The document summarizes how the media product uses, develops, and challenges conventions of real rock music videos. Specifically: - The video uses conventions like dark locations, a narrative of bullying/isolation, and suicide to portray the protagonist as an outcast. It develops conventions through unique lighting/effects and transition techniques. - Conventions are challenged by not including band performance shots and by avoiding typical rock video aesthetics like dark clothing. Camera shots are also used in unconventional ways. - The album cover, track listing, and digipak ad all use conventions like the band name/logo and track listing while developing the visual style through scenes from the video and challenging conventions like typical back cover information.

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

2. My media product used and developed
the conventions of our genre, which is
alternative rock. When creating my
product I had the choice to either use
or challenge codes and conventions.

3. Researching Theorists
 The key theorists I found for music videos were Andrew Goodwin and
Laura Mulvey but since Laura Mulvey’s theory did not apply to my
group’s theme I then used Tzetan Todorov’s equilibrium theory.
Todorov’s views were that everything had a beginning, a twist in the
middle and then a alternative end. Goodwin claims that music
videos exhibits genre characteristics and that there should be a
relationship between lyrics and visuals with a frequent notion of
looking.
 Whilst researching I found generic codes and conventions across a
wide range of genre including different camera shots, props and
editing matching the speed of the music.

4. Media theorist: Todorov
Todorov had the theory of equilibrium which consist of:
 The fictional environment begins with a state of equilibrium (everything
as it should be)
 Some disruption occurs
 New equilibrium is produced at the end of the narrative.
This is shown within my video as :
Equilibrium – the main character being bullied
Disequilibrium – the character fights back against the bullies
New equilibrium – his suicide was him finding new mean/release.

5. USE
 For the music video I used used several specific conventions from the
rock genre, for instance a common theme is the location being
warehouse, deserted buildings and tunnels. We pin pointed these
features and corporate it into our video. By using an alleyway we were
able to highlight his isolation and a sense of being trapped. This was
taken from Linkin Park One Step Closer video. In the video the band is
performing in a dark tunnel and also at the beginning of the video we
see people in a dark alleyway pointing and laughing.
This is a picture from Linkin Park’s
video we see people pointing and
laughing in dark alleyway
This is the alleyway scene
of Emmanuel walking

6. USE
 By using a narrative related to being a victim of bullying or being isolated,
we showed codes and conventions of the rock genre. My narrative included
Emmanuel being bullied by his peers and breaking the norm by acting out
against their taunting and then committing suicide. We portrayed him as a
outcast of society which is also the same narrative seen in Linkin Park’s
Numb video. This can be seen in other genres such as Hip hop , Pop and R
‘n’ B.
M
These music videos
show narratives
leading to suicide

7. USE
 Extras/ other characters in the music video were show to be much different as it
makes a distinction between the two. This was done to make the audience
understand that the extras/other characters are normal whilst he is an outcast.
This separation can also be seen in other rock videos. The paper bag idea came
from this music video ‘Somewhere I belong’ by Linkin Park’ (below
picture on the left) , I saw this whilst researching them & thought we could
incorporate into our video. It made a clear distinction between Mike and the
other people as he did not fit in, I thought this would be a good thing to add in.All 3 videos mis-en-
scene is similar as they
are all masked/cover
the same way.

8. USE
 We used the idea of suicide into our video to show that bullying has serious
after effect on people’s lives. We looked at this video below and came up
with using suicide in our closing scene. In the Ed Sheeran video they use a
bird’s eye view allowing a clear view of her body whilst we have a black
silhouette in a mid shot.
Emmanuel committing suicide Ed Sheeran give me love
suicide scene

9. Lip Syncing
 A convention that’s widely used in music videos is lip syncing. It’s a
good element to add to a video as it helps to emerge the song with
the narrative, only if don’t correctly otherwise a video may not work
so well. My music video had lip syncing as we thought it was a key
element that we needed to bring everything together. As we
reviewed our previous video without the lip syncing which did not
come out so well, I’m glad we decided to add this method. It’s very
effective in carrying the emotions of the lyrics into the song.

10. DEVELOPED
 To develop our music video we used the conventions of unique
lighting and effects, dark rooms and flashbacks which are usually
seen in the rock genre. We enhanced this by developing the
transition more between shots, as we didn’t use the traditional pan
shot but fading images and white screens.

11. CHALLENGE
 Our group also challenged the codes and
convents of real media products as well
as using them. A often used code and
convention used in rock music videos are
the band with their instruments.
 We did this by not using any sort of
performance and audience i. e fans
which was done in Linkin Park’s ‘Faint’
video

12. CHALLENGE – Mis en scene
 We avoided using the traditional Mis en
scene of a rock video such as :
• Black clothing
• Heavy make up
• Piercings
• Tattoos
• Smoking
• Leather jackets

13. CAMERA SHOTS AND ANGLES
We used the effect of zooming in to
show what was on the paper. Whilst
they used a cut in shot so in by
doing this we developed their
convention.
We used wide shots
within these edits to
show intertextuality
of our school and also
what the protagonist
was running away
Low angle shot
from backwards
used by Linkin
Park, we
challenged this
by not using this
shot within our
video. The shot
we used is over
the shoulder
from further
back.

