Evaluation question 1

EVALUATION:
Developing and Challenging
Forms & Conventions.
As part of my A level Media Studies coursework I have had to develop
and create three media texts – a music video, digipak and magazine
advert all related to one song. I have had to use certain codes and
conventions to create synergy across all three products…
Jamie Wilson. A2 Level Media Studies.

Music Video Theorists:
During the research and planning time I researched into different music video theorists and came to the
following conclusions… Sven E
Carlsson: Carlsson believed that
music videos can be categorised in two separate ways – performance vs. conceptualism. A performance can be a song,
dance or instrumental performance. Within my music video, I have conformed this to the best of my ability by including a
dance routine and the main singer miming along to the lyrics. He believed that music videos contain conceptualism, meaning
they will have a deeper meaning and are designed so the consumer is exposed to more than just the artist on the screen. I
have conformed this theory as my music video has a huge deeper meaning, relating to my audiences demographics, for the
consumer to be able to aspire to change their life like the protagonist in the music video to not care what people think of them.
Michael Shore: Shore
believed that music videos are aimed at teen males and their stereotypical fantasies of speed, power, girls and wealth. I
subverted this theory as I did not want to negatively offend or provide cheap entertainment to my consumers as I wanted to
create “food for thought” by giving my audience something to think about and analyse; this is why I included the quote that
links everything together at the end of the video. Andrew
Goodwin: Goodwin believed in
four main theories linking to music videos. He thought all music genres have certain conventions and iconography in order to
be identified within that genre. I wanted to mainly conform this theory but in some ways subvert. I did this by including a dance
routine and other stereotypical pop aspects but subverted by including a scene where the protagonist dyes her hair red – this
part could belong to a rock genre music video but it suited the song well as the song itself has a rock tempo at times. In
addition, Goodwin invented the theory of voyeurism, where men and women are shown seductively. I subverted this theory as
I wanted to focus on the meaning behind what the song and the music video is visually about instead of the consumer been
blinded by seductive costumes and actions. He also believed that music videos use visuals to convey the meaning and
illustration behind the lyrics in order to emote an audience. I thoroughly conformed to this theory by using narrative
throughout, showing a girl who is trying to fit in with the crowd and eventually does this by not caring what people think of her,
this links into the lyrics of there been a girl who is trying to be free as her hair and not caring that her parents don’t like the
way she is dressing and her friends talk about her behind her back.

Music Video Conventions:Camera Shot Types:
Throughout my music video I used a wide variety of camera shot types in order to make the video more visually
interesting for the consumer. The shot type depended upon which part of the narrative the music video was telling. For
example, towards the begging of the video a lot of the shots are from above (see figure 1) or extreme wide shots (see
figure 2). I did this intentionally to create immediate sympathy for the protagonist as she is seen isolated and alone with
a huge space around her – the consumer instantly understands the struggles this character is facing.
However, towards the end of the music video and the times in which my protagonist is rebelling from her normal every
day life, especially in the scene where she is spraying her hair red. This was because I really wanted this scene to be
chaotic as a true representation of what is going through the protagonists mind at that moment in time. I therefore
decided to use close ups (see figure 3) mixed with medium shots (see figure 4).
I also used a rural establishing shot at the beginning of the music video where the protagonist is looking out across a
lake. I chose to do this because the lake was a very tranquil location and I wanted the water to be a representation of an
essential of what humans need in life to survive, the protagonist is also in need of that one thing in life that she needs to
survive; this was an indexical sign.
Camera Movement:
As well as shot types, I also wanted to enhance the image and story by using different camera movements. For
example, throughout the establishing shot I used a pan (see figure 5) as they are usually used to revaeal a location or a
person. Within the next scene the camera is located on a tripod hanging over the protagonist and I applied a slight zoom
as she is seen in the fetal position (see figure 1). I did this in order to create the feeling like the audience are preparing
to see into the mind of a broken girl. I used a track movement during the scene where the protagonist is seen storming
towards the camera (see figure 6) in order to show her fury at the way she is feeling. This links into the change in
narrative that is about to happen as she begins to rebel.
I used a variety of hand held and tipod camera movements throughout. The hand held shots are more frequent as the
protagonist rebels (mainly in the hair dying scene, figure 3 & 4) and tripod shots are more frequent during the black and
white scenes.
Figure 1: Figure 2: Figure 3: Figure 4: Figure 5: Figure 6:

