Evaluation question 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?

When creating my media text, I watched many music videos of the same genre to gain inspiration and knowledge of the conventions. This enabled me to use similar ideas in my own music video, for example the idea of my artist walking through a forest was inspired by Taylor Swifts music video; "safe and sound" which is an indie style song.
I also found that in most music videos, (indie and other genres) direct mode of address is used therefore I had many shots throughout the video of my artist looking at the camera, this gives the video a sense of performance as it includes the lip syncing, this also makes the video appear more personal to the audience. My artist is also alone when direct mode of address is used which enhances the audiences connection with the artist.

Voyeurism is another reoccurring theme that I used in my music video which is also one of Goodwin's conventions and is therefore used in many music videos (not only indie) especially music videos with female artists, this often sexualises women, however this is most commonly done in pop music videos whereas in indie videos, voyeurism is mainly used in a non sexual way.

Another common feature of music videos is the visuals being influenced by the music. This can be done through amplification of lyrics or cutting to the beat (which is one of Goodwin's conventions). I have developed this convention throughout my music video as a way of emphasizing/drawing attention to the beats, I have also achieved this using one of Vernallis's conventions of "jump cuts."

From these two shots the use of different shot types is seen, as both a long shot and close up shots were used, close up shots are commonly used in music videos of all genres as a way in which the audience can gain a connection with the artist.


This particular shot demonstrates my use of mise-en-scene which essentially hints at the artists character. The shot shows the artist at a dining table which is fully set and finished with bottles of wine and candles. However the artist is alone which hints at her personality (which is a gothic loner). The shot also suggests rebellion and through her costume we can also see her gothic influences. The shot hints that the artist is from a middle class background which we see from the the mise-en-scene, however she seems uncomfortable with this as she is alone and appears to be angry (this is also shown in the lyrics).

I created a shadowy lighting effect for this shot to create a sense of mystery and also add to the gothic theme. I did this by only using one light on the right side of her face. Her hair is also partially covering her face which also adds mystery.


Many music videos consist of the artist going on a journey, I decided to include this in my music video I felt it would fit in with the idea of my artist not wanting to be part of society. This idea is seen in this shot.



This is another shot that coveys the idea the she doesn't want to be part of society as she removes her lips stick which may symbolise her removing her attachment to society and not caring about fitting in anymore.
This shot is also immediately followed by an outdoor shot which is a big contrast and can represent the artist being set free, her movement also suggests this as she opens her arms out to highlight her new found space which shows that she is fulfilling her desire to escape.



To conclude, although the song that I used was indie, I used and developed the conventions of mainstream videos to make my product more suitable for the genre which is similar to what many other indie music videos do. I also used shots that enabled my artists character to be revealed through the setting and the mise-en-scene.

Evaluation question 2 How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

For my magazine advert, I used conventions of existing products to improve the authenticity of it. I did by using a similar layout e.g.
-The name of the artist is at the top (and can be seen clearly)
-The release date (out now) is in big writing  and can be seen easily.
-I have given information about the popular songs that are featuring on the album.
-Information about record company is displayed at the bottom as well as the logo.
-I have used the same image that is on the album cover so that the magazine is easily recognizable and can therefore be associated with my artist.
-The font used is the same font used in my digi-pak which again enables people to associate the font with my artist.



To ensure my digi-pak was effective I made sure that it followed a similar theme to my magazine advert as well as my music video. I included some song lyrics in the third panel of my digi-pak which relates to the actual image shown (Both consist of fire) they are also lyrics from the song I used for my music video. This is often done by actual artists and is a way of advertising the album to the audience and emphasizing a message about the artists character.  Another way in which my digi pak relates to the music video is the fact that the music video shows my artist escaping from society, (which is shown by her escaping to the woods) this message is also shown in the lyrics. Similarly, In my digi-pak the artist appears to be disappearing in a different way in all the panels, which can be seen as a way of escaping, (The album Title is also called "Disappear").
My actual music video I also feel goes nicely with the digi-pak as the theme of the video as well as the lyrics suggest the she wants to disappear from normal society as well as her middle class lifestyle, (which is evident through the mise-en-scene in the dinner table shots) similarly, the front cover of the digi-pak also shows her face literally disappearing which nicely personifies the message.

Ultimately, I feel as though the combination of the two products is highly effective at conveying my artists message. This is also enhance as I used conventions of the genre to put this across. (e.g. cutting to the beat as I mentioned in the previous post). I also feel that this product effectively shows the audience characteristics of my artist as the mise-en-scene and the costuming suggest influences from gothic culture. (e.g. the dark colours that she is wearing as well as the dark background of the       digi-pak.)

I feel as though all the products I have created successfully/effectively coveys the character of the artist to my target audience through the visuals. I believe that when the products are recieved, the audience will immediately know the artists "star text" and her character (which is gothic and rebellious)  

Question 3 What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Question 4 How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?