Jem Akpinar A2 Media

Oliver Law A2 Media

IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR

CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA

PRODUCTS?

Our music video uses ways in media productto develop or challenge forms and

conventions through real life products, such as real life TV and music videos

already released. The Genre of our video is Pop/Rock, which we believe is modern

but different because there are not many media products similar to our product in

this time era. Our music video uses conventions of real music videos, website

pages and CD digipaks. As a group we decided we wanted to use an old song but

add a modern twist to it and we did this using props, an old location and using black

and white editing techniques at the start of our video. The Kinks – All Day And All Of

The Night, did not have an official music video so we decided that this was a great

opportunity to make a video as we could use our own ideas and techniques. We

watched music videos of The Kinks and similar bands such as The Beatles and The

Monkeys, so we could get an idea of how they acted in the 60’s. The digipak cover

also represents our real life product as we have edited the lighting to contrast with

the style of our band. As our type of music style is from the 60’s, we had to use as

many techniques as we could that would have a link to these time period with the

audience understanding it quite easily.

I feel as though we have developed

conventions by linking to the time period of

our music video through our website and

digipak front page. For example, the font of

the word ‘Parody’ makes it look as though

it is stuck against the wall and it also has

an old fashioned look about it. We also

made the title of the band name link to the

real life media products in the 60’s. the

group all analysed a music video each that

was similar to the type of video we wanted

to create. We decided that we were going

to set our style on The Beatles as they

were around the same time of The Kinks

and had the boy band image that we

wanted to set our band on.

Our video links to media theory such as the Male Gaze which also links to modern media

products especially modern music videos. One of the male’s in the band obviously is caught

staring by the woman and links to the Male Gaze theory as Mulvey says that the audience are

likely to take an interest into a woman on the screen especially in modern music videos. We

wanted to add a modern twist into our video, so this is why we added a woman who is getting

the male band members to notice her and purposely ignores them. However, this can link to

the Post Feminism theory as it shows that the woman is the most dominant and doesn’t

position women as objects for men.

We had to make sure that our music video

linked to our chosen genre all throughout.

This was important because otherwise it

could be confusing for the audience and

we wanted to stick to the conventions that

our audience would expect us to stick to.

We expected the audience to take a liking

to our 3 band members and for them to

feel sympathy. The conventions had to be

spot on for our characters, so the

costumes we wore had to look very

professional. We looked a costume

boards of people in the 60’s and decided

that suits would definitely look good as

they emphasise the time era.

We studied Andrew Goodwin’s features of a music video theory. There are 6

features which are:

• Genre Characteristics

• Relationship between lyrics and visuals

• Relationship between music and visuals

• Star Image – Close up on the artist

• Intertextual references

• Voyeurism

Goodwin states that the audience look for these 6 features whilst watching a

music video.

The opening to our music video is a series of really quick jump shots which do not

show the band members straight away. This challenges the codes and

conventions of modern videos as most videos like to promote the artist straight

away. The opening lyrics in our video start of with myself in a suit walking down

some steps. We wanted to make each band member look smart but casual at the

same time. This is similar to the way that The Beatles acted in the 1960’s.

The star image that Goodwin uses as one of his features

in his theory is something we have linked to quite

regularly in our video. I think that with the close up shots

on the band members, the audience may take a liking to

them. This breaks the conventions from the 1960’s as

videos that we researched didn’t really have shots of

individual band members. However, in modern videos we

see individual band members singing such as boy bands

like One Direction. We decided to add the modern

technique but also get shots of the whole band so we

could create the twist.

We also created intertextuality through

some conventions in our music video. One

of the band members perform an ‘Usain

Bolt Pose’ which links to a real life product.

This links our video to other conventions in

media products. The pose is widely

recognised by audiences and if the

audience see this in the music video then

they will get a sense of reality whilst

watching it.