The document compares the conventions used in similar music videos to those used in the student's finished music video production. It finds that the student's video largely used conventions like a focus on artist performance, lack of direct relationship between lyrics and visuals, editing based on rhythm of the music, and close-ups of the artist. However, it also challenges some conventions by occasionally using visuals that contradict lyrics and prioritizing lyrics over music in editing. Overall, the student strived to balance convention with artistic choices suited to the specific song.

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? – This task
requires you to compare the outcomes of your research of similar media products with the outcome of your group’s finished
production.
Goodwin key music video Using Your Research Findings Your Production – Use, Develop or Challenge
conventions – note/ bullet point typical
generic conventions
Genre characteristics Strong use of Stuck to the conventional use of performance videos because
(e.g. stage performance performance videos in performance sells the artist and their talents directly and this type of
in metal video, dance the British Hip Hop rap video is used for artists who have meaning and good lyrics to convey
routine for boy/girl band)- genre. (USE)
Usually performance Kind of used the concept video convention but a little bit less so than
and concept the performance aspect (USE)
Use of the idea of a Performance type videos help sell the artist and are more about the
journey/ walking. music, which I found was an important trait in the British rap scene this
is why I decided to use this particular convention (USE)
Used the idea of a journey in the main idea for the video, because
the song is about his journey up until this point and his life story so it
only seemed appropriate that the video was laid out like a journey-
with train stations and different locations within the city, and lots of
walking. Wanted to use this because he seemed wholly appropriate
for the song because of what its about,
Relationship between lyrics Found a convention Followed conventions of no relationship between lyrics and visuals
and visuals of no relationship because the lyrics are quite abstract and deep and I think having
(either illustrative, amplifying, between the lyrics every other lyric being displayed on screen in a literal sense would
contradicting and the visuals have made the video look cheesy and also would have detracted
In videos where there from the music (USE)
was relationship, it But also used lightly contradicting visuals on occasion for instance
wasn‟t overly used there is a line in the song where he says “tryna paint a picture with the
and 4 times out of 5 it whole view” and in this shot there is an extreme close up of the artist-
was either lightly which is clearly not the “whole view” that he was talking about in the
amplifying or song. This was an artistic use of the camera and was intended to
illustrating. switch up the use of the camera and all the angles I was using
(CHALLENGE)
Sometimes used lightly amplifying visuals too I.E. at the point where he
says “I‟ll put life on hold” he stops walking and the camera stops
moving for the couple of seconds that he is saying that line. This is
because I wanted the lyrics that both the artist- and I- thought were

2. the best to be amplified in their meaning to help convey the proper
meaning of the song (USE)
Relationship between music Found that the video I used this convention because it was the easiest way to cut the video
and visuals was usually on time and keep it at a regular cutting rhythm, however I used the artists
(either illustrative, amplifying, with the drums. rapping to cut my video when the drums had stopped because this
contradicting). But where the drums helped to amplify the meaning of the lyrics a bit more and I feel that
weren‟t present it then the artist I made the video for is very much about his lyrics, their
was cut on the bass or meaning, and intelligent wordplay. (USE & CONTRADICT)
the melody- but
probably 3 out of the
5 videos I looked at
were cut on drums
alone and the other
two were bass and
drums
Demands of the record label Record labels I have (or tried) to include lots of close ups in my video because I
will include the need for lots demand lots of close recognised that it has an important function within the music video, it
of close ups of the artist and up of the artist in order helps to break up the video, adds variety to the video- because you
the artist may develop motifs to help sell the artist. can film a close up from lots of different angles and every angle will
which recur across their work. I found that in all the make it look like a different shot- this means that your video wont just
(a visual style). videos I looked at, be one long take and would give your video watchability, which is
there was strong use important for a music video to have. (USE)
of close ups.

3. Notions of looking (screens Out of the videos I As with the rest of the conventions I have explored I stuck to this one
within screens, telescopes, looked at, none of in pretty much the same way, I had no voyeuristic treatment of the
etc) and particularly them had voyeuristic female body as I felt it would have undermined the seriousness and
voyeuristic treatment of the treatment of the meaning of the song. (USE)
female body. female body I also stuck to the notion of looking in on someone‟s life and their
And there was a journey because the song is about his life story and his journey up until
particularly strong use this point so I felt it was necessary to reflect that in the way I
of the notion of constructed the narrative and how I filmed it, the whole video is like a
looking in most of journey- he starts in one place, is walking for pretty much all of the
them- whether it was video, goes to a train station, and at he end of the song he is in
someone‟s life, their different place to where he started.
journey, and their
daily routine.
Intertextual reference (to I found no overt Once again I decided to stick with the conventions that I came
films, TV programmes, other intertextual references across during my research, because intertextual references would
music videos etc.). in the videos I looked have clouded the seriousness of the song. (USE)
at- although this
doesn‟t mean to say
there weren‟t loads
that I didn‟t recognise
because of my young
age.
Technical Directions
Artist/bands / actor‟s Artist was always in Followed these conventions too, my artist was nearly always in the
positioning, movements, the centre of the centre of the shot- this is due to the fact that there are no other artists
gestures, pose and mode of screen or actors in the video, and so the artist doesn‟t need to be anywhere
address etc. If they weren‟t in the other than in the centre of the shot.
centre of the shot Occasionally the artist was in the rule of three, and this was purely to

4. then they were in the add variety and in a few cases it helped amplify/contradict/illustrate
lines laid out by the the meaning of the lyrics. (DEVELOP)
„rule of three‟ Position on the screen was an important factor in relationship
between the lyrics and the visuals.
Editing directions Found a strong use of I used a lot of jump cuts, more jump cuts than matched cuts- I feel the
(Match cuts, jump cut, matched cuts and use of jump cuts had more artistic value than matched cuts- if you
reverse shots – cutting rhythm jump cuts use matched cuts you run the risk of making your music video into a
etc.) In 4 out of 5 videos, film. But with jump cuts you never stay on the same shot for more than
matched cutting was a couple of seconds and this can be hard for the viewer because it
used during the song has the potential to create confusion.
and jump cutting was
used to initiate a
change in location or
costume and was also
used after a long stint
with matched cuts- to
provide variety of
editing techniques.
Selection of mise-en-scène Half of the videos I I decided to set the film at night because the city lights that are only
including colour, figure, pops, watched were set on at nighttime help to create a really atmospheric light which was
lighting, objects, costume, exclusively in the day, useful in helping to convey the meaning.
location and setting and use or in very light The decision to set the video at night was something that I had made
of crowds/dancers etc. conditions when I first heard the song and decided I wanted to do a music video
Not very many were for it, it seems to lend itself to that kind of setting and im not too sure
set at night what it is.(CHALLENGE)
I had intended for the whole video to be in black and white when I
was drafting the first treatment, but this became nearly impossible to
do because the light was so unpredictable, and we ended up with
some grainy shots which would have been impossible to watch in
black and white
Framing of Shot Heavy use of medium
CU, MLS, ELS etc.) shots
Also lots of close ups
(as discussed in the
“Demands of The
Record Label” section.