A2 Media Coursework EvaluationEvaluation Question 1 In what ways
does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products? (i.e. music video) For this
part of the evaluation, I have made a grid with nine frames taken
from my video. Each of these frames represents different features
of a music video. To decide which nine frames to use, I had to take
into consideration what each shot represented and how to make this
visually clear. The nine features I decided to use were:1.A shot
that shows a link between lyrics and/or music video2.A shot that
typifies the way a record company would want their artist to be
represented 3.A shot that illustrates how your video uses music
genre4.A shot that shows an intertextual reference5.A shot that
demonstrates use of camera6.A shot that demonstrates use of
lighting7.A shot that demonstrates use of mise-en-scene8.A shot
which you feel demonstrates something which shows you have watched
other music videos 9.A shot which you feel demonstrates something
which shows you have watched other music videos I started this task
by choosing my 9 shots which are displayed below. 1 2 34 5 67 8
9
1. A shot that shows a link between lyrics and/or music and
visualsMatching the visuals within a music video to the lyrics is a
very common theme shown within music videos of all genres. This is
to create a sense of acknowledgement for the viewer, as well as
allowing the audience to identify the true meaning behind the
lyrics. The image that I have chosen is a close up shot which was
filmed outdoors during the narrative scene. Here we can see that as
the lyrics sing too many eyes, to meet, the eyes of one of the
female actress very briefly meets the lens of the camera, before
the camera moves to focus on the eyes facing forwards. This gives a
clear indication of the love triangle which is happening between
the characters, and the heartless feelings of the other girls,
shown through the sheer lack of eye contact. You can tell from the
lyrics and the visuals that this girl has caused the heartbreak
that influenced the song. 2. A shot that typifies the way a record
company would want their artist to be represented.This mid shot of
Asha Levitt sitting at a piano typifies the way a record company
would want their artist to be represented. The framing and the
content of this shot is incredibly important to create her
identity. By showing Asha sitting at a piano, the record company is
able to promote the idea that she is multitalented, thus further
showing her as a true and gifted artist. By having her sitting
against a scruffy background, but dressed elegant and immaculately,
the record company can highlight her beauty. Her dark dress helps
to draw attention to her to help promote her. Looking at the
mise-en-scene, we can see that her hair is elegantly curled; she
has dark makeup on to highlight and contrasts the dimensions of her
face, and a long red dress. Against the messy background, the
artist is able to create an image of beauty, and the emotion
running through her face during this shot helps to portray Asha as
a sincere artist. 3. A shot that illustrates how your video uses
music genreThis close-up shot, I believe, represents my indie-folk
genre, mainly due to the use of mise-en-scene with the mask.
Through the use of research and planning, I found that many music
videos which follow the same conventions as mine contain identity
shielding costume, many of which use some form of mask to hide the
characters face. Along with the contrast between this elegant mask,
and the outdoor location, with the bright lighting, I was able to
create the ideal quirky feel which is shown in many indie-folk
music videos.4. A shot that shows an intertextual referenceThis
close up shot is a very common situation for music videos trying to
convey a certain amount of emotion. It is used to draw all the
focus to the way the artist sings the song, and their facial
expressions. I have placed this shot off centre to really focus on
the actress emotions, as well as include part of the background to
help with the use of mise-en-scene. The main music video I looked
at as a comparison for this was Funeral Suits All Those Friendly
People, as they also have a strong masked influence. Also, many of
their creative shots have been used as an influence for my music
video.5. A shot that demonstrates your use of cameraThe use of
focus in my music video is vital to be able to draw the audiences
attention to different parts of a shot. This helps to add the extra
dramatic feel I needed for this song, as well as following the
general conventions of other indie-folk music videos. This shot I
have chosen is taken from the narrative section of the music video.
In my opinion, the framing of the video shows good use of camera
because, within this one shot, a relationship is established
between the male character and one of the female characters. The
focus on the male character, while the female in the background is
blurred, signifies the idea that something will happen between
these two characters. Also, the identity of either character is not
revealed, furthermore bringing a sense of enigma to the music
video. Also, the fact that it is an extreme close up shot allows
the audience to further interact with the character as it gives the
audience a closer look at the expression and emotions on his face.
