The document discusses conventions of music videos in the indie/pop genre. It notes that music videos in this genre typically focus on authentic performances by the band and close-up shots to create an emotional connection between the artist and audience. Narrative is also commonly used to relate the video to the song's lyrics and message. The document then examines conventions for magazine advertisements and digipaks targeting this genre, such as using similar imagery to related videos and including band information and social media links.

1. In what ways does your media
product use, develop or
challenge forms and
conventions of real media
products?

2. Product 1: Music Video

3. Theorists on genre &
Music videos
 Goodwin:
 Music videos should include characteristics of its genre, e.g, Rock should have a strong
focus on instruments and dark leather clothing.
 There should be a relationship between what you hear and what you see, e.g, the lyrics
could be “You’re beautiful girl”, and the visuals are of a voyeuristic female.
 Close ups of artists should be included as it establishes who they are, and also means
they are exposed to the viewer and the viewer can connect to the music better.
 There should be a relationship between the music and the visuals, e.g, the shots should
cut with the beat of the song.
 Williams:
 ‘Formats and formulas’ are used by producers to “create comfortable moulds which will
create meaning for the audience”.
 Different genres have different styles and conventions which they can be identified with.
E.g the pop genre would include a lot of colours and dancing, whereas the rock genre
would include instruments, leather jackets and long hair.
 Turow:
 Mention that formulas are widely recognised principles which brings organisation,
continuity and consistency.

4. Conventions of narrative music videos:
the music video contains a series of events that
both make sense to the audience and appear to be
unified in time and space. So as to ensure
repeated viewings and the effective marketing of
the band/artist and song, the narrative code must
be “loose” or simply “suggestive” rather than
“realistic” or “detailed”.
Conventions of the band performance:
a degree of authenticity of the performance is
sought by the band and the director so we often
find lip-syncing close-up, mimed playing of
instruments, repetition of chorus shots to enhance
„repeatability‟, unusual camera shots and angles
(e.g. the micro camera shots attached to the neck
of a guitar, sweeping crane shots to film audience
reaction to the band playing etc.).

5. The developments of our media products was focused around the indie/pop
genre derived from our use of the song ‘London Love’ by Maliki. Bands which
share the same genre as Maliki are The 1975, Artic Monkeys, The Libertines
and Bastille. Maliki have performed at a numerous amount of gigs, at various
locations, including The Basement Door in Richmond, London. They already
have a formed target audience of teenagers from roughly the ages of 15-21 year
olds. This helped us create our media products, as well as the knowledge of
traditional indie/pop genre conventions, and brainstorming our own ideas for the
best possible outcome.

6. There are a wide number of conventions within the
indie/pop genre, one of the main ones being image.
This specific genre revolves around the performance
aspect as the focus point in the music video, as it
establishes the artist/band themselves. Although
many indie/pop music videos contain a narrative
sequence, it is unusual for a music video of this
genre to a show a connection to the attitudes and live
musical ability of the artist.

7. Also amongst the indie/pop genre music videos,
there are a lot of close up shots, to create a clear
focal point for the audience. It also creates an
emotional, personal connection between audience
and artist, which then creates more of an attraction to
the song and artist themselves. Close up shots are
also used to focus upon the musical instruments
used by the band, such as guitars, bass guitars,
drums and occasionally keys, which are all
associated with the indie/pop genre.

8. Another key element in indie/pop music videos is narrative. Unlike some
mainstream pop videos, narrative is extremely common in this genre, to
fulfil the emotional value of the video, and to create a connection with the
lyrics. Its also used to display the meaning of the song and make the
message clear to the target audience, in comparison to a genre such as
R&B, where female dancers are usually used to attract the attention of
male audience. The indie/pop genre usually use narrative for a singular
purpose/meaning, and create a connection with the audience.

9. Product 2: Magazine Advert

10. Examples of indie/pop bands magazine
adverts:

11. Magazine Advert; Generic
Conventions
Background image:
The background image is
similar to the locations seen in
our video, therefore the
promotion of my products has a
connecting theme and creates
synergy.
Titles:
Like any magazine advert, there
are titles for the band and
album name to promote them.
Social media:
In the modern
day, social
media sites are a
popular way to
promote any
type of product,
and can be used
to reach a
specific target
audience.
Websites:
Websites are a
generic feature
of magazine
posters as
another form of
promotion.
Text:
Other text that is usually
featured on a magazine adverts
is promoting the hit single of the
album and when the actual
album is released to inform

12. The indie/pop genre of the magazine advert would distinctly determine what type of
magazine it would feature in.
I did some research and found some magazines that had indie bands on their front cover
covers.

13. Comparison to real
texts
Comparisons to real media texts can be made to Florence and The
Machine. Firstly, both posters use the artists as the central main image,
to promote the band. Secondly, institutional information is present on
both magazine adverts with key information such as the bands website
for promotion. Thirdly, both the bands names are at the top of the
posters in bold text and the other text in a smaller font to make the band
stand out, and simple fonts are used, which respond to the simple
conventions of the genre.

14. Product 3: Digipak

15. This first digipak has the option for 2 CD holders either side of the case, and a holder for a booklet in the middle.
The digipak is good as it gives an alternative design and different options and choice, with a second disc holder which could have
videos or behind the scenes clips on. However the extra CD holder may be unnecessary, especially if the artist does not have a
second disc to offer, and could create the album to be quite fiddly and disorganised.
This digipak includes a CD holder, booklet holder and the first panel for the album artwork. The extra panels could hold extra artwork or
features such as a lyric booklet, however because there is so much extra space, this may be hard to fill with just artwork. Also, the CD holder
is placed quite awkwardly to the side and should be the main feature of the digipak.
This last digipak has a CD holder and booklet holder. The CD holder is in the middle panel meaning its at centre of attention and the first
thing a person sees when they open the digipak. The booklet holder is also placed conveniently at the side. Its good that there is only one
CD holder meaning the artist can have all their work easily on one disc, however again the extra panels may be difficult as there is extra
space that needs to be filled.
Digipak Research

19. Final Digipak
comparison to real
texts
My digipak for Maliki’s album is similar to the digipak for The Kooks
album as they both have a continued theme within their digipak
through the use of colour, which is also carried through their
magazine advert which creates synergy between all products,
promoting the artists as it makes them more recognisable. Both
digipaks also features photographs of the artist which establishes
them and connects them to their music for the audience
convenience. Both albums have track lists and personal messages
from the band thanking their producers, directions etc as well as
their audiences and fans. The differences from these digipaks are
that Maliki’s is 6 panel, and The Kooks is only a 5 panel. I decided
to make Maliki’s digipak a 6 panel so more information could be put