Maisie analyzed real music videos, ads, and packaging to identify conventions to use and challenge in her own creations. She looked at how some artists challenged conventions to make a stronger impression. Maisie then strategically chose which conventions to use from each genre to create cohesion across her music video, digipak, and music ad. While incorporating standard elements like narratives, shots, and branding; she made some unconventional choices like using friendship over romance and a consistent color scheme and imagery to develop her pop artist's brand identity.

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

2. How my research&planning affected my
product
 During my research and planning I looked at, and analysed real music videos, music
adverts and digipaks to identify the codes and conventions of these products to use in my
own creations. I looked at theorists such as Andrew Goodwin, Sven E Carlsson and Richard
Dyer to apply to my work.
 I also looked at artists who challenged the codes and conventions of their own genre and
investigated the link between the brand identity of these artists and the impact of going
against these conventions had. I discovered that this helped make these artists much more
memorable.
 From this I was able to make an informed decision on what codes and conventions I would
use in my products, and understand the impact they would have

3. Conventions of Music Video
 Story/Narrative
 Relationship
 Artist Lip Syncing
 Resolution at the end of the video
 Variety of shot types and movement
 Close ups of important characters
 Each genre has different colour schemes attached, e.g- Pop, bright colours
 Artist involved in storyline

4. My Products- Music Video
 Conventions I used-
 Narrative
 Variety of shot types
 Artist lip syncing
 Relationship- Friendship
 Resolution at the end

5. Why I chose those Conventions
 Graham Burton suggests that media products use a process of repetition and recognition leading to anticipation and
expectation. I believe this is displayed clearly throughout my video by utilising conventions such as props to show my
protagonist is a soldier and injured as well as a stop watch to create that sense of anticipation. Audiences expect to see
conventions of the genre in a product. Rick Altman argues that genre is a blueprint, as a formula that precedes,
programmes and patterns industry production. I used this to my advantage and took ideas from music videos I analysed
such as If We Ever Meet Again and We Don’t Talk Anymore as well as the inspiration behind my video Waiting All Night.
Sven E Carson would argue that my artist is the televised bard of his modern mythic embodiment. You identify this due
to the conventions of having a serious story, various longshots of areas of interest as well as medium shots of the
struggling soldier. The artist is also filmed only in areas that the main characters of the story also have. Most of the close-
ups are of my artist as that fitted in with the conventions of the dance/pop genre, whereas the story has more medium
shots to mimic the feeling of the scenes. I still used the convention of having a relationship in a music video, but I
changed it to suit my own needs, rather than have a romantic relationship I decided to use a friendship which I believed
better fit the lyrics of the song, therefore you could argue I challenged this convention. With regards to the narrative I
used Todorov’s Theory of equilibrium, this conforms to the stereotype of pop videos having an issue then resolution,
which usually involves a happy ending, which my video also has. However the story line itself does not conform to the
usual storyline of music videos of boy meets girl. I decided not to do this as my target audience prefers a more diverse
storyline. I also used Andrew Goodwin’s theory of the pace matching the visuals. While the soldier is learning to deal with
his injuries the pace of the song is very slow, once he learnt to deal with the issues and took up running thanks to his
friend the songs pace increases to match the pace of the editing.

6. Continued
 The colour scheme I chose for my video was based on my research, A common
theme for colour schemes was to use three complimentary colours, arguably I
went against the typical pop convention of having bright colours for the artist. I
did this because I portrayed my artist as a serious one, but still slightly fun. For
example the bright red lips featured throughout, on the digipak, front cover and in
the music video.

7. Conventions of Digipak
 Close-up of artist on front cover
 Song Titles
 Album Name on front and spine
 Barcode
 Serial Number
 Record Label
 Consistent colour scheme
 Disclaimer
 Multiple images of artist

8. My Product-Digipak
 Close-up of artist
 Song Titles
 Record Label
 Serial Number
 Barcode
 Disclaimer
 Album name on front and spine
 Artist name on front and spine

9. Conventions of Music Advert
 The release date
 Album title
 Image of album cover
 Artist name
 Information on album
 Record label logo
 Platforms to listen on

10. My Product- Music Advert
 Album Title
 Image of Album
 Information on Songs
 Record Label Logo
 Platforms it can be listened on

11. Why I chose to use these conventions
 My artist is a pop singer but the song itself was put together by a DJ and so is
classed into the dance-pop sub genre. The conventions I used to make my music
promotion into a brand was things such as using the same typography and
colour scheme across both the digipak, music advert and music video. I also used
similar imagery throughout all products, for example the shot of the artist looking
out at sea is used in the digipak and music video. I chose not to use a direct
mode of address as I believed that it would fit better with the brand of my artist.
It helped anchor the representation of my artist and better appealed to my target
audience.