In what ways does your product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media texts?

1. Evaluation
Question One

2.  Firstly, when answering this question I think that it is
important for me to look back at the conventions from
the pop/indie genre. I also used Andrew Goodwins
Genre Theory when creating my product, therefore it is
important to reconsider these conventions and look at
how they influenced my pre-production choices in my
product.
 This is Andrew Goodwins Genre Theory which I can see
had a huge influence on my product, as I did use many
of these conventions. This research makes clear what
needs to be considered when creating a music video,
looking specifically at the target audience and their
responses. After analysing Taylor Swift’s ‘Style’ music
video it was obvious that Goodwin’s theory was
supported as most of his conventions were clear in this
video, demonstrating to me that these conventions
work well in the pop/indie genre and conform to the
audiences expectations, as well as using genre specific
conventions such as ‘colouring’.

3.  Conducting research into the pop/indie genre helped
me to find more conventions specific to this genre. This
helped me to highlight the conventions used in Tom
Odell’s work and see what conventions that he did and
didn’t use, ultimately showing me what I needed to
include on my music video. I also conducted artist
research which helped me find specific conventions
that Odell uses throughout a multitude of his music
videos.
 I then looked at real media texts from this genre so
that I could establish what conventions from the
theorist and my own research were used and applied to
products. This also showed me how artists individually
change and adapt conventions to suit their personal
style. This was an important process as it showed me
how to conform to conventions, as well as diverge away
from them. This helped me to understand what
conventions Tom Odell specifically used. I did research
into Odell’s music videos also to learn his production
style.

4. Uses .
 Performance element- this is one of
Goodwin’s conventions that is
present in all of Odell’s music videos,
he usually plays the piano or mimes.
This conforms to his acoustic style of
music.
 Close up’s- he uses a lot of close
up’s in his videos, which does
conform to conventions and
highlights his specific performing and
visual style.
 Demonstration of genre specific
characters- in some of Odell’s music
videos he does this as it creates more
meaning for the audience and can
often make the narrative more
relatable or believable.
 Narrative- in most of the music
videos a narrative is used, which is an
important aspect in Odell’s music, as
he uses it to create meaning.
 Colouring- Odell uses colouring is all
of his video, which is a convention of
the genre. He does this because it is a
way of significantly setting a tone or
mood within a music video.
challenges
 Connection of the visuals, lyrics and
music- although Odell’s lyrics do
sometimes match and create links to
the visual elements of the music
video, he focuses more on the
meaning created by the narrative,
highlighting the pragmatics of the
song.
 Voyeuristic treatments of women- the
majority of Odell’s songs have a slow
or building beat which connotes a
much calmer and delicate rhythm,
creating a romanticised atmosphere.
It would be inappropriate to use
women like this in his videos and
would not fit his personal
conventions or performance style.

5. Used.
 A link between
visuals, music and
lyrics.
 Narrative
 Genre specific
characters
 colouring
Challenged.
 Voyeuristic
treatment of women
 Performance
element

6.  I used a link between the visuals, lyrics and music because when I began
creating my music, when drafting the first shooting script, it was evident
that all my ideas had a visual link to the lyrics, as I was influenced by
having them in front of me. I feel what influenced me most was the
chorus’ main line “grow old with me” however I did decide to change the
meaning slightly and create a more relatable narrative about growth and
development rather than a generic romanticised one (this aspect does
however challenge conventions of Goodwin and Odell). I felt this was the
best way to create the narrative.
 I decided to create a narrative based idea as I felt it was appropriate for
the song, I conformed to this by using a narrative of development and
progress, which also creates a direct link to the music, as it builds. It
was important not to overcomplicate the narrative.
 I used genre specific characters because I felt this was the best way to
connote my meaning within the music video and creates a clear narrative
to the audience, as it also conforms to their expectations.
 I used colouring in my music video and created a more “washed out”
effect because it adds a level of intimacy and delicacy to my music video.
I think this was important for me because it creates a unique style which
is a convention of the indie genre.

7.  Voyeuristic treatment of the female body is a convention that I did
not conform to, similarly to my artist Tom Odell. This convention
would not fit well into my music video as it is a slow and calming
song, and would be viewed as degrading, rather than in an upbeat
song that the explicit content would stereotypically be accompanied
by.
 I chose to challenge the performance element in my music video
because although it is a popular convention within music videos,
looking specifically at Tom Odell’s, I felt that it did not fit with my
narrative and would distract the audience from the meaning. A
miming aspect would also be very difficult for my actors.

8.  I conducted a large amount of research into this
part of the project, looking specifically at
conventions of each product, which created direct
links to my artist specific research. It was
important to know what I should or should not
include and establish a generic layout. I did
specific research into the rule of thirds, and
further analysed multiple adverts and digipaks
from the genre that I was working with. I did an
analysis of some of Odell’s products so that I
could see what conventions that he does or
doesn’t conform to, and to compare his personal
conventions to generic conventions. This helped
me to establish what their usual functions are and
what conventions I wanted to use or challenge
when developing my own ancillary products.

