Q1 Convention and Theory Analysis

Conventions
• Often alternate pop music videos follow their lyrics, and have a strong relationship with them. For
example when I was planning, in my textual analysis on Melanie Martinez’s Carousel video the
theme is a fairground setting which links with the lyrics ‘Round and round like a horse on a
carousel’ (we see a carousel with her riding it). As my video was a narrative, the lyrics had already
strongly influenced the narrative. In the shot below she is wiping mud onto her cheek in the way
military people do to act as camouflage, at the same time the lyric is ‘Can’t disguise, can’t
disguise’.The idea of disguise influenced me to do this shot. I also adopted this technique in
another example below where as the lyric sings ‘keep my eyes open’ the girl on the screen opens
her eyes in time with the music. I find this gives the audience a strong link between the narrative
and the lyrics, it will also make it more memorable when they hear the song in the future as they
may be able to envision what they saw on the screen.

Conventions
• Setting: after researching indie pop genre conventions, I found out indie pop videos are mostly videos
made on a lower budget, although there are indie pop artists who do have a higher budget. Because of
this the locations are generally quite simple e.g. fields, streets, inside a house, empty rooms, woods,
parks. Some have the use of studios and green screen rooms however with the initial idea I had I did not
require the use of the green screen room. I was happy with my choice of locations and felt that I did have
different locations however they was mostly house-based whereas if I had more time to travel to different
locations it would’ve been nice to capture shots in other places. My locations: bedroom, kitchen, garden
outdoors, dressing room in bedroom.Therefore I did keep to the convention of common places indie pop
videos are sometimes shot.

Conventions
• Another convention is having the artist lip-sync in the video, which I followed , by having lip-
syncing it allowed the lyrics to come across as her words and in her situation. It then appears
this is what she is saying and feeling and people are more likely to take in the lyrics. It also
promotes the actresses star image as the audience get a sense of the atmosphere she creates.
Another convention I followed was having the actress both perform her song and also act as part
of the narrative.This again promotes her in the story and separately lip syncing during the
chorus. However I did then mix the two together in the break of the song where it leads directly
on from the chorus scene into the break and after that scene ends it does not return to the
original scene where the chorus took place. I did this so that the audience could see the
transformation the character had made at the end.

Conventions
• Make-up, costumes, props. I kept the outfits quite simple but conformed to indie pop in the chorus
part where I had the actress in a more unique costume, including a hair lei and white dress with a
gold band, I also had the other girl with a floral lei in a colour which matched her own dress.This
was then something I copied throughout all my texts, both ancillaries included the floral hair lei.
Also the glitter which she blew into her face was a part of the album cover to keep consistency and
iconography which the audience can recognise.

Conventions
• Many narrative videos have a slowed down effect on the clips which exaggerate
the movement and story, it also gives the narrative a ‘softer’ look. I felt this went
well in my music video therefore used it throughout at various points to give the
video a softer look, below is an example where I used it. As she pushed her hair
back I slowed this clip down which gives the audience more time to recognise the
action and see her face in the mirror and expression. I found this to be a common
editing technique I used.

Conventions
• Often indie pop videos will use filters, colourings and change the contrast and exposure on
the videos. In my planning and research stage I looked at Melanie Martinez’s video Carousel,
• Therefore I tried to use this convention in mine by changing the colour of shots depending
on the mood I was trying to achieve. Melanie’s video shows the use of purple/pink lighting to
create a dark mood but also the colour pink connotes love, therefore we can see this as she
is in love, but the dystopian type mirrors show and darker lighting shows there is something
more sinister to it then just innocent love.
In this shot I used blue colouring
over the top to connote the dismal
thoughts and her situation as
darker.

