This document discusses how the media product uses and develops conventions of real alternative rock music videos and forms. It summarizes that conventions like close-ups of musicians, tracking shots, discontinuity editing, urban locations, direct address to the camera, band merchandise and equipment, darkly themed websites and digipaks are commonly used. The media product incorporates many of these conventions, such as close-ups, editing, urban locations, direct address performances, and darkly designed digital and online content, to represent the alternative rock genre.

1. In what ways does your media
product use, develop or challenge
forms and conventions of real media
products?
Evaluation task 1

2. What is a convention
• A convention are features and style of a media
form
• Example: Conventions of a pop video would
include high key lighting, bright colours and a
romantic narrative

3. What is a form
• A form is the type/ shape of the media texts
• Examples of different forms include music
videos, websites and digi packs

4. Camera
A important convention to the alternative rock genre is the use of camera.
• An important use of the camera is the close ups on the musicians. This is important to our genre because
the audience of the rock band mostly play instruments themselves and therefore appreciate the skills of
professional musicians.
Our video
Real media texts
Looking at the Imagine Dragons music video we found that close ups on the singer was important because it
helped to exaggerate the lyrics of the video. We also found that close ups on the musicians was important because
of the appreciation to the rock genre.

5. Camera
• Tracking shots are also an important use of the camera in the alternative rock genre, this Is
because it adds movement as well as linking the band members together. It also makes the
video more visually interesting which is especially important for performance based music
videos, so that the audience don’t get bored.

6. Editing
• An important convention in the alternative rock genre is editing. The use of editing in our
music video is discontinuity editing. This is editing that is noticeable. We used a ramp shot as
a use of discontinuity editing.
The fact that music videos don’t have any continuity means that putting in visually interesting
shots is vital to the video otherwise its just a few people singing and playing instruments
which can seem very boring
In the research stage I
found that most of the
alternative rock bands
used cool editing to help
make the video seem
visually interesting. This
example is Puppeteer by
Max.
This is an
example by Foo
Fighters:
Everlong
This is an example from our video

7. Costume
• The costume of the band is also an important convention in the alternative rock genre. This is because the
costume that is worn represents the theme of the genre and the song. The general costume of the
alternative rock genre is a simple tee shirt and darker jeans. The example shown below is On The Road by
Sunset and Sons, this is an example of the costume of the alternative rock genre. We followed the idea of
a simple tee shirt and dark jeans but we exaggerated it a little bit on the shirt side as you can tell by
looking at the image of our guitarist who is wearing a black Guns and Roses shirt which is typically well
known in the rock genre. The guns and roses shirt shows that the band themselves are like the audience
with interest into the genre, this gives direct correlation between the audience and the band.
• Our musicians also had long dark hair which is a well known in the rock genre because it is seen as wild
which represents the known live performances of bands.
• Long hair (wild)

8. Sets and locations
From the research from multiple music videos such as American Idiot by Green Day which is
shown in the image below we identified that the location of the video was very important to the
alternative rock genre.
• From looking at the research we found that the typical location were in industrial, urban and
cool areas such as warehouses. This is because these sort of places are seen as tough, urban,
manly and masculine which represents the tones of most of the songs
• In response to the research we chose to film on the top floor of a car park which fits in with
the urban look representing the tone of the band.
• The location is just like a stage in the way that the band is positioned.

9. Performance
• I found that the performance of the video was also a important convention in the alternative
rock band genre. A important part of the convention of the performance is direct address,
this was shown in every alternative rock genre video that I watched. Direct address is looking
straight into the camera. This is important because it links the audience to the band members
to make them feel connected and involved in the video. The direct address helps to show the
aggressive style of the video as well.
• In the performance energy is also an important part of the rock genre, this is because the
energy of the band represents the energy and the tone of the song most of the time.
• Our example Red Hot Chili Peppers
u Under The Bridge

10. Props
• Props are an important convention to the rock band genre. Props such as band
equipment like amps and electric microphone stands are important for the image
of the rock band because they help to portray the live performance aspect that
rock bands try and show
Our video- amp Radiohead- Creep
Microphone stand

11. Website
• The conventions of the website is important for the
rock genre because it gives an image of the band and
the sort of music that they play. In my research in
websites I looked at multiple rock bands websites
and found that there were several reoccurring
themes that existed these included

12. Website
Our website
Imagine Dragons website
The colour of the website is dark, this to give
off a simple macho look
There was the band logo on the homepage,
this is to make people remember the band
There were Images of band members to give
the audience an idea of the musicians and the
look of the band
They all have advertising for their new album
coming out, this is to alert their audience that
they have some new songs coming out
From the research into the conventions of the
website we chose to follow these trend like we
have in all of our forms because we felt that a
simply structured website gives the image that
we are looking for like Imagine Dragons

13. Digipak
• I found that a important convention of the digipak was animation, this is because it goes with the
alternative look to the genre of rock. From the research we found we chose to add in animation to our
digipak.
• Another convention that we found in research of the digipak was the theme of dark and mysterious, this is
because it follows the mood of the genre of alternative rock. We set the convention of dark and
mysteriousness in our digipak because of this.
Our digipak
Arctic Monkeys digipak