Evaluation: Question 1 (rough draft)

Q1 | How does your music video use, develop or challenge conventions of real media products?
Did I use conventions of the medium?
In my media production, I used conventions of the music video medium. Firstly, my production was the same length as the chosen track (Gather and Run),
allowing me to promote the track in its entirety by not cutting it short. While I added credits at the end, this was only over the sound of birdsong, so it did
not effect the track’s quality or length. There is a definite relationship between lyrics and visuals (Goodwin). For example, the recurring lyric “we are only
young” is reflected through the casting of young actors (both aged 17) in the lead roles, while the overall message of the track – being young and foolish
in love – is reflected through the videos narrative; we see the couple throughout their relationship, witnessing both their highs and lows. Indeed, a more
explicit reference between the lyrics and visuals are the lyrics “to the forest we will gather and run”, which correspond with the visual of the two girls
running through the forest. There is also a relationship between the music and visuals (Goodwin) as I edited the footage to synch to the beat. Also, the
guitar melody throughout the track is flowing, almost like a river which features as one of the locations, while all the instruments played on the track are
acoustic – from the guitars to the vocals – which is reflected in our choice of having only natural locations for our video (e.g. the beach and forest).
However, we did challenge some conventions; the track’s artist, Natasha North, did not feature in the video, so we could not include close-ups to fulfil the
need of the record label; also, we did not feature the notion of looking, nor did we treat the female body in a voyeuristic manner (Goodwin).
The couple in both happy and sad times. To the forest we will gather and run… Examples of the natural landscapes used.
As Goodwin suggests you should promote the artist in the music video (and Natasha North was unavailable) I had to find a different way to promote her as
an artist instead of using close ups of her face. Therefore, I developed the conventions of the medium by adding titles at the end of the track, which is
actually a convention of feature films and TV dramas. Some music videos chose to use titles (see examples below) but it is not especially common. This
allowed me to promote Natasha North as I put her name in a large font which dominates the screen to catch the readers attention. I made sure that her
name was the first to come up in the credits so it would stick in the audience’s memory; I also promoted the title of the track.
The credits in my media production. Examples of credits by The Lumineers Examples of credits in film.

Did I use conventions of the genre?
First Aid Kit’s My Silver Lining and The Lion’s Roar. Ben Howard’s Keep Your Head Up and Old Pine. My production of Gather and Run.
Goodwin’s theory to music videos also suggests that music videos should demonstrate genre characteristics; I believe my media production achieves this.
The track Gather and Run is indie-folk with some aspects of country; similar to artists such as First Aid Kit and Ben Howard. Therefore, before I created my
production, I studied their music videos to see conventions of the genre, in particular their use of mise-en-scene. A large majority of their videos took place
in natural locations, such as forests and the beach, reflecting their folk/country roots; transmitted through oral tradition, folk music is very traditional, often
based on folk-lore or fairy-tale, reflecting a society’s national culture. For example, in The Lion’s Roar by First Aid Kit, the video is set in a secluded forest
and lake, as the lyrics explore relationships with nature (“I’d sing a song… that would rise above the mountains and the stars and the sea.”). Meanwhile,
Ben Howard’s Old Pine uses natural image of the forest, cliff faces and the ocean. I took inspiration from these videos and used their conventions for my
own production; my video was shot in natural landscapes – the forest, the river, and the beach – to symbolise the raw nature of the girl’s relationship.
The use of natural locations meant we took advantage of the ambient light provided during the shoots. The use of natural lighting is another convention of
the genre, especially the use of lens flares from the sun to create silhouettes. Consider the use of silhouettes in Ben Howard’s I Forgot Where We Were and
The Shrine/An Argument by Fleet Foxes, both of which create unique, dynamic shots; also, the use of lens flares in You’ll Be Mine by the Pierces and
Emmylou by First Aid Kit, emphasising the natural landscapes through the sun eliminating the screen. In my own production, we used these techniques
during the happier memories during flashbacks, as the sun connotes strength and warmth which would be otherwise inappropriate for the more depressing
memories; to emphasise this brightness and positivity, we increased the saturation of the images. When it came to the sadder flashbacks, we lowered the
saturation and edited the images into greyscale, connoting negativity and depression. This allowed us to create binary opposition (Strauss) which provokes
a reaction from the audience; the difference in mood is highlighted, so they are saddened about how much the relationship has fallen apart.
Silhouettes (Ben Howard and Fleet Foxes) Lens flares (The Pierces and First Aid Kit) Silhouettes and lens flares in our production.

