Question one of evaluation

1. QUESTION 1: IN WHAT WAY DOES
YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE,
DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS
AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA
PRODUCTS?

2. EXISTING VIDEOS
When viewing existing videos of a similar genre to collect ideas for my own work it was
interesting to see how they had followed conventions. With Lucy Spraggans ‘Beer Fear’
song, it was interesting how they broke conventions of narrative structure through
showing reverse shots from the night before along normal time shots of the day after. I
like the way it was almost like an intercutting action scene yet in different time periods,
with the party shots going in reverse to represent the chaos of the event. This was a
great influence to the disorder of my own narrative and showed how conventions of
structure could be broken but still work successfully. The research into Director Ellis
Bahl’s also helped as a general insight to the use of conventions in an indie music
video. His choice of just narrative against the usual conventions of including band shots
was a similar path I took, with continuity editing in scenes that reflected the time in
scenes passing. Showing both these directors and artists broke conventions of music
videos made me more comfortable in challenging and developing my own work that
would then appear different to existing indie videos.

3. TARGET AUDIENCE
In terms of my target audience I thought I would try and stick as close to the usual
conventions for indie music videos to strengthen audience appeal. Much like previously
discussed, I wanted to initially include performance shots that demonstrate the
instruments used within the music, which is an important area of interest for indie
audiences. Yet from feedback it was made clear the videos I had included were out of
place and disrupted the narrative too much, which was already complex as it was.
Therefore I can argue that I am challenging conventions of indie music videos, creating a
purely narrative based video that disregards the idea of knowing the instrumental
construction of the music, and instead provides just a creative backdrop to which the
lyrics are visually displayed. This relates to Andrew Goodwin’s theory of the imagery
portraying the lyrics through a narrative (amplifying the music with visual illustration),
which is also an important factor to my target audience. Through initial target audience
research I found out that to indie audiences, the lyrics are a way in which they can
personally connect with the music. Therefore by visually displaying the lyrics as an
interpretation that audiences may recognise through my narrative, I have successfully
targeted my audiences and followed conventions of this genre.

4. GENRE
To successfully portray the indie genre my music video is based upon, I decided
to stick to as many conventions as possible. The genre of indie to me appears
quite a niche genre of music, in which making it clear my music video falls into
this category was quite a challenge. Therefore I decided to stick with the most
obvious iconography of this genre, for example, in costume where I specifically
suggested for men the typical skinny jeans and a shirt, and for women wearing
dungarees or skater skirts and shirts. These were styles I researched my
audience would wear, so I think including this style in my music video gives clear
genre type and greater audience appeal in the way in which they connect with the
video, seeing the characters to hypothetically be themselves.

5. I also followed conventions through props and objects used that again related to
the target audience. In one scene of the video, we see the couple dancing in a
room to a record player. Choosing to have the music playing from this device
rather than another platform reconnects the audience again with the video, this
being a common preferred way of indie audiences playing their music, as if
reconnecting with the past in a nostalgic fashion. This also then sticks to
conventions of indie music by portraying a preference of indie culture.

6. For locations I have also followed conventions, locating shoots in park areas, coffee
shops and the couple’s houses that reflect common places for socialising in both this
age group and subculture. For colours and lighting, I feel this is the only area I have
wavered in following generic conventions. Typically existing indie videos have
common use of filters for their videos, giving vibrant pastel colours that are not far
from the appearance of Polaroid pictures, yet I have decided to go against this and
keep with the initial colours of the shots. Not only because of time constraints did I not
include them, but I felt they would have directed focus away from the natural pathetic
fallacy that then directed the mood for each scene, for example, the rainy weather
matching the breakup in the park, and the dully lit room working with the argument in
the bedroom. Therefore for this I have challenged conventions, but in a way that
benefits the video.

7. NARRATIVE STRUCTURE
The narrative structure of my music video is a feature that I think makes my
product stand out from other existing indie music videos, due to the lack of
following any generic conventions of time scale. The whole narrative of my
video is displayed in reverse, each scene shown going forward in time but
collectively working backwards in the couple’s relationship. Not only does
this again relate to the lyrics “In a world that’s going backwards”, but relates
to post-modern theorist Lyotard’s concepts of the breakdown of
metanarratives and the structure in which music videos should be displayed
being disregarded, as well as acting as an important feature to the
audience-product relationship. Showing the narrative in reverse creates an
interesting way of showing the deterioration of a relationship, working from
the breakup and slowly seeing what went wrong. This way the audience
connects with the characters more, as they know the events that follow and
positions them to know more than the characters.

8. This particularly features in the cheating scene, where we’ve already seen
them previously arguing and breaking apart, and seeing the girl cheat with
the other boy creates backwards foreshadowing to the later scenes in the
story. Although each scene moves forward in time, the audience are still
clearly informed of the scenes collectively moving backwards, through signs
and signifiers of the time laps clock going anticlockwise in between scenes.
This and the montage sequence at the end provide great clarity to the
reverse time period this video sets up, in which breaks all generic
conventions of time scale.

