Evaluation Question 1: In What Ways Does Your

Media Product Use, Develop Or Challenge Forms

And Conventions Of Real Media Products?

SECTION 1 MUSIC VIDEO

Genre Characteristics In Aspects Of

Mise En Scene
Goodwin has a theory about genre characteristics and that music videos
create these characteristics which audiences relate to
The locations used throughout the music video mainly use genre
characteristics. An example is the reuse of the river and water to
emphasise on the mystery of the narrative. There are some isolated shots
for example when the male is in a park by himself which shows the
emotions and tells a story which is a characteristic of the genre
emphasised in the mise en scene.
The costume that the two characters wear in my music video are high
street fashion which is a genre characteristic because it is predominantly
teenage/young adult dominated so wearing similar trends and fashions
will help boost likeability.
There were many props and objects used to keep the audience
interpreting what they think the message of the music video is. The use of
the ambulance and the males car gives the audience a chance to
interpret the video.
There was ambient lighting used in this music video as the video was
filmed outside all of the time, providing natural sunlight and shadows
formed because of this. These are characteristics as the music made is
pure, so the music video also will be pure, without artificial lighting.
The titles used was bebas which is a bold font which is ideal in this genre
as it is easy to read and stands out in the pop/indie/alternative genre.
The mise en scene is used here so that the audience is able to relate to
the music and feel a sense of belonging with the characteristics as what
Gunther Kress describes as a theory to belong to a collective.

Narrative Structure
My production Summer Song has a story line which is
punctuated with flashbacks to provide the part of story
of why this girl is always in his head. The themes of this
is betrayal. The use of mystery with that haunting of
her presence is used to intensify the drama of the story.
One could say that the use of flashbacks tends to inject
a film with binary opposites with contrasting
representations of the past and real time.
The way in which the flashbacks were used made it
clear to the audience that this was the case. This was
done through the use if dip to whites in between
flashbacks and then the flashbacks were all in black
and white so it is using conventions of real media
products. This can also be seen as a binary opposite
according to strauss because there is a clear distinction
between the past contrasted to the present. This is also
suggesting illusion because of the mystery involved
with the narrative.

Representation

Feminists believe we are living in male patriarchy and women are oppressed by this. It
can be interpreted that male dominance is asserted as even though the female is in
his mind, in reality, he has attacked her, whether it be intentional or not as is the
dominant character in this reality. However, the use of the female dominating the
music video can suggest that hegemony (Gramsci) is being slowly overcome so this
could be another interpretation with a message to hegemony which is being
challenged and reinforced. It can be interpreted in both ways.
Goodwins notion of looking is a theory which suggests that the male gender looks
upon females in a sexual way. The use of voyeurism is a convention use in many music
genres in a contemporary society so it is also used in my production. There was
emphasis put on the red lips because it is eye catching to male and it allows access for
males to stare at the females face. The idea was seen in a music video by EchoSmith
called Come Together where the female (a similar age to the female in my music
video) wore red lip stick which stood out.
The audiences can relate to the texts according to Lacan. Due to this, they can identify
with representations of aspects of themselves with the lyrics and artists. With specific
groups this is important because it gives a sense of belonging and having a collective
identity. The target audience for my production is teenagers and young adults so they
will be able to relate to the actors as theyre of a similar age so the costume and
issues they face can have connections. This can enforce the audience to interact more
within the music video and show emotions upon it, showing they have identified
themselves with it.
Mulveys theory of the gaze can apply in my production because it has regards to the
objectification of women and shows voyeuristic treatment with the use of the lip stick
on the females face to grab male attention.
Unstable relationships are a contemporary issue with many divorces and break ups
increasing. This could be an interpretation of my music video which can relate to
Eminem ft. Rihanna Love The Way You Lie which provides a violent and unstable
relationship where audiences are able to again, identify themselves with the text.

Recurring Motifs
My music video production has
recurring and distinctive visual signifiers
(Goodwin). And example of this is the
recurring images of water such as the
river which is repeated, along with the
puddle shot. The same costumes are
worn by each character for the benefit
of the fashions of my target audience,
and also to have continuity which
establishes a more professional finish.
More recurring motifs are the use of the
shots where it seems that the female is
in the males head, and the repeat shots
of the sirens increases the impact from
the narrative.

Intertextual References
Katie Wales suggests that genre is an intertextual concept so references to
texts which inspired my ideas are important. This can be seen in the music
video Africa Shox by Left Field which was the first case study I did. I was
inspired by this music video as I wanted to have aspects of the male being
confused and dazed, also the male being blamed or vulnerable in the music
video.
John Hartley says we need to understand genre as a property of relations
between texts in his theory which is saying that intertextuality is important
and must be understood as it is what a genre is.
Eminem ft. Rihanna love the way you lie has aspects in the representation to
suggest intertextual references between this and my music video. Voyeurism
is a factor in both which is one of Goodwins theories and the male is seen to
be the dominant one, however, the aftermath can change this interpretation.
Tony Thwaites et al says each text is influenced by the generic rules in the
way it is put together and are reinforced again backing up the use of
intertextuality as a vital part of a genre of music.
Another music video which has intertextual references are Foo Fighters long
road to ruin with the use of narrative as they are using flashbacks in
significance parts of their memories which are relating closely to the
narrative.
Katy Perry the one that got away shows the use of binary opposites
(Strauss) from old to young which connotes the differences between them for
an effective music video, contrasting to the lyrics (another one of Goodwins
theories lyrics to visuals). In my music video, the male seems to be in the
present time, whereas the female is seen to be in the past with the use of
flashbacks which shows the use of binary opposites explicitly.

SECTION 2 PRINT
PRODUCTIONS

Digipak Layout
For my digipak, I chose to use the generic conventions of the CD layout by using the
classic 4 panel case, so the audiences are able identify themselves with the product
in question. I opted to use similar images from which were used in my music video so
that there was a clear message being sent out to the audiences. Another reason I
used 4 panels is because the band are here to be promoted as theyre currently
unsigned so using the classic case, it allows them to be more mainstream in
contemporary societies.
For my first panel, I decided to keep with the same themes of the female being
vulnerable and taking a shot from my music video with the placard, I replaced the
betrayal sign with the name of the band and album Scarlett Parade. The reason I
have made Scarlett Parade the album name is because using the band name in
debut albums is commonly used. Examples come from various artists such as Taylor
Swift and The Beatles. The use of the red colour of the females hair suggests the
scarlet type colour and also using green makes the black and white image have more
of an attraction to it, rather than have it plain.
My second and third panels are the same image which has been flipped to have the
shots synchronised and links to the narrative of the male feeling isolated. This is
using conventions in a digipak so the middle two panels relate to one another
My fourth panel is similar to my front panel as the shot is in black and white, again
with the scarlet red on the females hair. The track list has been done as research
shows that some modern albums use this technique and the barcode and production
company has been placed at the bottom of the panel because its mainly placed
there in the corner.

Digipak
screenshots
Panel 3
Panel 2

Panel 1

Panel 4

Magazine Advert
I have used the conventional layout of my magazine advert
for the marketing release of a new album. The title of the
band Scarlett Parade is in a clear, white font and in capitals
which is a commonly used in posters to market albums. This
is so the audiences can quickly identify themselves with the
band so they know who they are looking at. It will be the first
piece of text they look at because its the only white text and
it fills the top of the poster.
Putting a release date is another convention used so that
interested demographic know when they are able to
purchase this album which will increase the knowledge of
people so they dont miss out.
Ratings and reviews are essential in a poster in order for
audiences to do a little research on who has reviewed which
can encourage more sales and a bigger hype overall for the
album.
Adding in social media at the bottom such as Facebook and
Twitter is another method of promotion which is free to
obtain. Many younger generations are using social media in
one way or another so it is essential that these are added to
the poster in order to gain a greater fan base and interact
personally to the interested audiences.