Did I use conventions of the genre? (cont.)
As I mentioned before, I alternated between colour and greyscale images throughout my video throughout the flashbacks. This alternate use of colour is
not often seen in the folk genre – many videos tend to keep to the traditional full colour scheme – so in this case I have developed the conventions of the
genre. While the use of greyscale is not completely uncommon – there are some notable exceptions, such as Babel by Mumford and Sons and People Help
the People by Birdy, both of which rare filmed in monochrome – very few videos alternate between colour and greyscale. This may be because they want
to create vivid, colourful music videos to match their often energetic soundtrack. However, that is not to say that the editing of colour is not completely
uncommon. For example, both First Aid Kit and The Pierces add numerous filters their footage to manipulate their colour, often creating an almost vintage
feel, like old film reels or polaroids; this adds to the old fashioned warmth of the music in the folk genre.
Use of filters in You’ll Be Mine and Stay Gold.Use of greyscale by Birdy and Mumford & Sons.The alternate use of colour in my production.
We used the conventional costumes associated with the folk/indie genre in our music video: jeans, jumpers and jackets in Autumnal colours (reds, greens
and greys). These costumes and colours are seen in numerous music videos, such as in Birdy’s Shelter and First Aid Kit’s Walk Unafraid. We chose to wear
oversized coats, which create a sense of comfort and warmth that is often associated with the lyrics and atmosphere of the folk genre, while the Autumnal
tones link with our natural surroundings, such as the river, beach and forest. However, it could be argued that we also challenged the convention of
costume in our media production. Some musicians of the genre wear long, floaty dresses, linking to the folklore/fairy-tale aspect of the genre (see The
Pierces or Florence & The Machine), which links to the idea that “genre is an intertextual concept” (Wales) which needs to be understood “as a property of
the relations between texts” (Hartley). One specific example is in Rabbit Heart by Florence & The Machine, where there is an intertextual reference to the
painting Ophelia by British artist Sir John Everett Millais, which depicts the character of Ophelia from William Shakespeare's Hamlet singing before she
drowns in a river she fell into while gathering flowers: a death that has been praised as one of the most poetically written in literature.
Florence & The Machine’s intertextual reference.First Aid Kit/Birdy costume vs my production. Florence & The Machine and The Pierces.

Was there any use of intertextuality?
Intertextuality is a convention of music videos (Goodwin) which I used in my production of Gather and Run. Indeed, “each text is influenced by the generic
rules in the way it is put together; the generic rules reinforced by each text” (Thwaites) so, naturally I was greatly inspired by other music videos when
making my productions. One intertextual reference I made was to The Hand and The Heart’s Another Story, where a woman looks back on her past lesbian
relationship; I used close ups of Liv, just like the close ups in the video, to highlight the pain and poignancy of her remembering her past love. During the
planning of the video, I was greatly inspired by The Wizard of Oz, where a dull, sepia colour scheme is used when Dorothy is stuck in Texas (connoting
something dull and boring), compared to the bright, vivid colours of Oz, a far more exciting and happy place. Therefore, in my production, I alternated
between vivid colour for the happier memories, and dull colours for the sadder memories. Finally, I made intertextual reference to the film Eternal Sunshine
of the Spotless Mind sand Blue Valentine; they both take the subject of a broken relationship and use non-linear narratives to tell the story of a relationship
beginning before it falls apart. It inspired me to use flashbacks to tell the story of the relationship between my two main characters to emphasise the way
their feelings change for one another throughout the course of the video, from blindly in love to being unable to stand one another’s company.
Were there any recurring motifs?
It is also suggested by Goodwin’s that a music video should contain recurring motifs, distinctively visual or highly stylised. I used this convention in my
music video, repeatedly cutting to Olivia sitting and reminiscing her past memories. The image is neither black or white nor colour, allowing it to
distinguish between the happy and sad flashbacks; it was highly saturated, connoting something sad and bleak as she looks back on her relationship.
The recurring motif in my production. The recurring tree motif in It Will Not Be Forgotten by The Pierces.
Another Story and my video for Gather & Run Alternate colour in my The Wizard of Oz and my production. Film Posters for the films

