1. Evaluation question 1
In what ways does your media product use, develop or
challenge forms and conventions of real media products ?
2. Use Of Narrative
Storyline
Our music video was focused on the narrative. For this we did not use any lip syncing or band performance during the music video.
We did this because we thought that it would draw the viewer's attention away from the seriousness of the game. This goes against
the conventions of a typical music video. A typical music video would have a narrative but have actors to play the part and if the
band were to be in it they would be performing. Our music video followed Sven E Carlsson theory of music videos. He says that
binary opposites drive the narration of the video forward. In our music video we had the rivalry between the two main
characters(which were binary opposites) and these two characters were the centre of the music video. One theorist we challenged
was Propp. His theory stated the roles of different characters in a video. He said there should be a hero and a villain. We followed
and went against this theory because we showed the audience that ashley was the hero in this situation and I was the villain but in
this narrative there is no ‘good’ character because the lead protagonist is gambling to get out of his debt issues.
3. Multi-stranded
Our multi-stranded narrative was the backstories of
both the the main characters. We followed typical
conventions of showing the backstories of the
characters. Our intent of showing the back stories
were to display the good vs evil characters. We done
this to try and get the audience to feel empathy
towards the character with the debt issues.
An example of this would be MGMT - Your Life Is a Lie
as this music video follows all different types of
characters.
4. Gritty Realism and stereotypes
Gritty realism was important to our music video narrative. We
decided to show the effects gambling can have on different types of
people. We decided to a character in debt and a character who as a
gambler. We shown the realism of the man in debt by having a shot
where his last notice of a bill is due and he is gambling for a chance
to win. The realism is to show that so much is at stake for this
character. This realism was from the film rounders. In the scene he
risks it all after a big lost and he wins.
Rounders
During this we focused on the stereotypes of the main two
characters. The first stereotype i will talk about is the
stereotype of the man in debt. He stereotyped him in many
different ways. The main way we stereotyped him is through
the way he dressed. We put the character in a scruffy shirt
and tie. This represented that he did not have another
clothes to wear showing that money is tight. The other way
we represent him was through his body and facial
expressions. He represented him as a worried character,
showing that the debt is on his mind.
The other character we represented as a gambling addict
and even a professional player. We done this through his
backstory and the way he dressed. The backstory showed
him playing poker on both scenes of his computer showing
he has not only done this before but does it often. The way
he dressed was also critical of the stereotype. The black
hoodie is typical of what a professional poker player would
wear to live tournaments
5. Mise-en-scene
Our location was typical of a ‘back street’
poker game. This was because it didn’t have
the typical casino setting. We were able to
have a poker table as a prop in the video,
which was vital for the success of showing the
mise-en-scene. The poker chips were also
used to show which players were in the lead.
This all followed the typical conventions of a
‘backstreet’ poker game.
It didn’t matter what time we filmed because
we were indoors. But what did matter was the
type of lighting. The lighting was focus on the
poker table to bring attention on the cards
which are in play. We used the existing
convention of making the lighting look shaded
on the character to symbolise their backstory.
6. Editing Techniques
We used a list of editing techniques during this video. One
of the most important technique we used was the time
lapse. The time lapse is a typical editing technique used in
many music videos. Another technique we used was quick
cuts. We used this to quickly show the different players
response. The types of effects we used was important to
the theme of the video. We started the video with the main
character walking to the poker game. We decided to have
the cards fade over him as he is walking, we did this to
show the audience where he is going. Another important
effect was the blur as it would cut to the backstory. This
help the audience make the connection that this is the
backstory of that character.
Original start
Of the
transition
The start of
the blur
effect
The
finished
transition
7. Use Of Camera
We used a lot of typical poker theme shots during the video.
One of which is the 360 degree pan of the table and the
players. Another shot we used was the close up on the cards
in the player's hand. Many of our shots follow the typical
conventions of the shots in a poker game. One shot we also
think is important was that amount a close ups on the
player's faces. This showed the expression of the player
which was key to the development of their character. We
also used a zoom in to use in the editing
We did go against the conventions because we didn’t have a
initial establishing shot showing where this poker game was
taking place. Whereas most music videos would have an
establishing shot to set the narrative.
