Evaluation on practical coursework; music video.

1. In what ways does your media products use, develop and
challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Dancing
Lasers
Friends/Community
Sexualised
items/people,
sexual activities
Drugs &
Alcohol
Fast-paced
editing
Lights
Nightlife/
Party
Lifestyle
Because my music video is of a Drum & Bass genre, it holds a
narrative but is abstract at the same time, my music video also
consists of all of the forms and conventions mentioned above.
Researching into the Dance and Drum & Bass music videos
and the genre itself has made me understand what the key
conventions and iconography consist of. These include:
DJ of song
usually doesn’t
appear in video
Narrative

2. Convention of Lights/Lasers:
The convention of lights and lasers is essential to Drum & Bass/ Dance music videos. The
settings are usually set at night or in a dark place, however the lights and lasers are used
to contrast that darkness. For my music video I have used lights and lasers through the
different use of night time locations such as rave, club, in a house, and have used them
effectively. For example I have used torches in the house seen where people are taking
shots, the light is coming from the bottom of the screen through the glass table and
reflecting of the glasses, which gives an effective outcome as it highlights the fact that
they’re starting to drink.
Also I have used lighting and lasers in the scene of the young girl dancing. I have done this
by collecting different psychedelic gifs of pills, rave scenes and different effects, playing
them on a projector and having the girl dance in front of it. This is a very effective decision
I came up with because it symbolises the consumption of the drugs the girl and the group
of friends are taking. Also the fact that the light is on her as well, it reinforces the idea
that she is being effected and by the drugs she has taken. Additionally this scene sets
atmosphere and feeling as if she is at a club or rave, therefore taking drugs, which is a
known stereotype for the Drum & Bass fans and what they do when they attend these
sort of events. This also links in to the convention of nightlife/party lifestyle as well as the
dancing convention because in most Dance music videos there are attractive young
people dancing to a choreography.

3. The way I managed some of the lighting in my music video was partly
influenced by Miley Cyrus’ We Can’t Stop video, when shining a light on people
and the rest of the screen is filled with darkness. I thought this was a very
effective idea because in my opinion the audience can bond to it. This is
because the audience who can relate to this kind of lifestyle, can also relate to
being in a house party, and the light is almost as if someone is shining their light
from a phone to see who is in this dark room. It also reinforces the fact that
these people have been partying a lot and until late therefore people sleeping
in a room with random friends.

4. Convention of Drugs and Alcohol:
The consumption of drugs and alcohol is used as a genre signifier in many Dance music
videos. For example in Rita Ora’s How We Do the young people partying are shown
drinking alcohol and having a fun time. Also Seek Bromance by Tim Berg is another video
in which three friends are shown consuming different drugs and alcohol too.
In comparison to my music video, I haven’t shown the characters actually consuming any
drugs, I have only shown suggestions and metaphorical ideas of drug consumption.
Therefore this is a development of the code and conventions of this genre.
On the other hand, similarly to Seek Bromance, I have used editing, effects and shots to
reinforce the idea that the people shown are actually in drugs, and this vision makes the
audience feel as if or aspire to be experiencing the same thing like the characters in the
video.
For example I have used this blurred establishing shot of
the London skyline in order to express how this is one of
the character’s vision after consuming the alcohol, like
they have been shown consuming.

5. I have also shown connotations of drug use at the very beginning of my music video
where one of the characters is gritting his teeth and holding his jaw. This connotes to him
previously having taken drugs because clenching your jaw is an action someone makes
and at the same time a symbol due to consumption of ecstasy.
Another symbolised shot of drug use is shown through my ideas costume ideas. The shot
of the girls legs, and her socks with weed leaves on them suggest that she consumes that
type of drug because otherwise she wouldn’t wear it. This appeals to the target audience
because they will aspire to have the same dressing sense and will have a ‘cool’ look.
Thirdly the main scene of drug use, which is also a genre signifier, is the psychedelic scene
of the young attractive girl dancing in front of the screen. For example I have shown a
long shot of her and behind her there’s a screen of pills falling out of a container. This
suggests that the girl doesn’t stand against drugs because she’s in a scene where it looks
as though she is in a club/rave, where she wants to be. To reinforce this, I have used a
close up shot of the girl facing the pills on the screen and opening her mouth, to connote
that she is actually consuming the drugs. Also she is then shown dancing and
laughing/smiling to show the effect of the ‘drug use’.

6. Convention of Friends/Community:
The portrayal of friends is essential in a Dance most music video. Although some videos
don’t focus on friendship, others signify a strong bond between friends. For example in
We Can’t Stop, Miley is shown with her group of friends at the end of the video,
embodying the idea that they have “each other’s backs” as they have stayed together
throughout the night and in the morning. Similar to Seek Bromance where the three
friends are shown bonding really well and trying everything together. Additionally, in
Waiting All Night, the main character who gets run over and whose leg has to be taken
off, his friends are shown waiting at the hospital and staying by his side.
All of these portrayals of friends are positive and the audience aspires to have a friendship
where you have fun and have love for one another. Additionally the audience can relate to
the friendships shown in the videos as they personally could have been involved in a
group of friends like the ones in the music videos.

