My evaluation 1 for A2 media studies

1. IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR
MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP
OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND
CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA
PRODUCTS?

2. CONVENTIONS IN MUSIC VIDEOS
• Conventions of a music video is the way in which things are done throughout the video to help
portray the genre. The codes of a music video is the way they have used the equipment to
show symbols, signs or how the person is feeling and how it is shown to the audience. When
researching the conventions of a music video I found that the conventions typically used are
representations/stereotypes, mise-en-scene, editing techniques, sound effects, camera and
style.
• Because our song ‘Sweater Weather’ by The Neighborhood is a indie/alternative genre I did
research into other existing media of the same genre such as the Imagine Dragons
‘Radioactive’. The video has a strong narrative throughout which is a common convention used
in this genre and they have represented the genre through conventions such as dark/dull
colours, editing on the beat, lots of shots of the protagonist and cut editing. Another convention
I found was used a lot in the genre is the use of photo montages that include a variety of shot
types. This research influenced our own ideas when it came to planning our own shots and
structure.

3. Typically you expect to find a music video of this genre to have a strong narrative, usually
about an aspect of love so we have decided to use this convention in our own work, basing
the narrative on a relationship break up at the start and the girl reminiscing. By using a girl
as the main protagonist we are adhering to the conventions as music videos involving a
break up or relationship is usually from the females point of view as they are seen as
weaker, rather than a males point of view. We have used camera and editing to adhere to
the conventions and to establish the characters and settings, as we have used a variety of
shots such as close up shots establish characters, full length shots to show the setting, tilts
and pans, as well as tracking shots of the protagonist walking to anchor her importance in
the video.

4. By doing this it ensures that from the start the audience know
who the characters are and can establish that the protagonist is
a young female in her teens.
Editing is also another important convention as it has to be in
the right order and make it easy for the audience to follow and
understand. We have used editing on the beat as this is a
popular convention when researching other existing media and
makes the video look professional while also linking to Andrew
Goodwin’s Theory. We have also used a transition effect fade to
black to help the video flow better and shows the transition
between the video and the reverse shots. Another common
convention in this genre that we found when researching the
Imagine dragons is that dark, dull colours are used so we have
made our shots black and white to make it aesthetically
pleasing and create a moody atmosphere to represent the
narrative.

5. When it came to mise-en-scene, Indie music videos are usually made on a low budget and
filmed outdoors where it is easy to get to and have access to natural lighting. We have
adhered to this convention by using the outdoors for our setting and creating montage of
artistic shots. By creating the video outdoors it also links to our theme of Autumn to
represent the title ‘Sweater Weather’. By using natural lighting it keeps the video realistic
while also helping the audience recognise the time of day from morning to evening.
Morning: Evening with sunset:

6. Costumes are used to give the character an identity, however our
characters costume will be linking to the title of the our song as she will be
wearing a sweater and this will help the audience recognise what time of
year it is set. In music videos girls are usually dressed glamorously and
sexualised, however we have subverted these conventions by keeping our
protagonist natural, dressed in realistic clothes and makeup to keep the
video relatable to our audience of teenage girls and young women. This
links back to the rest of the video as the whole video is natural and shows
our protagonist in a non glamorous way. By using the conventions of our
genre it helps the audience to recognise the genre easily and portrays the
narrative much easier. Another convention we have subverted is the use of
the band appearing in the video, either lip syncing or performing which is a
convention used a lot in the indie genre for example in the Arctic Monkeys
‘I Bet That You look Good On The dance Floor’.