Conventions: Editing
• As previously touched on the editing I carried out was the pace of the video and editing the clips
together. Indie pop videos often utilise filters such as sepia, black and white and coloured filters.Where I
felt appropriate I conformed to this convention.The black and white shot showed how it is more a
metaphorical shot of what her mind is doing and isn’t actually happening in the narrative.Therefore
separating this from the rest of the narrative scenes.The blue colouring is represent of the low self-
esteem state of mind she is in as the colour blue often connotes sad, depressed feelings. I used the
colour pink on the clips which are representing when she begins to accept and let the other girl in.

Theories
• My video follows a narrative form. I’m going to look at the narrative theories I
had referred to for structure and ideas in the planning and research stage and
see how my narrative music video conforms or doesn’t conform to them.
• Bordwell &Thompson: Believe narrative is made up of two parts, the story and
the plot.The story and plot are broken up into three sections.
• A, Inferred events, B, Explicitly shown events, C, Non-diegetic material.
Story: Inferred and explicitly shown events.
Plot: Explicitly shown events and non-diegetic material.
My music video does conform to this in the way it uses inferred and explicitly
shown events to create the story however there isn’t as much non-diegetic
material in the video.The following slides show my application of this theory.

Applying to my music video
Story: Inferred and explicitly shown events.
Here the inferred event is that in the past the two girls have
gotten into a relationship with each other.We then assume
as these are the first two characters we see that they will be
the main characters.The way the girl is looking at the other
we may assume this will be the main character. In the next
scene she takes the lead in lip-syncing therefore the
audience will assume this is the artist and thus the main
character. When the sound dips she looks down over to the
girl, the audience are shown this and therefore may assume
she is planning something. When paired with the following
scene the audience may put together her plan to ‘smother’
her.

• In cohesion with the lyrics when it says ‘I never saw’ we see the other girl from her
point of view which tells the audience this is how she sees her but she doesn’t get
why the other girl likes her. When the other girls knocks her and she keeps a
straight face this confirms how she is oblivious to accepting the love that the other
girl gives her.This is a shown event along with the inferred event that they’ve met
in the past and are in a relationship this makes up the story.

• We are shown the process in which the girl begins to accept the love the other is trying to give
her. After leading straight from the chorus into the break where the other girl cleans the mud off
her face and braids her hair.The lip-sync also changes from the main character to the other girl
which shows the change in power and how the other girl is introducing her to her set of ideas. At
the end the verse stories are tied up.We see the beginning scene she ‘wakes’ up and hugs her,
the kitchen scene she removes the orange which she was taking her frustration out on and hugs
her.Then finally at the end she opens her eyes and the two embrace.

Sven Carlson
• Sven Carlson believes narrative is a structure. He believes there are three clip types, performance, narrative
and abstract/conceptual.
• He then further breaks down performance into three categories, dance, song and instrumental performance.
• My music video fits well into Sven’s theory, it falls under the narrative and performance category because it has
elements of both.Within the performance category it uses song performance, as my characters lip-sync and
perform the song, sometimes the song performance laps over with the narrative performance where there is
both developing the story. It doesn’t have any dance or instrumental performance. However I also think my
video does have abstract ideas, such as the orange scene, and the clip where the glitter is blowing, although
this is part of the narrative, it is representing the process of what is happening in her mind. (Much like the scene
where she digs her fingers into the mud too).
• Therefore my video does conform to Sven Carlson's theory however does have aspects of all three clips types
but is mostly narrative with performance running throughout.

Sven Carlson
• Carlson also created the ‘mythical method’ in which he analysed videos. He believed there are three types
of performance:
• 1.The performer is no longer a performer but a commercial exhibitionist to sell products.The song isn't
always the selling point but the fact they're on screen.
It could be argued that in my video the artist is a commercial exhibitionist as the fact they feature in the
video she is selling her star image however I don’t include any products in the video which are being
advertised. For example in MO’s video Kamikaze she is wearing a nike sports top, which you can clearly see
the tick therefore is advertising the product.
2.The performer in the music video is a televised bard.The artist is a modern version of a bard, (a story
teller, entertainer) but the medium they use for their 'stage' is television.The stories they tell have visual
images on screen-instead of relying on the listeners imagination and physical performance. Many could
argue the internet is now used as their platform.
Again this could apply to my video in the way that she is telling a story through the use of a music video,
one the audience might not get from the song alone.Thus, using the media as their ‘stage’ in which to
perform not just their song but tell a story too.
3.The last type of performer is the electronic shaman sometimes believed that their voice and rhythm are
what creates the visuals and holds them together.They are seen to have alter-egos in which people can find
something to believe in them.They consume their music as they believe in their ideology.
As my artist only has one video it’s a lot harder to show an alter ego. Like how Beyonce has Sasha Fierce. I
think it takes more time to develop an alter ego and a strong ideology for people to believe in.

Tim O’Sullivan
• O'Sullivan: all media texts tell some kind of story and all narratives have a common theme.Through
meditation, media texts offer a way of telling stories about ourselves not always about ourselves but the
story as a culture.The concept of his theory is that stories reflect our culture, they can reflect society at the
time of filming dealing with various 'themes' and 'issues' present in the time period.
• Taking this I believe my video does conform in a way. In my research I analysed how Plan B’s song Ill Manors
links strongly with society at the time it was made as it was made as a political response to the London
Riots.Therefore represented how culture was at the time. Although my video doesn’t represent a big event
like the London Riots, there are parts of current society which do show through.
• Firstly I decided to use two girls instead of the stereotypical relationship video which generally use a male
and female. In the last few years there has been big steps for LGBT societies, legalising gay marriage in the
UK and United States ofAmerica, and therefore is a very current topic. Gay people are being represented in
the media more and more and therefore I wanted to represented something which maybe people wouldn’t
expect as much or give praise to using a gay couple instead of the stereotypical heterosexual couple.
• Secondly,Among teenagers and ages above there is the issue of low self-esteem. With how women and
men are represented in the media in our society, it has been highlighted the pressure put on people to look a
certain way.A lot of people experience feelings of low self esteem and not feeling good enough for another
person which is why my music video does represent parts of culture and society today because this is a
social issue.

Tim O’Sullivan
• Ideas & Message
Examples from the internet which is filled with
articles and questions referring to the issue of
low self-esteem, not feeling good enough, not
seeing what someone sees in you, feeling
insecure. Notice the date of the bottom
question is 4/02/2016 which shows how this
issue is still very much an issue.
• Mediation->
What’s wrong with me
I never saw, what you saw in me
And to the audience to understand and
consume.
My heart closed,

Todorov
• All narratives must have a solution. I am going to look at how my video fits to this structure.
Equilibrium/Diegesis
Protagonist
Protagonist
The audience then realises that it is her mind
who is the antagonist as it doesn’t allow her to
let the other girl love her as she doesn’t see
why she would.
Protagonist
Antagonise:
Her insecurity

Todorov
Disruption:We can see
the disruption is her
inability to let the other
girl love her, battling with
herself and in turn
pushing her away.
Quest:The other
girl comes in and
takes the lead,
guiding her from
the darker part of
her mind and
cleaning up the
mud on her face
and braiding her
hair, showing a
caring gesture and
the main girl is
letting her do
this& not shutting
her out.

Todorov
• Resolution
At the end, the girl finally accepts
her love and hugs her back, the
insecurity in the relationship has
been banished and we have a re-
equilibrium.
Therefore this shows how
my music video does
follow the structure of
narrative according to
Todorov’s theory as by the
end we have a solution,
going through the
appropriate stages.
However unlike a lot of
narratives there isn’t an
antagonist character as
such as the antagonist is
her own thoughts.

