evaluation question 1

2. From my research I gained a lot of knowledge around the subject of conventions in
relation to Pop music videos. This research was carried out through analysis of
existing products , market research and my mood board.
There are many basic common features that can be seen within most music videos
(not just pop) including the general frequent change in shot type (close up,
extreme close up, mid shot, long shot etc), the links between lyrics and image,
the adaptations to the shot lengths in order for the video to go with the
beat/rhythm of the song, lip syncing (performance aspects) and a general fluent
theme that can be identified by the audience.
Pop music video conventions
Bright Colors, Trendy
clothing, Hair styles
and visible Makeup,
Close ups, Fun way
of showing this
Use of pink, very
feminine, party
theme, youthful, fun
Friends having fun,
exciting setting,

3. Frequent change in Mise en scene- outfits and makeup. This is a stereotypical
convention in female pop music videos. Changing the look of the artist in the
video makes it more exciting and attracts the young audience as young girls will
typically aspire/look up to these pop stars- especially in terms of their aesthetics.
These shots are all taken from the lip syncing
part of my video. These shots act as the
‘performance’ aspect of my music video which
is a strong convention within this genre. The artist
gives direct address in these shots which also
conforms to the stereotypical conventions within
this genre as direct address makes videos more
exciting and engaging for the young audience.

4. These shots all use some type of special effects mainly involving speed. From my
research I found that special effects, in some form, is very important in making a
video conform to the conventions that would typically attract the audience. The
effects were produced by speeding up and slowing down parts to go with the
music and look cool, reversing sections of the video to create an thrilling effect
and also changing the colors of shots (seen in a very fast flickering way) which
all come together to make the video more exciting, youthful and conformative
of the pop genre.

5. Relating/anchoring the lyrics to the imagery in the
video is very conventional of a pop music video
as it makes the video more understandable for
the young audience and creates more of an
identity for the artists song. I have connected the
lyrics to the shots in the video through the use of
sparklers shown over the lyrics “I’m a Firestarter”.
This relates to Andrew Goodwin’s theory who
states that “lyrics and visuals should have a clear
relationship”.
A conventional feature of pop music videos is
repetition. Repetition adds a sense of fluency to
the videos which makes it more clear and smooth
in terms of the narrative. Repetition should be
shown very subtly as too much of it can look
uninteresting. I added this aspect of repetition
through the replay of the sparkler shots later on in
the video- I changed the speed of some of the
videos however, and flickered the colors to avoid
a very bold/evident duplication.

6. A good way to add fluency to a music video is also
through the use of setting. These shots show how I have
made my video conventionally consistent through the
use of the same setting yet different styles. These shots
can also connect to my digipak- The inside cover image
was taken on the same rooftop these were filmed on
which creates a strong link and a sense of familiarity
which is very conventional as many pop artists do this to
create more of an identity for their products.
An example of this can be seen through Katy Perry's
album Teenage Dream and her music video California
girl which use the same visuals.

7. Close ups are conventional in pop music
videos as it allows the audience to feel more
engaged in the video. Direct address
combined with this shot emphasizes this effect
as it really allows the audience to feel involved
and to some extent part of the music video.
A storyline/narrative is very conventional in
pop music videos. In my music video the
narrative is based around a holiday theme
which is signified through the ‘party’ shots,
underwater shots, over the shoulder shots that
include an airplane and walking with suitcases
etc. These shots have a ‘real’ effect in that
they don’t look staged and look like actual
footage from the artists holiday which adds a
personal touch to the music video that can be
related to Dyers star theory who states that
stars are constructed in a way that makes
them look ‘normal’ allowing the audience to
familiarize themselves with the artist. This is a
conventional feature of the pop genre.

8. To gain more knowledge around the conventions of digipaks I done some research
on existing products which can be seen under the blog posts analysis of existing
and conventions (the details).
This research really helped me in the production part of the digipak as I was aware
of the vital conventions I had to include within my digipak such as…
Use of pink, direct address, very consistent/fluent-all images must relate and not
look odd, Artists name shown clearly- usually made as a logo to create more of an
identity, album name- usually the name of a song included on the album, images
are conventionally close up or midshot and have some kind of interesting feature-
females look dressed up- makeup hair outfits etc, studio lighting- clear images, the
CD disk includes artists name and album title, same colors or imagery as front
cover, back cover includes another image of artist that doesn’t look to different
from front cover, song list should be clear- numbers and font, back cover includes
bar code, record company information and some credits.

9. The artists name Livia Is very clear in a bold sans serif font. This font is frequently used throughout
the digipak and the website in attempt to act as a logo for Livia and therefore creating more of
an identity for her brand. This text is contrasted with the album name ‘fire starter’ which is a song
on the album. This font is much more feminine and goes well with the pop genre. The font is also
contrasted through colour. I used the conventional pink on Livia’s logo as it is very conformative
to her brand and attractive for her audience, however I used an orange colour on the title of the
album which to some extent challenges the usual conventions of female artists pop digipaks. I
used orange as it is bright and anchors the text ‘firestarter’ of which would usually make us think
of this colour, I personally feel that the colours go very well together of which was agreed by the
majority in feedback that I got.
Mid shot allows audience to see face clearly as
well as some clothing which looks trendy and
young. This is very conventional and relates to the
pop genre. Livia also gives direct address which
draws the audience in and makes them feel more
engaged. Her pose/body language makes the
image look more interesting and could, to some
extent, relate to Laura Mulveys male gaze theory
which can be identified in many other female pop
stars products as an attempt to gain a wider male
audience. Young girls are also attracted by this.
I used studio lighting (spotlight) and editing tools in
order to make the image brighter. Clear studio lit
images are very conventional within pop genre albums.

