The document analyzes the conventions used and challenged in a music video the author created. It discusses how the video represents conventions of pop music videos through its use of people, places, objects and identities. It also draws on theories by Andrew Goodwin, Roland Barthes, Ferdinand de Saussure, and Laura Mulvey to discuss how the video uses and develops conventions related to the representation of the artist, relationships between audio and visuals, use of signs and meanings, and the male gaze. The video also reflects conventions of Will.I.Am's music videos but challenges typical conventions around the sexualization and submissiveness of female characters.

1. EVALUATION QUESTION ONE:
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms
and conventions of real media products?

2. CONVENTIONS OF A POP MUSIC VIDEO:
• Within my music video, I represented the conventions of pop music videos
through the use of people, places, objects and cultural identities. This was so
I could create meaning for my audience.
• ANDREW GOODWIN:
A music video should represent the song itself, as both a form of advertisement
and as a message within the song
• ROLAND BARTHES:
Denotations (literal meaning) and Connotations (associated meaning)

3. The theories of both Andrew Goodwin and Roland Barthes can be seen in my
own music video as the denotations show an actor posing as the artist
Will.I.Am to be singing alongside a female performer, however, the
connotations suggest the artist is actually being promoted through the
video, by making the audience aware of his image. This is done mostly
through close-up shots of the artist, a camera shot which is used within most
music videos.

4. This can also be seen through the use of Mise-En-Scene, as the use of sepia
filters, red round tables, candles and wine and shot glasses creates the look of
a 1920s jazz bar setting. From this we can connote that the music video is also
advertising „The Great Gatsby‟ film as the song was taken from the
soundtrack, using synergy to promote the film on a new platform.

5. This was also seen in the costume of the female performer who wore both red
lipstick and a red dress was used to connote not only the sultriness of the
character and the state of appeal for male audience‟s but also as a way of
warning the audience about the dangerous side of the performer. This is the
exact same concept used in Lawson‟s video of „Juliet‟ where the female
character (dressed in red) uses her looks to violate men by stealing their
possessions

6. • ANDREW GOODWIN:
Relation between the lyrics and visuals was created through props as the
confetti canons used to murder the irritating men in the bar reflects the line
“my baby shot me down again”. This technique allows the audience to
remember the lyrics as they are being reinforced by the images, making the
song memorable. This is similar to Maroon 5‟s music video for „Moves like
Jagger‟ as when this line is sung during the chorus, an image of MicJagger is
shown on screen

7. • ANDREW GOODWIN:
Relation between audio and visuals was created through the lip syncing of
the artist along with the music and in another shot where a foot is seen to be
tapping along to the beat of the song and shots where the party cannons are
seen to be going off at the sound of the “bang”. This can also be seen in Olly
Murs‟ video for „Troublemaker‟ where the images on screen are seen to be cut
in time to the beat of the music in the introduction

8. • FERDINAND DE SAUSSURE:
Meaning is understood through an interpretation of signs; this theory was
needed within my own music video as the sound for the actual visuals was
muted, therefore for the narrative to be understood, body language was
needed to be used. This is shown in one cut where a male character is seen to
be being rude to the female waitress. It is clear he is acting harshly as his face
is screwed in an aggressive frown as he waves his middle finger in the air;
reflecting his hostility towards the waitress

9. • LAURA MULVEY:
The idea of the „male gaze‟ was created through camera shots and angles.
Particularly at the start of the music video where the camera pans up the female
performers body. The idea of someone watching her is emphasised by the use of a
„fade-to-black‟ transition, giving the impression of someone blinking. It is this shot which
gives the audience the impression they are watching through a diegetic gaze as they
watch through the perspective of the males within the video. This element of
voyeurism offers the audience pleasure through the eye of the camera, allowing them
to freely look at a woman in a way which would be unsuitable in reality; this is
emphasised in further cuts which show a male looking away guiltily from the
performer, followed by another looking down into his wine glass with a coy smile;
caught in the act. This also emphasises Mulvey‟s theory that men look and women are
looked at; which is reflected through the costume of the female performer who is
dressed in a figure-hugging dress and killer heels

