1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? Natalie Suchecki 2. The Music VideoAs a group we created a music video for Paramores CrushCrushCrush. Alongside this we also developed a digipak and a magazine advert for our album, however I will come on to discuss these further on. Through the creation of our music video we first deconstructed the genre to identify how the conventions within could help us to reach out to our target audience. In order to do this in sufficient depth we first looked at the ethnographic model. This model is primarily based on researchers entering the culture of the audience and then understanding the media consumption from the perspective on the environment from which it is consumed. Initially we attempted to gain insight into this environment through market research in the form of a survey. (Our results are posted in the form of a survey on our blogs). This is shown in a screenshot below. We surveyed a variety of individuals to gain a fair result that gathered responses of individuals from many different cultural backgrounds. From our results it was derived that the consumption of this specific media was most appealing when it denoted reality reflecting connotations of live music shows and performances. We also gathered a similar response from our video interview with Jools, who talked qualitatively regarding his views and perspective on media consumption. Although I feel both stages of our market research was very beneficial to our progress with this project, I understand that 41 respondents in real terms only gives us a minute view on the overall markets perspective. I feel that in order for us to have developed our conventions further and understand them in more depth we should have taken our research a little further and endeavoured to gather responses from a larger group. Moreover, focus groups may have been beneficial to allow us to better enter the culture of the audience and perhaps use our conventions more accurately. However, despite such other theorists such as Andrew Goodwin, allowed us to identify key elements of a music video and demonstrate the genre characteristics more effectively. 3. The Music Video Andrew GoodwinAndrew Goodwin is an author and media theorist who through his book, Dancing in the distraction factory, identified the key elements of music videos and how they demonstrate genre characteristics. Music Videos Demonstrate Genre Characteristics Early into the planning stage of this process, we had identified that it was conventional for rock bands to use their music videos to present an as live performance to the audience. Therefore, from the beginning we decided to go with this theme. Our market research feedback also indicated that this was a popular choice and would be not only entertaining but informative for our potential audience. Our final product however is a mixture of both narrative performance and as live. We amended this due to specific elements of feedback as shown below. Another way that we were able to demonstrate genre characteristics was through the camera work and the composition of certain shots. After in-depth research into previous music videos, as shown on our blogs, we had concluded that it was conventional of the rock genre to include shots of the instruments that were used by the band. The electric guitar, drums and mic stand all represented our chosen genre and made us able to break up the video using interesting interval shots. This is shown in the below screenshots. 4. Our shot composition ties in very closely with our mise-en-scene, the way we set up our props. We had all instruments in clear site, along with other musical equipment spread out across the room. We did this to reinforce the idea of the genre to our audience and hope to capture a more solid theme throughout. You can see this in the background of these shots. Moreover, in relation to our camera work, we tended to use a lot of low angle shots. This convention portrays the artist and band as a whole as a dominant figure, which is something very common throughout this genres music videos, once more, examples are shown below. In addition to this, during the editing process we chose to mainly follow conventions when it came to our cutting rate. Fast cuts and short shots added the element of excitement and an edgy, dangerous lifestyle that most rock bands choose to reflect. This can be seen in the video link below, this is the original video for Paramores CrushCrushCrush. We tried to mirror their editing throughout. However, at times we did challenge the conventions by having longer shots that allowed us to convey more of the emotion of the band. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ljn0a1FB2M&app=desktop 5. The relationship between the lyrics and the visuals When looking back at our video, we noticed that we dont have many very strong links between the lyrics and the visuals. We think that if we was to carry out this process again, this is defiantly something that we would change. However, over the time of our research we had noticed that many Paramore videos dont have links between the lyrics and the visuals. Also, it can be very challenging to create a link when the main performance element of the video is an as live performance. However, there is one take in particular that we feel does express a link between the two. The lyrics read: Rock and roll, baby Don't you know that we're all alone now? I need something to sing about Rock and roll, hey Don't you know, baby, we're all alone now? I need something to sing about Rock and roll, hey Don't you know, baby, we're all alone now? Give me something to sing about The link isnt particularly strong, however at this point during the song, we chose to have our lead singer and guitarist perform together displaying elements of passion and lust. This can be seen in the various screenshots below. We asked her to look into his eyes in particular when she sang Give me something to sing about, as though she's asking him directly, this can be seen in screenshot two. They continue to perform and sing closely for a little while and this creates a further element of narrative to the video like a love story entwined into the performance. Therefore I would say that at this point, the relationship between the lyrics and the visuals is illustrative. However, here we are challenging the conventions of the band because Hayley Williams very rarely interacts with other band members. 