Michael Shore
• Music videos are recycled styles and as style scavengers. He also says that we have been subject to
anaesthetisation of violence through chic, meaning we do not see violence as bad as we’re so used
to seeing it in the media we are no longer shocked by it. A lot of videos include speed, girls, wealth
and power portraying adolescent male fantasies these lead into soft-core pornography with the
recycled clichéd imagery.
Applying to my music video.
Recycled styles.
In terms of recycled
styles, there have been
other videos which have
dealt with issues of self-
esteem, insecurity
especially in
relationships.Therefore
my video does conform
in this way as it has
similar themes to other
existing products.
Anaesthetisation of violence through
chic, My video does not contain violence
to the extreme in which Bob Dylan’s
video did which I had researched where
it was quite heavy in terms of domestic
violence. However it does include the
smothering scene which could be seen
as applying to Michael Shore’s theory as
the audience may not be ‘shocked’ or
‘horrified’ at seeing this as we are used
to seeing violence in media.
Recycled clichéd
imagery. I don’t think my
video much conforms to
portraying adolescent
male fantasies. Although
there are two girls, I
haven’t portrayed them
in a very voyeuristic way.

Pam Cook
• Similar toTodorov she believes narrative follow a path to solve a narrative. She believes they follow
a linear structure of cause and effect. She also says that they must have a high degree of narrative
closure. It also must have some verisimilitude governed by spatial and coherence.
As shown in theTodorov slide, my music video does have a narrative closure, therefore follows
Cook’s theory in this way. It also has verisimilitude in terms of location and character. In the
mise-en-scene, the rooms look believable allowing the audience to buy into the locations.
They also match with the characters costume, for example in the bedroom scene at the
beginning the actresses are dressed appropriately.Therefore my music video does conform to
Cook’s theory

Kate Domaile
• 8 Narrative Structures
- Achilles: Someone has a fatal flaw which leads to weakness and creates destruction.
- Candide:The indomitable hero who cannot be put down.
- Cinderella:The dream comes true and there is a happy ending.
- Circe:The chase, we have innocent and the victim, good and bad.
- Faust: Selling your soul to the devil may bring riches but eventually your soul belongs to him.
- Orpheus: Loss of something personal, the tragedy. It can also be following the loss of something, the retrieval.
- Romeo + Juliet:The love story.A romance between two characters.
- Tristan and Iseult: LoveTriangle.When a character loves another but is already spoken for or a third party becomes
involved.
I believe my music video’s narrative falls into the Romeo and Juliet structure however it could be argued it overlaps with
other categories, like Achilies as her fatal flaw is not accepting herself leading to destruction of the relationship however
in the end it becomes resolved therefore more fits with the Romeo and Juliet category because it is the story of the love
between them.

Andrew Goodwin
• Believes that music videos are highly complex narratives meaning can be created from the
audience’s interpretation. Some important points Andrew Goodwin highlights:
• Relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, the scenes in my music video were heavily
influenced by the lyrics therefore there is a link between the lyrics and the visuals. By using this
technique it means it is easier for the audience to understand the meaning of the video, narrative
and song itself.
• “Keep my eyes open” - lyric. On the screen 
Relationship between the music and
the visuals: In my video I edited the
cuts to the beat as closely as I could.
For example, when the music dips
and there is a ‘tin’ sound, her eyes
drop to the side. I find this makes the
video more aesthetically pleasing for
the audience and smoother to
watch.

Andrew Goodwin
There aren key areas Goodwin looks at when analysing music videos, these are:
• ThoughtThrough Beat - 'Seeing what they mean or represent in your head‘
After carrying out a lyrical analysis in the planning stage I fully looked at the structure of the song as a whole.
This then helped with where I was going to have my different scenes. For example, the chorus scene repeats
twice, on the second time there is a slight difference in the use of the orange from the previous scene, then the
scene leads straight into the bridge of the song. Each verse in my song is different, these scenes are tied up in
the last chorus. Goodwin also talks about listening to the artists voice, the singer is female therefore I had two
females who lip-synced to the song, sometimes videos have the opposite gender lip-syncing however normally
this is done for a particular reason whether developing narrative or an abstract idea. But because I wanted the
audience to understand it is the artist singing and I wanted them to find it believable I used female actors when
lip-syncing.The last part of this section is the story and what the audience views in their head to what they see
on screen.When carrying out my lyrical analysis I wrote down key words or phrases which each line and verse
reminded me of, visually.This really helped when creating my story board. I feel like there is a strong link in the
lyrics and the visuals on screen for the audience to understand and derive meaning from.
• Narrative and Performance
Goodwin believed it is important for the artist to feature in the video, which I conformed to, which helps to
create the star image. However I broke this convention when it came to my ancillary texts which I did not
feature an image of the artist. Narrative and performance work together in videos to keep the audiences
attention and encourage them to re-watch the video. By having the artist also be a character in the narrative of
a video it lets them create a great connection with the audience as they not only see them as the performer but
character too. My video conforms to this part of Goodwin’s theory.