Q1 |
What was the narrative Structure?
According to Goodwin's theory, a music video should be narrative or performance based. I decided I would create a narrative based music video as I did
not have access to the artist who sings the track - Natasha North – to have a performance based narrative. By not having the artist feature in the video, I
challenged the conventional narrative in my production, as I have not explicitly promoted the artist (Goodwin) by including close ups and recurring motifs
of their image (see specific examples below). However, I did use a variety of other narrative conventions in my production. Firstly, that of a circular
narrative; the video opens and closes in the same location – Liv sitting on a bench, remembering her relationship. This allows for the scenes to have greater
emotional impact on the audience while also creating a motif of memory, grief and self-deception, like in films such as Quentin Tarintino’s Pulp Fiction.
Includes artist: Birdy’s Wings, First Aid Kit’s Silver Lining & Ben Howard’s Old Pine Opening and closing shot of my video/Pulp Fiction’s circular narrative
My entire video consists of random flashbacks which map the two girl’s relationship. To make it clear when the flashbacks were occurring, I used different
colours to differentiate between them, so the audience is aware that we are moving between realities; black and white for the turbulent, negative memories
and bright, vivid colour for the happier memories. Claude Levi-Strauss argued that all narratives are arranged around the conflict of binary opposites, a
convention which I have reinforced through my production with the polar emotions of happy and sad, black and white and past and present through my use
of narratives. Black and white also suggests something which is old and tired, while bright colours suggests something new and energetic, reinforcing the
idea that the happy memories may be tinted to seem happier than they actually were. However, some may interpret my production differently; they may see
some of the memories as flash-forwards (or prolepsis) to what will happen in the future – either the relationship will begin to fall apart (see the black and
white negative memories) or will improve and grow stronger (see the vivid, bright memories). Some, instead, may see the memories as external analepsis
(a flashback to before the narrative began) as the girl looks back on her relationship. It is important to remember that I am the encoder of the text and the
audience are the decoders, so their perceptions of the events and their meaning may differ from my own, or even other audience members (Stuart Hall.)
How does your music video use, develop or challenge conventions of real media products?
The use of flashbacks and binary opposition in my production. The use of flashbacks in The Head and The Heart’s Another Story.

Q1 |
How was your use of representation?
Currently in music videos, the LGBTQ+ community are not being diversely recognised, so they may feel as though they cannot find themselves reflected
diversely in texts (Blulmer & Katz, Personal Identity, Uses & Gratifications). Therefore, in my music video I wanted to challenge this poor representation by
developing a progressive representation of sexuality: my leads are not in a heterosexual relationship, but instead identify as lesbians. The fact that they are
not gay males is important as I am representing different parts of the LGBTQ+ community; parts which are currently under-portrayed in mainstream cinema
(e.g. GLADD’s 2015 film study, highlights that only 10% of characters were lesbians, compared to the 65% gay males). Therefore, the LGBT audience are
able to identify to the text as they can identify aspects of themselves though the representation portrayed in the narrative and casting (Jacques Lacan).
However, as both of the leads are white, I am not representing all cultural backgrounds which are also part of the LGBT community; GLADD’s 2015 film
study also highlighted that of the 28 gay characters portrayed in the media last year, 68% were white, while only 11% were black and a further 7% Latino.
This is a shocking misrepresentation which I did not challenge in my music video, and if I were to do it again, I would change my actors for racial diversity.
Another way that I challenged the representation of gender is by making their sexuality irrelevant, namely through not centring the narrative on the issues
of being gay; this allows the characters to become more engaging to a LGBT audience who can identify with the representation provided. Also, I challenged
the stereotype of the “butch lesbian” by presenting two girls confident in their femininity, with neither of them taking on the male role in the relationship.
How does your music video use, develop or challenge conventions of real media products?
Another representation I have challenged in my music video is that of gender. Mainstream music videos often mistreat the female form through sexual
objectification of the female body (see examples below, including Robin Thicke, Pitbull and Jason Derulo). As a result of this, women to see themselves as
objects and to be evaluated by others, a tendency called self-objectification (Fredrickson & Roberts), which may result in negative body feelings or mental
health problems, such as eating disorders. Therefore, it was important I challenged this objective and patriarchal male gaze in my music video. This was
achieved through the camera never lingering on the female form, instead focusing on the face and emotions of the lead characters, thus making them seem
more human and less like objects, while also allowing them to be more relatable to a female audience. Indeed, the female spectator usually has little
agency, and so must either identify with the male as a subject or the woman as an object; by adopting the male position because of the effect of consent in
media texts, where women are often portrayed as passive, marginalised or objectified (Laura Mulvey – Theory of the Male Gaze). My production, however,
challenges this dilemma, so the female audience can see themselves being fairly represented, so will relate more to the text (Jacques Lacan).
My lesbian couple (compared to heterosexual relationships) Sexualisation of women in mainstream music videos

