The document discusses how the media product uses, develops, or challenges conventions of real media products in various ways: 1) It subverts stereotypes by portraying the female as unfaithful rather than the male. It also shows the male looking sorrowful rather than guilty. 2) It links visuals to lyrics through symbols like a clock representing inability to turn back time, and drugs representing the artist dealing with the relationship. 3) It recycles conventions like money representing wealth but challenges them by pairing money with a falling rose to represent love and wealth falling. 4) It uses props like masks to represent hiding emotions and books to show the artist learning, challenging conventions of uneducated artists

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. Linking the visuals to lyrics
Media theorist Andrew Goodwin stated in his theory of 6 key features of a music video that it is vital for the
visuals and imagery must have a relationship with the lyrics in order to effectively encode messages into the
video. As we have created a link between these two elements we were able to amplify what the artist was saying
through the video.
Firstly to centralize key lyrics which are repeated many times in the video we used an animation of a clock
going backwards to strengthen the lyrics “I cant turn back even if I wanted too” as the clock spinning around in
a fast motion encodes how the clock which represents the artist loosing control of the situation. We felt like
these lyrics were very powerful and a key element to the narrative, in addition by using these visuals we were
able to contextualize the idea of not being able to turn back. Furthermore as the visuals are very straight
forwards ( a clock turning back) it makes the idea more obvious which makes the video easier to follow for the
viewer.
Another lyric which I encoded into the visuals was “I put a lot of drugs in my cup.” To represent this idea I
reversed a shot of the artist pouring out objects in a cup which represented drugs in post production to give the
idea that they were flying into the cup he is holding. This was purposely done to amplify the idea that the artist
consumes a large quantity of drugs which has a clear link to many lyrics in his songs and adds to the narrative.
It also helps me encode a cultural code into the video, this is one of Barthes narrative codes which in this video
would suggest that there is a youth drug epidemic within the rap/hip hop culture as the artist is using the drugs
as a way to deal with his relationship which in turn could create a moral panic for some audiences as they will
not understand the semantic message behind a young person pouring objects which represent drugs out of a
cup. A juxtaposing view of the artist is pouring drugs out of the cup and then the clip is reversed and they are
reversed back in could amplify the idea of the addictive culture which would connate love being an addiction.
I obviously linked the lyric “oh we’re gonna fall” by having an overlay of the artist lip syncing the lyric over a clip
of him falling backwards, this was to suggest the idea that the artist is physically falling over from the
relationship. We though that this idea would help the progression of the narrative as this is shown just before
the final scene where the artist lets the girl go. Through the artist falling I wanted to connote the idea of the
artist having to physically fall before he can let go of the relationship. I used post production editing techniques
to show the artist falling into a silhouette version of himself which was used to again represent the idea of the
artist having an alter-ego which is again shown by the mask which is shown in many parts of the video and
digital packs. this was purposely done to illustrate the lyrics to make it obvious to the audience that the artist
has been hurt both physically and mentally by the relationship. By being able to personify the lyrics I was able
to amplify the idea of falling and what it can connote, the black and white filter overlay may show a melancholic
theme within the clip further connoting the artists emotional state and how it links to the ideas being portrayed
in the narrative.

4. 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.

5. Iconography
Iconography is a well used convention in many conceptual and performance music videos, the term denotes the
use of visual images and symbols to convey messages or subliminal idea through the use of props and mise–en-
scene. We chose to convey success and wealth alongside notions of romance and dispute as key themes through
the video, many objects the the video display these themes and the messages which are portrayed through the
objects.
Through the whole song we use roses as a motif to display the romance, in one scene we show the artist
burning the rose to display how the love is burning out, this object is very typical of the genre as it is often used
to display either love or dispute, we were able to create meaning through this object by showing the artist
throwing the burnt rose to indicate the end of a relationship. Often this object is used within similar video to
convey the same message as it is symbolic of love in many different contexts and genres. The subtle meaning
that this prop provides is the foundation of the narrative which makes it important to the video as a way of
showing the artist and the female breaking apart.
In the end of the video I used a shot of the artist reading a book which is very much unconventional of the genre
but it was an effect way to provide to the enigma code of the video. The symbolic representation of books is
knowledge and wisdom which is never usually a theme which is shown within rap/RnB music videos, although
we have used it to represent the artist growing as a person and learning from his mistakes. Often knowledge
and wealth are key representation and elements of power, this was essential for the representation I wanted to
convey as I did not want to represent he artist as uneducated. In addition the book and setting in this clip
provide to the enigma code as it is symbolic of a mental and physical journey which the artist is taking, also in
terms of the narrative it can show the artist not turning back which is a reoccurring lyric and theme throughout
the video.
There was a reoccurring theme of anonymity within the video which is reinforced by the artist wearing different
masks. Often similar artists will use masks to represent themes of criminality , concealing identity and
deviance. I used this prop many times through the video to not only establish connections to reoccurring
elements of the genre but also to reinforce the idea that the artist is hiding his emotions through a mask. I used
the two color masks (gold and black) to represent the artists two juxtaposing emotions, as in this scene the
overlay shot shows the artist with the gold mask looking at a photo of himself and the female whereas the artist
with the black mask is seen waking away from the camera.

6. 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.

7. Genre theory: Repetition and difference
This theory is an accordance to Steve Neale's theory of genres being instances of repetition and difference,
within out video we conformed and subverted many typical elements of the genre in the hope that there was
enough conventions used to be viewed as a unique film and not a clone yet still qualify and be identified as part
of the genre.
Many themes within the film conform to elements of the RnB and rap hybridized genre for example the theme
of love within our video is very typical of the RnB genre, to do this effectively we shown the main female and
main male lead in a constant back and fourth relationship. In the begging we shown the two protagonists in a
happy and content state within their relationship to strengthen the narrative by showing equilibrium in the
beginning of the storyline. We then followed the meaning of the lyrics later in the video to show the main artist
assuming that the girl has gone behind his back which shows the idea of a disruption if in accordance to
Todorov 5 act structure. This part of the video was defiantly subverted as in typical RnB videos the dominant
representation of relationships will be the girl confronting the male artist about him being unfaithful. We
decided to subvert this genre typicality as this was the semantic message in the lyrics when the artist said “why
you lying, is he better than I've been” which denotes that the girl has been seeing another male without the
artist knowing. To remain unique instead of showing the artist retaliating to the situation by meeting another
female we continued to follow Todorov’s 5 act structure by implementing a realization into the narrative this
was done by showing the female with another man to indicate that the assumption that the artist made was
correct to conclude the idea of female being unfaithful is never normally shown within the genre which allowed
us to create a narrative which was unique yet the themes shown were very indicative of the genre.
The typical theme of the glorification of wealth is an instance of repetition within out video as many artists from
both the RnB and rap genres will constantly glorify and show off their material wealth within the videos as a
way to captivate audience engagement within the video. we used the color gold which the artist is seen wearing
frequently emphasize the theme of wealth. The inclusion of wealth within the video helped us to make the
video responsible to the genre although to help it remain unique we decided to reframe from showing wealth
typically through chains or designer clothing although the portrayal as the expensive car as a sign of wealth is
again very typical of the genre. The idea of this theme being repeated within many videos in the genre is
generally used s a way to minimize financial risk of video production as generally this is an audience
expectation within the video which means that by adding typical conventions we are able to meet the demands
of the audience which could be seen as a blueprint for commercial success.

8. 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.

9. 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. We found
that a successful visual of central interest of key in create an industry
standard poste, although we wanted to keep the high quality
professionalism of the image we decided to add visual effects to the
photograph in order to keep it conventional of the genre, we noted that
many artists added overlay effects to provide intertextuality form the
videos as often visual effects will be present in both the album art and the
music videos. In addition we wanted to give the audience an idea of the
semantic message of the video through the poster so they are able to
create an initial judgement of the video, this was done through having the
male protagonist turned away fro the camera which suggests his absence
and disinterest from the situation. Finally we repeated the use of white text
through the ancillary tasks to create a sense of continuity within the
different tasks and to build on the aftertheparty brand identity.
Music video poster

10. 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. I conformed to
the use of the same house style within all the products which is a typical convention.
We took inspiration from existing RnB digipak through the colour themes used
through the digipak, most artists use bright colours on top of a dark background in
order to emphasise the text and visuals on the digipak. On the contrary I subverted
some elements of the similar product by not using a photo of the artist on the
digipak, this was done as we wanted to represent themes of the culture within the
visuals for example the person of the bike can connote themes of criminality and
deviance and the car in front of the neon lights can represent the urbanity of the
culture. We repeated the use of the capitalised font for various titles and text across
the digipak which was done in the similar product, this was used to make the product
look more convectional and to help certain pieces of text stand out. Another way in
which we made out product conventional was through the use of adding institutional
and legal information as many artists provide label and copyright proof to show that
the product is authentic. We were able to ensure that the product would appeal to
the target audience by creating continuity between the music video and album
visuals, this was done through adding the theme of a large mass of money being
dropped which is used within the video, again this theme portrays the glorification of
wealth which is representative of the culture and the genre which can again build on
audience appeal. A juxtaposing view of the product could be that it may be too
simplistic for a rap/RnB alum digipak, as we did not fragment the visual images across
the media artefact could show how it is much more structured and fabricated than
other products as the similar product is more of a composition of random images
which are used to create a message from the artist. Overall I think that the product
follows enough conventions to be recognised as a RnB product while still having a
unique style of images and text placement.
Digipak

11. 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.
Album cover