In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of

real media products?

Adam High

Music video conventionsBefore we started making our music video we looked at the typical conventions of a music video. I was able to learn about conventions mostly whilst analyzing three different music videos. The common conventions that I found included:Fast paced editing:Most shots in music videos are below three seconds, this is to keep the music video interesting and to make the music video flow better. Some shots are sometimes above three seconds, this can be done in a lot of cases to make something look awkward.

Close ups:Close ups are used often in music videos to make sure that the audience knows who the artist is. Close ups helps promote the artist as the audience will be able to know who the artist is in the future if they see his/her face.

Objective filming:The majority of music videos are filmed objectively, this means that the camera is looking at someone or something instead of through someone’s eyes. Especially in pop music videos we want to see how someone lives.

Genre conventionsI have learnt a lot about conventions of the pop/rock music videos. As a group we all looked at pop/rock songs and wrote down a few conventions that we found whilst analyzing them. We didn’t entirely stay to the genre conventions for our own music video, quite often music videos in the pop/rock genre are sometimes quite dark or darkly lit but we often had brightly lit scenes.Mix of camera angles and distances:There are a vast amount of different angles and distances in the pop/rock genre, especially in pop music videos the angles and distances make the music video more interesting. Pans and tracking shots are used so that it feels like we are in the music video playing the camera as we move.

Lots of artist shots:There seems to always be a lot of shots of the artist singing the song, there will be a mixture of close ups and medium shots especially in songs which have a deep meaning. This way the emotions and expressions that the artist has regarding the song can be properly shown and taken in.

Performance shots:In music videos that are quite ‘rockish’ there is a considerable amount of performance shots, these are shots of the artist playing the song towards the camera. This can be done towards a real audience or can just be the artist with their band performing as if the camera was their live audience.

Conventions I have usedAfter looking at the conventions of music videos I applied them to my group’s one. By using the conventions of other music videos we have a better chance of making a successful music video ourselves, this is because the mix of successful conventions that are typical in the genre that we are using will help us make something that the audience will love. Not all of the conventions that were typical of a music video were used, this is because not every convention is appropriate for our genre and music video. For instance, we had a heavy influence of a storyline on our music video and didn’t focus entirely on showing the performer off to the audience. We felt that the storyline was more important for the audience and also the storyline made it more interesting.

This slide and the next slide will show you what conventions of music videos we have used in our own music video:

Storyline:We have included a storyline in our music video, the storyline is somewhat typical and is of someone trying to find his ex-girlfriend as he wants her back.

Interesting location:We have gone to Paris to film our music video, this is because it makes the music video more interesting as it is a foreign country and matches the song we chose.

Conventions I have used

Performance shots:We have used performance shots in our music video, this is because as the genre is rock there needs to be a strong influence on the band. We have featured all the instruments that are used in the music which are three guitars (acoustic, bass and electric) and a drum kit.

Superimposition:We used superimposition in our music video quite a lot, we used it so that two pieces of footage were laid over each other. The superimposition was usually used when the song was slow and had meaning, we could have the character looking glum over normal footage.

Close ups:We used close ups often in our music video, this was so that the character would be able to show off his expression, emotions and likability to the audience.

Flashbacks:We used a flashback montage, wall and flashbacks often in the music video. Flashbacks are a convention in rock music videos as it shows the artist’s past.

Conventions I have used

Mixture of timings of shots:When we looked at the conventions of music videos the majority of them had shots were below three seconds. We didn’t keep entirely to this convention as the song more slow. This meant that we could have shots that were both lower or more than 3 seconds.

Mixture of shot angles and lengths:To make music videos more interesting there needs to be a mixture of angles and lengths. We filmed a mix of close ups, medium shots, long shots, extreme long shots, pans and tracking shots of which most of them were included in the music video.

Fades:Fades were used in our music video, they are a typical convention of rock music videos. The fades are used when the character has finished an emotional lyric.