10. • LAURA MULVEY:
However, this concept is being challenged more recently as the „male gaze‟ is
not the only feature of music videos, as seen in Carly Rae Jepson‟s video for
„Call Me Maybe‟, where the male character in the video is seen to be
removing his wet vest shirt. This is to particularly target young teenage girls as
the pop genre is a genre that mostly young girls listen to.

11. • Music video must be within 2.5 to 5 minutes long
This screenshot from YouTube shows
my music video to be 2:52 minutes
long, which is the length of an
average pop music video

12. • The theme of love is brought up
This can be seen in One Direction‟s video for „What Makes you Beautiful‟
where the boys target the song lyrics to a girl they have met at the beach.
This is seen within my own music video as the boys are clearly taken by the
sensuality of the female performer

13. • Use of technology:
Technology is often seen to be used within many modern pop videos as it is an
element which targets specifically the youth of today. It is also a way for the
artist to gain more money as the owners of the products pay to be advertised
through the music video, this is seen in the recent featuring of the „beats‟
speakers which can be seen in Miley Cyrus‟ video for „Can‟t Stop‟, Robin
Thicke‟s „Blurred Lines‟ and Jessie J‟s „It‟s my Party‟. The use of technology is
also an aspect I have used within my own work as the use of mobiles featured
is a reflection of our 1920s theme with a modern twist

14. CONVENTIONS OF NARRATIVE:
• TODOROV:
My music video reflects Todorov‟s theory of „Equilibrium vs Disequilibrium‟
through my narrative. This was created through shots of both performing artists
with shots of the men in the bar. This shot established the characters and
settings within the story, however, this is then changed when the female
waitress enters the shot. It is clear from the entrance of this character that she
will unbalance the peace and the narrative will change.
I also followed a three part structure to ensure my music video had a
beginning, middle and end, using the
Background, Problem, Solution, Evaluation to ensure the narrative is
understood. This was seen in the background of the 1920s jazz-bar setting, the
problem of the males being disrespectful and the solution being the death of
the male characters
• PROPP:
I also used Propp‟s theory to create a villainous character (male played Kieran
Tobin) and the donor, who helps out (the female performer who helps the
waitress murder the men in the bar)

15. CONVENTIONS OF WILL.I.AM‟S
MUSIC VIDEOS:
• Will.I.Am uses many close-ups of himself within his music videos, where he
looks directly at the audience, as seen in his video for „Scream and Shout‟

16. • Female performers:
Will.I.Am includes females in all of his music video‟s, starting off with Fergie in
their group „The Black Eyed Peas‟ and moving onto the likes of Miley
Cyrus, Britney Spears, Cheryl Cole and Nikki Minaj. Within my own music
video, Will.I.Am is seen to be paired up with the female performer, just like in all
his other videos

17. • Black and White filters:
Just like Will.I.Am did in his music video for „Bang Bang‟ we also used a black
and white filter to create the idea of the video being old-fashioned and
reflect the 1920s theme

18. CONVENTIONS I HAVE SUBVERTED:
• Usually within music videos, the female characters are seen to be sexualised
and submissive for the likes of male characters. However, within my own
music video the female character is anything but submissive as she plans to
help her fellow female friend defeat the males in the bar by fighting back
rather than letting them abuse them.
• This idea is being shown in more music videos these days, where the women
are seen to be over-powering the male characters as seen in Faul and Wad
Ad vs Pnau‟s „Changes‟, where a group of little girls group together to fight
back against a group of boy scouts who have kidnapped their friend and in
Katy Perry‟s „Dark Horse‟ where she is seen to be magically transforming men
into animals and dust particles after using them for their wealth and fame.