2. Q1: In what ways does your media
product use, develop or challenge
forms and conventions of real media
products?
3. Here is a couple of screen grabs showing the
main male character in different costumes, the
point I am making is the amount of costume
changes within our music video, this is very
typical of any other music video and relates to
Goodwin’s theory. It slots into demands of the
record label and is about the stars persona
selling them to the audience. It is also
conventional of the alternative/inde genre
which is where our music video falls. An
example of this is in Florence and the machines
song ‘Say my name’ , in this video Florence
changes costume many different times allowing
the audience watching to relate to her and also
to take inspiration from her due to her fashion
sense and possible ideas for trend setting. It
makes the star more desirable and also more
likeable to the audience. Throughout out our
music video the main male character and also
the female character have many different
costume changes keeping their fashion relevant
and helping to sell the star.
4. This over the shoulder shot of the male character looking at the female character is showing
the conventions of a typical music video by setting up the narrative. It carries on to be a shot
reverse shot showing the characters in conversation and laughing, this is setting up the
narrative for the rest of the video. The shot reverse shot is a typical shot type used within
alterative/inde music videos as it is used when portraying a narrative between two
characters, this being an argument or a normal conversation etc. The combination of a
narrative during the music video and the rest of the performance is to be expected from
alternative/inde music videos as it makes them more interesting. An example of this is in Alt-
J’s music video ‘Breezeblocks’ where the male character is talking to another female character
expressing concern and distress.
5. Either side are screen shots
showing the amount of
different and varied locations
used within our music video.
This challenges most music
videos made by alternative
bands. In our music video I
counted that we used 15
different locations compared
to watching Alt-J’s ‘Something
Good’ video where there are
only 5 different locations used,
and even less in within
‘Breezeblocks’ where there are
only 4. Although even though
slightly challenging the
conventions of the genre our
music video falls in to, I feel it
improves our video helping to
build a believable and linear
story line.
6. On this slide are examples of how we
have used lighting to creative an
emotive tone and portray to the
audience how the characters are
feeling. As can been seen fairylights
have been used in both of this scenes
creating dim low key lighting. This low
key is used alot in the alternative genre
as it creates a atmosphere -
and emits an emotive tone which is
what the video intends to express
due to alternative/inde music
video’s having more serious
storylines. I feel we have achieved
this convention of our genre quite
well expressing feeling through our
video effectively.
7. Here is an example of visuals and lyrics
which is one of Goodwin’s theories. The
song just said “so pour it out before you
go” and the female character just poured a
glass of water over the male actor. This is a
common convention used throughout
many different music videos and genre’s. It
helps to connect the music video to the
song. Bottom left is another example of us
using visuals and lyrics as the main male
character is singing “the mirrors in the sky”
and then pointing towards the sky which
the camera then follows. This convention
can been seen being using in Alt-J’s
‘Breezeblocks video which has the murder
weapon as a breezeblock.
8. Here are screen grabs showing our main male
character looking down the camera and
creating a direct gaze with the audience. This
is one of Goodwin’s theories called Notions
of Looking. This is a convention that is
strongly used within the pop genre but not
so much in the alterative. Therefore we are
challenging the convention. An example of
this not being used is in the screen shot
below from the XX’s music video ‘Chained’.
The character is looking past the camera and
never directly into it. I have noticed this is the
case with many alternative videos. I think by
including this convention in our music video
we help to increase our male characters
vulnerability and also allows the audience to
identify with him.
9. To the left are two screen grabs I have
taken which display some of the different
filters we have used upon our video e.g.
colour process and also the effects we
have used like cross dissolve. This
convention of filtering and effects is
commonly used throughout all music
genres and boosts our music video into
being conventional of a real music video.
Effects and filters are used quite alot
within alternative music videos as they
aim to be original and provide the
audience with interesting shots.
These effects and filters help to make our
music video more original and also to
increase our creativity with our shots.
10. The screen grabs I have selected above show that our music video is very conventional to all
genres as a whole based on the subject of love. We have a male and female character that
are encountering problems which is a theme present in many real music videos. To try and fit
this more solely to the alternative genre we have dressed them in alterative clothing and also
based it a lot on just one male and female which whilst doing research is something I
noticed. Within the alternative/indie genre when a love story is portrayed it is mostly based
on only one couple and that it also tells a story through the use of interesting shots.
To the right are
images from real
music videos
showing couples.
11. Our magazine advert has been created very
much with the idea in mind of following to
the conventions of the alternative theme.
For this we have planned a shoot and taken
an unusual image. The layout is simplistic
yet effective much alike other
alterative/inde advertisements. It has been
framed to have the advertisements for
where you can get the song from at the
bottom. The name of the band and the
single are central to the advert and the
record label is in the top right of the advert
‘XL RECORDINGS’. The image relates
effectively to the music video and also
digipak having the girl hide her face, ergo
the female character wanting to hide from
the arguments. Overall I think it fits
effectively into the expected conventions of
an alternative genre advert. It has an
interesting and original image which is also
simplistic and effective.
12. Within our digipak we have used
quite simplistic and understated
images. Many mainstream
artists mostly within the pop
culture catch your eye and draw
you in through the use of lots of
colour and strange
outfits/makeup. This is not
always necessarily needed,
simpler images can be just as
effective.
Here is an example of a front
cover used within the pop
genre. I feel that it is too in
This image of her face your face and prefer the much
straight on is an image more simplistic front of
that would usually be alternative music.
more conventional of the
pop genre, therefore
here we are challenging
the convention although To the left is an example of
This image of Paloma inspired I do feel it has worked another album cover from the
our idea for the front cover, well to express and alternative genre. As you can
portray the feel we see it is a lot less in your face
being simplistic and effective wanted. and screaming to grab
fitting into the convention of attention.
the alternative genre.
