In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
My media product follows most of the typical conventions expected from a music video. For example, the video includes a band member as part of the casting. This is a deliberate casting choice that institutions make in order to publicise and bring recognition to their product. Although no official scripting was necessary as the song played over scenes in which speech took place, the video included a story, sense of direction and purpose that most music videos include.
However I decided to break some conventions of music videos for effect. My product does not follow the typical expectations with regards to narrative. A conventional narrative of a music video will include a structured beginning, middle and end with regards to time, setting and progression of events. My video includes scenes which are yet to take place for the characters. The passage of time is not typically used in music videos as it is often difficult to portray this without speech. Therefore I chose to use an 'Old Movie Effect' when editing to suggest there is a time difference between scenes in one location to the other. I decided to do this as it could create an emotional response from the viewer as they may sympathise with lead singer Edita as she is oblivious towards the argument that will take place and is getting ready to go out. I chose to structure the narrative in this way as it enables the viewer to connect with the character and adds interest. This challenges conventions of music videos as it is not conforming to the expected structure. This is also a post-modern technique and reflects the era in which I am writing as I have grown up in a highly post-modern world.
Conventional music videos convey a sense of genre and style that reinforces the songs chosen medium. The band I used, Placebo, is an alternative rock band that often challenge expectations and create unexpected material for dramatic effect. The song I chose 'Broken Promise' however does not represent the band as an alternative-rock band. The song contrasts with a lot of Placebo's other songs as it describes the pain of love and is more emo than rock. My video therefore conforms to expected conventions of the songs genre- emo and alternative, however conflict with the bands usual conventions of a punk-rock style approach. I decided that the song was unique in a sense that it allows the listener to empathise with the singer in a way that other Placebo songs do not. My music video highlights the breakdown of a relationship and is therefore conventional in its content. I develop the conventions of music videos in the way that my product is aimed at a target audience. A conventional product uses mise en scene, style, image and genre to target a select category of consumers. I have used this convention in the sense that I have made my video alternative and set the narrative of the video to fit the song to target listeners that appreciate the band. However I have developed this convention further and attempted to target a wider audience. I have used male and female actors in my video, however focused the central viewpoint from the female characters perspective. This was an intentional decision to attract a wider audience and challenge the conventions of the band. The song I decided to use potentially describes a relationship between two males as the lead singer had a homosexual relationship at the time of writing this song and made several comments about the song to suggest this. I considered creating a video to reflect this however decided to challenge the conventions by using a heterosexual couple to reflect the same issues addressed in the song. By making a female character the central focus I aim to address a wider audience and appeal to female listeners who can relate to the video, without altering the meaning of the song.
Another product I developed was a CD cover to advertise the band. I used conventions of real media products to create a certain image of the band. I analysed other media products to gain inspiration. One convention I found interesting was the layout of many CD covers. I decided to use a layout that reflects the alternative, unpredictability of the band. For example, the swirling patterns on the front suggest an individuality of the band. The colour scheme challenges typical conventions. I edited the video to create an old movie feel and suggest a time difference in the scenes. The colour scheme on the CD cover reflects this as the central image of the two band members has a similar feel to it. The background is plain white to connote a fresh, clean new band. The red and white sketchy editing, combined with the way the band members are looking directly at the camera, creates a warm, personal feel to the photograph. The photograph itself, in many ways, challenges the forms and conventions of CD covers. A typical photograph for a CD cover will usually only show one band member, usually the lead singer. Since the 1980's when music videos became mainstream and especially more recently, music has arguably become more about the appearances of the band, rather than the music itself. Therefore a modern convention of band advertisements is to make the band members appear as attractive and appealing as possible. I challenged this in the sense that I used a sketchy editing style to create a personal feel to the image, as though the band members are in a relaxed setting taking a photograph themselves, unaware of the purpose of the photograph. However in the same way, I comply and use this convention in my decision when casting roles for the band members. I made an intentional decision in who I casted and asked appealing, friendly people who reflect that in the photographs and filming taken.
How effective was the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
The main product, the music video, had to relate to the other two products- the CD cover and poster advertisement. I decided to use several features to show a direct link between the products. Firstly, I used the same actress for all three products. Edita appears in the music video as the leading female role, the CD cover alongside fellow band member Jade and in the poster. This is effective as it links all three products together and makes them immediately recognisable by the lead role. I believe the CD cover is effective as a postmodern text and relates to the target audience by being alternative and anti-mainstream in appearance. The poster features Edita of the Uprising's new CD Ruby Red and its main purpose is to bring recognition and awareness towards the CD's release. Therefore, the combination of these two texts is effective as they support each other. I intentionally used a similar colour scheme in the texts as a recurring feature of the band and to relate to the album name 'Ruby Red'. I believe the video, CD cover and poster work effectively together as they bring recognition to the band, promote the new album and have similar iconographic features that link them together.
What have you learned from audience feedback?
I posted two questionnaires on my blog and I am able to learn information relating to market audience from them. I received 14 votes on my polls and although these results are too low to make valued judgements from, I am able to learn some information from them. For example, a higher percentage of reviewers answered that Rock/alternative music is their favourite type of genre, indicating that my products will be appreciated by them, as opposed to Pop or Metal based products. However, as the polls only used a closed-question approach the data is not qualitative and does not give valid opinions or creative responses, the reviewer simply ticked the box that applied best to them. This information can however be easily analysed and assumptions can be made from them. For example, I can learn that if my blog was shown to a wider audience approximately 4 out of 7 would want to change the choice of bands or artists referred to in it.
