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

2. From our research into similar music videos we understood that it isn’t always necessary to include faces in every single shot. Sometimes a shot can be a lot more powerful by avoiding shots of faces. In this shot we begin with Claire and Jack’s torsos as the rose that is between them will soon become the most significance of the entire video when taken as a whole. The shot then tilts upwards very slowly to create a blissful and calm ambience and reveal the rest of Jack and Claire. We reduced the speed of this shot slightly so that it gave the impression of it being a memory or a dream. Although the weather was not as idyllic as it could have been (the ground was quite wet) we tried to override this by choosing Jack and Claire’s outfits extremely carefully. Claire wore a flowing white frock for this scene due to the connotations of the colour white- peace and harmony. Jack wore a slightly louder outfit, in particular his shirt which could potentially be subtly pre-warning the audience of his violent nature later on in the video. However, matched with the pale blue jeans it looks reasonably cheerful and bright. The overall goal with this clip was to make the audience believe that their relationship is perfectly serene.

3. This shot delivers a great amount of clarification for the audience as until now it is not obvious as to what is past tense and currently happening and what has already passed. The juxtaposition of the ‘happy times’ of their relationship and the loneliness of their break up is portrayed by the rose replacing Jack’s position upon the sofa. The cushion is creased and crushed as though somebody is sat upon it. The framing of this shot was extremely important. Claire could not be central to the shot as that would counteract the idea of her yearning for Jack to still be sat with her. There had to be a visible space left on the sofa to reiterate the fact that she is now alone. Her eye contact with the rose is absolutely pinnacle to the plot of the video as the audience have already established from a previous shot that it was Jack who gave Claire the rose when their relationship was happy. Claire wore completely black in this shot to convince the audience of her intense emotional pain. Her legs are tucked up against her body as we found it important for her body position to speak as much about how she is feeling as what is taking place within the shot. It is the state of devastation and confusion as to what has happened that this shot is ultimately trying to depict.

4. The use of technology within our video was extremely important to us for a number of reasons. We wanted to connect to the target audience on a level their level. The target audience are in fact us. We have been watching MTV for years and the classic conventions and traditions that music videos possess have subconsciously infiltrated our minds so that we can judge for ourselves what makes a good video and what does not. These conventions and common topics have changed over time depending on what is relevant and current at the time of release. Bullying did not really appeal as it has been so overused in the media’s eye. However, as a group wanting to represent 2011 and the topics relevant to now we decided cyber-bullying would be effective for our video as it could relate to a wide proportion of those who are likely to view this video, and hopefully allow people to realise the severity and emotional impact that it can have upon the victim’s lives. Cyber-bullying has spiraled out of control in this past decade due to the development of social networks and mobile technology. People are no longer confronting each other in the flesh to sort out their differences, they are resorting in using passive forms of talking. By writing things down, especially on social networks, it is not only hurting the victim emotionally but also publically humiliating them infront of their peers. After reading two heart-wrenching stories of cyber-bullying that took place in this past year, we knew we had to make a stand (particularly one resulting in a thirteen-year old girl hanging herself). We show hateful wallposts on Claire’s character’s facebook profile because it is recognisable to the target audience. The way in which the characters within this video communicate was vital to the depth of the video as adding visual text gives the audience and even fuller idea of the plot of the video. Allowing the viewer to experience the bullying first-hand makes them feel more accustom to the video and gives them a sense of actually being there. The camerawork of the shots of the letter and the phone was done using the tripod for a steady shot. The facebook references though were filmed by hand as the shot immediately beforehand is an over the shoulder shot of Claire staring at the computer. We used handheld shots extremely rarely in the video as we want our video to look crisp and serious, yet it felt appropriate for this shot due to the nature of her eye movement. We feel that it adds emotion to the shot.

5. Cross dissolves played a gignormous role in setting the tone and genre of our music video. Due to the pace and instruments used, cuts would not have been appropriate as the strings within the song are played slowly and gently. We have found cross dissolves to be a regular convention within slower songs’ and videos. On the left-hand side the cross dissolve reflects the correlation between her distress and the reasoning behind it (the text message). This is a generic use of a cross dissolve as it lures the viewer into the situation as opposed to thrusting them into it using cuts. Both of these screen grabs were taken at the mid-point of each cross dissolve so that the two shots being dissolved into one another were of equal opacity. We altered the duration of the cross dissolves according. For example, the cross dissolve pictured on the left-hand side is of a much longer duration than the screen grab on the right-hand side due to what the two shots are representing. The left-hand image shows a reaction, which will set up the next segment of the video. Therefore, for dramatic effect, the cross dissolve was drawn out to entice the viewer. The image on the right-hand side shows Jack’s character’s movement into the graveyard- this cross dissolve was more to emphasise the emotional struggle that the character is feeling as he enters the graveyard whilst simultaneously keeping the footage exciting for the viewer.

6. This is an overlay taken from the video. The shot’s purpose is to subtly pre-warn the viewer of the rocky situation that lies ahead. We chose these to use these two shots as they clash so brilliantly. The extremely close-up of Claire’s face is a still shot, we managed to create it so still with the use of the tripod, whereas the shadow shot is a moving one. The shadow shot is of Claire’s character plucking leaves from a rose flower in a very recognisably ‘he-loves-me-he-loves-me-not’ manor. This overlay is the perfect clip to use as a transition between the dramatic scenes of the video and the serene ones. This is because the shot is a very calming and relaxing one. The rose-picking has been slowed down quite drastically for effective purposes making it versatile and intriguing. The calming nature of the overlay can be used to smoothly continue the slow heart-wrenching moments of the video or to help shock the audience by placing this clip before an argument or a rapid part of the video. By juxtaposing this shot with an aggressive shot the viewer becomes on edge and uneasy, causing tension and fear, shock and confusion. The angle in which the shadow shot was filmed was an odd one due to the struggle with avoiding other objects from ruining the shot. However, we managed to film very cautiously as to avoid any unwanted items within the shot reducing its clarity.