6. The demands of the record label The need for close up shots Close up shots allow us to identify with the band and main artists better. They also act as a way for the record label to promote the artists and gain brand recognition more easily. Developing on conventions of the rock genre, we decided that close ups of each member of the band using their instruments or singing into the microphone was most important for us to convey the theme as best we could. Also, our audience research, the video interview in particular told us that close up shots of instruments created a more realist effect. Also, the juxtaposition of these shots meant that we could tailor our theme to create our own personalised meaning of the genre, in this case we wanted to present our audience with a stripped back, honest view of the band themselves, this being in contrast to a video that was just unrelated narrative and interpretive. There are some screenshots below that show how we used close ups of the instruments. In relation to close up shots, I feel it is relevant to discuss the notion of looking in the same area. We combined our close ups shots with many eye line shots of our main singer, Stephanie, who was used to represent Hayley Williams, the lead singer for Paramore. We wanted to reflect the common convention of not only the genre, but all music types which shows the voyeuristic treatment of the female body. This ties in well with the male gaze theory. Below are screenshots that reflect the common convention of the notion of looking. In the second screenshot, Stephanie looks into the camera as though to try and make the audience jealous of her lust for Elliot. 7. Throughout our video we featured a lot of close up shots of Stephanie from different profile views, for example a common one we used was of the side of her face. We did this to follow the conventions of other Paramore videos. The shot type we did is shown below as a screenshot, next to one that is typically used in a Paramore video. Filming close ups of Stephanie allowed us to catch her gaze, this created a more personal feel for our audience and can often make them feel more attatched to the band, which could in turn create repeat sales for the record label. More over, the female gaze could be interpreted by male viewers as seductive, this allowed us to better tap into the male target audience that we were aiming for. This also meets with the demand of the record label as it is encouraging the growth of the customer base. There is reference to this on the previous slide within the last three screenshots. Moreover, I feel if we was to make this video again, we as a group would like to add in elements of the notion of looking from our male guitarist, Elliot. We feel that this would challenge conventions, not particularly of the genre, but mainly of the band. It may also provoke an interesting response from our audience. 8. General conventions of our music video When we began to draft our ideas for our video, we came up with a general concept of creating a video that looked as though it was a music performance in the making. We added elements of narrative for our behind the scenes shots. These comprised of shots of the band going to and preparing for the rehearsal. At first we thought we had a strong concept, and I personally still feel the overall idea has the potential to work very well, weve seen it done before from bands such as All Time Low, shown in the video link below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTJkE8Ki3Gg&list=PL_EHIf-m2hDgB0jEAlOGgZzpcHeVD0Wv1&index=11 However, when I watch our video back, I feel that it wasnt portrayed as well as it could have been, I feel the concept got a little lost and perhaps isnt as clear as we had first wished for it to be. If we was to do this again, I defiantly feel more planning would be essential to get this right however despite such I still feel that it works effectively and as we continue to gather our feedback, we have had comments that reassure us of this however this will be demonstrated in the next question. To focus more on our performance element, I feel that we did a good job of the as live performance. Admittedly it did cause some difficulty getting the miming to match up with the song, however, this is a very common convention that it appears as though they are actually performing, therefore we worked hard to perfect this. With our narrative, we still tried to tie in common conventions. For example, the mise-en-scene linked very clearly to the genre. The outfits of our actors fit well with our dark colour scheme and added a qwerky vibe to the video just like in many of the paramore videos. The props such as the car we used was even black, we chose to use this car over another option which was green, just to add that further element. Filming on an abandoned air field allow us to show a derelict, urban theme which conveys a fun, troublesome youth culture, once more following the conventions of the genre and the band. I have placed screenshots below to reinforce the above. The first screenshot shows a comparison of clothes of the main singer of paramore and our main singer. They both wear white t-shirts with black writing on that portray a qwerky message. The second screenshot shows the car we used and the third shows the airfield shots in comparison with the original setting for the CrushCrushCrush video. 