Explains most or every detail about the process or creation for each of my projects, as well as conventions of my genre that have been used, developed or challenged.
Evaulation question 1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
1. Evaluation Question 1.
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of
real media products?
The research I put into this project
was hugely influential towards my
ancillary tasks and overall product
being my music video. Starting off
with my magazine advert for my
album it was very important to add in
as many conventions from House
artist and other music artists
magazine adverts so I had a clear idea
of what I was adding into my own.
Due to my idea and choice of House and Dance music my products were going to be more abstract and different
therefore using more effects, props and methods that use conventions of my product these being lasers, lights,
drugs, sex, darkness and shadows, drink, dance and an intermix of sexes, friends, strangers and community.
3. In my opinion I have some how challenged some conventions of
House/Dance magazines, for example "MixMag" use sexualised and fashion
based images rather than club related pictures as a magazine advert image.
By using a glow stick upon part of the main artists face it has shadowed out
the other half therefore making it look mysterious, drawing and club like.
4. By using an application called Photoshop I added many conventions that
are seen in magazine adverts as well as implementing some that are of
House/Dance music genre. Information and details that are usually seen
in magazine adverts are visual in my own magazine advert.
The band name & album name
The release date
Website & Contact details
Social networking & QR code
Official website details
Upcoming Tour Details
Hint into track list
5. • I have taken some elements from the example
Digipaks and magazine adverts like some of the text
used such as “Including no.1 hit …” or upcoming
tour dates.
• I have challenged some magazine advert features
such as social networking by including social
networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
and a QR code in which the audience can use to
connect with any website involved with their
favourite back.
• From looking at the real products in shops such as
Sainsbury's or local shops around Camden Town I
have noticed that using social networking links or
QR codes are very rare in adverts for albums.
• Using conventions of House music added the
realistic and obvious feeling to my advert as the
glow sticks and lasers from the album cover all
connote the genre of music.
• I also chose to use a variety of dark and light colours
to convey the atmosphere of being in a club as its
often dark with bright colored lasers and bright
lights.
6. • Took original photographs for Digipak representing & using
conventions of House music (My Music Genre)
• I have developed on true conventions of Digipaks by using
Barcodes, Institutional Logo’s and information about the label
on the back of my Album.
• From researching and looking at real products in stores such as
HMV or CD shops in Camden I have taken key features of CD
album Digipaks and implemented them into my own. These
features are…
• Institutional Details & Information
• Track list
• Website & Social Networking Details
• Lyrics for the no.1 track
• The band and instrument details
• Writers and producers
• Group & Album name
• Spine information
• Thank you list.
• As I mentioned on the previous slide, I chose to use
conventions of House music as I wanted the audience to feel
involved and feel the true atmosphere to what it is like to be
in a club.
• The dark shadows and black lighting connote the darkness of a
club where as the choice of bright colours, glow sticks and
lasers convey the adrenaline and vibe that House music brings
to clubs nowadays.
• I developed on the idea that House music uses lasers by
drawing with light whilst taking the photograph as well as
making my images abstract and appealing to the eye yet at the
same time add some elements of other House Digipaks into
my own.
• The patterns of light and technique that I used to make the
light photographs all symbolize conventions, judgements and
own experience of being in a House club.
• I feel I have both embraced and challenged conventions of Dance media products
because most Digipaks use iconography of Dance music like lasers, disco lights, girls
which are sexualised or drinks and drugs. However, by Digipak uses the main band artist
(DJ) and a stereo with laser coming out of it which doesn’t only emphasise Dance music
because of the lasers but the stereo is used to symbolize music.
7. • Spending a lot of time researching led me to find out conventions of music videos and in
particular Dance music videos.
• An obvious signifier of Dance music videos was the style of editing and transition between
clips, I noticed that Dance music video’s usually edited the clips with the beat of the music
and as this was a key feature of Dance music videos I chose to utilise this into my own.
• This choice of particular editing and transition follows and utilises Goodwin's theory of
technical aspects which explains that different elements of technical methods to make a
song or music video in particular successful. Some of these elements would be speed, edits
and cuts, movements and angles, special effects such as lighting, blooms, waves and more.
My music video purely to illustrate and amplify which is part of Goodwin’s theory
“Relation to Visual styles”, the purpose of illustrating is so a music video can use a range of
images or clips to illustrate meaning of lyrics or a particular genre; this is most common
with various music genre’s. Amplifying is similar to repeatability, meaning and effects
which are manipulated and constantly shown through the video and drummed into our
vision. These techniques could allow the audience to create a story or journey in their mind
whilst seeing each piece of footage or even what is happening or going to happen next.
• My music video uses a range of editing techniques such as slow and fast paced editing to fit
in with the beat of the song as it changes between verses and choruses. I also used the
fading transition to make the video feel as if it is constantly flowing at a reasonable pace
rather than looking unfinished and ridged.
