This document summarizes how the media product challenges conventions of the indie rock genre. It discusses how the music video was filmed in rural environments rather than typical urban settings. It also analyzes how the costumes conform to indie rock fashion trends like dark colors, skinny jeans, and leather jackets. The document evaluates how the video uses techniques like close-up shots and black and white editing consistent with other indie rock music videos. Finally, it examines how the video aligns with several aspects of Goodwin's music video theory, such as relating visuals to lyrics and synchronizing music and visuals.

1. A2 Media Evaluation
Q1
By Amy Crouch

2. Q1: In what ways does your
media product use, develop or
challenge forms and conventions
of real media products?

3. Indie-Rock Conventions
Based on the research I conducted about the Indie-Rock genre here
are the typical conventions that seemed to be a common appearance
in the genre:
• Usually set in urban environments, backroads due to low budgets.
• Indie Clothing- Dark colours,skinny jeans,leather jackets,checked
clothing.
• Close-up shots-show emotion
• Editing effects, (black and white)
• All male bands are more popular and females that star are usually
under the theory of “the male gaze.”

4. Rural Environments• In our music video we challenged the typical convention of a urban
environment however were we could we tried to use backroads to fit with
the genre conventions. With living within the rural area it was appropriate
to film around the area and it was also convenient to us.
• However videos such as Arctic Monkeys- One For The Road, also
challenged this convention setting their video in a rural area on a farm.
• As you can see from the images below you can see it is set in rural
environments and the use of backroads. We believe this image displays
some urban with the use of industrial work taken place.

5. Clothing
• Within music videos there is a convention that costumes/clothing are often indie-rock/grunge
fashion. We conformed this convention and used this as part of our costume choices for out music
video.
• Due to the indie-rock band usually consisting of male members we made one of out female roles
have the tomboy look and wear the more boyish items of clothing.
• As you can see Alyssa is wearing skinny black jeans and the baggy checked shirt from research in
indie bands, bands such as Arctic Monkeys wear this style with the checked shirt and skinny
jeans,this ensures we are suited to the clothing convention.

6. Clothing• With the other cast member (played by myself) we wanted to have a more feminine
look however sticking to the indie-rock/grunge fashion. With the use of females in
indie-rock videos rare it was difficult to find appropriate clothing inspiration based from
other artist and their music videos.
• In order to get the most appropriate fashion for the genre I carried out some research
and look on various websites such as ’boohoo.com’ and ‘topshop.com’. I also used
‘Pinterest’ to research the grunge clothing fashion to get an understand on the
fashion.

7. Clothing
• From the research we felt the appropriate outfit was to have a Tartan
skirt as tartan/checked was a common theme in grunge fashion and we
felt a skirt was appropriate to represent the famine aspect which we
desired. Black boots and black top was also a common theme and also
conforms to the indie rock theme of dark clothing as well as the leather
jacket that is worn.
Leather Jacket
Tartan Skirt
Black Heeled Boots

8. Close-Up Shots
• In Indie-Rock video close up shots are often used to show emotion of the character/band members,
this is emotion is often anger,sadness or even emotionless.
• Throughout our video one of the main characters remained unidentified through as part of the
narrative so the amount of close up shots were limited however during the end of our video when
the characters identify was revealed the close up shots of this character showed happiness
challenging the usual conventions. In the video 1975-Robbers and Arctic Monkeys-Why’d you Only
Call Me When You’re High this demonstrates to close up shots used of the artist and their facial
expression used compared to our use of close up shot

9. Editing• From looking at other Indie-Rock music videos as part of my research and
planning tasks a large majority of music videos produced by the 1975 are
edited in black and white and this is also a common theme in other indie-rock
music videos.
• We decided it would be appropriate to edit our own video this way in black and
white to convey to the indie-rock conventions and we also believe is creates to
the dark mystery feel to the music videos which is something we desired to
have.

10. Goodwin’s Theory
Andrew Goodwin identifies key features that distinguish music as a form:
• A relationship between visuals either Illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the
lyrics
• A relationship between the music and the visuals again either illustrating, amplifying
or contradicting the music
• Music genres have their own music video style and iconography
• There is likely to be voyeurism, particularly in the treatment of women
• There’s a demand on the part of the record company for lots of close – ups of the
main artist/vocalist.
• There is likely to be intertextual references either to other music videos or to films
and TV texts.
I believe that our music video conforms to 5 out of 6 of Goodwin’s Theories.

11. Goodwin’s Theory
Relationship between visuals and lyrics
• Our music video ‘Robbers’ conforms to the theory of the relationship between
visuals and lyrics, we demonstrated this on multiple occasions.
• At the start of our music video one of the main characters is sat on the bench
reading a magazine which contains images of models,whilst this is happening the
lyrics state ‘She had a face straight out of a magazine’. This highlights that the
girls/models in the magazine are what she aspires to be also the girl whom she
looks up to (who you see further into the video) represents these beautiful models
and she is a representation of those models.

12. Goodwin’s Theory
• The second example of demonstrating the relationship between visuals
and lyrics is in the middle of the video where the lyrics state ’She’s got a
pretty kind of dirty face’. During this particular lyrics there is a clip of
Alyssa putting up pictures of the girl who she admires and wants to look
like, these lyrics represent that her face is beautiful and she has beauty
on the outside but she also has a dirty way of showing who she really is
and under that beauty it is something not very nice. This overall mean
that beauty isn't everything that personality and being a nice person is
also important and this is demonstrated later on during the video.

13. Goodwin’s Theory
Relationship between the music and the visuals
• Throughout our music we tried were possible to use on beat editing, I believe this
makes our music video more engaging and as an audience it makes a better
viewing experience as well as making some scenes more memorable.
• A common theme which we created in our music video is creating an on beat edit
between the footsteps and the background beat of the original song.
• Also in the video there is a scene of the girl putting up the pictures then standing
back to appreciate her work, at this point the lyrics repeat ‘stay’ and the shots
change each time on the beat.
• Another example between the relationship between music and visuals Is where
there was a use of lip syncing at the moment where the girl character that is being
admired finds the written note and at lip syncs ‘You find out everything’s gone
wrong’
• Please click the boxes below to view our examples of on beat editing in our music
video.

14. Goodwin’s Theory
Voyeurism of women
• Voyeurism is the watching of people in certain behaviours. often in the media and
most certainly in music videos we see females portrayed as a sex symbol and more
likely from a male perspective. However in our music video we did not really portray
the females being seen as a sex item as we did not feel this would be appropriate
for our genre. However the common theme for our video does demonstrate the use
of voyeurism by the use of following/watching a female, this is shown twice in our
video
• Firstly the main character who has obsession with the other female demonstrates
voyeurism several times through out the video, one in which is the following her to
school and waiting by the gates for her to walk in

15. Goodwin’s Theory
• Another example of voyeurism is the arranging all the photographs of the girl and
circling the particular targeted girl. Although this may not be physically watching
the girl it still initially portrays the aspect of ‘stalking’.
• Typically voyeurism of women is usually shown from a male perspective, we also
demonstrated this in our music video to. Towards the end of the video the
‘popular’ female character is being watched from a distance by a potential ‘robber’
(which also links to the title of our song) who is a male, this conforms to Goodwin’s
Theory of watching someone in a certain behaviour.