This document discusses how a student's media product for a music video assignment uses, develops, and challenges conventions of real music videos. It analyzes conventions around titles, locations, shots, editing, pacing, and other elements. For titles, it notes pop and dance videos often have them while the student's indie rock track did not. It uses conventions like shots of the singer, band togetherness, and traveling scenes. Some conventions are challenged, like only featuring male characters and not highlighting the band's image. Overall, the student pulls from real music video styles but puts their own spin on conventions.

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

2. Title
Here are some real media
products that have title
sequences for their music
videos. After looking at
various styles and genres, I
found that this is used more
frequently on genres such as
RnB, dance and pop in
comparison to indie and
rock, although there are still
a few that challenge the
convention. Analysing three
music videos that were of a
similar genre and theme to
my track, which also didn’t
have a title sequence,
influenced my decision not
to use one on my own video.

3. Setting/location
The very first shot shows the skyline of Manchester.
The camera slowly tracks/zooms forward getting
closer to the buildings to create the effect of
entering the city.
As you can see it is similar to the ‘Use Somebody’
and ‘Standing in the dark’ videos as they are both set
during the evening we can see the New York skyline
in both. We didn’t want to challenge this convention
as we feel this type of shot establishes prime
location effectively and begins to take you on your
journey through the rest of the video.

4. We tried to use as little settings as possible in the video to make
travelling easier and so we could make more valuable use of the time
we had to film. Because of this, our video has 3 prime locations:
• College – on stage performances/backstage footage
• On the road/in a car travelling
• City centre

5. City centre
• Urban look
• Lively nightlife/bright lights reflect busy lifestyle of the
band
• Allows comparisons and develops the concept
• Manchester is home to many rock bands

6. On the road
• Rock videos usually feature some form of journey or behinds the scenes
footage
• Makes it more exciting for audiences and allows them to divert away from
reality – Uses and gratifications theory
• We used this convention of real music videos of this genre. Our video
allows audiences to see a day in the perspective of the band – back stage
and performing
• Exclusive feel
• We challenged the convention of bands having drivers and living a life of
luxury. In our video they tour alone and are more independent.

7. College – backstage footage/on stage
performances
• It is extremely common for a rock video to include live performances
• We decided it was crucial for our video therefore we have used this
convention
• All shots taken in the drama studio at college
• Use of lighting equipment makes it look more realistic

8. Camerawork
Rock videos usually contain a variety of shot types from extreme
close ups to long shots, with the use of handheld shots, heavy focus
on the playing of instruments as well as lip sync. These are very
important within a rock video and I have tried to use many different
ones in my music video.

9. Low
angle/tracki
ng
Medium
Extreme close up
High angle
Long
Close up
Still/tripod use
Moving/handheld
Wide
Panning
Zooming/establishing
Over the
shoulder

10. Shots of lead singer
• Medium/close up/extreme close
up//long/still/low angle/high angle
Inspiration from Lawson's
‘Standing in the dark’ as it
has similar themes of
loneliness and longing for
someone.

11. Band shots
In terms of the positioning in the frame, lead singers are always in the centre and closer to the front.
Audiences will recognise the lead singer the most as rock videos tend to show vocalists more frequently
compared to any other members of the band. Bands perform relatively close together to signify their
unity. Another convention is showing male gestures of friendship e.g. laughing together, or in my video,
dancing in the car whilst on the road. My video can be likened to all of the above therefore the band
shots use and develop forms of real media products.
Wide/long/moving/medium
Here are some real examples

12. Editing
• Black and white
• Fast paced and slow motion
• Cross fade
• Straight cuts
• Continuity

13. Pace
Our video uses slow motion
like the ‘Use Somebody’
one during a shot where a
band member is sliding
towards the camera. It gives
the audience more time to
take things in
Fast motion highlights
busy life style, makes
the video look more
interesting and fits in
with the pace of the
song. It is used in a
variety of real media
products.

14. Black and white
• Creates a mood that colour cannot achieve
• Empathises the themes of darkness, being lonely and feeling ‘down or grey’
developing the concept

15. Fade

16. • Real media products of this genre tend to be incredibly performance based
• Shots of the band with the vocalist being the main focus
• Narratives are sometimes used showing a romance between the lead singer and a
girl/some form of current affair – they relate to the lyrical meaning of the song
• Concepts can be developed
• Our video is predominantly performance based with a slight concept behind it
• Ideology ‘anybody can get lonely sometimes’
Genre

17. Narrative
• Looking at narrative structure implies that we explore the the way in which the
information contained within a text is revealed to us
• Roland Barthes describes texts as “a galaxy of signifiers, not a structure of signifies;
it has no beginning; we gain access to it by several entrances, none of which can
be authoritatively declared to be the main one”
• Our video could has an unconventional narrative – it is elliptical
• A structure in which certain key pieces of information or events are omitted. It is
up to the audience to fill in the gaps
• Audiences don’t know what he could use when he sings ‘Use Somebody’ but they
are able to understand he is lonely
• This is established through the use of direct mode of address and close up shots of
the lead singer allowing audiences to share the point of view with him and
empathise with him

18. Introducing the characters
• Uses conventions of
the actual ‘Use
Somebody’ video
• Fade allows you to see
where he is
• Makes it look like he is
in the Hilton hotel in
Manchester
• It introduces the lead
singer for the first
time whilst
establishing the
setting

19. There are only males in the video. We could argue that this
challenges conventions of real media products but it also uses
them too.
Examples:

20. Costumes
It uses and develops conventions of this genre as the characters in my video are wearing rather
plain and casual clothing, all dark or dull in colour. For example, ripped skinny jeans, baggy t-
shirts and laced trainers highlight the bands youth and the ‘care free’ messy stereotype
associated with rock and indie music lovers. It’s almost as if bands of these genres over look their
image, they don’t use this to promote their music like mainstream artists.
Real media products
My final product

21. Iconography/props
• Instruments - they are a traditional rock band
consisting of guitarists, a lead vocalist and a
drummer.
• Smoking/drinking – this develops the rock music
stereotype of rebellion and allows audiences to see
they are normal people.
• Car and busy road – highlights their busy lifestyle
and how they spend a lot of their time travelling.
We pulled out some iconography and props
from existing media texts of the same genre
and used them in our own to make it a
conventional rock music video.

22. One thing which we noticed is that many well known
bands and singers wear sunglasses making them conform
to our stereotypical representation of ‘stars’. This is evident
in a variety of real media products.
• Challenged the convention
• Highlights the band care less about their image and more
about the music
• Creates a sense of closeness as it allows direct mode of
address

23. Image manipulation
• Darkness with high contrast levels – edgy tone
• Altered the brightness and levels adding shadow to his face
• Fits in with themes of loneliness and allows continuity
• We didn’t use special effects – not common in rock videos

24. Ancillary 1
Conventions I have used and developed
Plain disc including label logos and
information
Track listing
Barcodes
Consistency throughout both
Conventions I have challenged
No identity of the band included on the
digipack e.g. no name/image
Different sized text on list to highlight well
known tracks/singles
Same image on the front and the back

25. Ancillary 2
Band name
Same images from digipack
Album name
Mention of
known singles
Direct language and used of
red to empathise the
text/make it stand out