9. The Digipak and Magazine AdvertWhen it came to our digipak, we wanted to stick to the strong conventions of the rock genre as we hoped that this would make our product more appealing to our target audience. The overall background colour is black to give connotations of authority, power and mystery. This is shown in the screenshot below. These connotations are feelings that are often closely associated with the rock genre and rock bands. When a rock music fan is browsing through the shelves in a music store, they will be most attracted to colours they recognise that symbolize their music preference, therefore this has allowed us to reach out to our audience more. However, in terms of our colour scheme, we chose to challenge the conventions of Paramore and their usual design. We decided to not add any orange or red and just go for a bolder, more drastic effect. The comparison is shown below, between our digipak and the original paramore digipak. 10. In terms of our layout, we believe we have stuck to the conventions of digipaks quite closely. However, when discussing this, we mentioned that if we was to repeat this process, we would challenge the conventions more and mix up the layout. This would have created a quirky and interesting digipak which in turn would have connoted rebellion, something closely associated with the rock genre. We chose to have the track listing on the back panel as this follows conventions of most CD cases, here we also placed the DVD scene list. The consumer is easily able to identify this and make their decision as to whether they wish to purchase it or not. The font that we chose to use for this was in a sketchy pattern, which mirrors the font used on the original paramore CD. This reflects a youth culture and is a fun way of adding interest to the case. This is shown below. Furthermore, as seen in the screenshots below, we followed conventions by adding a bar code and the record producers logo. Furthermore, we added a web address, as most modern bands have websites and this is a good way to promote other aspects and merchandise for the band. 11. In relation to the images that we used on our digipak, we strongly feel that have challenged the conventions of not only the rock genre but of the band also. As can be seen in the screenshots below, Paramore rarely use more than two images on their digipaks. We chose to take a lot of images of the band, the production process and the instruments and place these all around the digipak to really emphasise that ideal friendship. Moreover, we placed the images in the shape of the Paramore logo in the centre, I feel that this worked really well and looked effective. However, it can appear a little overwhelming and if we was to do this again I feel that we would reconsidered the amount of images that we have used. Our creation is shown below. Inside our digipak we have included the CD featuring the main songs from the band alongside a live DVD. We have placed these in two slots either side of the main logo to give an interesting effect. We also advertised on the front that their was an additional live DVD included, this is conventional and is often done to promote the sale of the album. 12. Our adverts colour scheme is very conventional of Paramore. You can see the similarities with the colour scheme below. This is the only part of the package that I feel would allow the audience to identify with the band straight away. Therefore, as mentioned previously, if we was to repeat the process, we would definitely add more colour to the video and the digipak. However, on the flipside, we did choose to strongly challenge conventions by not including any images of the band on the advert. We did this as the lead singer, Hayley Williams, is always featured in the centre of any advert. This attracts a male audience, however what we aimed to do was to attract a more honest fan base who were solely interested in the music. We understand this is a very different approach and from the views of the record label, this may be deemed incorrect, however we thought that the reaction from the audience would be interesting. A similar thing has been done by All Time Low. This is shown below. Moreover, the use of an image of the musical equipment strongly reinforces the genre, and we felt that the poster would catch the eye of all rock music fans, rather than just Paramore fans. 13. In terms of layout, we decided to place the band name at the top, as we felt this is where it would be most likely to catch the eye of the audience. This is also conventional of Paramore as seen below. We chose to keep the rest of the text at the bottom of the page as can be seen in the comparison above, this is conventional of the band. The font we used was a relaxed, youthful one, which we felt connoted freedom and an urban lifestyle, whilst the font connotes mystery and passion, perhaps some elements of danger. We particularly felt the font we used for the album name Paramore Live, tied in well with the conventions of the band. They often use font like this to outline important details. Furthermore, this is all conventional of the rock genre. This is shown below, as we can see it is very common to used a relaxed font with bold colours. 14. We kept our poster quite simple as we didnt want it to become over powering. We wanted it to be something that would catch the audiences eye and make them want to look further into it, rather than be scared away from too much writing. The use of bold and some bright colours will also help the poster to stand out amongst other pages of text. The name of the album contrasts well and stands out this is shown below. Furthermore, we also followed conventions of music artists by adding the record label logo at the bottom of the page to show that the poster is official. This is shown below with our poster being on the left and the other screenshots being of various rock music adverts.