14. We used
the faded
transition
in our
video as in
the ‘ one
step closer
Both lip syncing use a mid
close-up of the person.
Ours-Hayden, Link Park’s-
Chester

15. These two examples from
our video uses long shots
similar to the one step
closer music video
We used a tilt shot and angled the camera upwards as
Emmanuel was standing on a hill. By zooming in we were
able to capture him in this position which is a key
scene/shot within the video. We developed this as the
band uses a low angle shot His reflection on
his life is at this
moment. The
withered
branches and
grey cloudy sky
help to portray
this. For us this
Here we uses a high
angle/point of view shot
as its meant to show
Emmanuel looking over
the balcony after his
burst out through the
corridor.

16. Here was see
the band using a
low angle shot
They use a rotating
shot here which we
challenged by not
using it. We did see
the need as it would
of looked out of
We used a mid shot
to capture the
bullying of
Emmanuel within
the class rooms. It
allowed us to get a
view of everyone
and the
surroundings
showing its a class
room. And again
with the suicide
scene of Emmanuel
running towards
the hill.
They uses a high mid
shot which we didn't use
but challenged by using
a high angle shot and
titling it downwards.

17. How did we use, develop and
challenge the codes and conventions
with our album cover?

18. Codes and conventions of an album
cover
• Artist name
• Album title
• Main image
• Age restrictions
• Barcode
• Colour scheme
• Logo
• Track list
• Recording information

19. Compared minutes to midnight with
our from cover
Our album cover
The cover of both album covers consist of the bands name being in the same bold font and is placed central of
the page, ours is dead set in the middle whilst there’s is top centred. The album title is in grey above the band
name whilst ours is below the band name in black.
Linkin Park’s front cover uses an illusion effect of darkness when you can see clear light. This is due to the grey
water at the bottom of the cover that goes off into a foggy type mist. The 6 silhouette’s add to give the album a
sense of edgy darkness even though the majority of the album is white. This therefore makes a contrast between
the two and allows the audience to be curious and look more into getting the album.
Our album cover developed more by using the idea of a crumpled paper bag head and merging it into our album
cover
background this gives it a different dimension whilst adding continuity throughout our digipak. We also used still
shots from our music video and faded it white gave it a grey/white background. We also placed the parental
advisory logo in the bottom right corner of the cover whilst none sis shown on the other album.
The Linkin Park album
cover

20. 
Both back covers have the track list centred but again like the band name
ours is set in the meddle whilst Linkin parks is above centred in the sky
between clouds. This both also use the Warner Brothers logo on the back
covers, representing the music company they are signed to.
Linkin Park’s back cover shows a image which is similar to their front by
having 6 silhouettes but all you see is there backs whilst they face the water
ahead of them. There bar code is place at the bottom left side of the cover
with the recording all the main codes and conventions including the
important information, special features and thanks are all small printed on
the back at the bottom also.
We challenged this by not including these small prints but just by adding the
Warner bros logo, barcode, track list and band name on the back.

21. Artist name
 Artist name - tends to always be on the from cover, essential to creating an
image for the star and allows the target audience to see the artist product
easily.
 We use the artist name on our front cover and also the font used in our album
cover is consistent with the bands as they used it within three of their albums
- minutes to midnight, road to revolution, songs from underground.
All 3 album covers consist of the same font which
we have also used on our cover
We challenge the background of the cover
however by using multiple still shots from
our music video, then faded the images
and added the crumpled effect of the
paper bag to give it consistency but also a
new feel to a Linkin Park inspired cover.

22. Album title
 Album title - having a title for an album cover allows the audience
to get an idea of what the artist was thinking whilst creating the
album and gives it a feel for what direction (new or old) they have
decision to take with music. Our album title is underneath the band
name in the same font style. We used hybrid theory as our album
name but only focus on the and name as we wanted it people to be
able to recognise it.
Jlove which is meant for two
words combined as one. Jlo-
is her nickname often used
instead of her full name and
love? Is the album title. This
was cleverly done as its asking
is love still in the cards for
The abbey road titled
album is a very famous
album know across the
world for this icon image
and street. The Beatles
used the title due to the
street the members of
the band are walking
across.
Abbey road is
where the Beatles
recorded their last
album. So using
the title as Abbey
Road has great
significance.

23. Age restriction
 Age restriction - this will appear at times as parental
advisory telling you that there will be offensive or
inappropriate language within the album. As music nowadays is
more expressive with language and sexualisation a restriction
is put in place so that it would offend anyone without them
knowing. Having this label usually depends on the genre of
music and artist.
 Challenge- link park’s album because we put it on our own
album cover and used the code and conventions of the music
genre by adding the parental advisory.