How was your use of representation? (cont.)
I challenged the traditional representation of age in my music video. Many mainstream media texts are guilty of the demonization of youth, promoting
young people as violent and dangerous, thus creating a moral panic (Stanley Cohen). Indeed, a recent article in The Independent highlighted some shocking
statistics when it came to the demonization of young people: more than half of the stories about teenage boys in national and regional newspapers in the
past year (4,374 out of 8,629) were about crime., while the most commonly used word to describe them was "yobs" (591 times), followed by "thugs" (254
times), "sick" (119 times) and "feral" (96 times). This is also seen in the portrayal of youth in film; for example, Attack the Block or Adulthood Furthermore,
the research – conducted by Women in Journalism – showed the best chance a teenager had of receiving sympathetic coverage was if they died: "We found
some news coverage where teen boys were described in glowing terms – 'model student', 'angel’, or 'perfect son'," the research concluded, "but sadly these
were reserved for teenage boys who met a violent and untimely death.“ Music videos such as Plan B’s Ill Manors conform to this representation by
portraying young people as violent: they wear hoodies and hang around in large gangs and generally being antisocial; however, some see this video as an
ironic representation of youth, conforming to the stereotypes to prove how ridiculous they are; thus making a statement about how absurd – and
sometimes dangerous – typecasts are as they often result in self-fulfilling prophecy (becoming the thing you told you are). However, in my music video, I
challenged this representation. I portrayed my characters as vulnerable and naïve rather than violent and corrupt; they are seen as more emotional and in
touch with their feelings, so some may find their representation more endearing to the audience.
Many of these demonic representations, however, of youth focus on the working class. Class dimensions are created between the middle and working
class, developing a “class form of contempt” (Owen Jones) where the working class become objects of fear and ridicule. Instead, my music video focuses
on two middle-class youths – the class which is most commonly portrayed in the folk/indie genre (see examples below) as the working class are most
commonly seen in the grime/rap genre (if I am to be stereotypical). I have therefore conformed to the representations of class in my music video.
Violent youth representation in Attack the Block, Ill Manors and Adulthood My more mundane, vulnerable portrayal of youth.

Q1 | How does your print production use, develop or challenge conventions of real media products?
Panel one – used or challenged conventions?
In my media print production, I have used the codes and conventions of the 4 panel layout associated with CD packaging. One convention of panel one is
having the name of the artist larger than the name of the track or album (see examples below). This helps to promote the artist, as when you are browsing
in a music shop, such as HMV, the artist name needs to be easy to spot so they can find the album. Panel one usually features an image of the artist, again
to promote them to the audience (see examples); however, I challenged this convention by using an image from my music video. Still, I did conform to the
type of the font which features on a CD cover for the indie/folk genre. The typeface is often printed or in script font, connoting something rustic or vintage.
The colour of the font contrasts the background colour so it stands out and creates a bold, dynamic title (see examples below); for example, if the
background is dark, a white font is often used, while is the background is white, a darker font is used. I conformed to the convention of having small,
minimalist font for my title, instead of large, block letters which take up the majority of the cover; in my research during my planning, I found that smaller
font was used far more often than large titles (see examples below). Finally, I challenged the convention of having the title either at the top of the album, by
instead having track title and artist name in the centre of the cover; usually, having the title at the top allows the artist’s name to be easily viewed when it
is browsing at a record store, allowing the buyer to easily find the artist and their album.
The artist name is larger than the track title.
Image of the artist on the cover.
The contrast of colour for the title font.
Smaller, minimalist font choice.
Above is panel one of my print
production. Left are examples
of existing album covers.