9. EDITING
For editing I feel I’ve also challenged conventions. Each scene is set up with numerous shots that take you
through the action with clear continuity. I wanted to make this clear difference in editing between each
individual scene and it working as a whole, as I feel by doing this the audience tend to relax into the
continuity of one scene, and are then thrown out of their comfort zone as they are shown images of
reverse clocks and other locations. I feel this style of editing stimulates the audience more, leaving it up to
them to recognise that time is going backwards and coming up with their own interpretation on how they
relate to it. This relates with Stuart Halls ‘Encoding/Decoding Effects Theory’ (1980) with the idea of the
media message having a range of possible meanings and interpretations. I initially ‘encoded’ my video to
have the main idea of the breakdown of a relationship, shown in reverse to show the components making
up this downfall. However in terms of the reading of the audience, I wanted them to have a Negotiated
reading, in which my audience may read parts of it in different ways relating to their social background and
context, giving a wider interpretation generalised around my initial concept. Through editing I’ve also made
sure that like Andrew Goodwin’s theories, the music fits with the visuals. We see this especially in the
cheating scene where the blond male opens the door to find his girlfriend with another guy, in which the
tempo of the music increases and more instruments are introduced. It is also clear in the dancing scene
where the male puts on the record to which the music slows down. This particular scene however
challenges conventions itself, the pace slowing down that differs from all the drama that we’ve previously
seen. It’s from this moment I wanted a turning point to be seen, everything after this being the happy side
of the relationship, therefore the music acting as a backdrop of control that with it decides the positive and
negative moments of the relationship.

10. I have also broken conventions by including a circular narrative within my
video. The opening shots of the breakup within the park are also repeated at
the end. This indulges the audience in a hyper reality (theorist) in which the
couple are the soul focus, with no particular resolution at the end. We as an
audience are left to decide therefore our own resolution to the narrative.

11. REPRESENTATION
Representation is another area I decided to follow conventions of, providing a
clear backdrop for which my ideas worked from. In my video I decided to convey
a generic heterosexual relationship. It shows contemporary issues such as the
unstable relationship and the idea of loneliness since their whole world revolves
around one another. This way I felt I was connecting with a proportion of my
target audience, one that viewers could relate to in terms of their general
relationships or previous breakup they’ve been in.

12. DIGIPAK – FRONT COVER
For my digipak I have decided to challenge most conventions of normal
layout for design, creating a unique covered indie album, which can be
read to represent the same breakdown of the relationship as the video.
For the front cover I decided to have a clock face burnt with two figures
visible within the void, all framed in a circle and text working round it. I
decided to choose this imagery so that it could represent the breakdown
in the relationship; the circular narrative which the video demonstrates is
the same as this clock face, therefore we as an audience are brought into
this hyper reality through the destruction of the clock face. The void in
which these two figures then acts as the hyper real world this relationship
exists in, shown not to be holding hands but lingering next to one another.
The burning of the clock face also relates to the breakdown of liner
narrative and time alternately going in reverse. All framed in the blue
circle again relates to the circular narrative in which breakups like these
happen again and again. The layout of this cover relates to conventions
of indie album covers, as it displays geometric shapes as a framing for its
design, influences pastel colours for the background of the clock, includes
simple but symbolic imagery that relates itself to the lyrics of the song,
and includes DK Lemon Yellow Sun font that conveys a care free hand
written title. All these then work harmoniously together to create an eye
catching cover.

13. BACK COVER
For the back I have brought
the same themes in colour
scheme, shape and font as the
cover. Although the licencing
info and barcode are in their
conventional places the track
list circles round the inside of
the circle breaks usual
conventions. I felt this way it
conveyed the individual layout
that an indie album would
include.

14. FIRST PANEL
In the opening panel I thought I would
challenge the conventions of my own design
through having a burnt edge to the circle that
frames the people. This represents the
destruction like the front cover seeping
through the digipak and into the music on the
CD. I decided to connect the colours with the
genders of the figures, as well as
representing the emotions of the characters,
the blue depressive state of the male and the
lust and danger coming from the female. The
broken heart then combines these two, with
the red of the girl looking like the blood
coming out of the rip of the heart. This design
created good continuity with the rest of the
digipak and again relating with my other
products.

15. MIDDLE OF DIGIPAK
Finally the inside uses the same fonts as the cover, conveying a hand written
script of lyrics which is again burnt through in the centre, working with the
same themes of the front cover. With the central layout of the digipak I have
followed conventions of normal CDs by placing the disk position in the
central panel, with an editorial from the band to the left. This not only follows
conventions but provides more information from the band to the bigger fans.
Overall I think digipak conveys its intended genre through its minimal
imagery with thorough meanings, a simple light colour scheme and
typography of an informant flowing nature that conveys the relaxed sounds
of the band.

16. ALBUM ADVERT
The album advert follows similar ideas to the
digipak, the cover acting as the main imagery for the
advert with the same representations included. For
this I decided to have all the text shaped around the
main circle which alters conventions of usual
straight layout. For the rest of the elements, I have
stuck with conventions to create a professional
outcome, where the band name is placed first and is
the boldest, with the album name underneath the
imagery. With details on ratings and release dates, I
feel this product follows convention but still stand
out as a unique advertisement for my indie band.

17. CONCLUSION
Overall I feel my products have a variety of following or
challenging of conventions, clearly demonstrated through the
design. As my products were of an indie genre, it was important
to give them their own unique appearance so they stood out to
be of this music group, through colour scheme, font and layout.
Yet sometimes the conventions provided a good template as to
what created a professional looking product, in which I could
base my products design on so they too appeared like a
professional promotional package for my band.