Music video evaluation project

1. Music video evaluation project
Mohrail Philips

2. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge
forms and conventions of real media products?
• As my music video was mainly based on the genre of R&B, as a group we have researched different R&B music to see what stars in an R&B music video.
• One of the main aspects that we have picked up on when we have looked at many R&B music videos was mise en scene which makes the music video a genre of R&B.
For example in an R&B music video you would mainly see drugs, alcohol and love/Heart break. We have picked up on this and have based all three characteristics in
an R&B music video into ours as this is what R&B fans like to see and what is expected in one. We have decided to base our music video mainly at night time because
at night time is where you would mainly see young teenagers partying, meeting friends and drinking recklessly. We thought that the mise en scene would fit much
better if it was at night to our music video another reason why we based it at night or in a dark, gloomy day was to represent the music video and the main character
as being depressed and heartbroken so the mise en scene goes well with the theme of the music video set at night as the setting would be dark representing how the
character is feeling. The location which was based In London bridge as well as the famous buildings around that specific are such as sky garden really helped with the
theme of our music video as we as teenagers in the London are typically stereotyped as party –like people whom go out to drink and smoke and so the buildings
show that it is based in London and that is where you would commonly find heart breaks and recklessness of young teenagers.
•
• Another way in which our product develops the main convention of the real media product is having a character where young teenage girls are heartbroken due to
their cheating boyfriend or a break up that they are going through. We have related this to young teenagers especially to young vulnerable as they may be going
through hard times and seeing the main character in the music video depressed unhappy with life, she turns to drugs and alcohol which then led the girl to commit
suicide and they may feel like they are in the same situation which they can relate to. As a group we have tried to raise awareness of any young girls going through a
breakup or are heartbroken not to turn to drugs or alcohol as the situation wouldn’t get any better and the statistics shows the number of suicides and attempted
suicide by young teenagers is an eye watering amount. As a group we have created this music video to all young people to show that they are stronger than that and
to inspire young people not to turn to that as well as focusing the music video to post-modern aspects making the emotions and scenes more extraordinary through
visual effects of post-modernism. If they want to turn to drugs and alcohol then it would lead to a major consequence which is to their death as shown in the music
video.
• We have added features in the music video to what you would normally see in R&B music video which is when the boyfriend was watching a violent film sitting on a
wall wearing a hoody. This stereotypes the typical bad boy in a music video where they have so much aggression and hate in them as they are influence in what they
watch which is violence and are influenced by that to carry on domestic violence. However not only have we related that scene to what you would normally see in a
music video, but we have met the criteria of adding post-modernism effects to record what the boyfriend is watching on the phone.
•
• As a group, we have come up to use post-modern techniques. One of the techniques inspired by Gondry’s work is the hall of mirror as we were very inspired by the
film ”inception” that we have decided to use that to our music video. The purpose of using the hall of mirrors in our music video is to make intertextual reference to
post-modernism. Not only that but to also emphasise the idea that the main character is on the phone angry by also it confuses the audience and distorts the
situation of her being cheated on, almost an idea of the main characters mind being distorted and confused about her boyfriend the one she thought loved her
cheated on her. It is also difficult to distinguish the idea between the truth and illusion links to the idea that it is an illusion that he cheated bon her because she
wasn’t expecting it to happen and has an insight od the hall of mirror effect to what may be going on in her mind.
• Another way our product develops the main conventions is by including meaning to the narrative. When looking into and analysing the lyrics of “Take care” we have
analysed key words such as “id take care of you” and found meaning to it which then came apparent that there would be an important message when it comes to
recovering after a heart break and finding that comfort in someone else and building that trust again and also not to turn to drugs and alcohol when going through a
heart break. We wanted to carry out these messages throughout the music video and symbolise the obvious by using close up shots of the emotions of the main
characters and by using the streets, bottles and alcohol to represent recklessness and helplessness when taking in drug and binge drinking.

