The document discusses how the media product uses and develops conventions of real music videos. It follows conventions such as using a narrative/performance structure, similar representations of the artist, lighting techniques, locations, costumes and makeup, cinematography like close-ups, and editing that matches the song's pace. However, it also challenges some conventions like not portraying the female character in a sexualized way. Overall, the product aims to appeal to audiences by following genre conventions while also updating them for the song's themes.

1. Q1) IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT
USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND
CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?

2. The task!
The advanced portfolio was to create a conventional music video which will appeal to an
audience from a particular genre. In order to create a conventional music video, I partook
in a number different research tasks such as theories , research into different music
genres which I then used to knowledge I learned to chose a track of my choice. Prior to
the production, I took part in a number of planning tasks such as planning location and
star image, as well as planning the digipak and magazine advert which would further
promote my artist and his new album.
Research + Planning = Music video/Digipak/Magazine advert.
THE PURPOSE OF THE MUSIC VIDEO
A music video is essentially a commercial video that is used to promote an artist and
their music. A music video can either be performance based, concept based or narrative
based. The video acts as a marketing tool to promote the artist or their song to gain
popularity. Another purpose a music video can serve is to entertain the audience or as a
way for the artist to portray their ideologies and cultural beliefs, whether it is political
issues or simply everyday issues that they feel has to be addressed.

3. DOES MY PRODUCT DEVELOP OR
CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF
REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?
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I believe that my music video follows conventions of real media products, as well as developing them
also. My music video follows both a narrative and performance structure at different sections of the
music video, and my research shows that this structure of music videos is conventional to the RnB
genre that my song comes from. In addition to this, from both my knowledge and audience feedback, I
found that my ancillary texts follow great conventions and are common to the „RnB‟ genre too; a clear
example of this is the number of different images I used on ancillary products to show consistency on
who my artist is. As a result of this, it is clear that my products demonstrate Andrew Goodwin‟s theory
of „Star motif‟. Knowing exactly what audience response I was aiming to receive, I decided that it would
be ideal to follow conventions that the audience expect from this specific genre. Doing this allows them
to not only buy into my product but also buy into the artist‟s lifestyle, ideologies and generally relate to
the product further. Here are some examples of the use of conventions that are illustrated within my
work:
High key lighting is used to expose the characters emotions which
allows the audience to understand the narrative further.
Our use of editing matches the pace of the song well.
My music video is visually appealing through the use of mise en
scene. The costume, hair and make up are significant elements
which encourages the audience to buy into the artists lifestyle.
‘Star image’ is a main element within music videos (Dyer) which we
clearly portray.

4. FOLLOWING CONVENTIONS:
ARTIST REPRESENTATION

Prior to creating my music video, I researched into male artists of the R‟n‟B
genre and I found that they were represented in a very cool and mainstream
fashion which allowed them appeal to the audience of the mainstream culture.
Costume played a significant role to this. Two similar artists that influenced
my artist‟s representation are Will.I.Am and Usher who are from the
mainstream RnB and Hip-Hop culture. They are both „Stars‟ in their own right,
therefore I used a similar representation.

I used conventions of real media products as I also wanted to create a visual
representation to who they are and the values portrayed within their music.
Similar to the representation of Will.I.Am and Usher I represented my artist in
the following ways:

Stylish.
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Youthful.
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Mainstream fashion.
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Black on black leather look.
Usher
My artist
Will.I.Am

5. FOLLOWING AND CHALLENGING
CONVENTIONS:
CINEMATOGRAPHY THEORY
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Cinematography acts as an eye for the audience and makes
them feel connected to the music video that they are
watching. Furthermore, it is also important because it helps
portray „Star image‟ in which the audience will be able to see
the star and remember their image.
Andrew Goodwin‟s theory „characteristics of a music video‟
states the belief that close up shots are used to create a
relationship between the audience and the artist, making the
audience feel more involved with them.
Richard Dyer‟s „star theory‟ supports the idea of the artists
representation and persona of artist being influenced and
reinforced by key elements of cinematography, for example
close up or medium close up shots of the artist.
Laura Mulvey analysed female representation through
cinematography, where she expressed cinematography is
presented in a voyeuristic manner, for example close up and
panning shots emphasising female body parts. We challenged
this idea as we felt that it was not necessary to portray our
female character in this way due to the narrative and themes
of the song.
CU of artist
Medium shot
Challenging
Mulvey

6. CINEMATOGRAPHY

Through my analysis of cinematography within the R‟n‟B, below are examples that
I utilised within my work to follow, use and develop generic conventions.

