My group's music video follows many conventions of Avril Lavigne's original music video for her song "When You're Gone" to create a similar style. We use similar camera shots, costumes, settings, and storylines to portray loneliness and isolation. However, we also challenge some conventions by adding long shots and medium close-ups of the artist not looking at the audience to develop a sadder atmosphere. Overall, the video draws from real music video conventions but also adapts them to suit our narrative.

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

2. Looking at different camera angles- Following Conventions
The plain background indicates to the audience that
1 there might be a sense of isolation and lonlieness in
the music video. This is also the theme in the
original music video.
This is the official music video. This allows my group
to see where we have followed the conventions. We
have kept ours very simple just like the original has.
This is a mid shot from our music video. This
shot shows how my group have decided to keep 2
the background a similar style and due this
allows the audience to focus just on the artist
itself.
The artist is also looking directly at
the audience. We decided to
follow the technique of the artist
giving an expression where we
don’t want to give away how they
are feeling.

3. Keeping the background similar to the We looked at different props which we could use
throughout our music video, therefore my group decided
original that we would include a house in the background as well
as a tree.
1
My group decided that we wanted to follow the different
camera shots as this made the original music video very
effective. However we have changed the setting. This is
because we wanted to create an quiet atmosphere.

4. Challenging our media Product
We decided to use a variety of different camera
shots and angles which don’t usually meet the
typical conventions of a music video. Therefore
we decided to challenge some shots.
Longshots are not seen
through out Avril
Lavinges music video,
therefore we decided to Me and my group were very pleased with the
challenge the outcome of using a long shot as it showed us the
conventions and add one majority of the house which is featured
in to see how this would throughout ancillary tasks and the music video
work. itself. We believe that breaking this convention
has worked well.

5. Keeping the Performance shots similar
1 2 3 4
These 4 shots show how my Therefore we have tried to keep
group have filmed at this convention the same as my
In this shot you can see
different angles and moved group felt that it worked really
the emotion in Alettas
the camera to create well when combined with the
face. This shot is placed
different variations of shot performance and the narrative.
just before the end of the
types. This is also
video when it reaches its
throughout the original
climax.
music video.
Why did we choose these different shots?
We chose these shots because we wanted to create a sense of loneliness which worked successfully in
the original music video, therefore my group decided to follow this feature through to our own video.

6. Setting- Following conventions
1
When we looked at where to begin
our music video we weren’t sure on
what setting to choose. However
after watching our chosen music
video we saw how this artist uses the
outdoors to create an atmosphere.
Therefore we chose to start our
music video with this technique
whereas Avril Lavignes music video
includes this halve way through the
music video.
2
We have also followed the simplicity of
this shot by the lighting used. We wanted
to follow this as it looked very effective.
Usually a light symbolises positivity but
has been portrayed quiet differently in our
music video.

7. Setting- following conventions
My group liked the idea of including
a house in an isolated area, therefore
we decided to follow this convention
and included this in our music video.
We felt this could portray the
loneliness of the character showing
the song ‘When you’re gone’.
This convention is also used in
different music videos to
create a sense of the storyline
Using this house throughout the music video.
would match the
conventions being
shown in the
original music video
as we believed we
wanted somewhere
which looked
isolated and gloomy
to match the theme
of the song.

8. Keeping the Costumes Similar In the original music video we
can see that Avril is wearing a
white dress throughout some of
her performance shots. This
shows simplicity and purity.
Therefore in our music video
we wanted to relate the same
message and keep Aletta
Other artists also use white
(Avril) in a white dress which
clothes in their performance
two symbolises this.
shots, this is something which my
group really thought would be
effective and make the artist We didn’t want to
stand out. change the costumes as
we felt this wouldn’t
give the look we were
after, therefore kept
these similarities.

9. Other media products
We also wanted to follow similar story lines.
During our research, we looked at several •Avril Lavigne included: a couple being seperated
•Kelly Clarkson included: a couple arguing
different artists which shared the same •Our video: included a couple cheating.
conventions as our artist, Avril Lavigne. We •Images 1 and 2 show these similarities.
wanted to create a music video where the 1 2
conventions were kept similar, in order to
follow the same style and similar story lines.
Studying the pop/rock genre we We wanted to create a modern representation, and
looked into ‘Kelly Clarkson’. include the conventions which similar media
products include.
We therefore wanted
Kelly Clarksons music videos all follow similar to include this in our
conventions. Using mid shots to create emotion own music video, as
on the artists face. we felt this created the
music video.
However we did choose to
create medium close ups where
the artist wasn’t always looking
at the audience. We wanted to
break away from these
conventions to create a
sad/lonely feel to the music
video. However are main artist
‘Avril Lavigne