Music Video Conventions:Editing: I used
different types of editing throughout my final music video to make it look more professional and live up to other music
video standards in todays digital age. For example, I used continuous editing to progress the narrative but at the
same time allow it to make sense, this is mainly evident in the scene where my protagonist is going to her first
concert and is seen walking up some steps (see figure 1). I used three separate shots as the character walks up the
stairs in order to make the scene more visually interesting than having one shot of her walking up the stairs. In
addition, all of my clips are in the correct order to show a story that progresses over time. In a focus group feedback
session one of the reviewers said they liked, “how the story looks as if it is told over the course of a few months,”
which was the main idea as I wished to show her struggles over a course of time.
Upon analysing different music videos for my research and planning part of the coursework I came across a music
video by Calvin Harris for his song “It was acceptable in the 80’s.” Throughout the music video he uses split screen to
convey a fun, colourful, stereotypical view of the 1980’s (see figure 2). I wanted to use split screen within my music
video throughout the black and white scenes to show that there is hope amongst all of my protagonists anxieties and
upset about her everyday life (see figure 3).
Throughout my music video I used colour correction by adding a tint (making the clips black and white) to all the
“everyday” scenes where my protagonist is seen depressed (see figure 4) to have comparison against the dancing
and rebellious scenes (see figure 5). My music video is by the artist Lady Gaga and throughout her video to the single
“Born This Way” she takes the same strategy to present dysfunctional and depressing images in comparison to the
lively dance routines. I added a house style text to my final
product to match my digipak and magazine advert with the text “HAIR” that is shown at the beginning as well as the
inspirational quote at the end of the video. I also edited the key words within the quote to stand out in blue against the
white as blue is my main house style colour seen throughout all of my professional products.
I edited a lot of the transitions within the music video to be normal quick changes from clip to clip. I did this in order to
show has fast things are changing and that there is a huge lapse of time throughout the music video – the actual
lapse of time is up to the consumers interpretation. Also, the upbeat tempo of the song matched the quickly changing
clips. However, I did make the clips last longer during the concert scene to show this point in time is only happening
over the course of a few hours. This is the only part within the music video where I used a fading transition to show
the concert is like a dream to the main character (see figure 6).
Figure 1: Figure 2: Figure 3: Figure 4: Figure 5: Figure 6:

Music Video Conventions:
Mise-en-scene: I considered the
mise-en-scene convention of my music video very important. I therefore analysed my audiences demographics and
physcographics and came to conclusions as to what sort of costumes, performers and settings I should include
throughout my music video in order to fully engage with my consumer. The conclusions drawn are seen below…
Setting: I wanted to appeal
to the demographic group of young people aged between 15-30 but mainly the earlier half of this age group. I
therefore chose to have my protagonist as a student at a school as this is relatable to everyone within this age group
having gone through or still going through the education system. They will have their own experiences of school life
and the NHS statics show that nearly 80,000 children and young adults suffer from depression, meaning this will
usually happen while at school. In addition to this, I also included a conventional British house for the home of my
protagonist, making it again more relatable to my western culture physcographics. I used city location settings to show
how small my protagonist is within this huge world that surrounds her, represented by the skyscrapers. Finally, during
the change in narrative where the protagonist “finds herself” she is at a concert which is a key social thing that young
people within my age group will experience at some point.
Costume: I chose
trendy outfits for my protagonist to wear throughout in order to again appeal to my consumer as they can buy the
clothes seen throughout the music video. However, her main outfit (seen within all three media products) is a red
mens checked shirt which wouldn’t usually be very trendy for a pop star or female to wear at all but this relates to the
dysfunctional images seen throughout the media products as well as the fact that the song can fit into more than one
music genre. Lighting and colour:
I used a lot of low key lighting throughout the normal, everyday black and white scenes to contrast with the mix of
colours throughout the dancing and upbeat scenes, which I digitally added during the editing stage. I did this to
enhance the colourful scenes and make the depressing scenes create even more sympathy amongst my consumers.
Acting: During the
everyday life scenes the protagonist is seen looking depressed, as backed up by the lyrics of the song and the black
and white effect added to the clip. However, her facial expressions change to angry during the rebellious scene where
she is dying her hair and then change again to be happy when she is at the concert. I chose these facial expressions
specifically as these are the raw emotions that teenagers experience on a day to day basis. I had the protagonist’s
body language to seem pretty closed in comparison to her wide arms and jumping seen during the change in
narrative in the final chorus of the music video where she is at the concert. I always liked to have the protagonist
positioned in the middle of the shot throughout as I imagined it looking as if she is in the middle of the “bully circle.”