My research showed me that close ups are conventional to create emotional
responses, whether that be for the artist or the characters. Below are some music
videos and their use of cinematography that influenced my idea.
Existing
cinematography
•
Within my music video, a mid-close up is used as the beginning where we are
introduced to the male character syncing the words “The wound heals but it
never does”. Doing this allows the audience to see the characters upset facial
expressions and gives them an overall expectation of the music video.

7. CINEMATOGRAPHY

The use of the long shot allows the audience to see the artist‟s
costume which is very important according to Dyer‟s „star image‟
theory as it encourages the audience to buy into the artist‟s lifestyle.
As well as this, it allows the audience to see the graffiti filled
background which provides them with a further knowledge of the
artist and their culture.
•
My music video also uses a high angle showing my two
characters laying in bed. Doing this allows the audience to have
a greater understand of what has happened within the narrative
as well as feel sympathy towards the characters as they are
portrayed as vulnerable. The range of different cinematography
used within my media product clearly shows my development
of conventions of real media products.
Long shot
High angle

8. USING AND DEVELOPING MISE EN SCENE
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Mise en scene is a significant aspect within a
music video as it allows the audience to
understand the music video as well as
portraying particular themes. Different genres
have their own conventions on how they portray
mise en scene which provides the audience with
knowledge of what genre the song originates
from.
Richard Dyer‟s theory of „star image‟ relates to
the use of costume, hair and make up as the
theory suggests in order to be a successful
artist, you must follow a mainstream culture.
Within my music video, I decided to follow
Dyer‟s theory as it will allow me to target and
appeal to a mainstream audience. I did this
through the use of costume, positioning of the
artist/s, lighting to represent him and body
language and facial expression.
Lighting
Lighting from
existing music video
Costume
Costume from existing
music video
Positioning
Positioning from
existing music
video

9. BODY LANGUAGE AND FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

Body language and facial expressions
was an important element as the
themes of the song are about
heartbreak and relationships so I
wanted to represent this thoroughly
through my characters. An example of
when this was used is when the female
character walks out, leaving her
boyfriend heartbroken. As this happens,
a long shot is used as the male
character crouches on the floor with his
heads in his hands.
Image of male character
crouching on the floor.
Another example of body
language and facial
expressions.

10. ICONOGRAPHY
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My media product uses further forms and conventions of real media products
through the use of iconography.
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I used a bottle of alcohol and lighters at the beginning of my music video
where the male character recites the lyrics “the wound heals but it never
does”. I decided to use this to help portray and emphasise the heartbreak felt
by the character allowing the audience to engage and understand the music
video further. The use of the alcohol bottle is very simple yet effective
because of its connotations of depression and loneliness.
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Within my music video I also used the iconography of a suitcase which is
seen when the female character is packing her stuff away and walks out the
door leaving the male character feeling unhappy. Using this specific
iconography causes the audience to feel further sympathy towards the male
character.
Suitcase
Comparable
product

11. LOCATION
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My music video uses a number of different locations. A key
location which I used was the underground path which had a wall
filled in graffiti. This decision was made after my analysing of
existing RnB videos.
Another setting of my music video was based around a white
background. This decision was made as I thought this would add
to the simplicity of the music video and attract the audiences
attention to the characters and artist that are shown during a
specific scene. The use of this simple background is conventional
to the „RnB‟ genre as these videos also tend to portray a sense of
simplicity. Within my music video I aimed to portray the elements
of heartache and sadness, which I believed I have clearly
achieved. I wanted to use and develop this within my music video
production as I believed that this similar location is used within
different music videos of the same genre which attempt to connect
with the audience that way I was aiming to.
My music video also used the location of a house; bedroom to be
specific in which the narrative between the two characters is
clearly displayed. My music video features the narrative of two
characters that are in a relationship and their relationship begins
to deteriorate. I chose to use this location because it is
conventional to the R‟n‟B genre in terms of portraying a
relationship between to characters.
Image of existing
location
Image of my
underground
location

12. LIGHTING AND COLOUR

There is a clear use of different lighting techniques such as high
key, low-key lighting and natural lighting.

