media evaluation question one

1. EVALUATION QUESTION ONE
IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MUSIC PROMOTIONAL PACKAGE USE,
DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF EXISTING
MUSIC PROMOTIONAL PACKAGES?

2. BEFORE WE EVEN GOT STARTED…
Before moving on to create our own music video and promotional
packaging, we thoroughly researched existing girl groups and what was
conventional for the pop genre. We then became up to date with what
was modern, popular, iconic in our chosen genre. We looked at music our
target audience would generally watch such as Beyoncé, Taylor Swift,
Megan Trainor ect. We then decided that groups were incredibly popular
so therefore explored the promotional packages of groups such as fifth
harmony, little mix, destiny’s child and girls aloud.

3. MUSIC VIDEO THEORY
• Our music video clearly follows several theory’s such as Simon Frith’s and Richard Dyer’s.
Simon Frith’s theory is generally followed in our video as we have composed a
performance music video. The reason behind this was that after research into existing
girl groups, we found that this was the most generic type of video for the genre and
therefore we would be complying with the conventions of existing videos.
• Our performance video effectively allows there to be a ‘star presence’ and lets the
audience watch the real artists sing their songs. This then means that the stars gain a
wider fan base and become more popular as they are admired and people want to keep
up to date with their latest appearances, fashions and obviously, the music.
• Richard Dyer’s star theory also stated that icons and celebrities are manufactured by
institutions and constructed to represent ‘real people.’ Considering our target audience I
believe that we have complied with this theory in creating three ‘characters’ that are
dressed similar to others their age and the song is correct for the age and gender of the
audience we are trying to attract. Basically this means that as our ‘characters’ are not too
dissimilar and ‘out there’ they become more relatable to the target audience, making
them more likeable and inspiring as role models.
• We also considered Andrew Goodwin’s theory and in areas incorporated a hint of
narrative to our video. An example of this is when the rap says ‘ on the phone like where
are you now’ flicks to a shot of Amelia on her phone which could suggest some kind of
relationship to the audience.

4. LOCATION AND SETTING
• The locations we chose were accessible as well as contributed to our ‘grunge’ style of music video. We chose
to film at the back of some shops under fire escape doors, against a brick wall and railings, and at an
underpass. These locations together combined to create a successful, effective video that showed continuity
and linked our shots together. Here I have taken 16 screen grabs to exemplify how fitting the locations were,
so they didn’t look out of place or weird to our audience.

5. • As you can see all 16 frames have a ‘theme’ which ensured our video looked professional and was
right for our target audience. For this video we were inspired by some of the other locations MO
had filmed different songs in, as well as locations that little mix and fifth Harmony had used.
• we did not begin with these locations as we filmed our first draft we realised that the locations
and different in lighting looked uneven and random. We changed from filming in the
amphitheatre as we felt it looked too similar to our preliminary task and also collected a lot of
wind! This meant that the hair In our face made for some embarrassing shots which were funny
to watch however weren’t conventional in any of the existing videos we had seen!
• The blue fire escape doors look great with our blue denim outfits. This was conventional in a LOT
of existing videos by girl groups as it always seems to look effective composition wise when the
outfit matches the setting. It did again ‘ match our ‘grunge’ look we were going for too and
created the right mise en scene for the genre and the lyrics.
• Inspired by Chicago the musical with all the girls dancing at the railings of prison cells we decided
that the black railings would be iconic in terms of uniting a female audience who would more
than likely be aware of the film and song that went with the original. Again this also matched our
black and white outfits creating an effective composition.
• Finally, the underpass linked to the rap genre mostly as this was where we filmed the rap bridge
of the song, we felt that after researching existing videos it was always conventional to change
the setting of the video into something that was directly relatable to the rappers style. The
underpass featured graffiti that we agreed was iconic for rap videos and also created the correct
mise en scene for our video.

6. UNDERPASS
BACK OF TESCO
PICTURE WE TOOK INFRONT OF
FIRE ESCAPE DOORS

7. COSTUME AND PROPS
• Again, from the screen grabs you can see the three different costumes we chose to wear in our
music video. We chose to have the ‘Yeezy’ style khaki outfits as after researching videos we found
that more recent videos were featuring the artist in this style of clothing, an example of this is
Beyoncé in the trailer we saw for her new album ‘lemonade.’ As this is a current fashion directly
linked to Kanye West (a famous rapper) we agreed this would be the best outfit to wear in the rap
location as it was conventional for this specific genre and would therefore attract a wider
audience who were interested In that fashion.
• We also chose to film one location in an outfit that incorporated denim. We decided that after
watching existing MO videos and using this outfit in our preliminary video it united us as a group
as it was the easiest to match with one another.
• The black and white outfits we chose to include as every single girl group we looked into had a
music video where at some point they were wearing a black and/or white outfit. Therefore this
immediately meant that we were conforming to the conventions of existing promotional packages
specific to our genre.
• We didn’t really use props in our video except from when Amelia and Aisha are seen on their
phones. This was to give subtle hints of narrative as the audience wonders who is on the other
end of the line and it is later revealed as the rapper as the lyrics he sings also hint this.