Andrew Goodwin• The Star Image
Goodwin looks at the importance of the artist creating a star image. Overtime an identity is created with iconic things
which the artist can then use when it comes to making a new product as they know the audience will recognise and want
to consume these things.
In this area I was restricted slightly as we only created one music video however also had chance to create a star image
with the two ancillary texts to go with the music video.The features I kept in the star image was the floral halo they wore
and glitter. However as I did not use an image of my artist in my ancillary text it could be said that I did not create a strong
star image. However I did use features from my music video in my ancillary.
• Relations ofVisuals to the song
3 ways the lyrics and visuals link:
Disjuncture:The meaning of the song is completely ignored in the video and does not have a relation to the lyrics as
much. - My video does not fit into this category as I did not ignore the lyrics, in fact they strongly influenced the on screen
visuals.
Amplify: Shots and images are repeated throughout the video in order to leave a memorable mark in the audiences
vision. - Certain shots are repeated during my video particularly with the chorus, however that is only a small part of
repetition.
Illustrate: Through different cinematography methods and specific images these are used to illustrate and explain the
songs narrative.The lyrics and visuals can be connected and help create the same message/meaning of the song. - My
video definitely falls into this category as I worked to develop the narrative using the lyrics and camera work to create a
similar meaning for the audience to understand.

Representation: Laura Mulvey
• Laura Mulvey looks at the representation of women within the media. I throughouly researched her theory to explore
all the areas of the Male Gaze theory. Here are some key points to theory I researched during the planning and
research stage (from my Representations 1: Laura Mulvey blog post):
• women are viewed as sexual objects and their purpose is only for male pleasure, she focuses on 'visual pleasure and
narrative cinema' to how this is presented.
• Occurs when the audience views a media text through the perspective of a heterosexual male. (Through the use of
cinematography techniques)
• This theory 'Masculinzes' the audience as the Male Gaze denies the woman's identity and only allows her status to be
as an object therefore she is admired from a males point of view. As women will watch film from a secondary
perspective (male) they then will only view themselves from a male's point of view.
• This is a brief overview of her theory, you can read the post here:
http://georginafentona2mediastudies.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/laura-mulvey.html
• When reviewing and evaluating my video I had to consider if I had conformed to Laura Mulvey’s theory of
representation of women. Particularly looking at the use of camera shots to view the women in my video from a
male’s point of view (through the male gaze).

Laura Mulvey
• The opening shot shows two legs, the camera slowly tracks them, which like Laura Mulvey
suggests, its slow shots on women which generally represent and conform to the Male Gaze
theory.Therefore this could be seen as conforming to the Male Gaze as the close up on the
bare legs could be viewed as sexualising the girls.

Laura Mulvey
• Although this shot isn’t too sexualising, the camera angle is looking down on the women, perhaps
showing them in a vulnerable light, as how Laura argues women are normally portrayed in the
media.The use of the lower cut tight top on one of the girls, could be seen by the audience
through the male gaze. Again in the shot to the right, the shorts could be seen as a way to show
the girl in a sexualised manner, by having these in the shot, Laura Mulvey says cinematography
works to show girls as sexual objects therefore the tight top and shorts could be seen as a tool to
accentuate the girls curves/bosoms however this wasn’t my intention when creating the video as I
wanted it to focus more on the narrative.

