A2 evaluation question 2

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 contentions 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. 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.

4. 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.
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’.