10. This is the inside cover of the album. I found it
quite hard identifying the conventions of this
part of a digipak as it was difficult to find
existing products, however, I did find that the
majority were thank you pages and gave
information about the songs on the album in a
more personal way such as where they were
written etc of which I have done.
I used language such as “I want to say thank
you to my amazing fans” and “I want to thank
my family and friends who have also supported
me through this journey” to create a personal
effect that can also, again, relate to dyers star
theory.
I used the same font’s as the front cover of the
digipak on the title of this page “Livia's thank
you’s”. This creates more consistency
throughout the digipak in a subtle yet effect
and conventional way.
The image uses direct address and a similar pose to the front cover . It is a mid shot which
again allows the audience to see her face clearly as well as her trendy outfits that young
girls will identify and be attracted to. This shot was taken on the same rooftop some of the
music video was filmed on which creates more of an identity for the product and fluency
within all of my work which is very conventional of this genre.

11. This is the back cover of the digipak- signified by
the conventional song list that allows the
audience to be aware of the songs included on
the CD and what number they are. I presented
this vital aspect in a way that adds to the
consistency of the album: by using the same
font as livias logo and the same colours (orange
and pink) that look bright and feminine-
conforming to the stereotypical conventions.
I have slightly challenged the pop convention
of direct address on this part of the digipak.
However, I feel that the image is still
representative of the genre and goes well with
the front cover of the album. The fact she is
looking away from the camera suggests a
deeper meaning as it looks as if she is looking at
the song titles- this separates the cover from
others on the market- however not in an
extreme way that would effect its success or
move it from the pop genre.
A conventional feature of not only pop
music digipaks but the majority of
albums is the use of a bar code,
record label company, copy right
information and some credits of which
I have put at the bottom of the album
in a very professional way that makes
the album look more realistic.

12. Again, I used the same font as the front
cover to add the conventional feature of
fluency and identity.
This background is the same as the
background on my website which again
goes with this theme of repetition that we
see a lot within the pop genre however adds
to the fluency that makes it easy to follow.
I used this glitter background as It conforms
to the symbolisms found within the pop
genre which are fun, bright, girly, happy. I
feel the glitter adds the sense of youth and
brightness that would definitely attract the
young female audience.
I noticed that a conventional feature
of CD Disks was to include some
information again on the record
company (logo) and some copyright
information in very small text of which I
have done at the bottom of the CD

14. The Title of the website is Livia, which is
shown in the same way it is shown on the
digipak- creating more of a conventional
identity. The use of pink also goes well with
signifying the audience of the genre.
This is the top section of my website. The
background- similar to the CD disk
conforms to the pop genre and
immediately allows the audience to know
the type of artist Livia is. It adds a very
nice effect to the website that makes it
look more attractive and attentions
drawing- especially to the young female
audience.
Although I have only produced a home
page- I still included a navigation bar
with links that I chose influenced by my
research on existing products. These
pages are- “about”, “merchandise”,
“events”, “gallery”, “media”, “news” and
“music. All of these would attract a
young audience as it allows them to find
more information about their favorite
pop star on a different platform.
From research , I found that a conventional feature
was the use of a large image near the top of the
page of the artist. Because of this I placed an
image of Livia giving direct address and looking
very attractive of which would automatically
engage the audience. This is actually a slide show
which changes into other images of livia making
the website more exciting and engaging. Social
media is a very important convention of music
artists in the current time period, especially with
young people (my target audience) which is why I
added 3 main social media sites for people to click
on and be directed to follow.

15. From some research, another conventional feature that I have used is linking my music
video to the website allowing people to watch it easily. I titled this section of the page
“watch livias brand new music video” in a pink fancy font to attract the audience, this
was also emphasized through the use of capitals on the word “brand new” in a much
more bold font. I included a conventional link to iTunes- allowing people to download
livias music and video, as well as her YouTube page, twitter and facebook allowing the
young audience to connect with the artist on many different platforms of social media.
I carried this on through the use of the digipak acting as a
advertisement for the album. Again I added the link to
iTunes.

16. I added a news section to the website as
It conforms to the conventions that I
found on other pop music websites. It
allows fans to find out information on
what their favorite artist has been up to
etc which makes them feel more
involved and gives them a sense of
belonging.
I created a small feed of images from
Livia's instagram and a link to instagram
allowing people to easily follow her.
Instagram nowadays is one of the most
popular social media sites , especially with
young people- and it allows the audience
to see images from their favorite celebrities
everyday life etc. I edited an image of livia
and Justin bieber together to attract the
young audience.

17. During research I noticed
that many pop music
websites have fan clubs that
allow fans to join for free.
Because of this I created a
small image advertising livias
fan club over a picture of her
on a phone- conforming to
the conventions of the links
between social media and
pop music as well as
presented a stereotypical
view of young people.
The website enables you
to see Livia's latest
tweets and follow her
easily
Upcoming
events is
featured on
many music
websites as a
way to
advertise
shows etc and
allow fans to
buy them
easily.Nowadays, music website
allows you to buy
merchandise and has
become a conventional
feature because of this.
I added a quick shop tab
that has tops and a jumper
embellished by livias logo,
album name and image of
her. This is a good way for
creating an identity for an
artist and allows fans to
show their appreciation.