9. Digipak.
 Images – these are the main promoters of
the digipak and must be eye catching,
relevant to the product, and create links
to the production. They also include
critical information such as the name of
the album and artist.
 Relevance to genre- the product must
create direct links to the genre so that the
audience are able to recognise, identify
and label.
 Colour scheme- the colour scheme
should be representative of the genre,
mood, and artist.
 Information- title, artist, track list,
background information.
Advert.
 Images- images of the artist are always on adverts,
making it clear who and what is being advertised.
It is important to make a good impression for the
album and artist by creating an eye-catching,
memorable advert. Adverts normally consisted of a
framed photo shoot that often have a direct link to
the product.
 Information- adverts always contain important
information such as the release date, title, artist,
reviews and availability.
 Social media- it is a convention that social media
forms will appear on the advert as they have
become much more popular and successful over
time; things such as hash tags, icons and websites
are used.
 Text- the text used is very important in creating
an appealing product; using verbs such as
“brilliant” is a generic convention. There are certain
aspects of the text that are conventionally bigger
or smaller, for example the artist name and album
title are generically bigger.
 Reviews- reviews will make the album appear very
popular and more in demand, influencing the
audience to purchase the album.

10. Uses
 Images – Odell conforms to this
convention as he always uses
images of himself on the cover of
his albums and on any
advertisement. He does this
because it creates a direct link to
his products, making it clear what
is being advertised. This is also
very eye-catching and memorable
for the audience as they would
recognise him straight away.
 Relevance to genre- Odell had
created his own unique style,
which within the ‘indie’ genre
which is very appropriate and gives
him a specific identity within the
music industry.
 Colour scheme- most of Odell’s
products have a very low key
colour scheme which creates a
general reflection for his music
and represents him as an artist.
Challenges
 Text – Because Odell uses very
little text in his products, the text
that is there is usually very
simplistic, the same size and the
same font.
 Reviews- Odell rarely uses reviews
in his products as he is more active
in forms of media. He is all a very
minimalist artist (conforming to
the genre), specifically with
appearance, therefore it is unlikely
for him to clutter his products with
text.

11. Digipak
Use-
 Images
 Relevance to genre
 Colour scheme
Challenge-
 Information
Advert
Use-
 Information
 Social media
 Text
 Reviews
Challenge-
 Images

12.  Images- I used this convention because it was a subtle and easy way to create a direct link to my other
products. All of the images on my digipak were well thought out so that they had a significant
interpretation of my music video. This allows the audience to recognise what it is and create links. His
was particularly important for me, as I did not include text on my front cover.
 Relevance to genre-my product is relevant to the pop/indie genre because of the images that I use.
The images that I use create a tone and mood within the digipak and create a distinct style. I also use
conventions specific to Odell by creating my own interpretation of work similar to his.
 Colour scheme- I conform to the use of colour to present certain themes and tones with in my product.
The colours used throughout all three of my products are very vibrant, but very few. I also wash out the
colours by adding a filter, which creates a more delicate and subtle appearance to my products. This
created a basic colour scheme and linked my products together, following conventions.
 Information- this is a key convention to any ancillary product, despite what genre it is from, because it
is vital for the audiences, understanding and enjoyment of the product. Through using the relevant
information, my audience are aware of all of the key details that they need to know in order to access
my product.
 Social media- I included this convention in my advert as I thought that it was important, with the
movement of modern technology, for my audience to be able to know exactly where they can access
my product, in multiple mediums.
 Text – I conform to this convention as it is particularly important in the advert for the audience to be
able to access key information quickly. I also used this to highlight particular sections of text and allow
them to stand out and be separated, creating an overall more eye-catching advertisement; having a
unique style makes it much more memorable.
 Reviews- I chose to use this convention in order to make the succession of my product greater. This
convention can have a big impact on the audience and influence them to take more notice of the
advert. It is a widely used convention as it creates an element of competition and involves the
audience/fans more directly, making a greater impact.

13.  Information- when designing the final draft of the front cover of my
digipak I decided not to include any text on it; although it is a
convention to have the artist name and album title, as this makes it clear
to the audience what it is, I decided that it would have much more
significant to not include this. This challenges the conventions of
digipaks however it conforms to the convention of my genre. I think
having a clear album cover makes it appear much more simplistic,
effective, and interesting. I feel that having no text makes it more
intimate as it adds a higher level of concentration and detail for the
audience making it more engaging.
 Images- I did not conform to using an image of the artist on my
advertisement, as I thought it would be more significant and influential
to use the front cover of my digipak. Although this goes against
theorists, and Odell’s conventions, it does conform to specific genre
conventions and allows my audience to make a direct link; this was
particularly important for me as I did not include text in the album cover
itself.

14.  Throughout all three of my products I feel that I do conform to
conventions of theorists, artist, and genre more than I challenge them. I
feel that this is because after watching and analysing real media texts it
creates certain expectation as an audience member, therefore when
creating I was creating my own product I was more conformist towards
conventions, as I understood them. Furthermore this helped me decide
which conventions that I did and did not like, allowing me to makes
decisions about what to include in my products.
 Also which the genre that I had chosen, which is a very popular and
stereotypical one, it was difficult to challenge the conventions as most of
my ideas were created through the direct use of conventions. It is also
important to consider the target audience and take their expectations of
conventions into account so that I was not to diverge them away.
 In conclusion, I think that my products are very conformist towards
conventions; however I feel that whilst using them I did develop them
with my own style, which ultimately made them more suited to my target
audience. This follows Goodwin’s theory of making the audience feel
more connected to the product.