9. CAMERA WORK
• The camera work throughout our video consists majorly of close ups, medium shots that are level or at high
and low angles. The close ups are important in the pop genre especially with female artists as it emphasises
their whole appearance and gives them a bigger identity. In groups it also makes it easier for the audience to
follow who is singing the song. We wanted a fun and flirty feel without the video being inappropriate for our
audience. The shots taking selfies and the natural shots of us laughing and winking convey a ‘fun’ feel and
also emphasise how relatable we are to our target audience as these are all obvious things that girls would
be doing at that age. Incorporating close ups helped us achieve that relationship with the audience and artist
that we were initially going for.
• Another aspect of the camera work I think is important to mention Is the part where Amelia covers the
camera with her hand. The hand then comes away from the lens only to reveal Aischa as she begins to sing
her verse. We were always set on trying to incorporate unique cuts and changes so that the video had
repeatability and it was enjoyable to watch for the viewers.
• We also made the camera track the majority of Ashley’s rap. This encourages the audiences involvement as
he looks directly at the camera, seeming like he is rapping to the audience. As he is also attractive this helps
to target our audience of teenage girls as they would probably talk to their friends about the feature which
would create more talk about the group, promoting them and the song. This links back to star appeal and
how people enjoy watching certain artists on screen.

10. EDITING
• FLASH CUTS –(short cuts) As we had around 100 shots in our music video I feel its safe to say we definitely incorporated a lot of
these!
• JUMP CUTS- having different close ups in the same setting meant the focus figure was changing although the setting remained the
same.
• MIRROR FX- We used the mirror effect to emphasise the fun of dancing and that is why they are specifically on these shots so our
audience looks forward to them.
• COOKIE CUTTER- we used this effect on some of our shots to ensure the focus was kept directly on the group. It also encourages
the audience to feel more involved and important in the video.
• BLACK AND WHITE FILTER-the black and white effect we weren’t sure about however after receiving positive feedback we
concluded we would keep them in the video. I believe this challenges the pop genre as the videos are always really bright and
colourful, this doesn’t conform to that however I do believe its made the video more effective and exciting.
• BRIGHTNESS AND CONTRAST-we had to use this tool to ensure continuity and a professional look throughout our video. We used
this tool when the brightness was obviously different in some of the locations as we didn’t want them to look random and out of
place.
• THOUGHT BEATS- the thought beats were the most important thing in our video as it meant that we edited the visuals to go
alongside the music. This is a common convention in most pop genre videos. Some of our split repeated shots are an example of
this as as the music stutters, so does the video.
• REVERSE EDITING- to add another aspect of repeatability to our video we reversed some of the shots, for example when Ashley
walks into shot it then looks as if he walks back out and in again. This simply makes the video more interesting and captures the
audiences attention.

12. DIGIPAK
• The digipak effectively creates synergy across media products along
with the original video and poster. Ours successfully follows the codes
and conventions of a typical digipak in this genre to ensure it reaches
its target audience.
P
Y
T
DANCE ON MY OWN
On the front of the digipak there is a picture of all three of us lined
up against a brick wall. This shows continuity as we filmed against
a brick wall in the original music video. Aischa and Amelia look
directly at the camera creating an intimate relationship between
the audience and artist, drawing them in.
I decided to use a bold white font for the cover. The fonts I
used were ‘BASIC TITLE’ and ‘AR BONNIE.’ I believe these
fonts make the cover girly and exciting whilst also being eye
catching for the audience. The fonts a fairly plain and simple
as I wanted to main attention to be on the image of the group
and I didn’t want a cluttered cover as most of the existing
ones were simple which was more effective.
On the back of the digipak it is conventional for the
track list to be featured. This means that before the
audience buys it they can see and decide if they want
to purchase it.
Conventional traits on all digipaks are the copyright
information and barcode.
For the back of the digipak I chose to use an image I had previously
shot when deciding on locations. The metal steps help give that
‘grunge’ feel and as I applied a filter over it as well as changed the
contrast, it goes with the front cover creating a theme.
The backing of the CD is a grey/brown brick wall. This
compliments the back and cover of the digipak as it’s a
similar tone. It again exemplifies continuity as one of our
filing locations was against a brick wall.
The brick wall contrasts with the backing and
therefore stands out. We are wearing the same
costume as the front cover and the font remains the
same ensuring that it is kept simple and effective.
To promote our song further I have added a
quote from the single on the CD. I tried to pick
the most memorable line other than ‘dance on
my own’ so it was relatable and one that would
present the music genre as fun, upbeat and
‘feel good.’

13. POSTER
Name is included- Continuity and synergy are
presented here as the font/logo remains the
same style and colour as the digipak.
Including the icon for ITunes and amazon is
conventional within music posters as it
gives the audience several options
explaining where they can find music by
this group.
In our music video there are several shots of the group
taking selfies. The fact that we are wearing the same
outfits and in the ‘selfie style’ it means that we can
continue our theme throughout our promotional
packaging which is common through practically all artists
material.
Link to social media to entice the
audience and get them to search the
group as they’ll most likely be
interested and our target audience is
also predictably going to have a big
social media presence
To make poster unique and different from others, I decided to
manipulate the images and repeat them three times on top of
each other. I found this made the poster more interesting and
eye catching. I initially did this because It linked with the fact
there are three members of the group and three letters in PYT.
Including information
about a feature to gain a
broader audience.
Same font and album name (songs
name) promotes the group and the
video
Including a picture of the digipak I thought was
a clever idea as it means people will already
know what it looks like before they see it and
will therefore be more attracted to it when
they do as it’s in their memory
These are all common conventions of a promotional poster, the digipack follows common conventions too. I decided to use
common conventions in order to make sure the product would be successful. Because the group is not be so well known and
popular, I decided it would be best to stick to common promotions. I was mainly inspired by Little Mix’ promotional packages as
they are suddenly becoming extremely successful and marketing and promotions is key to their success keeping it simple with the
main focus on the group.