Costume:We need the character to attract a wide audience, although the genre is rock we will attract young girls as he looks similar to teen heart throb Justin Bieber.

Digipack conventionsBefore we started to make the digipack for our music video we had to research into what goes into a digipack. If you look at the blog spot “Digipack conventions” then it will give you an in depth explanation of what goes into a digipack. Here are the common conventions of digipacks:

• Images• Band/artist name• Colour• Font• Song producers• Song writers• Band/artist information• Lyrics• Barcode• Locations• Track list• Record Label• Terms and conditions• Disclaimer

Digipack conventions we have used

Images of the main character:We have used the main character twice in our digipack, on the front and back of the digipack. When looking at the digipack in a store they can determine whether or not they want to buy the album by looking at the front and back. This helps promote the artist as he will be seen from both sides of the digipack. Girls who like the look of the character will most likely buy it.

Band/artist nameWe have put the artist’s name on the digipack twice, on the front cover and on the back. We chose to feature the artist’s name twice as he needs to get promoted, we have to make sure the viewer knows who the digipack is from as it will make them remember the artist. The size of the name is big on the back as there is more space there than the front.

Colour:We looked into what colours we should use depending on the theme of the song and the genre of music. We chose to use darker colours on the most part of the digipack as it is quite a sad song but had a sunset colour pallet on the front cover.

Font:The font on the digipack has been chosen to stand out against the other images and writing, this way people’s attention is drawn to what artist has this digipack.

Digipack conventions we have used

Track list:There is a track list on the back of the digipack. The majority of modern digipacks do this so that the person who is looking at the digipack knows what songs are on the CD. Some people listen to CD’s if they know a specific song that they have liked so this is essential.

Images of the locations used:In our digipack we have included some images of the locations that we used in our music video. For example we have featured an image of the Arc de Triomphe as we filmed some footage there, this way people will know what the music is about and get more interested.

Barcode:We had to feature a bar code on the digipack, the only way that the product can be sold in stores is if there is a bar code. It is the required size to be sold in stores.

Record label:Record labels are essential for digipacks especially if the record label is popular. If someone likes an artist from the same label they may buy the digipack.

Digipack conventions we have used

Terms and conditions:All digipacks need a terms and conditions section so that the company who owns the digipack is not liable for any damage done to the holder. This means that if something happens the company will not be held responsible as they have told the holder in advance.

Lyrics:We used some lyrics from the title song “Standing in the Dark”. We have done this because often in digipacks there are lyrics that have meaning that the audience will enjoy reading. It shows what the digipack and songs are most likely about such as love songs.

Advert conventionsBefore we started to make our digipack advert we first had to look into what goes into a digipack advert. Digipack adverts are used to advertise an artist’s digipack, adverts can be extremely useful to gain a lot of sales. Here are the common conventions of a digipack advert:

• Artist images• Artist’s name• Front cover of the digipack• Album name• Legal information• Short review• Ratings of the digipack• Release date• Record label• Terms and conditions

Advert conventions we have used

Artist image:We have placed an image of the artist in the center of the page, we have done this because we need to promote the artist so people knows who he is and what he looks like. The digipack advert would be pointless if the viewer didn’t know what he looked like.

Rating:A star rating is used on our digipack advert, the rating is high so that people will buy the digipack. Like reviews, the rating can influence a sale.

Artists name:The artist’s name had to be used in the advert or people wouldn’t know who to look for. They wouldn’t know what to search on the internet or at stores.

Record label:A well known record label is featured (our made up one) so that people who know successful artists from the label will be influenced to buy the digipack.

Advert conventions we have used

Release date:The release date is on the digipack, we have put this in so people know when they are able to buy the digipack in stores. People are able to pre-order albums and digipacks on the internet but the release date is for when everyone are able to get the digipack.

Reviews:Reviews can persuade someone to buy the digipack, if the review is from a reliable source such as a music website or magazine then people will be influenced into buying the digipack. Only good reviews are used so that we have a better chance of getting good sales.

Digipack and Advert images