Q.1 of evaluation

1. IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT
USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND
CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?

2. VIDEO
Following Conventions
• Fairly conventional to have a title
appear near the beginning of the
video
• Reference to the notion of looking
(as stated by theorist Andrew
Goodwin)- this was done with an
extreme close up of eyes and also
through screens within screens

3. • Variation of shot lengths- from
extreme close ups to longshots
• Cross cutting between two
timelines of narrative and
performance. Our actor who plays
the lead singer of the band who
also plays the protagonist in the
narrative (like Dan Smith) so two
different outfits were worn for
each role to avoid confusion

4. • Active camera movement in a
music video
• Ambient shots set the mood for
the scene. These bright, sun
soaked shots imply optimism and
warmth.

5. • Close-ups of actor/ singer to achieve
star appeal- this was a convention
according to Andrew Goodwin
• Bastille have a theme of running
away in their videos- most notably
seen in Bastille so we replicated it.
The idea of a man running from his
problems supports David Gauntlett’s
theory of masculinity in crisis which
suggests with the increasing power
of women, men are losing their
identity. The fact the male
protagonist finds comfort in a strong
female also conforms with his idea
of girl power.

6. • There is a relationship between
visuals and music(Andrew Goodwin)-
shots are cut to the beat or the action
within the shot is e.g. the foot comes
down and makes contact with the
step at the same time as a synth beat.
As the music drops out slightly just
before It explodes into the chorus we
used a fade to black transition which
illustrated this fade in music. The
general colour scheme of the video
brightened as the song progressed.
Once the final chorus (i.e. the climax)
initiates, the visuals move completely
away from any dull greys of the city
and towards all nature shots which
are full of light greens of the trees
and orange/ yellows of the sunlight. It
reflects the positive mood change

7. • An intertextual reference is made
to other Bastille videos. This is
through their fabricated company
‘Wild World Communications’
which features in other of
Bastille’s video from this album.
We referenced it by having the
protagonist watch one of their
news broadcasts in the intro. The
company’s logo can be seen in
‘Fake It’ (bottom left) and ‘Send
Them Off’ (bottom right)
• Andrew Goodwin proclaims that
intertextuality is a convention of
music videos.

8. Challenging Convention
• We challenged the convention of there
being an establishing shot at the start of a
video/ action sequence set in a new
location. This was because we felt it was
more important to jump straight to the
action.
• Conventionally, most filming is done in
focus and with a steady camera. We made a
stylistic choice however to blur some shots
and use a shaky camera effect. The camera
was purposely out of focus to show the lack
of identity and individuality in
contemporary society. The shaky POV shot
suggests he is unprepared for the journey
and that it was a spontaneous reaction to
the situation. Also, generally, it is more
immersive for the audience.

9. Narrative Theories
• Claude Levi Strauss suggests that any
narrative will contain binary opposites.
This is true to an extent for our video.
The most obvious being the contrast
between sadness/anger and happiness/
comfort from the start and end. Man v
Nature also has relevance because it
begins in an urban, city setting with a
emphasis on the presence of technology
and eventually transitions into a natural
forest setting. To an extent there is also
an opposite in the battle of grey vs
colour.
VS
VS
VS

10. • Our video develops Todorov’s five stage
structure theory. I would argue that our
narrative hits 3 of the 5. I don’t believe we
have his first stage of a state of equilibrium
at the outset. Ours skips this part and starts
immediately at the second, a disruption to
the equilibrium by some action. I’d also
argue that there is no recognition of this
disruption (third). The protagonist’s attempt
to repair the disruption (fourth) is to run
from his problems. The fifth stage is also
met when equilibrium is restored shown by
him finding comfort in a loved one.