All albums carry the
logo

24. Main image
 Main image – a main image is consistent on covers
sometimes even the back cover. There’s usually
connotation of a significant message about the artist
interest/feelings/experiences at that time in their life.
Different genres normally have different images e.g.
Pop artist have pictures of themselves- The Saturdays
and rock genre would have a logo or image putting
across a message
 We this developed by using pictures of scenes from our
music video
The
album has
come to
be
regarded
as U2's
first
overtly
political
album,
This
album
shows 5
girls
having
fun with
the
radio
i.e.
music

25. Colour scheme
 Challenge the colour scheme of all album covers. As we
didn't have one but we did use a consistent theme of
imagery e.g. Kanye tear bear albums. Which we did by
having still shot pictures from different scene of the
music video.
Late
registration
Graduation
College
dropout

26. Codes and conventions of the back
cover
We placed
the track list
central as we
wanted it to
be the most
important
thing people
saw. This is a
code and
convention
we used
(track list).
Band name is
also centred
but at the
top.
Barcode and
music
company logo
are another
code and
conventions of
album covers
that we usedWe challenged it by not using the small
print information or website address you
would usually get on an back cover
We developed it by
again using the
crumpled effect
and still shots from
scenes within our
video

27. logo
 Bands usually have an iconic logo that is constant
throughout their careers, this logo will mostly be seen on
their album covers. It can also be seen in music videos,
posters, adverts and concerts.
 Challenge this because we didn't use the band logo on
our album.
Link Park’s logo

28. barcode
 Barcode - is an optical machine-readable representation
of data relating to the object to which it is attached. All
products consist of a barcode including a music album.
This helps track items and also reduces instances of
shoplifting involving price tag swapping. Music labels
use this to keep a track of all the records sold and
where they are sold. This is a convention we used as it
is an important thing to have on a CD back cover.
Barcode on the
bottom right side
of the album
barcode

29. Track list
 The track listing is place centred on the page in the
middle, on the back cover. The font is black simple and
clear. We didn't use the same font as the band name
because it would have not looked appropriate and may
have been hard to read. We used four songs from The
Hybrid theory album – One step closer, In the end, Paper
cut and Crawling which all contributed to putting Linkin
Park on the map, making them a well known
mainstream Rock band. The bands
track list
Our track
list

30. Record information
 Linkin Parks is signed to the record label Warner bros.
They released their breakthrough album ‘Hybrid Theory’
the year after signing to the label. The label also
distributes the bands music as well as producing it.
Machines shop recordings is also a recorded label used by
the band. It was founded by Mike Shinoda and Brad
Delson. It was originally known as ‘The Mike Shinoda
Imprint’ but was renamed in 2002 when more members
of the band started to get involve. Mike and Brad run the
band as producer and A&R respectively. The label is
currently on hiatus. Due to disagreement with the label
and parent company Warner Bros. Both labels logos are
always featured on the bands albums.

31. Digipak Advert
A picture of the album
is used also to show
what it looks like to
the audience ,
making recognisable
The band name
with the same
theme font as
the album cover.
Beneath it is the
album title
The background
is also the same
imagery we used
for the album
cover, which are
still shots from
scenes within
our music video
The black rectangular box
across the middle/bottom
of the advert is used to
make the information
within it that's written in
white stand out more.
We also placed the track
listing underneath the
black box which is
written in black font.
This gives the audience
more visual on what will
be within the album and
what kinds of issues the
band have written
about.
The band’s official website,
music record label Warner Bros.
And Machine are also places at
the bottom of the digipak
advert.

32. Visual image
 Consistent theme has been used throughout our digipak
with both the album and advert looking similar as you
can see below. The faded still shots from the scenes
within the video has been used for the background, along
with the album title and band name being used.

33. Date of release
We used the codes and
conventions of a digipak
advert as the release date
is usually shown along
with the artist name/
album title. For our
release date we used ‘ Out
Now’ instead of a set
date. We felt it was better
to do this as we could add
the website and more
advertisement by quotes
that are promoting songs
from the album that are
circulating the music
industry at the moment.
E.g. includes the number 1
single ‘On Step Closer’.
We also added the track
list at the bottom of the
advert to show what other

34. Review of album advert
 Magazine adverts are usually the front covers of the
digipak in a poster form with messages underneath giving
information on the release dates, ratings from reviews of
the album by the artist and sometimes track list from
the album it self. These are codes and conventions of a
digipak magazine advert you’ll see.
Here we see there
magazine advert i.e.
poster which looks
similar to ours with the
use of black and white
colour scheme. At the
bottom they have also
add a picture of the
album and message
that says ‘available
now’ instead of a stead
date. Something we
have also on with our
This poster resembles our
idea as it’s a larger example
of the album imagery with a
few changes. Its colour
scheme has gone from white
to red, the band name is now
merged behind the 6
silhouette figures of the band
members and the
information is all bellow the
silhouettes. In the bottom
right corner there is also a
picture of the album further
promoting the audience to
purchase it.