media coursework evaluation

1. In what ways does your media product use,
develop or challenge forms and conventions
of real media products?
J O E H A R D Y

2. Example 1
In this part of the video we were able to portray the idea that the artist is having a discussion
with the female about going behind his back, in the production the artist is singing the
female where as in the similar product the female who is confronting the artist, we have
subverted the general stereotype of the men only being unfaithful as this the song itself
is suggesting the female was cheating on the artist. Unlike the similar product we have
the artist looking sorrowful rather than guilty. The use of colour in this moment is
important and it can relate to the similar product as the use of the dark coloured outfit
which is being worn by both artists, this suggest the idea of it affecting the artists
emotions and portraying him being is a dark and gloomy place. To convert from the
similar product we used the rain which can be seen falling down the back window of the
car in order to convey how both of the protagonists feelings’ seem unclear and showing
the artists uncertainty to the situation. We used the same shot type as the similar
product as this is the most effective way of showing how both protagonists react to the
situation in the video.
The screenshot from our music video shows the same situation to what the similar product
is displaying although we have subverted the general stereotype of the genre which is
usually the males being unfaithful to the female but in this music video it shows the male
being upset and frustrated that the female has gone behind the artists back, this shows
that the video can conform to Steve Neale's theory as it does conform to the typical
conventions of the genre which is unfaithfulness within relationships, although it is
different to others videos as in this instance it is the male and more importantly the artist
of the video who has been affected. This convention has been used to help relate to the
lyrics of the song in order to build a stronger narrative. The medium close up which is
used in both products is very typical of the genre is a type of situation involving two
protagonists as it is most effective when showing the expressions of the emotions which
is clear that in both videos the person who was being unfaithful is feeling guilt and regret.
Unlike the similar product I didn’t add any effects to this moment in the video as I wanted
to give a sense of realism and to give the impression that it is taking place in the present
rather than it being a flashback of what has previously happened.

3. The portrayal of a large mass of money is shown consistently thought out all urban genres
from rap to RnB, it is a common convention which I have recycled in my video in order to
show its importance within the culture. This moment conforms to Medhurts theory as the
stereotype of money within this genre is a way to indicate how it can represent other
ideas such as in out music video the idea of “falling, although the convention has been
challenged as the money falling works in conjunction with the rose falling, these ideas of
money and love are never usually linked within this genre. I added the 3D effects while
having the money in motion which adapted the idea for the similar product in order to
help the convention stand out more in the video. The theme of money was shown in both
videos as a way to symbolise the artists wealth and as a measure of success, this is also
commonly shown by them wearing expensive clothing or jewellery. Money is also a
common convention in the genre as it can be used to attract the attention of the audience
as when shown in large amounts can portray the artists importance which can increase
there popularity within society. The visual representation of money is a powerful symbol
against a life of economic deprivation and gang culture which many African American
artists have faced throughout there life.
I was able to show the artist feeling lost and isolated which follows the same convention as
the similar product ‘Fallen – Jaden Smith’ which is a song which follows a similar message
to ‘Someone Else’ although the video is a performance style video which has no
narrative. In both moments the main artist of the video is disinterested from the camera
and audience which is common within the genre when the emotions of reflection or
sadness are represented. I am challenging the convention by having the artist trying to
get in contact with the female which can portray the artist trying to combat the
loneliness and isolation in the wrong way by contacting the female who had cheated,
usually it can be portrayed by the artists consuming alcohol and drugs which is a popular
method of representing them getting over a relationship. These moments mirror each
other in mise-en-scene as the use of ambient lighting in a natural forestry environment
both juxtapose how the artists are being represented, which is why the main protagonist
in the video who is wearing all black clothing can be seen as being out of placed or
alienated in the environment.

4. I was able to represent the artist being in a state of depression by conforming to the
typical convention of smoking can show how the artist is dealing with the situation
there are involved with, often the convention can be used to portray two juxtaposing
situations, in the similar product this convention is used to show how the artist is
celebrating success and wealth and in my video it is being used to visualise the artists
feeling of doubt and regret about the situation he is facing. I challenged the
convention of using smoking to represent happiness and celebration by using the
mise-en-scene as an indicator of how the artist is feeling. In both moments in the
videos both protagonists appear to be distracted which displays how the use of
smoking is a way for the artists to show that they are in a state of relaxation. I did not
recycle the conventions used in the similar products mise en scene as I wanted focus
on the location where the artist is in. This is important as the setting is being used to
represent emotions of betrayal and disloyalty which the artist is feeling .Where as the
similar product uses a close up shot of the cast member which is used more frequently
in performance style videos as a way to make the person stand out from the location.
Both of these moments have a range of similar conventions although there are shot in very
different locations. First of all there is a clear use of a low angle shot of the main artist in
both of the videos, the reason for this is that it portrays the artist as being dominant and
powerful, this shot can represent the artist being an important figure within the culture
as it can give the impression of them being a strong and independent persona. In
addition both artists are giving direct attention to the camera which again represents
there confidence which is used in this genre to establish there position of hierarchy
within the culture. Both artists being shown by themselves in this shot to represent ideas
of isolation from society as there are in locations which are not common within the
genre. I didn’t have the artist moving in order to represent emotions of seriousness
which challenges the conventions of the similar products performance style video where
the artist is being portrayed with more positive emotions.