Music Video Conventions:
Performance vs Narrative: I chose
to mainly focus on a narrative story throughout my music video as I feel the song that the video is based
on tells a story, which I wanted to convey throughout. However, due to the fact that I wanted to include
aspects of the pop genre throughout I chose to have a dance performance built within the walls of the
narrative. However, during my audience focus group of my first draft I was told that the dance performance
seemed too spontaneous in comparison to my narrative. I therefore changed this during my final draft and
made the protagonist seem interested in the dancing so I was able to link my performance and narrative
together in order to produce a professional looking product, which would include mainly narrative with
aspects of performance.
Conclusion: To
conclude, I believe that my music video can be compared to professional products as I have developed
typical pop genre music videos in some ways, such as the split screen, dance routine and message
conveyed throughout. However, I also challenged the genre with certain aspects of my video; mainly in the
scene where the protagonist is seen spraying her hair a different colour as this scene could be apart of a
rock music video due to the edgy and rock style in which she is performing. In addition, most pop videos
see the celebrities wearing body suits, which I wanted to challenge throughout my video with my choice of
different costumes from a normal shirt to a fashionable white coat. The song is sung by American artist
Lady Gaga, who is subsequently my main inspiration for creating the songs narrative and video. I
therefore viewed different previous Lady Gaga music videos during the research and planning side of the
coursework before analysing what makes them different to other music videos. I picked out three main
things: costume, story and a true passion. I therefore tried to incorporate all three of these things within my
music video but also reinvent in order to develop my chosen artists image further as this would be the
case within the music industry.

Digipak & Magazine Advert:
Typography:
Typography is the main means of getting across the message and information about the album within
professional media products. I believe one of the most important parts of my typography I had to include
within my digipak and magazine advert was the album name because this is the main message and song of
what I wanted to sell to my audience. I therefore chose to call my album “Hair” as this would be the title song
and single from the album if it was to be released. The second most important thing for me to consider and
the main selling point of the album is the artists name – “Lady Gaga.” I therefore wanted to make this stand
out on my digipak cover and magazine advert to appeal to her fan base as well as my demographic target
group. I wanted the main album title and the artists name to be seen in the same font as it keeps the text
simple throughout and I have also noticed that a lot of artists, including Lady Gaga, keeps the text of the
albums name and the artist the same. I wanted the font that is seen throughout to appear as if it has
carelessly been painted across the top of a polaroid. I chose this appearance specifically because polaroid's
are designed so that a person can write the date or event on the bottom but in this case the words are painted
over the top of the picture. I wanted the picture to look as if it has happened after the music video has come to
an end, to show a broken girl and the word to cover the girl to show that memory wants to be erased.
The track list on the digipak and release information on the magazine adverts typography is kept in the same
font so I can have a certain house style throughout. The house style will allow all of my three media products
to be easily identifiable and relatable to each other. The songs on the back cover of the digipak were chosen
to sound like typical pop songs to create a more professional sounding product. However, I did change the
typography on the lyrics page for the simple reason that I wanted to fit as many lyrics onto the page as
possible and for them to be easily readable. I have tried to keep to my house style as much as possible here
by including a picture of the artist taken from the music video where she is wearing the legendary blue wig
and walking away towards the end.

