exactly what you would expect - and more

1. In what ways does your media
product use, develop or challenge
forms and conventions of real media products?

2. Ancillary 1: Album Advert

3. My music advert is a minimalistic A4 piece
designed on Photoshop. You can expect to see
this kind of media text as a wall poster or as a
page of a magazine.
There is one image, an out-of-focus long-shot of
the Beetham Tower from a low angle. The album
title and release date are situated in the top
right-hand corner, whereas the description is in a
small text along the bottom. I believe the look I
have achieved is professional, having followed
the conventions of multiple existing media texts.
The setting is urban and stands alone, isolated in
the skyline. It is a modern landmark of
Manchester.
Big cities and
landmarks are often
used in the
electronic genre, an
example being the
art of Views by
Drake (hip hop –
similar)

4. The font style is written in a form of Gothic which, like the
photography, is minimalist. It is a sans serif font with no demand
for attention, but looks aesthetically pleasing in the same way.
This is almost stereotypical of the indie genre who favour
aesthetic over flamboyance of design, recognisable in the advert
artwork for Modern Baseball shown here.
Likewise, there is no image manipulation in post-production. The
image was taken on a 50mm lens where the focus placed the
Building in the background rather than the foreground, so it is out of focus and produces a
bokeh effect. The photograph looks pleasing without taking away from what it is actually
an image of. It does not demand attention, and when the viewer sees it they do not think
in particular about the building itself but the nature of the image.
Lighting is very important in the electro genre but also
in the indie, and in this manner it plays a big part in all
three of my media products. On a simple level, the
plethora of light circles look pretty.
In addition, my album artwork has an aesthetically
used framework around the edges. I haven’t seen this
used before, but have taken my own spin on frames
and aesthetic and developed my own design idea.

5. Most media texts follow
the Guttenberg Design
Principle. I have ensured
that my main text stands
out by moving it to the
strong fallow area and
ensuring that there are
minimal colours
underneath it. This is a
convention of real media
products.
Unfocused lights look
aesthetically pleasing
and create indie vibes
and emotion rather
than focusing on natural
quality of photograph
or the subject of the
photograph in itself.
A lot of these adverts
are bombarded with
information for the
reader to digest, but
this challenges typical
designs by inviting the
reader to find out the
information for
themselves. As the
product is naturally
targeted at a very niche
demographic, it should
work well for its
purpose as an
advertisement
Explanation of what the advert is actually about, telling the reader that the CD is being released. This advert
works by reinforcing an image (like many real album releases uses the same imagery as the digipak) but
challenges convention owing to the small nature of the actual description. I believe this is still effective.

6. Ancillary 2: Album Digipak

7. The main inspiration for my digipak
was taken from the album
‘Gossamer’ by Passion Pit. The design
styles show very distinguishable
similarities. For instance, the use of
the minimalist art style and focus on
colour and emotion rather than
image quality.
However, the inside pages of my
digipak follow the same minimalistic
art approach, whereas most
(including Gossamer’s) feature a
variety of more images and lyrics to
each song.
My pages are all a dark blue gradient,
but each of the pages contains a
significant lyric to a song that is
featured.

8. CD digipaks have to contain specific information which is important for the sale and for the
customer’s information. These are all evidenced on the front and back pages of the
flattened product, and including these features allows mine to appear realistic and follow
convention.
List of all the
songs which
feature on the
album –
everything you
will receive on the
CD if you invest in
the digipak.
Address of the
record label,
website and record
label’s logo
Informative spine – contains the
name of the group, the name of the
album, and the sort code.
Barcode and price
All necessary information about
the copyright law and the record
label’s right to their own product
The artist
name and
album title
both central
to the cover
like Passion
Pit’s
‘Manners’

9. The most significant colour used is blue, associated with depth and stability, wisdom,
intelligence and truth. It is calming to humans in the way that it is beneficial to their mind
and body, and so I believed this colour would work effectively as a metaphor rather than
using images. Unlike most CD digipaks, no linear narrative is encoded into the artwork. This
is arguably unconventional, but in the indie genre there is naturally less of a focus on
narrative and more often on conceptual ideas, so this becomes insignificant and cannot be
described as unique.
In this way, my product is typical of the indie genre in its focus on conceptual style rather
than typical narrative.

10. Main Product: Music Video

11. The setting of my music video is recognisably
Manchester, from the performance shots in St.
Albert’s Square to the long shot of the Beetham
Tower. Urban environments and big cities like
Manchester are popularly seen in music videos of
this genre, reflecting noise and life. Rural areas
are less conventional.
An example of this is the music video for BeFoUr
by Zayn which is, like mine, set in central
Manchester.

12. In addition, the setting allows me to introduce the binary
opposition of business versus isolation.
The shots of large buildings in the mise en scene and people
moving contrast directly with the open space of St. Albert’s
Square and my character separating himself from the rest of
society.
However, one interpretation of the ending is that it is like a
tragedy. After all the separation, the character still has to live
life like (and with) everyone else, which we see through him
ready to board a bus or a tram. The point it does make is that
every human being has their own story, and to be aware of
the individuals within society. The possibility of it being a
tragic ending is heightened with the conclusive medium shot
of a puddle and rain (directly contrasting uplifting/bright
shots elsewhere in the video) however this is open to
interpretation. There is an art to the mundane we are all
used to, and it is about being open to recognise it all.

13. The costume and props, as agreed by everyone in my focus group, is very conventional of
the indie genre. My protagonist is dressed in minimalist denim with a hoodie. The black and
blue mix is stylish whilst basic. An artist in the genre that often dresses this way is Matty
Healy from ‘The 1975’.
Furthermore, I have developed on this genre convention by adding the prop of circular
sunglasses. These not only reflect the individuality at the heart of my conceptual video but
serve as a metaphor, conveying the happiness the protagonist feels. Although the weather
is not perfect, he sees it as sunny and won’t let the possibility of looking foolish stand in the
way of his own contentedness.

