EVALUATION‘WHAT I MIGHT

DO’BY JEMAR LEGISTER

IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?

The purpose of my A2 media coursework was to create a conventional music video which would be able to appeal to a specific target audience of its particular genre. During this creation process there were different set stages which I had to surpass in order to accomplish and fully create this successful music video. Firstly, I had to research into music videos of different genres and styles. This then led to analysis different theories recognizing the effects they have on a music video. Lastly, in the last stage that is when the planning of my advert and digipak began before the actual production of filming and editing the music video.

A music video is viewed to be a video which is accompanied by music which is often created by an artist in order to promote their image and music. Music videos visually compliments a song which influences the audiences decision on whether they want to purchase the song/album or not. However, music videos are used for other motifs such as to sell/promote other products such as clothing or even In to promote a particular value, ideologies and lifestyles.

Music videos however to this day all have the same purpose of promotion the artist or companies image and according to Goodwin this is done through the use of:

Narrative Perfomance Concept

Performance based example

Narrative based example

DOES MY PRODUCT DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS? I believe that my media product does develop whilst following the conventional elements of a real media product in a variety of ways. My music video implements features of both performance and narrative based as it is seen as conventional to the house genre and would meet my audiences expectations as this is what they expect to see. Moreover, these two features are used by many artist in the same genre which is what further influenced my decision. Here are examples of 5 conventional music video elements which I implemented in my work in order to help create a conventional and successful music video:

High key lighting was used during my music video in order to allow my audience to see the video clearly thus allowing them to understand properly. Additionally, this highlights the artist to the audience therefore promoting his star image and recognition.

Close up shots were used in order to help highlight my artist which then allows me to promote his star image and allow the audience to recognise him as the main artist in order to avoid any misunderstanding's and confusions.

Editing is seen as conventional in any video production as this allows the visuals to compliment the song thus creating a specific response amongst the audience. A general pace of editing was used in my music video as I wanted to make sure it matched the pace of the song.

Mise en scene such as costume, hair & make-up compliment the music video as these can be used effectively on the background characters or even the artist in order to promote their values and ideologies.

The artist’s star image is portrayed in a specific way in every music video through the use of editing, cinematography, lighting etc. Their star image determines how they’ll be viewed by the audience once promoted. Whether they’ll be seen as a commodity or just another ‘’product’’.

Music videos are generally created for entertainment purposes as they are used to entertain their target audience whilst forming a close trust relationship with them. The use of different micro-elements allow artist to do this in various different ways as well as editing their image which they want to portray to the audience.

Micro-elements• Cinematography• Editing• Lighting• Sound• Mise en scene

Music videos are notoriously famous for having a dual purpose or motive which influences the decision they make and allow them to manipulate the target audience as when creating a music video, the main focus and the one thing in front of everyone’s priority is the target audience. The manipulation is done through the use of different micro-elements as they allow the audience to gain a better understanding of the song whilst offering them a visuals to an artist’s music video in order to compliment the lyrics. This is effective as it makes the lyrics and visuals more memorable and visually appealing to a wider audience.

Cinematography example

Editingexample

Lighting example

Mise en scene example

CINEMATOGRAPHY Cinematography is considered to be one of if not the most important micro-element which

determines the audiences perception and can be used to create a ‘artificial’ image of the artist in order to turn him/her into a commodity. The process of building a relationship with the audience is seen important if you want your product to sell as for most artist cinematography captures their engagement thus allowing it to show the world the real them.

From my primary research I found that a variety of cinematography styles such as close ups and mid shots are used within the house genre music video in order to be conventional whilst creating a specific response amongst the target audience.

Below are some comparable music videos and their use of conventional cinematography which help influence my decisions:

Rudimental ‘Long Shot’ example

Matrin Garixx – ‘Mid Shot’ example

CINEMATOGRAPHY Conventional cinematography was used within my music video such as close up shots and mid shots as this

allowed it to follow Andrew Goodwin’s theory thus allowing it to be visually appealing to my target audience. Goodwin States that micro-elements must be used in order to create a conventional video and this thus determines the success of the video. Close ups are used in my video to allow the audience to recognise the artist thus creating a sense of familiarity. Moreover, close ups allow me to portray my artist’s star image and also representation through the use of his facial expressions which are captured on the close up. Mid/Long shots are used in my music video in order to highlight my artist and promote his star image. It was accompanied by natural lighting which gives the audience a clear sight of the artist therefore enabling future recognition. Using these cinematography shots has allowed my audience to be able to identify the main artist. Conclusively, I hope my audience will also form a abstract relationship with my artist as this will push him one step closer into turning into a commodity which everyone wants and needs. Richards Dyer’s theory wasn’t implemented in my music video as I made sure our female characters weren’t portrayed to be perceived in a voyeuristic manner. Additionally, this decision was based on the probability of the females taking away some of the attention from the main artist as he is the one we are trying to promote.

