Evaluation 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

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

To see how my media product uses, develops and challenges forms and conventions of real media products, I have compared real products with the ones that I have created.

Music Video Comparison

In this section, I have compared my music video to real media products in order to show the similarities and differences between the products. I have done this by taking screen grabs from my own music video as well as screen grabs from music videos such as Hero of War, Time of Your Life and Rhythm of Love. For my music video, I ensured that I used several codes and conventions that are found in real life acoustic music videos. These conventions include having close-up shots as well as various other shots of the artist, various shots of locations and scenery as well as shots of the artist singing and playing the guitar. I also used Andrew Goodwin's music video theories to help me to use various forms and conventions in my music video.

These are some of the theories that I used in my music video.

1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics/conventions (e.g. stage performance in metal video, dance routine for boy/girl band)

The song that I chose to use in my video, "The Wrestler", by Bruce Springsteen, is written and sung by one person so the conventions within the music video reflect this, as the video only features the artist and no one else. The locations are also based on typical conventions seen in acoustic genre music videos as the locations, such as the beach and wood, are open areas that are quite natural and peaceful and this is reflected in the song. However, I think that I have challenged the forms and conventions of some acoustic genre music videos as I have added a monochrome filter onto my video. This is not seen in most acoustic videos as they tend to use filters that make the video look happy and bright. I have decided to do this as I believe that it suits the sombre tone of the song and by not adding the monochrome filter, it takes away the bleakness of the song.

 These are some of the locations that I used in my music video

 2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting)

The visuals in my music video, "The Wrestler", both illustrate and amplify the lyrics. An example of when the visuals illustrate the lyrics can be seen around 1.18 as the lyrics say "I always leave......" whilst the visuals show the artist walking away from the camera. Another example of this can seen around 3.26 when the lyrics say "If you've ever seen a one-legged man then you've seen me", whilst a shot of the artist is shown. Also, the majority of the lyrics are being sung on screen by the artist, which can be used as a way of amplifying the lyrics as they are not only being heard, but are also being seen by the audience. Since the song has a sombre and isolated tone, the visuals reflect this by showing the artist on his own throughout the video whilst showing large open spaces, such as the beach, as a way of amplifying the artist's isolation.

The lyrics say "I always leave......" whilst the visuals show the artist walking away from the camera  

 

3. There is a relationship between the music and visuals

The visuals in the music video are either illustrating or amplifying the music. For example, there is a very distinctive guitar rhythm throughout the song and it corresponds with the visuals, i.e. in some scenes, the rhythm of the guitar is in time with the cuts between the shots. Also, when there is no singing in some parts of the song, the camera moves away from the artist and shows shots of the various locations, such as the beach and a wood, as these are conventions that are seen in the majority of real media products and also help to illustrate the tone and feeling of the song.

4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artists and the artist may develop motifs which reoccur across their work (a visual style)

In the music video, the majority of the shots are medium close-ups of the singer. Most of the shots in the music video are quite dark and they show a lot of isolated locations and this is reflected in the album cover as it only features the artist, which reflects the isolation of the song. However, it can be argued that my music video challenges the conventions of some real media products as I have not used a motif, such as a heart, which would reoccur throughout the video. I have chosen to not do this as I believe that it does not suit the theme of the song.

This can be seen in both screen grabs of two different artists from two acoustic genre music videos. In my music video (left) I have used several close-up shots of the artist as this a typical convention that is seen in real media products. This can be seen in the music video "Hero of War", by Rise Against, as the video features a number of close-ups of the artist.

This is another screen grab of another close-up shot from my music video as well as one from "Time of Your Life", by Green Day. This can be used to shown how I have used and developed forms and conventions in my music video as shots like this feature in the majority of typical acoustic genre music videos.

In my music video I have chosen to use a variety of different shots of the artist. This can be seen with other typical acoustic genre music videos as there are usually more than one shot of the artist. This can be seen in the Green Day music video "Time of Your Life" as the main artist is shown from a variety of angles, such as from the side, which can also be seen in my music video.

This is another screen grab of the different angles that I have used in my music video. I have tried to follow typical acoustic genre music videos by using a range of shots, such as close-ups to long shots.

This is another shot of the artist, this time from a different angle. I believe that by using loads of shots of the artist, it allows the audience to see the artist in a new light and in a way it takes down the "walls" that are surrounding the artist and in a sense makes him "human".

Music Video Poster Comparison

The music poster that I have created follows typical forms and conventions of real media products as I have based my poster on typical acoustic genre music posters. The poster that I have created has the name of the artist and album as well as the price. To follow the typical conventions of the acoustic genre, the main picture is of the artist, unlike posters from other genres that feature just text or a random object, as this is seen on the majority of typical acoustic genre music posters. I have also included a picture of the album DigiPak as the poster is promoting the album. Another typical convention that is seen on music posters is the logo of the store that is selling the album. These are similar to the real media product (right) as all of these conventions feature on the music poster.

DigiPak Comparison (Front and Back cover only)
 The DigiPak that I have created follows the typical forms and conventions of real media products as I have based my DigiPak on typical acoustic genre DigiPaks. The DigiPak that I have created (top) features the name of both the album and artist on the front cover as well as a picture of him. This can be seen with the real media product (below) that features a picture of the artist as well as the name of both the album and artist on the front cover. On the back cover of the real media product, it features another picture of the artist as well as the names of the songs that are in the album. A copyright disclaimer, barcode and record label also feature on the back cover. These conventions can be seen on the back cover of my music video as they feature all of the typical forms and conventions of a real media product.

This is the music video that I created: