Evaluation: Question 1

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

Music video:

Settings: Whilst planning and filming my final product, I decided to follow the stereotypical settings for an Indie/Folk video, as I believed it was an important concept to consider. In Ellie Goulding’s ‘On My Mind’ music video, Vegas played a key role in successfully setting the scene for the video and inspired me repeat the same process. This included me to seek out and locate different settings that would be appropriate for my chosen genre such as fields, rivers, old ruins and parks. Not only was I able to film my production on a low budget due to the accessibility of these locations, but also gave me the opportunity to visit these sites on demand without requiring permission. This then enabled me to practice and re-shoot different shots of my music video until I was confident that I had all the footage required for editing. In addition to this, the locations I selected also have great significance in explaining the meaning of the lyrics. For example, the artist makes clear reference to ‘fields’ and ‘skies’ on the track that I have then visually amplified with including footage of these locations. This will illustrate the main meaning that my artist is trying to portray to the audience without rejecting the typical style of an Indie/Folk music video.

Narrative: For this genre, I believe it was vital to for my music video to follow a strong narrative, especially since my artist was unable to physically appear in it. After completing analysis on other music videos in this genre, I was inspired by the narrative used in Ed Sheeran’s ‘Give me Love’ as Ed is only briefly featured in the video, yet manages to express his star image to his audience. It also inspired me as it took a twist on an old Greek myth (Cupid’s love bow-and-arrow) and incorporated modern themes relevant in today’s society that made the video enjoyable to watch. After much thought and research into existing products and old folk tales, I finally agreed to base my music video around the story of Peter Pan. Although the video does not tell an accurate account of the story, the character of Peter Pan does help the audience understand the lyrics of the track from a different perspective. Using a strong narrative throughout means that my video follows the stereotypical conventions of an Indie/Folk music video, however the actual narrative itself helps my video differ from others already out there to watch.

Costume: The costume I have used in my music video follows the stereotypical conventions for this genre. After completing research on popular clothing choices by arranging images onto a mood board, I had a clear visual understanding on how I would have dressed my artist. However, as my artist was unable to make an appearance in my final product, I had to create an alternative idea which would connect him to the song, audience and video as well as trying to promote his star image. The Peter Pan narrative allowed me to create a look for my protagonist which fit well in with my chosen genre and could be easily produced on a low budget. I was inspired by the costume choice in the music video for ‘Give me Love’ as the actress playing Cupid was given an outfit which represented her to be an angel, but in today’s society. After much research on the history of Peter Pan’s appearance, I learned that his character had a very established look of green clothing and tights. I wanted to include some of these main item of clothing in my own production, but like the ‘Give me Love’ video, add my own current twist. The outfit my protagonist is seen wearing is a different approach on Peter’s usual costume, however it still fits in with the stereotypical conventions of this genre as the costume was made on a low budget which added a DIY element to the video. The current look also develops this genre as it suggests that Indie/Folk music can break into mainstream music today.

Camera: The shots I have used in my product are very typical in this genre. For example, I have incorporated a great variety of shots that include images of nature. These feature footage of my chosen settings to establish and set up the narrative of the video. Shots like these are commonly used in other existing products I have researched, such as Ellie Goulding’s ‘Guns and Horses’ music video which automatically suggest what type of music genre it is and what the song may be about. I have also included many close-up/mid shots in my final product. I have intentionally set up these shots as they give the audience a sense of feeling and emotion about the song and help the audience understand more about the narrative. Like ‘Cocoon’ my music video does not feature the artists so it was important to use camera effectively to inform the audience of the meaning behind the lyrics. The music video for ‘Cocoon’ successfully illustrates emotion between the two protagonists which was something I wanted to achieve in my own work.

Guns and Horses

Higher

Edit:I have decided to stick to the typical editing of an Indie/folk music video. After watching music videos such as ‘Your Song’, I enjoyed the visual effects and the rustic style it gave the video. In my own production, I added filters and overlays over clips to give it the effect I desired. Although this was not in my original plan, I decided that after editing my clips together that this looked more comparable to other indie/folk products that I have watched. As for editing the clips, I managed to try and use Goodwin’s cut to beat theory. I understood that this technique was vital in order to create emotion and help tell the narrative.

Performance: Performance is the main convention that I decided to challenge in my product. Since many artists incorporate their ability to play music in their star image, it is usually a very common element to include. Music videos by Indie/Folk artists Lewis Watson and Mumford and Sons prove by appearing to perform with their instruments in their videos. However, since my artist could not appear in the music video, I decided to challenge this convention by focusing on a narrative perspective instead. The narrative of Peter Pan still has relations to the song as it suggests a place the artist admired when he was young. It also is a metaphor of the title ‘Higher’ since Peter Pan has the ability to fly. Due to these reasons, I believe that my narrative approach is more effective than a performance based video as it has many connections with the song and will keep the audience entertained throughout.