Panel two and three – used or challenged conventions?
One convention of panel two and three is having one large picture over two panels, creating one large image overall (see
images 3, left, Regina Spector’s Little Bird). I conformed to this convention, by using an image of the beach huts and the
two leads looking at one another; their looks are sad and moody, connoting grief and pain to evoke a response from the
audience, and to give them an inside look on what the themes of the album may be before they play the CD. However, I
did also challenge the convention of the medium; many album covers (see left for examples, such as Katie Melua and
CD design – used or challenged conventions?
One convention of the CD cover by having the name of the artist and track reiterated on the design, again to promote the artist. Also, I used the convention
of having the title and track being placed at the top of the CD cover so it is catches the audience’s eye and, again, promotes the album and the artist.
However, I did challenge the convention of having a plain, textured image for the CD cover, instead having an image of Liv’s face on the disc; however, this
is because I wanted the image to be in keeping with the design beneath it (panel 3) to create one whole image. This challenges the traditional convention
Examples of existing CD covers and mine own.
of CD covers; however, I believe it created a dynamic design as the double
panel picture of the two girls were not obstructed, so the whole image still
have emotional impact for the audience. I did not feature any additional
information on the CD design, such as the record company or details about the
artist, so I therefore challenged this convention of the design. Finally, I left a
gap in the middle of the design for the centre whole of the compact disk, which
is a convention of the medium (it is the average size of a finger, so this allows
the disc can be carried around or ejected from the CD case.)
Panels 2 and 3 of my design.
Existing inner panels.
Mark James) have the CD cover being the main design or being in a bright,
vibrant colour to capture the audience’s attention, while panel 3 is a simple
background colour or texture so not to distract from the design. I challenged
this by having panel 3 be the focus of the overall design, instead working the
CD around the design for a dynamic final design (I had the disc be the same
image so even when it covered panel 3 the image remained as a whole). I used
dull, faded colours in the interior panels to contrast with the vivid, bright
colours of both the front and back panels, thus creating binary
opposition for impact (Levi Strauss).

Panel four – used or challenged conventions?
One convention of panel four is having the track listing so the audience can read the name of the tracks and gain information on the CD; it is often written
in a vertical list so the audience an easily identify between each track, and at times it is also numbered. These are both conventions that I used in my print
production. Another convention I used is to number the tracks, so if the audience is flipping through the tracks on a music device they will still be able to
read what song they are listening to. The text is often aligned to the left or right, very rarely centred, again allowing for the tracks to be read more easily
and clearly; this is another convention which I used. The front image (panel 1) often corresponds with the back image (panel 4), which is convention I used;
I had the similar green tones of the trees and leaves so their was a tangible link between the two. Finally, I also had the text in a small font so not
overpower the design; I wanted the two girls to remain the focus of the panel, again emphasising their relationship. This is a convention often seen in back
panels (see specific examples below). I also used the convention of having a barcode and including the record company logo and details along the bottom
of the panel; this is important as the constitutional information provides further information on the artist.
Panel 4 of my design.
Back panels for CDs for First Aid Kit, Kodaline, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Of Monsters and Men.

Magazine Advert – used or challenged conventions?
One convention of a magazine advert is to have the artists name in large letters at the top of the advertisement, in order to catch the eye of the reader,
promoting the artist and thus encouraging them to buy the album or single. This is a convention I have used, as the name Natasha North dominates the top
of my advert, making it clear that this is the name of the artist – the large letters connote something important which should be read, which makes the
artist seem exciting and relevant, further promoting them. The name of the album must also be in large letters, though not as large as the artist (for it is the
artist you are trying to promote - Goodwin) which is another convention I have used. The incorporation of text and image is important; important
information such as the date of the release, reviews and social media links must also be incorporated (a convention I have used), but the design must also
be bold and exciting to catch the readers eye as they browse the magazine. I picked out the vibrant red in my jacket for an understated but impactful cover
– red connotes danger and passion and is often used in adverts to alert the readers, which is another reason to why I decided to use it. Many
advertisements use the image of the artist as a pull for the reader – they are well known and become a brand in themselves, so their fans will see the
image and automatically want to buy the product. However, I challenged this convention; as my artist, Natasha North, is an up and coming artist, her image
would not have as much impact, so I used the actors from the music video instead. Finally, the language used is very
important, as you want to promote the CD as much as possible. I used language such as “amazing” and “hit single” to
suggest something of quality which is worth listening to; I further reinforced this through the use of a star rating, none
of which were below 4 stars, again suggesting the album is of a high standard.
My magazine advert.Magazine adverts for artists (L-R) Ellie Goulding, Jessie J, Florence & The Machine, Lana Del Rey and The Horrors.

Evaluation: Question 1 (rough draft)

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Evaluation: Question 1 (rough draft)