story about the girl going away for a short while and the
singer feeling alone in a new environment. I did this by using a ghosting effect
on the image where Amy and the young girl can be seen on the swings. As
she sings ―you won’t be there anymore‖ the girl disappears from the swing
and Amy is seen isolated.
People also interpreted the silhouette element in different ways. Some said
that I was an expression of freedom; others concluded that it was simply
about the ambiguity of the characters and how the young girl is a faceless
mouthpiece for a projection of loss, whether it is a job or a person.

4. Finally the ending was a multi-faceted piece of the music video which
audiences had different ideas about what it might mean. In the penultimate
shot, the young girl is seen fleeing from Amy who is holding the mirror. Some
agreed that it was a symbol of Amy never being able to let go of the past as
she watches it back. Others believe that it was a sign that Amy was relieving
herself of the past by letting her run away and she is in front of the mirror to
connote that she is past the point of reflecting on the past and is ready to
move forward.
Other media texts also carry multiple interpretations. Fore exmple Rise Against
— "Make It Stop (September's Children)"music video is a political stance
against one of the most potent and crucial messages about bullying and
discrimination in secondary school. The rope and guns towards the end are
indexical signs of suicide and yet people can learn to rise above it and
become successful.

5. In stark contrast. Other songs such as I knew you were trouble by Taylor Swift
hone in on an obvious and clearly outlined message with an iconic meaning.
I used iconic symbols in my music video when the singer is looking at photos
of her and the girl.
I also used indexical signs which allude to the signifier and the signified for
instance when the girls are seen in the second shot smiling in to the camera,
this signifies emotion and illicits a positive air.
The pathetic fallacy of the bright sunlight outside in the singing shots
compared to the outside flashbacks to time spent with the girl illuminate the
change in mood between the two times. Subtle
Symbols such as the photographs hanging from the tree are inspired by
TaylorSwift's music video for mine. I used close-ups of Amyviewing he shot like
in swifts music video so the audience get to see the true emotion conveyed
in the artists expression.

6. Intertextualityreferencing in my other related media
productsdigipak
Faceless, ambiguous, black and white
KatyPerry wide awake
Imagine dragons demons
Ciara speechless. Silhouette really effective as consumers could
look at it and feel like the image is faceless and therefore could
represent them. I particularly think that the hoop earring which
colour remains is highly interesting as it adds contrast and body to
this image. For this reason when crating my own digipak cover I
highlighted elements of the guitar that were reflecting the light in
another colour to achieve a similar effect.

7. Conformed to conventions of website by listing several different icons that
are common for example advertising their events and the band members
individually like Ellie Goulding's site.
Challenged conventions by having a performance background image/ shot
from music video as opposed to a photo-shoot image (ref) I did this as I
wanted to stick to the generic term of indie which fits with the gene of the
song and I felt that a photo-shoot image was adhering too much like a pop
artist website.

8. I challenged the convention of women when representing in above the line
media products. In most music videos women are presented wearing
arguably
excessive
quantities
of
makeup
or at least
a
sufficient amount to accent certain
features of their face as well as body. In my music video I chose to present
the artist without any makeup to connote how this is a strip-down natural and
true portrayal of herself which hones true to the lyrics. This is also used in demi
Lovato’s music video for give your heart a break. The lyrics have a possible
similar meaning to with a smile and so I felt it would be considered
appropriate if not acceptable to take this element where she is shown with
no makeup and make a direct reference in my music video.

9. I deviated from conventions of using
natural lighting in my music video. This
is unpopular and uncommon in high
definition music videos as the
creative director of the shoot may
not achieve his desired effect as he
or she cannot control the lighting by
using the sun as a light source. In
demi Lovato’s music video for skyscraper, the footage has been edited by
increasing the contrast and brightness of the image. I did this in my music
video to distinguish between the outside memories clips from the singing
shots.

10. I wanted the relationship
between the two girls to
appear realistic on screen
as this can often be the
down fall of filmed media
products – a lack of
realism. I asked them both
to watchRamona and
Beezus, a U rated film
which documents the sisterhood between two sisters – both of which were
respective ages of my actors.

11. Dress
I asked my artist to wear a black dress for the memory shots for two reasons. I
wanted her to appear out of the element of where one would wear a smart
dress. She would appear smarter than any other people who would normally
be in a park. I also wanted the dress to be black as the colour connote
bereavement and grief and are often worn to funerals. As she is mourning I
thought it was appropriate not to deviate from the norm when addressing
grave and severe subjects.Finally I want to reference Carrie Underwood’s
music video for blown away in which she wears a similar style dress. The artist
had a similar sound to her songs and blown away deals with similar issues of
destruction and loss. As I am a fan of underwood I really wanted to put her
stamp on my music video by emulating her in this way.
Ferdinand de Saussure: Signifier is what one sees and hears, for example,
Signified is idea director is trying to convey.

12. E.A. Caplin pitches how the singer’s face acts as an anchoring motif or visual
hook.
Laura Mulveyscopophiliaaudience have
female gaze when watching others in a
video. This is because they admire them
and so want to effectively break the fourth
wall and make eye contact with them.
This is also known as voyeurism which is a
key element of the 1950s film rear window.

15. One of the other reasons for a singer looking into the camera has been said
because they are angry or with to confront issues they are addressing in the
song.
Sergei Eisenstein theorises in his books film form and film sense that montage
shots are vital for a music video.He believes that the collision of shots can be
used to arouse emotion in the audience whilst creating film metaphors my
music video does this as it consistently cuts back and forth between the
anchoring image I applied by E.A. Caplin to the memory shots.

16. I also don’t conform to Toderov'stheory for this reason. I challenge this as my
music video starts with disruption in the singers life and not beginning with
equilibrium
Much like media products that are conveying a message to the audience or
present a scenario that happens in real life, known as simulacra, I use his as
well by presenting the idea of being and loss of a person or tangible item.
By using some handheld shots I conformed to new technologies otherwise
known as we media such as presented in one directions music video cover of
one way or another filmed on their tour for charity.

17. My film like most guerrilla filmmaking was on a zero pound budget or we
media productions.This is like Ed Sheeran's music video for a team which was
filmed on only £20 budget.
Most real media productions are filmed on expensive locations with high
quality technology and a large crew and so although costly, can normally
represent real life more accurately.
Whilst difficult to define, my music video does stay true to the unique
collective and simultaneously disparate conventions of indie pop.

18. Glenhill: 1985: in terms of genre there are no rigid rules in terms of inclusionor
exclusion (1705)
Hybrid of identities