7. In my own music video, the characters and the bond between them is one of the biggest
strengths of the video itself.
At the beginning of the video they are shown sleeping in the same room all near each other,
instantly the audience understand that they have build a close relationship because of the fact
that they are sharing the same room to sleep. I have used mid shots and close up shots in order
for the audience to analyse them and their actions. I did this so that the target audience can
relate to any friends that they have with similar antics to them.
There are long shots of the group of friends walking altogether to many places, reinforcing the
idea that they are close and do everything together. I have also added the ‘couple of the group’
so I was able to show intimacy between them, which means that I have used the convention of
the genre of sexualising people and sexual activities.
Additionally, I have deliberately used a clip of a close up shot of two people cuddling and being
very close together when the lyrics of the song go “strong attraction”. This means that I have
used the conventions of Goodwin’s theory by ‘Illustrating’ the lyrics through the visuals. This
close friendship is shown throughout my music video so the audience can feel like they are part
of this group and see and go through this experience with the characters.

8. Convention of Narrative:
I believe I have used the convention of narrative like real music videos because I
have used the theme of ‘Journey’ which a few music videos I have researched
have also used. For example Wake Me Up by Avicii has a theme of journey
where they have two sisters going on a journey to find and explore the place
that they belong in.
In my music video the theme can fall into three categories in a sense. This is
because ‘journey’ can be interpreted in different ways by the audience. For
example, some could see the journey of the friendship, and how different
people leave and others come, which is what can happen in reality as people
can fall out from some friends. Another ‘journey’ that the audience can
undertake is the trip that the intoxication takes the characters. Lastly, the actual
journey of the whole music video; a group of friends living the party lifestyle,
which is shown through them going out to the park, pre drinking before they go
out, travelling around (shown through the shots of the roads), raving, partying
and overall having a fun time. The target audience aspires to have this lifestyle.

9. Convention of the Star/DJ:
When the star is a DJ of the song, it’s a convention of the genre that the DJ isn’t involved
in the music video. This means that his star construction is promoted through different
ways and not the music videos. Iconography like the font of the DJ’s name, which is like a
logo to him and his music. Another way is through the events that he is involved in for
example touring, this leads to building a bigger fan base.
On the other hand, the DJ or song makers are usually only shown in the music video if
there is a scene of them performing at a rave or festival. For instance Avicii is only seen at
the rave scene in Wake Me Up.
I have used this convention as I attended an event where a DJ was performing, I used this
to my advantage to put the clips onto my music video, and pretend that the performer
shown is actually one of the ‘Downtown Kids’. I have filmed it from a position where a fan
would be standing, which makes the audience feel as though they are part of the crowd
and feel a sense of belonging. In addition this links to Goodwin’s theory through the
‘motion of looking’.

10. Convention of Narrative:
I believe I have used the convention of narrative like real music videos because I
have used the theme of ‘Journey’ which a few music videos I have researched
have also used. For example Wake Me Up by Avicii has a theme of journey
where they have two sisters going on a journey to find and explore the place
that they belong in.
In my music video the theme can fall into three categories in a sense. This is
because ‘journey’ can be interpreted in different ways by the audience. For
example, some could see the journey of the friendship, and how different
people leave and others come, which is what can happen in reality as people
can fall out from some friends. Another ‘journey’ that the audience can
undertake is the trip that the intoxication takes the characters. Lastly, the actual
journey of the whole music video; a group of friends living the party lifestyle,
which is shown through them going out to the park, pre drinking before they go
out, travelling around (shown through the shots of the roads), raving, partying
and overall having a fun time. The target audience aspires to have this lifestyle.

11. Convention of Editing:
Fast – paced editing;
Fast – paced editing is a very important factor to Dance music videos. An example is What I Might Do
by Ben Pearce where there are many fast cuts of the people dancing however the clips change in
rhythm with the music.
I have also done this especially when the music elevates to a more upbeat stage such as the chorus, in
order to visualise the music and the tension in the music video, this links to Goodwin’s theory about
the ‘Thought Beats – Seeing the sound in your head’. Additionally it makes the audience gain
entertainment and build a connection the characters, narrative and the music video as a whole.
Visual Style;
In my music video I have used different filters and effects. This is powerful because of its link to the
worldwide used social networking site; Instagram, and the zeitgeist use of filters in the photos and
videos. This means that I have developed the conventions of the Dance/Drum & Bass music videos
because I have tried to create a potential postmodern outcome.
Instagram makes no attempt at a ‘faithful’ representation of what it depicts, in fact it immediately
creates a sense of nostalgia and collapses indicators of the past, by using lens filters, with an image of
the present. This is postmodern because it’s challenging the real representation of people or things
shown. My music video could be considered postmodern because of the use of filters, and because the
clips are seen as mythologised memories.
Also the effects and filters on the video give it a personal visual style which is important as it links to
the auteur theory and I could edit all my videos that I produce/direct in a similar way.