Laura Mulvey
• In these shots it could be argued that it is challenging the theory as we realise
these are women’s hands they’re clawing at mud and pushing into an orange,
which isn’t meant to show her in a sexual way, and we wouldn’t normally expect
women to be acting in this way. However the colour red connotes, danger,
romance, lust, therefore by having her nails this colour although danger would
what I would want the audience to connote they may also see this associated with
lust, romance instead.

Laura Mulvey
• This point of view shot shows how the girl is acting towards the other, although
short the shot shows her being a little bit flirty which could perhaps be seen as
conforming to how male’s would view girls.
In music video’s close up’s of
females lips are often used as a
way of showing a woman in a
provocative way.Therefore it
could be said this shot conforms
to Laura Mulvey’s theory,
however the lack of colour on
the image give’s it quite a bleak,
depressed look, especially with
the cross on her lips it draws
attention away from the sexual
connotations close-up of lips
can have.
This shot shows the top half of girls chest,
which Laura Mulvey would argue does
represent her through the eyes of the Male
Gaze. However the shot is high therefore
we don’t see her bosom area or bra,
therefore although in a way it conforms I
also think it’s main function isn’t to show
her as a sexual object but others may
believe this.

Laura Mulvey
• The use of costume here is a very short dress, conforming to the Male Gaze as revealing clothes
are usually seen as a way the media represent girls in a sexual way. Also the editing means the
shot is slowed down as she descends, which again in my blog post about Laura Mulvey’s theory I
used the example, ’the use of slow motion and deliberate camera movements can work to
sexualise a woman’.Which I use a slow motion shot to show her movement here. However
again, my intention was to have a more ‘dreamy’ ‘whimsical’ look to the scene as it is in time
with the bridge in the song which has ‘magical’ and unique sounds in the background. Similarly
in the shot on the right where it is a slow motion shot of her blowing the glitter, almost like
blowing a kiss. Again the slow motion accentuates her movement possibly seen to be
representing her in a sexual way.

Laura Mulvey
• This high angle shot is showing her in a vulnerable manner, much like before.
However it would be conforming to the Male Gaze more if it was a man holding
her chin and wiping her cheek, instead as it’s a woman I have chosen to challenge
the stereotypical gender roles where a man would look after and ‘save’ a woman.
Instead there is a woman looking after the other.
This birds-eye view shot is looking down on the two
girls, perhaps placing them in a lower vulnerable
position. However my intention was to show them as
equal.

Laura Mulvey
• This shot does conform to the Male Gaze theory as it is focused on her bosom
area, the depth of field pulls focus to the dress and hair.Therefore the
cinematography has highlighted her as a sexual object and I believe this shot does
conform.The following shot also uses slow motion as it pans across her body to
the other girl, like Laura Mulvey says it represents women as sexual objects as the
shots work to accentuate their features.

Richard Dyer
• From my planning and research I found, Richard Dyer argues that to be a star they must have certain elements.
"Stars are commodities that are produced by institutions.A star is a constructed image, represented across a range of
media and mediums. Stars represent and embody certain ideologies.“
• In my product Richard Dyer views stars as constructions. By using my artist in the video and having her performing and
part of the narrative it builds up her star image.The costume’s characters wear are a big part of this. I had researched
Lana Del Rey’s fans and looked at how they parodied her look in festivals etc.A main image copied was the where she
wore flowers in her hair. Similarly when I created my video I looked at how I could make my costumes more unique.
Therefore for the chorus I decided to use floral headbands and have one girl in a Greek costume. Although I did not use
my artist in my poster or album which Dyer would argue would then not conform to his theory as much because it is
about building a star image of the artist, I did use the floral headbands which could be seen as an item of construction.

AudienceTheory: Stuart Hall
• This is the mind map I made to
overview Stuart Hall’s audience theory.
I really like this theory as it gives us an
indication to audience response and
how individual people may respond to
the video this could be influenced by
gender, location, age, sexuality,
ethnicity and a range of social
attributes.

Dominant
• The dominant reading is the preferred reading and the audience accepts and consumes and
understands the video the way the producer intended. For my video the dominant reading is
that the main protagonist is struggling with her self-esteem as a result of this she has
insecurities about herself, therefore in a relationship situation where the other girl is offering
her love, she finds it easier to shut her out and ‘smother’ any chance of love because if she
does she would be susceptible to be the one to destroy it.The chorus and end of the first
two verses is representative of her state of mind, ‘dark and foul’ the mud, smothering her,
squeezing the orange.Therefore in the bridge of the song, the other girl breaks through into
her mind and the ‘glitter’ is almost representative of the goodness and happiness she wants
to give the girl, taking her back with her, she clears the mud off her face, tidies her hair up
and then the shot which shows her lip-syncing represents how she is wanting the girl to
open her mind up to the possibility that they can work. At the end we see the other scenes
tied up, the girl sits up from the pillow and hugs her, showing the other girl has finally
accepted her love. In the kitchen she pulls away the orange which she was taking her
frustration out on and wraps her arms around her, to show protection. In the end the girl
opens her eyes and the two embrace, which is showing how the barrier she built between
them has been broken down and she's happy to not push her away anymore.

Negotiated
The negotiated reading is where the audience understands the intended message however will
also input their own ideas into the meaning.They may think that some parts are unrealistic or
could be shown in another way.
Some people may watch my video and accept that it is trying to show the relationship between
the two girls and the development that eventually they end up together, but they could find
confusion in the ways I showed things. For example in the first scene when she is smothering
her, some people may not understand that it is a representation of in her mind. Again some
people may understand the message the video is trying to deliver but perhaps reject the use of
two girls in the video. Other people may like the video and the cinematography and how it’s put
together but perhaps may not understand the storyline fully. Other people could accept the
message however like to attach their own ideas to what the issue was of why they couldn’t be
together. For example, some people might view it that the girls were best friends and may be
confused about feelings they have for one another.

Oppositional
The oppositional understanding is where the audience do not get the meaning of the video or find it
offensive therefore reject the whole idea thus, the video has been unsuccessful. For my video people
could reject the way I showed things, for example when she smothers her, I wanted it to represent
what her mind is doing however the audience may believe she has killed her, even after seeing the
rest of the video therefore reject the idea I was trying to convey. People who are homophobic may
reject the use of two females in a video representing a lesbian couple. As I use a lot of actions such as
the smothering, squeezing of the orange and artistic ways of showing an action which is happening
in her mind people may think these are unrealistic and do not understand the view I was trying to
give. Others may not understand the message the video was trying to give as they may prefer
performance videos which include dancing and instrumental performance and reject videos with
narratives.

Postmodern Style
A bit of the postmodern research I carried out:
Short Films - Eco (1981)
Short films are a medium which do not have to have a specific genre. However feature films
and short films differ in that they generally focus on one or few characters and a single strand
narrative. Short films can also be anti-narrative, surrealist and are often experimental, meaning
they can have ambiguous or open meanings for the audience to interpret and process.
My video narrative could be seen as a short film as it has a beginning and end with a story, plot,
like the narrative structureTodorov talks about. However my music video does fit into the indie
pop genre, it conforms to the description of the feature film, focusing on one character with a
single strand narrative.They can also be experimental which the abstract use of shots in mine
(using the smothering to represent something else to literally murdering a person for example)
could be seen as postmodern.Which is free for the audience to interpret. However the use of
performance where the artist lip-sync’s does break the idea of it being a short-film.

Postmodern Style
Music videos are a medium to directly appeal to youth sub-cultures by reinforcing
generic elements of musical genres.
< My video would fit into the romance
category, also I think in a modern society,
sexuality is becoming a more current topic
with LGBTQ groups becoming more current
in our society I think therefore the exploration
of sexuality will also be aimed more to youth
subcultures than say older generations.

Q1 Convention and Theory Analysis

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Q1 Convention and Theory Analysis