5. I was able to demonstrate the importance of the artist in this moment by framing the
main protagonist closer to the camera than other members of the video as this is a
popular convention of performance style videos when the purpose is to promote the
artist. I challenged the conventions of the inspired real life video as I wanted to convey
ideas of mystery by having the artist wearing a mask and using smoke to blur out the
other members of the video which could show the artist putting a false front up to
people around him where as the similar product shows the artist in a more natural
and relaxed situation. I did not use the black and white editing effect which is used
quite consistently in the similar product as I wanted to have a lot of focus on the gold
mask which is being worn by the artist as this colour is often used in jewellery to
represent wealth and luxury where as the artist is wearing it in an urban location
which could represent deprivation and deviance, this shows how the artist is not
conforming to the general stereotype of artists wearing gold in order to glamorise
there luxury lifestyle as the artist is using it to conceal his identity.
The portrayal of use of drugs within the genre is a convention which is used or spoken about
in many ways in the genre, artists may like to show off the drug which they are
consuming in order to achieve a desired feeling or reaction by the audiences. I have
challenged the similar product as the artist is conveying feelings of regret while
consuming the drug. Rather than the drug being a symbol of happiness and celebration it
is used to show the artist moving on by consuming a heart shaped drug which is often a
representation of love and affection, also the idea of love can have addictive qualities
which is also represented in drug use. I was able to recycle the convention of the artist
showing off the drug to the camera as I found that this is a common way to make it
explicit to the audience that the message of moving on from love is considered rather
than the idea of the artist consuming drugs for recreational reasons which is the message
the similar product conveys to the audience. I have recycled the convention of
glamorisation of drugs within the genre as this is often what is expected of a younger
audience (16-25) as often in the media drug consumption is linked to people are of this
age.

6. I was able to use and develop conventions from similar promotional products in
order to make my version of the poster conform to the style of a typical RnB
music video poster. I used the simple masthead style which has been used in
the music video poster for the artist drake, the use of a white and minimalistic
font means that the attention can be brought to the graphics on the poster. I
formed to conventions used for the centre of visual interest on the poster, first
of all I decided to have the artist looking away from the camera as this
portrays the artist being possibly disinterested from the audience which gives
the poster a sense of mystery and uncertainty which give the audience an
incentive to watch the video. I added effects to the centre of visual interest as
it conforms to the stereotype of the videos and album graphics being very
stylised and having a post modernistic feel. I was able to develop the idea of
music artists representing themselves through an animal which they feel as
they can relate their characteristics to. This convention is evident in The
Weeknds’ star boy poster which features a black panther which is also shown
in parts of the music video. We were able to develop this convention by
adding a print of a tiger on the artists jacket as a tiger can be a representation
of power which the artist is representing in elements of the video.
I was able to show conventions of a typical RnB digipak by using
similar techniques used in the graphics and typography used in
The Weeknds ‘Beauty behind the madness’ digipak. First of all I
recycled the use of the ripped effect on the main image on the
first page. The reason for its use it to symbolise the idea of
breaking away from something although this could be
challenged as the similar product has used it to represent the
idea of distress. I made the house style of all the pages the
same as it makes the product more consistent and allows ideas
to be interlinked.

7. I took a lot of inspiration from similar products in order to
produce a album cover which could be associated to the
RnB genre. I wanted to make the album cover minimalistic
yet stylised so I used similar ideas from Roy Woods-
Nocturnal album cover. As these artists are not as popular
as the bigger RnB artists such as The Weeknd I decided to
not use an image of the artist on the front page. I uses a
similar style of typography for the artists name as the
nocturnal album. By having the artists name down the left
third I was able to use the same conventions as this similar
product, this convention is used often by artists as it is
effective when attracting peoples attention it conforms to
the Gutenberg diagram which specifies the first visual point
are eyes are drawn too on an image. I have used the
convention of strong colours in front of a dark background
which is used in all of the similar products as it is a good
way to help the text stand out and it gives the product a
sense of urbanity. I also used the convention of placing the
centre of visual interest inside a box which makes the image
stand out more to the audience, this has been used on the
Trilogy album to give more emphasis to the image rather
than the whole product. I have challenged this convention
by not including an image of the artist inside the box as I
wanted to focus on giving it a simplistic aesthetic. I did not
recycle the convention of portraying the artist alongside a
female or sexualisation of women as I felt that would
wrongly portray the narrative and message of the music
video although this means that my product does not
conform to Michael Shores theory where the product
contains 4 features; wealth, power, girls and speed which
makes the product appeal more to a male heterosexual
audience.