EVALUATION

In what ways does you media products use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media

products?In my focus group I asked whether people thought my products where conventional of real media products. The response I got is in the image to the right. Each comment suggested a different theory as to why my music video both used and challenged conventions. The second comment said that through using both lip-syncing and the lyrics in the music video I am challenging music video conventions. I think this is true as it is uncommon to see both techniques used together. I also agree with the first comment and thought about that when creating the products.

Music VideoIn my music video it cuts between shots of the artist lip-syncing to the track which is a typical convention of a music video as it promotes the artist, and the audience often want to see the artist singing to the track themselves. I chose to use a female actor so to not challenge the voice in the song as I think this would break the immersion and belief that the artist is actually singing in the video. This will also appeal to my target audience of females of a teen/young adult age as they can identify with the main protagonist. The first shot in the video is of the artist name ‘Halsey’ and song title ‘Colors’ to immediately inform the audience of what they’re watching. The typography I used is the same as what I’ve used throughout my print products which creates a continuity and link between them which is conventional of real media products. This is so that the consumer will recognise what the product is promoting and therefore are more likely to read or watch it. In media products the opening to a sequence is important in orientating the audience.

Through the use of colour I have conformed to the conventions of the electropop genre as they often use bright and bold colours to convey positive emotions which matches the fast and upbeat music. Through my research I found that music videos that include scenes of performance are often filmed in a studio with professional lighting which I have done in my video. In addition, the clothing the artist is wearing in the video is colourful and fashionable which is also a part of pop culture and something that that is important to young adults at this time.

Music VideoIn the edit of my music video I made sure that the majority of the shots cut on the beat and are in time with the music; this creates a relationship between the visuals and the music and in turn is more pleasing to watch which is why this technique is often used. In some scenes of my music video the visuals clearly relate to the lyrics e.g. ‘you’re dripping like a saturated sunrise’- a clip of the sunrise is shown with an overlay of these lyrics. Theorist Andrew Goodwin studied hundreds of music videos and came up with many codes and conventions that they share. One of these was that there is often a relationship between the lyrics with the visuals illustrating and amplifying the music. Like most music videos I chose to upload my music video to YouTube as it can be easily assessed from anyone around the world and fans are likely to see it straight away if they are subscribed to the channel.

My music video also challenges the conventions of many music videos as despite the fact that there is a narrative there is no clear story. Noam Chomsky said that narrative is fundamental to human existence and that we need stories with recognisable structures to make sense of and describe human life. Narrative theorist Todorov described narratives as being led by events in a cause an effect format starting with an equilibrium and disruption of this equilibrium; however the narrative of my music video doesn’t follow this. In addition, theorist Carol Vernallis said that music videos in particular don’t embody complete narratives or convey finely wrought stories and instead follow the song’s form which does apply here as the idea for my music video is to use the title of the song and the repetition of the word ‘blue’ in the lyrics rather than tell a story. The narrative structure I’ve used is a fragmented narrative as the editing constantly switches back and forth between different shots and scenes. I’ve also incorporated compression of time and space through the use of slow motion and sped up clips which challenges narrative conventions.

Theorist Joan Lynch stated that there are three basic video structures that music videos will include at least one aspect of – performance, narrative and concept. My music video incorporates aspects of performance through lip-synching (Gow) which is conventional of the electropop genre and music videos as a whole.

DigipakThe design of my digipak uses the forms and conventions of real media products in a number of ways. The front cover of my digipak is the light pink logo that I have used throughout all of my products, this will allow an audience to immediately recognise what album and artist the digipak. Initially I was going to have the image of the artist on the front cover but decided against it as people may not recognise the artist from their face, making the design less effective at appealing to an audience. On the back cover there is a track list for the album as well as the copyright details, record label and barcode along the bottom. This is one of the conventions of a digipak as it allows the consumer to see what they’re paying for and how many/what songs are featured on the album. It is also important for the barcode to be placed in a corner as it will be more assessable when purchasing the product. Down the spine of the digipak is the artist and album name so that when stacked in a pile or on a shelf it can still be recognised and picked out without seeing the front cover. The image on the panel which is seen first when opening the digipak is a black and white image of the main artist with her hair highlighted in blue. The colour blue has connotations of trust, intelligence and loyalty and is associated with masculinity which is contradicted by the female artist. On the three inside panels it is conventional to have one large image that runs along each panel with the CD either placed in the centre or at either end which I have used in the design of my digipak. I think this is effective as it is the only large image that is seen in the product as the others are placed on separate panels which I think adds a level of interest and is pleasing to look at.

Digipak InsertOn the front cover of my insert I have the same logo that I’ve used for the digipak cover, album advert and music video. This will create

continuity between the products as well as being easily identified if separated from the digipak. I have then left the back cover as a plain

black panel as it is unconventional to have information on the back cover as its rarely looked at. For the last page in the insert I have a

message from the artist as well as credits to the people to worked on the album. Naming the people who worked on the album is one of

the typical conventions of a digipak insert as it’s important that they are given recognition and credited for their contribution.

On my insert there are many exclusive images including shots of the artist and behind the scenes of filming that can’t be seen anywhere else. This is to give people another reason to choose purchasing a digipak over downloading the album online as they are getting more for their money. People who are fans of the artist will most likely feel the need to buy any products that the artist releases that include information or images that they haven’t seen before. On the first page of my insert I have included the lyrics to the single ‘Colors’ from the album. It is conventional of an insert for there to be the lyrics to every song on the album however I am challenging this idea by including only one as I think it would be unnecessary to include each and every one. I’ve also taken into account that the audience can find the lyrics online which is why I have only included the lyrics to what would be the most popular song.

Album AdvertOn the album advert the release date of the album is in large, bold letters and is in a colour that stands out against the background, which helps to successfully promote the release of the album and allow the audience to receive the information at quick glance. Through my research and analysis I’ve found that album adverts often have a simple and legible font that can be easily read from a distance such as the one below. It also has information on where the album will be available to buy which is another convention of album adverts as some people prefer to purchase albums digitally rather than buy the physical copy. Album adverts often feature the album cover as the main image covering the majority of the page which I have used as it will more quickly catch the attention of people who know of the artist. The Uses & Gratifications theory suggests that an active audience will gain satisfaction through recognition and decoding the technical and symbolic codes and conventions. An active audience will therefore gain satisfaction through the recognition of the main image and logo.

It is often conventional of album adverts to include information on the lead single and reviews from either people or companies, however I am challenging this convention to keep the design simples and not overcrowded so as to not bombard the consumer with too much information at once. From my feedback I am certain that this is effective as one of the comments said ‘I like the fact that it is quite minimal in its use of text but still manages to get across all the information you need and looks very stylish.’ In the bottom corner is the record label for the artist as this is a necessary aspect to have on an advert for an official album.