‘Long Shot’ ‘Mid Shot’‘Close Up’

CINEMATOGRAPHYMY

CINEMATOGRAPHY: CAMERA MOVEMENTS

The movement of the camera must be utilised effectively in order to capture certain cinematography shots which will help promote our artist’s star image. In addition, various different camera movements also contributes to the dynamic process of forming a relationship with the audience. Moreover, different camera movements allow the creation of different effects such as the tilt, panning and the crane shot which allows us to show the audience our dancers along with their unique dancing movements.

• There were a few theories which I challenged in the creation of my music video due to the camera shots I used and also the way it was utilised. Mulvey’s ‘Male gaze’ theory was not represented in my music video as it is based around how females are made to look in order to attract men to the music video by behaving in a sexual manner. This is normally done through the movement of the camera around the females upper torso area. Andrew Goodwin also clearly states than any conventional music video should contain at least some element of sexual magnetism. I challenged both these theorist as I did not include any ‘conventional’ voyeuristic element as my music video is based performance and narrative based in order to represent the correct representation of my artist and video.

Voyeuristic example

MISE EN SCENE: Mise en scene is an important aspect which should be thoroughly considered and planned as it

helps build the artist or actors representation in a particular way depending on how they are portrayed to the audience through the use of how they are made to look. A strong and effective use of mise en scene in a music video will allow the audience to immediately recognize the genre due to how the characters and artist are made be to perceived through the use of this element. There weren’t any theorist evident in terms of mise en scene as Dyer and Goodwin for example both just relate mise en scene to the way women are made to look which does not relate to the style of my music video, however with this said I do still want my artist to look attractive and appealing therefore turning him into a commodity which everyone needs to have.

My Artist Disclosure

Mise en Scene is made up of 5 elements:• Position• Costume, Hair &

Make-up• Lighting & Colour• Body language &

facial expressions

MISE EN SCENE: BODY LANGUAGE AND FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

Body language and facial expressions is a important mise en scene as it able to indicate to the audience how the person being focused on is feeling which rules out the risk of misunderstandings of what is taking place. Body language and facial expressions was a key element which I utilised effective in my music video as I wanted to get my audience into the thoughts of my artist. This was done and complimented through the use of cinematography shots such as close ups as they allowed my audience to get a direct look at my artist which in hope influence their decision on how they may choose to perceive him. Additionally, the use of body language allowed me to set the context very early on in my music video without having to go into much detail in the actual video as For example, the two characters at the start are seen walking around all calm and relaxed which suggest that they have a close formed friendship. This is also emphasized through the use of props such as the friendship bracelets they were made to wear.

My music video examples Rudimental example

MISE EN SCENE: ICONOGRAPHY

Iconography was used during my music video in order to transmit certain narrative and emotions to my target audience in order to give them a better contextual understanding. I used the matching watches worn by the two younger characters as I thought this would be the best way of conveying certain narratives to my target audience. This is because my audience will be able to interpret that the two characters must have a closed formed relationship with one another. Moreover, this then allows my audience to relate themselves to the two characters through the sense of empathy as they may have had a best friend during the early stages of their child hood.

CYCLES Music Video by Zoy Winterstein

MISE EN SCENE: ICONOGRAPHY

Iconography was also used at the start of my music video as there is a stereo and mobile phone in the frame before the camera zooms in onto the mobile phone which had an unknown person playing our music video song right before it the song started. This is effective as it adds professionalism to our music video thus making it more appealing and more likely to attract our target audience range. In addition, a mixer is briefly seen in one of the scenes before a hand is then seen moving one of the volume settings up, this then leads to the music video’s volume increasing on a whole. This is effective as it has been seen in other comparable products which contributes towards the conventional sense I was trying to create. Furthermore, I believe iconography was clearly and effectively used within my music video as it helped to attract and keep my audience engaged throughout the music video which is very important.

MISE EN SCENE: SETTING

• The setting in my music video was based around a white background as my artist wasn’t seen singing in any other locations. This is because it therefore forces the audience to focus solely on the artist without any distractions, this In turns promotes my artist’s star image and recognition levels. This was used in many of my similar music video’s which influenced my decision upon implementing in my own music video. In addition, it also adds to the simplicity of my music video as I wanted it to be very direct and straight to the point For example, the friendship bracelets worn by the two characters was shown very early on during the music video. This was however still effective to the house genre as the narrative based scenes such as the dancers dancing and shots of different graffiti locations relates to locations which are often used in a house genre music video. This therefore meets the audiences expectations whilst adding professionalism to the music video.

