In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and

conventions of real media products?

When it came to the codes and conventions of music videos and applying these to my
own products, one of the main areas to look at is the camera. What is in the shot and
the types of shots that are inserted in the video are carefully considered, and depend
on the style and genre of which the song alludes to. I researched and analysed existing
and successful music videos, so I was able to notice the typical decisions made. From
this research I noticed that there are styles that music videos can adhere to, being
narrative, conceptual and performance. These styles determine the reasoning behind
the shots inserted in the music video, perhaps to display the artists singing or to show
the narrative which the shots are created to portray. I noticed the commonality for pop
music videos to insert performance aspects into the video, so therefore I also included
this in the chorus of my own product, due to the genre of the song I chose. Its
important to look at the involvement of a vast variety of camera angles and
movements, including close ups, mid shots and establishing shots in all music videos,
as well as focus pulls and tracking, as the involvement of these can result in a
gripping and enticing product that display the emotions felt by the character and give
different perspectives to tell the story the song is based on. During the narrative
aspects of my music video, I concentrated on close ups to display the emotion across
the protagonists face, but to contrast this I also used long shots to show the location of
which she is situated in, to give more context and an explanation behind the message
being portrayed, being lonely and searching the areas around her. These shots were
based around Denham Green and Richmond Park, which juxtapose the performance
aspects of my video being filmed in a black box studio, these then making the music
video allude to more alternative genres too. This therefore may break conventions due
to the mixture of styles that are included in my music video, allowing me to project
contrasting moods and messages which results in more of an interesting music video
as its not too repetitive. Whilst watching previous music videos, it was apparent that
no music video ever included a clip where the camera was still, and was always
constantly moving it even if it was slightly. This was something I wanted to continue
into my own product as I felt that it made the product more interesting and it allowed
the clips to flow along to the song more.

In terms of mise-en-scene, this would be the most flexible area and not have such
determined set of conventions regarding music videos, but certain decisions made
may typically be repeated to portray a specific style. Although there isn't aren't set
locations, artists, props, costumes, lighting or body language used across all music
videos, it is important to note that the decisions made must be professional and of
high quality, and that they are chosen to portray a style or message. In pop music
videos, I found that its common for the colours to be bright and display a upbeat tone
which I took and reflected in my own work during the performance aspect of my
music video, which I created by the gels against the black background. By switching
between colours during the chorus, this helped to keep this upbeat tone which
contrasts the previous clips and emphasises the change in pace of the song. During
these shots, the protagonist wore a white high neck top to allow the colours to be
shown clearly, whilst ensuring that the lighting was set up well considering that these
clips were filmed in a dark location, and I wanted the protagonist to be well lit. These
set of clips focused more on being entertaining rather than displaying a message that
reflected the lyrics of the song, as this is what the other clips that adhered to a
narrative style were for. Throughout my music video, the mise-en-scene was
constantly changing but during the narrative clips, they generally portrayed a similar
message which reflected the lyrics of the song. I filmed in outside locations which
were in green areas such as the woods, whereby the young female protagonist wore
indie autumnal outfits, being consistent during each shoot. The casual outfits worn
and the stereotypical representation of the artist allows the audience to relate and
connect to the protagonist, allowing them to understand the message and emotions
that are being reflected by their facial expressions and body language, reflecting the
lyrics. I also filmed during daylight to ensure that the clips were well lit, not wanting
to portray a dull mood but just the sad emotions felt by the protagonist, considering
that she is looking for hope and isn't completely negative.

As the protagonist featured in this music video is someone that the target audience can
relate to due to the mise-en-scene and camera choices, this therefore allows my music
video to allude to the uses and gratification theory. This is because one of the points
that comes under this theory, is about how the audience gets involved in the media
product to feel a sense of calmness and familiarity as they can connect and relate to
the artist and the emotions they are proposing. And due to the fact that my product is
being created to entertain, whilst promoting new and popular music, this will allow
the audience to be entertained and could also perhaps be a conversation starter as they
talk about it with their friends and create relationships because of it. Due to the
entertainment factor, this will also allow the audience to watch the video and escape
to a world of their own, as media products are a simulation of reality which makes
them so interesting to be involved in and watch.

Regarding editing, this is also an aspect which is different depending on the song thats
being represented in the music video, and who is completing this process. Although,
there are techniques which are used during the making of every product. Jump cuts
would be used to transition from one location to another, or from a close up to a long
shot as this sudden contrast from one to another is what entices the audience due to
this expected change. Fade is also a common transition that is used, being a less harsh
way to go from one clip to another, but is not present in my music video as I challenge
this due to the beat of the song being quite harsh, wanting to edit my video
appropriately to this style. My music video is full of jump cuts throughout as there is a
tool in Abobe Premier Pro which enabled me to do so, allowing me to cut at the beat
of the song, and jump from one clip to another to contrast between different locations
- perhaps from the calm of the outside to the clips filmed in the black box. This tool
also allowed me to order my clips appropriately, being important considering that
every decision made could alter the way in which the audience views the narrative
being portrayed. I ensured that I cut the clips along with the lyrics and the beat, and in
some areas I cut the clips more often to fasten the pace and add a sense of surprise, as
if this is done too consistently I felt as if this made the music video appear to be
boring. One process thats undertook regarding editing is the use of colour correcting,
which every music video goes through. This is an important step as it allowed me to
perfect the shots and adjust the colours, which then could emphasise a certain mood
or style that the protagonist is proposing through their body language or facial
expressions. I decided to keep the tone the same throughout to ensure that the colours
are consistent, creating a professional music video, and one which is well lit and
enticing for the audience.