Main Images: Within
any professional media product the main image is incredibly important as this can become globally recognised for the
album or artist. An example of this is The Bealtes album Abbey Road (see figure 1) which sees the band crossing a
zebra crossing has become an iconic image worldwide. I wanted to chose one specific image to become an iconic
sign throughout all my media products that would be a true representation of my video. During the photo shoot for the
digipak and magazine advert I heavily took into account the mise en scene to create the perfect image that
incorporates everything my music video stands for. I chose the image where my artist is sitting on top of a amplifier
with the wire wrapped around her after she has dyed her hair red. I wanted the wire to represent she is wrapped up
amongst all the music and talk of everyday life and is therefore trapped. However, I specifically chose the amplifier to
be a key aspect of the image due to the subtle rock thematic concept I wanted to connote to my consumer as I believe
this added another layer to the song and video. I chose for my main character to look "broken" within the image - as if
she is absent from the world around her. I contemplated having low key lighting for the image but decided it would
simply work better for the image to be bright as I wanted it to show the spotlight could be on her if she can just let go
of all her insecurities - which she does towards the end of the video. In addition, taking the picture in high key lighting
means that it can still be seen with the "HAIR" logo across the top.
I experimented with on location and studio based images but chose to mainly use studio based images as it looked
more professional for the final product. The
on location images were taken while I was filming my music video in two separate locations: at the concert and while
my protagonist is sitting on the wall looking depressed. I chose to keep with my house style of a Polaroid digipak and
therefore chose the best four images to show snippets from the music video within the opening pages and lyrics page
of my digipak. This is because I wanted to promote my music video when people brought the album as not everyone
watches music videos. I wanted the background of the digipak and
magazine advert to be a blur of colour. I therefore chose to use an image I had taken while at the concert (see figure
2) which I edited on photoshop to create the effect seen across the media products (see figure 3).
The main image across both media products, the digipak lyrics page and second inside page all contain wide shots. I
deliberately chose the wide shots to include all the action that is within the background around the protagonist in the
centre. However, I also included some medium shots on the first inside page, which shows the artists struggles, so the
consumer can see the depression in the artists face.
Figure 1: Figure 2: Figure 3:

Colour Scheme: Within
any professional media product the colour scheme is incredibly important in order to get a message across
and relate to a certain genre. I subverted the typical pop genre colours in order to appeal to my target
audience for an inspirational message instead of a pop target audience, where the message might not be
needed. I mainly wanted to stick to red, black and blue throughout the main images and typography. I
believe these colours mixed in well with the blur of colour I included in the background - which I still mainly
wanted to stick by my three colours.
I chose the colour red in order to connote a feeling of passion, danger and in some parts anger. I wanted to
relate to my favorite scene within the music video where my protagonist colours her hair red in a
dangerous, frantic manor.
I chose the colour black because when researching into different connotations connected to colours I came
across an interesting point that teenagers often have a psychological need to wear black while undertaking
the transition stage from innocent childhood to sophisticated adulthood, which I thought was a very
interesting connotation and I was able to link the colour into the black and white theme throughout my
video.
Within the music video I chose for the wig to be electrifying blue to stand out as a sharp image to the
consumer. I also kept this colour consistent throughout the typography because blue is meant to connote
sadness as well as wisdom, confidence and heaven. I subsequently chose the
colour blue as I believe that we see these two opposite sides of blue throughout
the actual music video.

Type of Language: The type
of language used within a digipak and magazine advert increases the audiences understanding of
what type of genre and message the song and music video is trying to connote to its audience.
I specifically chose not to include a message from the artist as I believed that this was mainly found
within cliché pop albums and I wanted my music video and song to express enough narrative and
message from my artist. I instead replaced this page within my digipak with a lyrics page. I want the
consumer to read the lyrics and receive the artist message this way.
Conclusion: In
conclusion, I believe I have again tried to develop my chosen artists traditional album releases with
the digipak and magazine advert design. In terms of the pop genre I feel I have in some ways
challenged the typical pop album cover mainly due to the dysfunctional typography. Below are a few
pop and rock examples that were inspiration when creating my digipak, which is shown in the
centre. I wanted to make sure my digipak would be a selling point in shops and stand out from the
other albums but also develop their trades.

Evaluation question 1

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