2 out of 7 people indicated that they would, if given the choice, make alterations to the layout/colour scheme and style of my blog. Therefore, when the poll was completed I made changes to the background colour in response to the audience feedback.
I have also received verbal feedback from peers and have found the feedback was positive. From this feedback I have learnt that it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to create a product that will appeal to all audiences. It is more effective to target a specific group of people such as females. It is also effective to choose an even more specific group to target, such as Rock fans or a certain age group.
In what ways do you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
The Internet was an effective method of researching that I used. The World Wide Web enabled me to research the history of music videos and be able to view and analyse specific videos created by real record labels. Search engines such as www.google.co.uk was a useful way for me to type in the certain aspect of music videos I wanted to research and document then document them using Microsoft Word. I also used Microsoft Publisher and Microsoft Word to plan and construct my products and to record research I had found. Furthermore, in relation to the World Wide Web I used this site, www.blogger.com, to record the work I had made, saved in a draft format, then publish the post when it had been fully completed. I analysed three music videos during the research stage, using www.youtube.com to search for specific videos. I had to watch music videos in order to get an understanding of the forms and conventions and to be aware of certain features such as the length of the video. Prior to studying Media at A level I had a keen interest in music and music videos, therefore I knew some aspects already. However, it was still vital for me to analyse music videos and watch a wide array of different styles and products to gain a heightened understanding. When using media technologies I often struggled and faced difficulties, however was able to tackle most of the problems. For example, when attempting to upload some posts, such as the magazine poster, the uploading tool on this site would not allow it. Therefore, in order to publish my post I had to use Paint to open my file and publish it using that format. Media technology was vital in the construction of my work. I used Adobe Premiere Pro in order to edit my clips and structure the video into a finished product. I used editing computers, laptops, scanners, printers and video cameras in my production. Editing is important in my music video as it sets the structure of the video. The 'Old Movie effect' creates a time setting and implies the difference in time between each scene that I hoped to address.
What is the meaning of my Music Video and why did I structure it the way I did?
My Music Video tells the story of a breakdown in the relationship of a young couple. I intentionally used attractive actors and the costumes/clothes they were are iconic of characters from television programs such as 'Skins' and 'Hollyoaks'. The video begins with Edita, the lead female role, smoking a cigarette looking directly at the camera. This was an intentional cinematic decision that creates an immediate link between the audience and the character. The camera shot is a close-up shot, a common camera-shot used in music videos, that shows her feelings and emotions. The shot was used to show the sadness in her eyes, however the blank almost expressionless facial features show she is keeping her sadness quite. This links with the song which describes the speaker 'waiting' until he unleashes his anger and sense of betrayal in the chorus. The video also shows Edita getting changed, putting make-up on in her bedroom. She appears unaware of the camera an this point to show naivety and ignorance to the events that will take place later. However, once again her expressionless and serious behaviour intend to imply she, to some extent, knows what will happen later. The scenes often appear to replay, flicker and become distorted slightly to suggest the viewer is watching an old movie on a tape that is damaged. The scenes that show the couple arguing are to illustrate the difficulties in their relationship. The medium shots are used to include clothing, facial features, hand actions and background scenery such as cars, streets and streetlights. The mise-en-scene of these scenes are important as it creates setting and location, informing the viewer that they are outside at night. The dark, street setting creates a darker mood reinforcing the mood created by the lyrics. The characters argue and show aggression towards each other however I decided to show them laughing as well, to suggest a distortion of moods. The song itself seems uncertain about its intentions. The speaker seems angry and saddened by the actions of the person he is addressing in the song, however also suggests love towards the listener. The laughter shows the couple, although are fighting and the relationship is breaking down, are uncertain of their feelings. The distortion of moods also reinforces the intended suggestion of a distorted reality that the Old Movie style editing creates. The characters occasionally look directly at the camera, (when Edita is smoking for example). This shows a link between the audience and characters and also breaks the conventions of this style of music videos. The re-wind effect used as Edita is going up the stairs in her house shows the potential changes one decision can make. She has the opportunity to turn around and go back to him, or to continue getting ready. The re-wind effect was used to show how one choice can change things and is therefore presents dramatic irony as the audience knows that they will argue later, however she does not. This idea however is challenged at the end of the video as she looks directly at the camera, suggesting that she does in fact know the difficulties she faces and the sadness is expressed in her eyes.
If I were to complete this production again I would make several changes and alterations to my work.
Firstly, I would plan the content of my video more accurately. A major difficulty I faced was creating ideas for the content and my original ideas conflicted with available actors/actresses, weather and practicality. Time management was also another problem as I feel I spent too much time researching and planning and this caused problems in relation to filming and storyboarding my product. There are many changes I would not make however. The final choice in actors proved to be a good decision and I feel they fitted the parts accurately. I am pleased with the editing and camera shots used and although I would make some alterations such as including an extreme close-up at the end and a fade-out effect, I am happy with the final product. I would perhaps choose a different song if I were to complete this again. 'Broken Promise' by Placebo had an effective chorus and I chose it for the sudden change in mood and tone, however I feel I would enjoy creating a video to a song such as Florence and the Machines 'Dog Days' or a Pop song to allow for more movement, dancing and faster editing cuts to match the rhythm of the song.
In conclusion, I enjoyed the Research & Planning stages, producing the ancillary texts and the written element of the coursework, however struggled with creatively producing the video. Overall I am pleased with the end result and would recommend this course to others as I feel I have learned a lot.