The conventional use of high key lighting is used when my male
character is in the bathroom staring at the mirror to portray his
innocence.
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In my music video there is a use of a subtle peach/orange colour
which is used in the narrative of when the two characters begin to
get intimate. We decided to use this colour as it creates and
portrays the romantic atmosphere we were intending to create.

Low key lighting was also used when my two artists are performing
as it helps portray the theme of heartbreak within my music video.
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The idea here was to use and develop the idea of specific lighting
and colour that is conventional to the R‟n‟B genre which enables
the music video to connect with the audience, which is a aim that I
was pursuing.
Existing music video

13. POSITIONING
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Throughout my music video, there is a clear range of different
positioning used for the artists as well as the characters. For
example, when my artists are performing, they are seen to be in
the centre of the shot, making him the main focus, allowing a
better understanding to develop for the audience.
In terms of the artist being the centre of the shot, Goodwin said
that doing so allows a good relationship between the audience
and the artist, whereas Dyer say‟s that it is used to create a star
persona.
Existing music
video
Artist in the centre of
the shot

14. POSITIONING

Another example of positioning that is used within my music video is when my artist is
performing and is positioned on the right of the camera in the foreground and my
second artist is seen in the background on the left side of the shot. I decided to use
this shot as it allows me to not only have my two artists in one shot, but also portray
both star motif as well as star image in a single shot. By doing this I ensured that
the artist was focused on to ensure I was following and developing real media
product conventions.
Existing music video
position

15. COSTUME, HAIR & MAKE UP
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Costume in a music video can be classed as a
promotional tool, for example if the artist is seen wearing
a specific clothing brand, the audience will be influenced
by this and want to purchase their own. Dyer‟s star
theory also states that the artist can be an inspiration for
the consumer, making them buy into their lifestyles.
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As a group we decided that our artists should be
dressed in a very fashionable costume which will be
seen attractive by the audience. Our main artist is seen
wearing a black baseball jacket, black slim jeans and
also a black paisley bandana with white prints.

Our second artist is seen wearing a black cap, quilted
jumper and black jeans also. Doing so allowed us to
create a sleek, eye catching look for our artist‟s.
Existing artist‟s

16. COSTUME, HAIR & MAKE UP
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•
We challenged Mulvey‟s „male gaze‟ by not portraying the female character in a sexual
way as it was not appropriate to do so. Our female character was dressed in a simple
costume; blue jeans and a burgundy jumper. The male character was seen wearing
dark blue jeans and a navy jumper. We decided to dress our characters in a casual
way as we wanted to portray them in a realistic way that the audience could relate to
relate to and sympathise with.
After the two characters split, there is a close up of my female showing mascara
running down her face as a result of the tears. This is conventional to the R‟n‟B genre
as it further portrays the significance of what has happened which causes further
audience sympathy.
Having the male at times being topless
connoted the feeling of being stripped and
upset by the relationship. This was to also
portray innocence and is something we
found happened in RnB music videos at
times.

17. FOLLOWING CONVENTIONS:
EDITING
Existing music video
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According to Goodwin‟s „characteristics of
a music video‟, he believes that the editing
should match the pace or beat of the song.
Generally, RnB videos are face paced,
however, this song was slower paced so
we used slow paced editing to match the
simplistic beat of the song and this allows
the audience to understand the meaningful
lyrics and visuals.
When the characters get intimate, slow
paced editing is used which creates a
romantic atmosphere for the audience to
witness and understand the narrative
further.
At the start of the video, we see a series of
jump cuts which changes with each beat.
This is to introduce all the characters to the
audience.

18. FOLLOWING CONVENTIONS:
SOUND
The song and the sounds of the song are slow and has an emotional
and meaningful purpose. The lyrics highlight the problems within a
relationship.
To represent the sounds and lyrics of the song, we created a breaking
up narrative with performance from the artists/.
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Goodwin‟s stated the following:
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‘Sound should match the visuals’
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‘Lyrics should match the visuals’
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‘Editing should match the sound’
Our video uses all of the stated above by Goodwin, therefore making
my product a video that uses and develops conventions of real
media products.