1. In what ways does your music
product use, develop or challenge
forms and conventions of real music
products?
By Kevin O’Mara
2. Music Genre and conventions associated with it.
The music genre for my project was Ska music. Ska music is combined
elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm
and blues. It is characterized by a walking bass line accented with rhythms on
the upbeat. Instruments conventionally include guitar, bass guitar, piano,
drums and an organ, along with what is called the ‘brass section’ with
trumpets, trombones and saxophones. Music Videos of scar tend to be about
not taking life to seriously or the notion of the ‘male gaze’ on women which is
very similar to the songs and videos now a days
Editing
In terms of editing Ska music videos they tend to follow the tempo of the
song. Usually they entail long duration shots of the band members and lead
singer with the occasional shot cuts on beat as the tempo picks up. Eg the
chorus.
3. Mise en scene- Costume- skinhead and mods clothing eg
black suits, polo's, Dr Martens, Harrington's etc.
Location- Industrial city eg Manchester or London etc.
Urban locations
Lighting & Colour- occasionally in black and white
depending on the time of the video. Natural light used or
grainy light lacking any real quality
Figure expressions and movement- band members
bopping to the music or “skanking”
Camera Angles shots and movement- Simple shots used
such as mid shots, long shots, close ups, group shots etc
5. What conventions did I use in my production of “A Message To
You Rudy”
I used similar conventions that you will usually see in a Ska Production however I
adapted them to put a modern twist on it to keep it more relevant. The reason
why I wanted to put a modern twist on it was because by the late 1990s,
mainstream interest in third wave ska bands waned as other music genres gained
[momentum. Moon Ska Records folded in 2000. It started to die out. I used shots
of trumpets to fit the Ska convention. My Production of “a message to you Rudy”
fits with the general convention of most Ska songs about not taking life to
seriously. We have subverted the convention of it being only a male band by
having a female member
Editing
With editing I also followed the tempo of the song with long cuts during the verses
and fast cuts during the chorus’. I used green screens to help make it colourful for
the modern audience however a grainy affect to give it the Ska-ish look
6. Mise En Scene
Costume- Modern clothes giving it a new representation. This convention is
borrowed from hip-hop productions and we did this to make it more relatable
to its audience
Location- Twickenham and Camden which are also Urban town. Camden full
of street performers gave it more of a relaxed vibe perfect for my production
“a message to you Rudy”
Lighting and colour- Bright colours from green screen goes against the
stereotypical convention of Ska music but it also added to the modern
version. Natural light was used and it was filmed in the day time which is
unusual for Ska music as the majority seem to be filmed at night. But this was
only because it gave me the best picture. My production is like a day out for a
teenager, it begins in the day and ends at night
Figure expressions and Movement- Followed similar conventions to Ska
productions such as messing around with a mixture of modern dance with
classic dance such as “the robot”
Camera Angle shots and movement- Mixture of shots from high & low angle
shots, mid shots, long shots, close ups, group shots, pans, establishing shots.