When it came to producing my music video advert, I found this easier to adhere to the
typical conventions due to these being more obvious, also having worked on similar
products before. I started the production of this product by taking a close up the
protagonist that is presented in my music video, where direct address is used to attract
the audience, which is a typical style used on all media products. The way in which
she is represented is very important to consider, as this then suggests the style of the
music video of which she is starring in, which will determine the type of audience
who is attracted to the advert and the song. Therefore, by keeping the colours neutral
being in outside locations whilst wearing indie clothing by the young female
protagonist, this suggests the genre of alternative or pop, which will then attract those
who are around the ages of 15-30. The majority of this audience would be female, as
this demographic may be able to sympathise and relate to the model presented and the
message that is being projected in the song. After looking at previous successful
music adverts, I noticed how everyone had a minimalistic style, including basic
information due to the short time of which the audience would be viewing this advert.
Having a lot of text would bore the reader, so what I included on this advert was the
title of both the artists name, the name of the album and the fact that it is out now. I
also ensured that I included reviews from trusty and popular sources including The
Guardian and NME, as I thought this would be an effective way to persuade the
audience to listen to the album being promoted, and would also be successful in
hyping up the album too. Considering that every other advert also includes this, my
advert adheres to general conventions due to the success that comes from these
choices made. In regards to promotion, I also included Auroras links to social media
such as Twitter, and also to her website so this allows the audience to further connect
with the artist. The style of font that I choose and the colours that have been selected I
feel is an important thing to look into too. These are also different depending on the
genre of the song that is being promoted, but as I wanted to adhere to more of an
alternative genre, I wanted the font to project this by using being dainty and hand
writing like, instead of bold and rigid as this would give off the wrong style. I wanted
this text to stand out due to the importance of it, so I ensured that the colour selected
contrasted with the colours of the image behind it, selecting white because of the
neural colour scheme that I was sticking to throughout my work to keep the style
consistent. These choices made are suitable for the genre, allowing the audience to
assume the style of the song without having listened to the album, which is the aim of
this advert, hoping to draw in an audience too.

Regarding my digipak, this was a product I wasnt as familiar with due to the
popularity of listening to music online instead of having hard copies. Although, as this
product was created after the advert, this enabled me to keep a consistent style and
have an idea of the kind of images that I should insert on this product. As I wasnt as
familiar with the hegemonic norms of this product, it was important that I referred to
my similar product research and digipak sketches when it came to producing this, so I
knew what to include. I ensured that I chose photos which aren't the same as each
other but work well together, and also have a similar tone and colouring, meaning that
my products I were producing were consistent which means the audience would
recognise the link between them. I chose to use a digipak template which had 6 sides
to it as this is the general amount of sides of a digipak and I also produced this on
InDesign, this being the software that professional companies would use to create
such a product. Whilst researching these products, I noticed how the front cover
generally seemed quite plain with not much information on it with the main purpose
being to attract an audience. They usually featured an image that represents the style
of the song, perhaps being a close up of the artist which usually looks professional
and impressive. This inspired me to add only the name of the artist and the song to my
front cover, and include an enticing image of the artist which is a close up, also being
a similar image as to what I have used for my advert to make these product link. I
have also used rule of thirds in this image as this results in an interesting effect which
allowed me to insert the text around the image in a large font. The back cover usually
inserted a list of the songs that are on the album, whilst having a barcode and social
media links too, so this is how I went about completing the back cover of my own
product. The inside of the digipak also included a special thanks which is a more of a
personal touch, saying thank you to those who were involved in the making of this
album and to the audience who have purchased it. Another page inside I just featured
an image of the artist and included a pull quote, being lyrics of one of the songs that is
on the album, as I had seen this on other digipaks and I thought it looked effective.
When adding the text, I selected the same font as to what has been used on the advert
to insure that my products link and are consistent. Whilst making this product, I
discovered that I couldn't feature too many portrait pictures as it looked weird and
didn't flow very well, so it was also important to add other images that were suitable
and linked with my music video, which I also noticed with other products as they
have ensured that all the images inserted weren't repetitive and only of one subject.

The products that I have created do not only adhere to general codes and conventions,
but also theories and ideas raised. When it comes to my products and how I have
mentioned the reasoning behind choices made, and that I have gone through with
certain decisions depending on the genre that my song would come under, this could
be supported by Jonathan Cullers comment regarding genres. He suggests that
generic conventions exist to establish a contract between the creator and the reader,
which explains the importance of genres and why your products made should support
a specific style, which would therefore attract a specific audience. This also ensures
that an audience is actually attracted, because readers are enticed to products because
of the familiarity of them and how they can connect with a certain style. Because of
this, I decided to insert clips which adhere to more of a pop style, being filmed in the
black box whilst using gels, as this professional studio set up is most commonly
associated with the pop genre. But because you could also class the song I chose as a
more alternative genre, this explains the choice behind the narrative style shots which
would be present in more indie music videos, usually being present to be aesthetically
pleasing. Sticking to genre conventions allows the audience to feel calm as they
recognise stereotypical choices and understand what styles they can connect with and
are more interested in, this being why its important to stick to a particular genre when
producing a media product.