This is my response to my evaluation question

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

2. Why did I choose Flight song?
S Going back to the start of the whole process, one of the most important
aspects for me was to select the correct song as I needed to find it
inspirational and for it to match my genre and target audiences. Initially I
found this difficult as I felt so much pressure to chose the correct song and
had multiple different ideas about what song to choose. I wanted my
music video to be inspirational and uplifting for the audience so I held a
vote and got people to chose which song they found most uplifting out off
my final 5 songs. The conclusion of the vote was Fight song by Rachel
Platen which I was very pleased about as it’s a personal favourite of mine.

3. Why did I choose Flight song?
S Flight song was also great inspiration for my music video as the
music video itself for fight song told a beautiful story about
never giving up on your dreams however also shows the failure
and struggle through trying to achieve your dreams.

4. What helped me plan and
construct my narrative?
S From first deciding to do this project I knew I wanted to tell a
story through my music video as I believe lyrics from songs are
so powerful and emotive that it would be an exquisite
accompaniment and tool to use to tell and elevate my story to
the audience. My narrative came to me when I was listening to
the song around my town center and with this feeling of
empowerment and the ability to achieve anything I saw a
homeless man on the opposite end of how I felt, hopeless. This
inspired my narrative and overall final idea for my music video to
tell a story about a homeless girl who becomes inspired by the
story Tarzan and sets out to build a new and better home for
herself in the forest.

5. What helped me plan and
construct my narrative?
S This is similar to the music video Don’t be so hard on
yourself by Jess Glynne which dictates a boy who cannot
drum which was his deceased dads passion, however
pushes himself through the bullying and judgement to
achieve his aim of being able to drum.

6. Conventions of the pop genre
S Artists are fashionable and wear mainstream outfits
S Pop music videos are very danced based, conveying happiness and friendship
S Emotive and leave the audience feeling happy and empowered
S Artists are portrayed as very seductive and sexual
S Loud and lively atmosphere
S Uses of editing effects
S Colorful and bold
S Links between lyrics and visuals
S Young actors

7. Conventions Used and
Challenged
Conventions Used Conventions challenger
Fashionable and mainstream outfits Fashionable and mainstream outfits
Danced based Artists portrayed as seductive and
sexual
Sense of happiness and
empowerment
Loud and lively atmosphere
Use of editing effects Colourful and bold
Links between lyrics and visuals Love narrative
Young actors A lot of performers
Close ups Voyeurism of the male form

8. How did I use conventions of
the genre?
S A recognisable convention of the pop genre that I used was the fun element and
positive outcome of the narrative. This is typically shown through the artist dancing
or having an enjoyable time in the music video. Although my artist started off as
struggling to help portray the narrative she did have a positive outcome (A shelter
and new life) and I used multiple clips of her dancing or celebrating in some aspect
such as fist pumping. I believe this was an important convention to use because I
wanted to leave my audience feeling confident and optimistic and therefore used
this convention.
S In the music video 22 by Taylor
Swift she combines multiple
shots of her dancing and
celebrating combined with the
upbeat song which leaves the
audiences in a positive and
cheerful mood.

9. How did I challenge
conventions of the genre?
S However in some aspects I also
challenged it because I didn’t cram
multiple shots of her performing a
synchronized and pre-planned dance. I
decided against this because I wanted
it to look very natural and truthful which
follows the methodologies of the
practitioner Stanislavski about
emotions being real and naturalistic.
This was so that my audiences had a
more real and emotional connection
with my character.
S This dejects the
audience away from the
narrative as it breaks it
into something that is
planned and rehearsed

10. How did I use conventions of
the genre?
S Another convention that I used was links between the lyrics and
visuals. This was an important convention to follow because I
believe it helps to convey the story. It is also an audiences
pleasure when visuals and lyrics match.
S “The way that you flip your hair
gets me overwhelmed”
-One direction “What makes you
beautiful”
This lyric is then followed by a visually
ascetic women flipping her hair
around. It also enhances Laura
Mulvey theory about the male gaze.

11. How did I use conventions of
the genre?
S Although many of my visuals were not exact replicates of the
lyrics e.g. “Like a small boat on the ocean” I didn’t then have a
shot of a boat on the ocean. Instead I focused on the lyrics
amplifying the visual story I was telling and to help the
audiences to understand my intentions. For example on the
line “Like how a single word can make a heart open” I then had
a shot of my artist opening the Tarzan book (“Like how a single
word” the word being Tarzan) conveying the meaning that this
book was opening my artists heart (“Can make a heart open”
The book is what gives her the inspiration to go and build a
home in the forest).

12. How did I challenge
conventions of the genre?
S One strong convention that I challenged was the
convection of colour and pop music videos having bright
fun colors which appeal to the young target audience. I
decided to challenge this convention because the
majority of my shots were filmed in a forest and the
natural colors are greens, blues and browns and
therefore for me to add bright stand out colors wouldn’t fit
the music video and in my personal option I think would
look out of place. A music video that also challenges this
convention is “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran which sticks to the
natural colors of the surroundings.