Comparable product white background

Comparable product graffiti

location

MISE EN SCENE: SETTING

MISE EN SCENE: LIGHTING & COLOUR

Throughout my music video during the scenes of my artist singing against the white background high key lighting is used. This is because it will really complement the white background and my artist by making him look more distinct which reminds the audience that he is the actual artist and should be the focus of their attention. This in turn is seen as a promotional tool as it helps promotes his star image. Also the lighting transmits the artist’s representation to the audience as the lighting convey the cool and relaxed interpretations to the audience. This was also used in many of my comparable products as like with me they also wanted to make their artist the focus of the scene.

Although bright lighting is used in the performance side of my music video, a large majority of it uses a low key lighting. This is because it compliments other conventional elements such as the use of iconography and locations. In addition, this also helps to reinforce the house genre sense into the audiences mind in order to meet their expectations.

MISE EN SCENE: POSITIONING

Thorough my music video, a variety of different positioning's were used when focusing on my artist in order to capture him at different angles. This allows the audience to view him from a different site through the use of high angles, low angles shots. This is also more effective than having one positioning as It’ll look as if it is just one long scene which wouldn’t appeal to the audience much, in fact it may just bore them. By placing my star in different positions it allows himself to be promoted to the audience due to him being shown in different perspectives whilst raising his recognition levels. This can be linked to theorist such as Goodwin as he states how the artist’s positions can help form a bond with the audience.

MISE EN SCENE: COSTUME, HAIR & MAKE-UP

The costume used by my artist and characters within my music video was picked thoroughly and carefully as it is very important as it is what encourages the audience to buy into the artist’s lifestyle thus further boosting his fan base. Costume is also used as a promotional tool in music video’s as my artist wore a particular brand of clothing. This will then be copied by the audience as they want to share a resemblance with the artist. In addition, the audience will look up to the artist as a sort of inspirational figure which in courage's them to buy into the lifestyle. This can be linked to Dyer’s Star theory which clearly states that consumers all aspire to be like the artist they follow and this is done through buying into their lifestyles, sharing their same values and norms etc…

I along with my fellow peers decided that it was in the audiences best interest to keep the costume, hair and make-up simple as we didn’t want to take the attention away from my artist and also the narrative based. The characters were all just casually just so highlight the fact that they are dancers whom don’t have a set dress code to dance, this meets the audiences expectations and helps relate back to the house genre. Our artist was also dressed casually in order to emphasise his representation of being cool and laid back. He was given a clean shave and hair-cut in order to relate to his representation of being young. This is effective as the audience are able to relate to this due them being young adults know how themselves along with other young people like to look good. In addition, most of my music video comparable products didn’t use much costume, hair and make-up in order to reduce the chances of taking the audiences attention away from the artist.

EDITING

Editing is a major element which must be thought through carefully when creating a music video as it helps determines the overall pace of the video and also to convey the atmosphere of certain scenes to the audience. The editing should match the beat of the song in order to create a successful and conventional media product which is visually appealing to the target audience which entices them to watch it. A lot of montage shots are used at the near of my music video in order to grab the audiences attention and entice them into wanting to watch more. In addition, this is seen as conventional to the house genre as the fast pace edits are conventionally used within house genre music videos. Moreover, my editing ideas were all mostly taken from my comparable product influences as they all used editing to create a set atmosphere which will contribute towards influencing the audience’s decision on whether they want to keep watching the music video or whether they want to take a step further and purchase the product.

EDITING The most effective editing technique used in my music video was of course

the quick cut montage shots which were used to show the artist in a list of different positions and poses and also to view the different conventional graffiti house genre location. This is effective as they are seen as conventions which should be included in any house genre music video, therefore meeting the audiences expectations. The editing is effectively used as it matches the beat of the song which creates more of an ‘WOW’ effect amongst the audience. This is done in order to capture the audiences attentions very early on in hope they’ll be amazed and want to watch more, therefore influences their decision on whether to purchase the product or not.

A reverse shot was used during my music video when one of the younger characters did a knew slide on the floor. The characters movement was then rewind back in order to create the reverse effect. This was effective as it adds to the uniqueness of the dance moves used in this video. It also helps to keep the audience enticed and focus on the music video.

Reverse shot example

SOUND The song I chose for my music video was ‘What I might do’ by ben

Pearce. I chose this song as I believed it will be able to effectively compliment my graffiti locations which I aimed to implement in my music video. This is because it will make my music video look more visually appealing therefore encouraging the audience to buy my product. Moreover, this song along with the locations I used allowed me to effectively reinforce the genre of the music video into my audiences mind. The song conveys the artist’s representation to the audience as just through the way he sings it is clear he is a very laid back and cool person. This is emphasised through the use of cinematography and editing shots. The pace of my song was made to match the visuals in order to effectively appeal more to my target audience whilst staying relevant to the house genre. I chose to follow Goodwin's theory of having the lyrics and pace of the song relate to the visuals used as I noticed this was also conventions of real media products which influenced my decision to implement this in my own music video.

What I might do lyrics