1. IN WHAT WAY DOES YOUR MEDIA
PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE
FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL
MEDIA PRODUCTS?
Before the construction process I investigated the
forms and conventions of existing products to apply
to my own. I investigated this by researching
theorists and the genre ‘indie’, which required
studying music videos belonging within this
particular genre. This broaden my knowledge and
understanding, making sure my media product more
successful.
2. Narrative structure
Music video
Joan lynch stated that there are three basic video structures;
performance, narrative and concept. I felt that a narrative
structure would suit the song best and capture the
emotion/friendship that I planned on creating. A narrative
structure is also very conventional for the indie genre, it’s left up
to the audiences imagination.
A relationship between the lyrics and visuals-
Goodwin
A relationship between the music and visuals
I decided to be conventional and pair the music with the
visuals. I did this by editing the visuals in time with the beat
of the music, adjusting its speed. I mainly stuck to
decreasing the speed of shots to match the calmness of the
song, especially towards the end.
I opted to be conventional and follow Goodwins
theory, by relating the visuals to the lyrics. The main
way I did this was the storyline, the song is called
‘Tonight’ so I based my idea around the transition
between day and night. My music video is all about
friendship, I showed this by fitting the group in the
same frame when the lyric ‘Together’ was sung,
portraying the importance of. ‘You bring me to life’, I
reflected this with the use of sparklers, which have
been lit and brought to life, just like each person in the
group in affected by one another; light is also symbolic
of life. Reflecting the lyrics and visuals together was a
frequent point that was said during my focus group,
they said that it added a heart warming feeling.
Andrew Goodwin
To the left are some
examples of the shots I
have edited to fit the music.
3. Genre
Music video
Editing
Most indie genre videos would incorporate
special effects to either make it run
smoothly or to create an effect that makes
the audience feel engaged and part of
the music video. Shots are usually cut fast
or slow to reflect the pace/beat of the
song, which links to Goodwin's theory.
Effects are commonly added over the top
of the video to create an old and worn out
look. I have gone against this popular
convention as I haven’t used any effects,
only natural lighting. I felt that my music
video didn’t need added effects as the
lighting was warming and created a retro
look already.
Particular music genres have their own music video style and
iconography- Andrew Goodwin
The home video style in which my video is
filmed is commonly used within the ‘indie’
genre. I tried to portray my video in a way
that documents friendship, keeping the
filming as natural as possible and not
staging anything.
Throughout my research I investigated the
conventional ways to make my music video fit
within the correct genre. To follow this
convention I collated information from mise en
scene to editing.
4. Mise en scene
Throughout my research I looked at
costumes that were conventional to
the genre. Stereotypical costume for
indie music tend to be smart casual,
generally involving clothing such as
jeans and shirts. The clothing reflects
the artist giving them a relaxed
carefree look; indie artists are not
all about appearance unlike
somebody such as Lady Gaga, who
is known for the way she looks. This
is convention I have followed by
getting my cast to wear casual and
denim clothing. When the audience
see the clothing they are
immediately aware of the genre of
music the video belongs to.
An example of this convention
conforming this convention is the
band kooks; their clothing
matches the genre of music.
Location
Indie music videos are known
to be quite low budget, using
locations which can be
accessed easily. The settings
are kept simple because it is
typical of indie music videos
to focus more on the
artist/performance. It is key to
chose the right location, this
will create an atmosphere and
feeling that is enhanced by
the music. I think I have done
this successfully as I have
followed the conventions of an
‘indie’ location which creates
a relaxing, calming mood just
like the song.
A real media example
of this convention
(location) is Ben Howards
song ‘Keep your head
up’. The location reflects
the genre and calming
atmosphere of the song.
5. Representation
Music video
Teenage stereotypes
After gender and ethnicity, age is the most obvious category
under which we file people, and there are a whole range of
instant judgements which go along with that categorisation;
violent, careless, hoodies etc. I have challenged the convention
of the portrayal of youths as I have reflected them in a
positive light, although some aspects of my music video some
might say follow this convention. The male actors appear to
be wearing hoodies towards the end of the video and some
of their actions can be seen as dangerous, such as walking of
bridges and using sparklers and fire. However this convention
is portrayed differently in my music video, as these actions
are hidden behind the enjoyment and friendship that is shown.
The youths featuring in my music video are not doing any
harm, or showing a negative attitude, instead they are
creating a warming video and behaving in a good manner.
‘Running’ by Lust for youths, is an example
of a real media product reflecting and
living up to the negative representation of
youths in society; drinking, smoking,
hoodies, going out at night etc.
6. Enjoyment
My music video is aimed at 17-19
year olds, by casting people of a
similar age I have created a
connection between them and my
demographic. This then becomes more
personal to my target audience as
they will be experiencing similar
situations in life as my cast. The
timeline of friendship shown throughout
my video depicts the ‘perfect’ fun
day/night out, which my demographic
will be inspired by and possibly want
to re create, they will then feel similar
emotions shown in this group of
friends.
7. Conventions of layout
Ancillary products
For an upcoming artist you would except
to see alot of information displayed on
the advert and digipak, due to the fact
that their fan base would be small and
in need of expanding, so giving more
information to possible fans is important.
However I have not included a vast
amount of information, only what I think
are the main points. The reason for me
doing this is because I wanted to follow
the convention of a minimalist design
within the ‘indie’ genre. I have created a
level of mystery, attracting my audience
mainly with the image.
Integration of text and image
Font
During my research I found that the use of fonts was basic and the variety
was limited. Often the artists name would appear in their own typography
and the rest in sans serif so that it doesn’t take away the power of the artists
name and to prevent distraction from the visuals. I have followed this
convention as I have used the bands current logo found on Google and only
used one other font style for the rest of the information, so decreasing the
chance of the product becoming chaotic.
8. Conventions of panels
The front cover of digipaks tend to have a large
eye catching picture, something that portrays the
artist and has relevance to the song, I have
conformed with this in my design. Again, I kept
the layout of the back panel conventional by
having a track list, image, record label and
copyright logo. Also social networking logos as in
todays society social media is very popular and
the majority of my target audience use it,
therefore I included social networking sites such
as Facebook to make them aware of sites the
artists are active on. Lastly, including the obvious
conventional feature, a barcode so that my
digipak can be purchased.
Conventions of a Magazine advert
Like my digipak I chose to follow all
conventions strictly, by including release date,
album title, artist name and record label. I
also included the place of purchase, iTunes,
due to this being the popular music site as my
demographic have more and are closer to
technology. During my research I found that
it’s conventional for the album and advert
image to be the same, as you can see I have
complied with this too. I felt it was important
to show a connection between the two
products.
Colour
Blue is the colour of
the sky and sea. It is
often associated with
depth and stability,
symbolising trust and
loyalty. I chose to
photograph my
image during dusk to
capture the different
shades of blues which
reflect the calmness
and relaxation of the
song. Three of the
panels on my digipak
include black, which is
associated with night.