14. The flower handed to the camera at 2.07 seconds in is a recognisable moment in the
video and, as many in my focus group agree, oddly pleasing to watch.
This was my idea. The single flower on the urban landscape connotes the natural beauty
of being an individual in a society like ours. This is also the only shot in the performance
(after the beginning but before the end) when the protagonist removes his sunglasses
and looks directly into the camera. This forms a relationship with the audience.
In this way, the character’s traits are reflected in the beauty of the pink flower and the
removal of his glasses makes the motion appear more honest and meaningful.

15. Camerawork and editing is generally an important part of
all music videos. I have not had the technical equipment to
create some of the effects present in existing media
products, I have had the ability to do other creative work
with the camera.
The focus shift which opens my video uses the bokeh effect,
a technique which I have explained previously on my blog. I
have seen the focus shift used in other music videos like
ASAP Rocky’s LSD, but the shaped aesthetic of the bokeh is
something I have only seen in photography. This doesn’t
necessarily challenge conventional approaches to this form
of media but is my way of developing my own style of
footage through research and, in my opinion, works
strongly to represent the genre of the video. The bokeh
shapes are aesthetically powerful.

16. In addition, I
believe my
video somewhat
challenges
convention by
using carefree
performance
shots. Normally
in music videos
all dance and
performance is
heavily
choreographed
and routine to
look
professional and
without
mistakes. This is
in the majority if
not all real
media products.
An example of
this clever
choreography is
the video for ‘A
Change of
Heart’ by The
1975. Despite
not having a
professional
choreographer
at hand, I do not
think my video
is damaged by
this. The lack of
professionalism
pays tribute to
the art of being
human, where
making mistakes
and embracing
them is the
beauty of the
process.

17. The non-linear narrative to my video
opens by establishing the
juxtaposition between all of the
people moving in the city and the
individuality represented by the
protagonist by himself. He is
introduced to the video slowly
through close ups, an idea of my own
that I have not seen in other existing
products.
The theme is set up in the opening
with the quickly increasing merriness
of the protagonist. From being sat
down and singing quietly to himself,
he begins to open up and lifts
himself from the bench and begins to
dance euphorically around, putting
an individual and human spin on the
hustle and bustle of everyone
around.

18. The cultural theorist Stuart Hall wrote the
encoding/decoding model in the 1970s.
He said that a text is encoded with certain
ideas by the producer, but it is the job of the
audience to decode these messages and take
their own take on what they see. In short -
Hall’s encoding and decoding model argued
the audience is not a passive recipient of
meaning.
How a member of a given audience decodes a
media text is largely based on, Hall’s second
idea, reception theory. He states that the
audience interprets the meanings of any
media text based on their individual cultural
background and life experiences
(age/gender/class/cultural
background/poltical views/circumstances of
exhibition, etc)
My video is encoded to be of the indie genre
through character, narrative, iconography,
setting, and style.
Genre elements Conventions of the indie/electronic genre
presented in my video
Characters
Portrayed by a 20 year old typically attractive
white male
Recognises himself as an individual,
demonstrates the beauty in the simple act of
being human.
Narrative
Non-linear but chronological in time of day
(following the lyrics of the song)
Protagonist being happy as an individual but then
rejoining everyone else at the end, symbolic of
a) How everyone in society is an individual
b) Nobody in society can truly be an individual
Iconography
Sunglasses – Sun, happiness, individual style and
art of being human
Pink flower – handed to the camera, no graphic
match with the rest of footage is representative
of the individual and the idea of beauty being
standing out.
Setting
Urban – Manchester, people moving, emphasises
difference between the moving crowds and the
singular protagonist
Style
Informal, colourful, bright lights – typical of the
genre
Neale’s ‘Mental
Machinery’
Leaves some audience members with something
to think about at the end, rather than being
something passive for them to find
entertainment from. Conventional performance
piece but intertwined with stylistic ideas/binary
oppositions and character representations which
challenge conventional “love story” narratives.

19. Even for viewers outside of my
niche target demographic, I would
say that my video (although it
may not be understood
conceptually) is still largely
enjoyable to watch.
The opening 10 seconds of
footage shows a focus shift onto a
carousel which reads,
summarising one easier reading
of the video, “for your
enjoyment”
Happiness is infectious and, when
the main character in my final edit
is being cheery and dancing with
foolish jubilance, it’s hard not to
smile along with him.

20. One convention of real music videos is using audio other than just the song to link
narrative and style to the media text. This separates the viewing experience of the
music video from being just listening to the song to becoming its own experience. This
tends to be included before or after the video begins. For instance, in Passion Pit’s
video for ‘Take a Walk’, it begins with a title screen and the sound of birds tweeting
before leading on to the artist lying on the ground outdoors.
Alternatively, it is used in the
middle of the video, such as in
James Blunt’s ‘Postcards’ which
switches to playing his famous
‘You’re Beautiful’ at three minutes
in. This is used for narrative effect
and as a postmodern technique
to make the video self referential.
I have developed on this audio
by overlapping the narrative sound
effect of a bus departing at 2.48.
This acts like a sound bridge, tying
the narrative closely into the song
and heightening the significance of
the protagonist’s departure.

21. To tie all of these features taken from and developed on from existing media products,
each clip of footage is connected with either a soft transition, such as a cross dissolve or a
dip to black, or else a jump cut. These are typically used in not just existing music videos
but in all other footage based media texts, from advertisements to video games.