Evaluation task 1

Q1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Nathan Boothroyd

Our music video is conventional to the 'alternative' genre due to the mise-en-scene of our video. We have concentrated on the lighting and filters of our video to create an unusual and dim effect. Our video is also conventional through the interesting shot types used.

This is an image from our music video expressing the lighting, filters and shot type used that fits to the genre of alternative e.g. the dim lighting, the use of fairy lights to create an alternative lighting effect. Also the effect of the mirror fits into Goodwin’s notions of looking.

This is an image taken from Alt J's music video ‘Breezeblocks’. I have chosen this image to compare to our music video due to the mise-en-scene conventions shared. The dim lighting and the strong shot used to portray emotion links to our video.

This is a shot taken from our music video. This shot follows on with my previous example as we have used the lights to create an interesting look to the shot

Our video is conventional of a real music video because of the way the artist is represented. The male artist (Dan) is seen to be looking down the camera in the picture to the right. This style of filming is used to create a rapport with the audience to gain more fans. This technique is also used so the artist’s face becomes recognisable and well known and finally the techniques helps get to know the personality/star persona of the artist through the mood and facial expressions the artists makes when sings to the camera. We have used this technique in two locations throughout our video so the shot does not be come repetitive.

This shot is also conventional of a real music video as we used this shot as the ‘spine’ of the video along with a similar shot (bottom right). By this I mean that these are the shots that we continuously return to throughout our video. This technique is used to split up the main story of their video and a way to constantly reminding the audience on who is actually singing the song and reminding the of his face. We used this technique for those exact reasons and to be a back up for if we have not filmed enough or have nothing to put in it’s place.

Secondary spinal shot from our music video

Our video is also conventional of a real music video due to its subject. Our video was based around a couple’s relationship problems. This idea is very conventional of many videos, the following are examples of music videos containing couples:

The fact that our video is based on a relationship and uses multiple shots such as the one on the right which is very similar to the shots I have taken from other real video causes it to fit into the relationship convention.

A screen shot from our video showing the couple together in a romantic way.

The fact that we used many filters and effects in our video also makes it conventional of a real music video. The screen shots to the right have been taken from the music video ‘Crystalized’ by The XX showing different effects used in their video.

A screen shot taken from a real music video showing a blur effect used throughout their video

A screen shot taken from a real music video showing lighting effects and the type of (blue) filters used in this video

Our video has used multiple effects and filters to achieve different aims but the fact we have included them fits our video into the convention of use of these being used in a music video. The screen shots below have been taken from our video as evidence that we have used these effects.

A screen shot from our video showing the use of a transition effect (cross dissolve)

A screen shot from our video showing a filter used to brighten the scene to create a happy atmosphere

In our video we have related the lyrics and our video which is conventional of many real music videos. The following screen shots are from real music videos expressing the convention of relating lyrics and visuals.

A screen shot from a real music video showing a girl in a bath tub held down by a breezeblock whilst the lyrics of the song say “[…] hold her down with soggy clothes and breezeblocks”.

A screen shot from “Parklife” by Blur showing a jogger running whilst the artists sing “its not about those joggers who go round and round […]”.

A screen shot taken from “Common People” by Pulp showing Jarvis Cocker sitting in a trolley at a super market has he sings the lyrics “I took her to a super market”.

Our video contains multiple examples of such relationships between lyrics and visuals. For some of these examples I have selected screenshots and explained the relationship between the lyrics from our song and visual similarities.

In the scene the male artist fades away to the lyrics “you end up all alone in your broken throne, for two” leaving the female artist he is singing to ‘all alone’ at a table set out for ‘two people

In this scene the female artist is seen to through water into the male artists face as the lyrics “just pour it out before you go” are heard. The female artists then forces the male character to ‘go’.In this scene the female artist is

looking into a mirror as the lyrics say “the mirrors in the sky […]”

Our music video also includes a relationship between music and visuals. By this I mean we have spent time cutting to the beat in our first four shots and spent time on making sure our cut rate suits the speed of the song. And example of change of cut rate is in the scene where the female actress starts knocking off things from her dressing table, not only does the music speed up and become louder but we also speed up the cut rate which suits both the song and mood of the scene. We added a longer shot of a candle cage rolling under the bed after being knocked off the slow down the editing pace to once again suit the music which slows.