Evaluation: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? Pt1

Music Videos are a successful way of promoting music acts, marketing their image, sound and appeal to the audience. Music Videos are a strong way to focus on the representation of an artist or band. Along with Music Videos promotional products used to market acts and complete a marketing package include album covers, posters and other forms of merchandise. As part of my Preliminary task I created a Music Video, I also created a front and back cover to a DVD album, the inside cover to the album, a promotional magazine advert marketing the release of the album alongside other extra marketing materials - making up my Ancillary task.

Drawing from my audience research I decided to produce a Music Video with the chosen genre of Ska, with the sub genre of 2Tone. I created a Music Video in a group to the song ‘Baggy Trousers’ by Madness. Before the creation of my Music Video I undertook countless amount of research into the conventions of a Music Video. I analysed low budget Music Video to get a feel for what I could be producing with no budget behind my Music Video. I then researched into the common conventions of editing types that I might follow throughout my Music Video- Carol Vernallis Theory of the Kindest Cut, which is an argument into pop music videos relating to continuity and montage editing. I was then made aware of Bordwells and Thompson’s Theory with is applied to Music Videos, I researched into the four categories of the film editing which were Graphic, Rhythmic, Spatial and Temporal. Using these theories I analysed a Music Video by Radiohead “Rabbit In Your Headlights”. From this research I was made aware of the conventions of editing a Music Video that I would follow and challenge when producing my Music Video.

My music video follows form and conventions of a real media product- a music video in various ways. My media product conforms to the conventions of Bordwell’s and Thompson’s idea of Rhythmic editing. The editing of my music video matches the pace and tempo of the music used. Another form and convention that my product follows from a music video is the use of shots matching the lyrics of the music video- Illustration. I have achieved this however I did not create a set narrative throughout my music video, as I believe my audience would get ‘bored’ or uninterested in the video if we decided to create a set narrative to follow.

Another approach to my research into Music Video, I had to understand the forms and conventions of a Music Video’s as a media product. Before choosing my genre of music to produce a Music Video on, from my audience research I was made aware the three most popular genres of music amongst the audience who completed my questionnaire. I then analysed Music Videos from the genres of pop, rock and indie, to become aware of the conventions of these genres. I did the same analysis but into Ska Music Video’s so I was aware of the conventions I could use, develop and challenge with my music video.

See Research and Planning section of blog for evidence.