1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of
real media products?
My music video envelopes many conventions of real media products through structure, narrative,
and common idiosyncrasies such as image, instruments and setting.
Initially, my music video shows has an opening sequence reinforcing the co-orperation that
makes the video. The music videos of my genre commonly give credit to the label of Production
Company that helps the band fund and shoots the music.
Firstly, my music video uses the convention of the theme of love in my narrative. This is due to
the strong use of boy and girl, in a relationship. The audience are presented with a boy and girl
waking up together as a first shot to the narrative. The conflict occurs when the female finds
an earring in the bed of the male character. This suggests infidelity. I strongly believe this
conveys the convention of common music video of the genre due to the research I did in the
music videos of the genre having themes of infidelity.
The male character enters the room and the female confronts him, the use of anger is a strong
convention of the common music video of the genre. This is through the video usually matching
the music effectively. The use of camera angles keeps eye level of both characters, subverting
from the convention of typical music videos due to the camera following the person with the
higher status.
The male character is pushed out of the door challenging Andrew Goodwyne’s theory through
the use of giving the female character the higher status in this scene of the video. The male
character stands below the female character on the stairs further highlighting the subversion
of Goodwyne’s theory.
The male character leaves the house while the female character could be seen to be a ‘damsel in
distress’ being convention of typical music videos, due to the character needing to be saved
emotionally.
The use of costumes relates to Mulvey’s theory through the use of the female character being
shown in revealing clothing, showing her legs, this, in a way, subjectifies the female character
further linking to Goodwyne’s theory. I believe I effectively initially give both characters a
equal power stance through the costume, both being revealed in a certain way.
Furthermore, in the performance, all characters are wearing smart clothes challenging the
convention of music video of a similar genre, who tend to wear casual clothing. The bands
vocalist wears black with a white shirt and black tie, this foreshadows the death of the
character in the narrative due to the strong connotations of black signifying death. Also, black
being a colour worn at funerals.
The male character drives away, linking to the freedom of the male character within the
narrative, while the female is subjugated to the confinements of the house in which they live.
This relates to Muly’s theory of females being objectified, this conveys the stereotype of
2. typical music videos of my genre as the female gender are seen as weak highlighting Propp’s
theory a ‘Damsel in Distress’ (commonly seen as a film theory)