3. How did you use media technologies in the construction and research,
planning and evaluation stages?
• Throughout the music video we had felt that we use the correct and high quality technology in order to create a high qualitypiece of
work and we knew how important the production of the music video is so we used all the opportunities to create the best musicvideo
quality with the technology provided.
• The first most important piece of equipment which we felt was the most important part of the project was the use of a high quality
camera. We had given the option to use the cameras provided to us by the school, but we had thought carefully and we had decided to
buy our own high quality camera to try making the music video as professional as possible. The camera in which we have usedis the
Canon EOS 1200D DSLR camera. The quality of the camera was up to a high standard and had all the features that we needed forthe
music video such as Zoom in, Flash and an extreme front camera zoom in where it could zoom in extra close as this was very useful
throughout our music video as we needed it for the extreme close-up shots of the messages that the ex-boyfriend was sending to the
girl begging for her to get back with him. We had ensured that before use we would charge the camera to its full so that it would last us
the day when we need to go too far places and film such as central London.
• When we had finished filming, we had to put all the shots from the SanDisk 64GB Ultra SdXC SD card to the computer so that wecould
start editing the music video we also needed to put the videos to a USB so that it would open up and save our project. In case we lose
the SD card we made sure that we saved our filming shots on more than one USB so that we don’t lose any work that we have done.
• When editing our music video we used different software such as adobe premiere pro, adobe flash professional. The software has
helped made out final piece look as professional as possible and it had also allowed allowed us to edit and cut scenes . The last step
after the editing was finished was to upload it onto a site called vimeo as it consists of a higher quality of video to upload and no
features within the music video would be lost.
• I have researched about R&B genres. I have gone on YouTube to find all the different kind of music videos that had inspired us to come
up with the final piece of the music video. YouTube helped with the different variation of music videos and gave us ideas onwhat we
could add to our own music video.
• Another website that had helped with research as well as the evaluation stages was the use of blogger. We all individually had to create
our own personal blog for the purpose of updating coursework. This was a very effective source of updating our coursework onas it
helped me to be organised and to keep up to date with handing in my work. It was very easy to use as we just had to create anemail
and password to n access and we convert our work on slide share form and then onto the blogger. This helped my teacher to access my
work easily and to see my organised work on the blog as it made my work look neater.

4. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
• My A2 media studies course work had required me and my group to make a music video to go with an ancillary task of making a music video
magazine advert and cd cover and the back. I have put together the codes and conventions of the music video and its best bits into the
magazine advert and the Cd cover in order to interest the viewers into viewing the music video. This would increase the effectiveness of the
whole package.
• After watching through our finalised music video, I have picked up on the main aspects on the facial expressions and emotions throughout the
R&B genre video which portrays the whole theme of the song of love and heartbreak. The first 10 seconds of the music video shows a lot
about how the girl is feeling through her emotion and facial expression as by shown when sitting on the bus floor looking depressed which
shows how she is feeling and really causes curiosity within the audience as into why she is feeling that way. The darkness effect throughout
the music video also represents her emotion and feeling as she finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her. I wanted to express the main
characters emotion by setting the front images in my ancillary task based on her emotions through her facial expressions.
• After the recoding of the music video, I have looked at other R&B artist whom has an advert cover and I have seen what was the best bit that
they have put as the front cover in order to increase viewers. My biggest inspiration was Rhianna, as a female character it had helped me to
see what was the shot on her front cover and I tried to see what bit I could put as my front cover that will intrigue the viewers but not give too
much away. The purpose of the magazine advert had become clear to me and the purpose is to advertise the music video through the
boldness of the title and the font used which was Adobi gothic std B font and big bold writing which would catch the reader’s attention to the
advert. Making the picture of the main character the main focus on the magazine cover shows the audience that the girl doesn’t look happy
and they may want to look at the music video to find out more and the story behind the sadness. Likewise with the CD cover which is of the
Boyfriend trying to get the girlfriend and comfort her but she is looking away crying and isn’t having any of it. The image looks like the
boyfriend is abusing the girl, as in a typical R&B music video is what you would find. This misunderstanding of the image may fascinate the
viewers and may intrigue them into wanting to know the cause of the domestic violence. However, the misunderstanding of the cd album
cover may be negative as the viewers may think that it is domestic violence but when they watch it it’s just the male character comforting the
girl, It is a bit like selling the viewers the views a dream almost something which isn’t going to quiet happen in the scene of the music video
and may disappoint the viewers. Also it shows and brings out the emotion on how the main character is felling shows the audience that she is
heart broken and in shock that her boyfriend could cheat on her. Her facial expression makes the whole thing more realistic and creates
sympathy for the main character.
• Overall I think that the main product and the ancillary task was both linked to each other and had many same features to them both. They
both contained the same main character, the same use of brown colours as it symbolises hope as brown is more lighter than the colour black
and the brown symbolises that she finds the comfort in the new boy but not fully recovered. I have created my poster music video advert on
photo shop because the soft wear is specifically design to help form graphic products such as the media ones that I created and therefore it
had all the right tools to help me form the poster. Using other software's such as Microsoft PowerPoint wouldn’t be as effective as the quality
would come out rather much basic and not so fit for the purpose and type of product that I was creating.