• By using programs such as Final cut pro and motion, I feel I have clearly used Dance genre
conventions such as Lighting and effects to exemplify the party style and club life.
• The range of lighting visuals used was by props such as disco lights, lasers and finger lights,
my decision to use these were simply because I wanted the audience to embrace the feel
for the club like lifestyle.
• I feel my music video has challenged real media products in some ways as dance videos
often give a fun and wild perception of the party lifestyle through visuals of a group
friends or strangers. Where as, in my video you see around 4 different people but mostly in
shots by themselves which does not follow this convention of big groups ect… yet it still
embraces the party lifestyle as it uses lighting, drugs, drink, dancing and friends just in
different shots alone.
• Based on editing, I used fast pace and slow pace to not only
fit the beat but also represent Dance music and the process
throughout the night.
• So as the night begins things start of alright and exciting,
then gradually get faster as things start to pump up and
people begin to feel energetic. After, when things have gone
too far and your too drunk to go anywhere or do anything
then things slow down again as peoples vision begins to get
blurry and people cannot walk properly. Hence the clip at
the bridge section of the song.
8. • The choice of lighting I chose to use was disco light
& laser lights which embraced the true
representation of the party lifestyle.
• Choice of narrative was purely based around the
night time lifestyle of drink, drugs, lights, music and
a community of friends preparing and in the middle
of a party.
• Goodwin's theory of narrative & performance
explains that the audience only seem to get a small
amount of narrative from a song which usually leads
the audience to creating their own idea’s of what’s
being seen or told. He explains that if an audience
believes in the features such as lip sync & mimed
actions that it’s easier for an audience to watch or
listen to a product over and over again without
losing interest.
• My choice to keep my narrative on low was purely
so my audience felt more involved and had the
ability to create a story or journey in their mind
which is what dance music or partying is often
about.
• Dance music began in the 1980s in America. Drugs
can often be associated with Dance music as a lot of
the younger generation have taken them whilst out
as well as stereotypes being told. In recent House
music video’s drugs are not as associated with this
genre and my choice to not use a less explicit
technique in my video is due to more of a stronger
market range as it has more of a range of places to
9. • It was simple to choose characters to feature in my
music video as I wanted to use younger people as I
felt it would represent House music and the party
lifestyle more realistically.
• The people I used in my music video were of age
range between 17-20 which is where my target
audience age starts off between. (18+)
• From research, the target audience for Dance has
always been of a younger age based around young
adults of the age 18+ because of where Dance is
often played. This being clubs and pubs which is
aged 18+ with ID.
• So to give my video that realistic and more energetic
perception I chose to you these ages on purpose.
• To symbolize Dance music with in my video it was
important for me to represent the genre
dramatically by using props, effects, iconic items and
conventions of the genre well.
• Finger lasers, fast & slow paced editing, effects, glow
sticks, close-ups, dancing, mixed genders and more.
• Goodwin's theory ranges between many elements
such as
• The setting - being realistic, professor and relatable
to the song & concept
• Edits & cuts - being in rhythm to the beat of the song
• Speed, abstraction and paced editing - makes the
video and camera footage interesting
• Lighting & Colouring - helps set the mood,
emphasises key elements
• Mise-en-scene, performers and characters, editing,
lighting and all elements together to hold the music
video together.
I feel my settings are realistic and represent the genre of
my video very well as its in a location covered in lights,
lasers, friends and laughter. This is a key connotation of
Dance music as when in clubs or house parties, it is iconic
to see people or a person laughing, happy, drinking,
dancing and surrounded in lights and lasers.
10. • With Dance/House music, there is no
particular star construction as DJs
build a brand rather than a star
persona. Its more of a name
awareness than construction of the
person they are as DJs play the music.
• It is often the typography or font that
an artist is known for, an example
being put onto a flyer of a gig or club
night, and sometimes even on
billboards or the internet.
• With dance music, it is mainly about
the lifestyle and perception rather
than the star construction or persona.
Audience would rather aspire to the
fun and wild party lifestyle.
• Dance DJs and artists often base their music career
on the representation their particular style and their
music rather then themselves.
• Adding tour dates, social networking links and
contact details to magazine adverts and album
Digipaks allows the audience to know when they
want to buy tickets to see a specific artist to listen to
that artists music rather than really like the artist for
the persona they have created of themselves.
• At first I wanted to use the Album name
“Complex Energy” as my group name
because I wanted to use two words that
defined House/Dance music such as
“Energetic” and “Abstract” which is why
I come up with complex energy but from
audience feedback I was told it sounded
more like an album name.
• From further research into Dance DJ or
artist names it was clear hardly any used
their real names and some call
themselves “DJ” something.
• I wanted to keep the concept of using
definitive meanings for my band name, I
created “Axial” because it means
“rotation or journey” and dance music is
often a journey from feeling one thing
to another. It’s a journey for every
person to experience and the
connection between Dance music & the
world allows every person of diversity to
connect based on Dance music.