6. A shot that demonstrates your use of lightingThis mid shot of
Asha, sitting at the piano at a particularly powerful and emotional
point of the song, is made more emotional by the use of lighting
behind her. By placing a soft box lamp directly behind my actress,
I was able to create an angelic feel, showing her purity and
innocence, as well as the dark emotion behind the song. The shadows
cast over her face help to further depict the true meaning of the
song as they help to give an insight of the meaning behind the
powerful lyrics. The use of her looking dark against a bright
background also helps to draw the attention to her, as a further
promotional technique. 7. A shot that demonstrates your use of
mise-en-sceneThe use of mise-en-scene is very important within my
music video to help me keep to the converntions of an indie-folk
music video, as well as to create a more emtional piece. The shot I
selected has been taken during the performance segment of the music
video. Within this shot, we can see the use of the piano, a key
part of the mise-en-scene as the song itself is witten to a piano
tune, as well as the dust sheets in the backgorund to give the room
a secluded and dirty feel, with a constrast of her elegant hair and
makeup, to further create an effective atmosphire to reflect the
mood of the song. 8/9. Two shots which you feel demonstrate
something which shows you have watched other music videos.The first
shot that you can see (8) is a shot that represents the idea of
powerful love, and that it can overcome anything. I got this idea
from Birdys Wings music video. The slow motion effect placed over
the running, I believe, helps to intensify the idea of love, and
overcoming problems causing a disruption with this love. These
types of shots really helped me when trying to make my video more
interesting. The second one (9) is a close up shot that we used to
help create emotion, as well as placing her at a piano to create a
more sincere effect. Many other products have done shots with
obvious similarities. These include Birdys Skinny Love music video,
and Billy Clyros God and Satan music video. I then decided to make
another nine panes with shots of other real music videos with the
same categories as my music video nine panes had. 1.A shot that
shows a link between lyrics and/or music video2.A shot that
typifies the way a record company would want their artist to be
represented 3.A shot that illustrates how the video uses music
genre4.A shot that shows an intertextual reference5.A shot that
demonstrates use of camera6.A shot that demonstrates use of
lighting7.A shot that demonstrates use of mise-en-scene8.A shot
which you feel demonstrates something which shows you have watched
other music videos 9.A shot which you feel demonstrates something
which shows you have watched other music videos
1 2 34 5 67 8 9
1. A shot that shows a link between lyrics and/or music
videoThis is a shot from the music video God and Satan by Biffy
Clyro. I chose this shot for linking lyrics and visuals due to the
fact that the lyrics dont come crying to me are sung, while the
main character is crying to an older lady, a suggestion that she
could be a relative, further showing the idea that the song could
be sung from a mothers perspective, highlighted in the following
line when it states Ill only see your good side. We dont know who
the person is, whether it is a family member or their partner. This
connotes the idea of love, whether it is between a mother and son
or within a relationship. This helps the audience realize that the
key theme of the song is love.2. A shot that typifies the way a
record company would want their artist to be representedThis is a
close up shot of The Paper Kites music video Bloom. I believe that
it represents the way in which the record company would want to
represent their artist through the use of mise-en-scene. By showing
the artist playing a musical instrument, they can promote the fact
that the artist is multi-talented. Also, the use of warm light
gives him a soft and friendly appearance. Along with the costume
and appearance of the artist himself, to give an indie-folk vibe,
the record label is able to create a persona to reflect the genre
of his music, thus attracting the attention of the target audience
creating a strong promotion of the artist. 3. A shot that
illustrates how the video uses music genreI believe that this shot
from The Paper Kites music video Bloom portrays the genre due to
the mise-en-scene with the location and the costume. The whole idea
of a scruffy look, whether it is regarding costume or location, is
a prominent convention of an indie-folk music video. This is to
give a quirky, scruffy look. The whole idea behind this is that the
audience should focus on the song and the lyrics, rather than the
aesthetics, hence being the reason why CGI is not commonly used.
This helps to portray a simplistic and non-egotistical, relaxed
personality which is a common vibe within this genre. 4. A shot
that shows an intertextual referenceAn intertextual reference is
shown as it has cameos from actors such as the main female
character within the music video, Alexandra Daddario showing her as
a straight, fearless character which she is in most of her films,
such as Percy Jackson&the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and
Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D.5. A shot that demonstrates use of
cameraThis is a long shot form the Sleeping With Sirens music video
Roger Rabbit. I have chosen this shot as I believe that the camera
shot is particularly good. Within this shot, we can see that the
camera is unfocused. The fact that this shot is shown very quickly
allows the audience to take in the setting in, as well as set the
dreamy mood. The little camera movement plays an important role in
the making of this music video. This is because it allows the
audience to engage with the characteristics of both the song and
the band, as well as using techniques to show a dream-like state of
paradise. This shot also works really well to show off the lighting
techniques, allowing all aspects of production to work together. 6.
A shot that demonstrates use of lightingThis shot demonstrates good
use of lighting as it helps to set the mood and the atmosphere of
the song to create an intense emotional mood, thus signifying the
main theme of love. This long shot clearly shows the use of a
spotlight on each of the dancers, further drawing the audiences
attention towards those particular characters. It also gives off
the impression that these two people are the main stimulus for the
song. By the use of shadows around these two spotlights, we can
grasp the idea that love is blinding and giving the impression that
each other are the only people that they can see because the love
is so strong that they are the only focus. 7. A shot that
demonstrates use of mise-en-scene7) A shot that demonstrates your
use of mise-en-scene
The mise-en-scene within One Directions Story of my Life music
video reflects the concept of the song. The use of pictures hanging
on the walls represent the different parts of their lives which
have created a story. By later focusing on an individuals photo,
which then comes to life, the producers are able to link the song
to the mise-en-scene. Also, the secluded photography room helps to
suggest the idea of isolation and nostalgia.8/9. Two shots which
you feel demonstrate something which shows you have watched other
music videos.The first shot used here (8) is a long shot from Avril
Lavignes When youre Gone music video. It starts by establishing the
setting to give the audience an indication of where they are, and
more importantly allowing the audience to establish the couples
relationship. From the body language and positioning, you can
understand that there is a concept of love, much like the
connection shown between Hannah and Jonny in my music video. The
last shot I have chosen (9) is a close up shot from the Wrecking
Ball music video by Miley Cyrus. By mirroring the emotion shown
through Miley within my music video, it can be shown that I have
watched other music videos and taken from their influence.The next
stage for me now was to analyse our ancillary tasks, being the
album cover and our promotional poster.This is my finished album
cover.
The next stage was to look into a similar product. I can compare
my album cover to Birdys.
Similarities and Differences between the Front Cover: Much like
Birdys front cover, I decided to go for the option of having a
close up shot of my main artist for promotional purposes. I believe
that the idea of having the artist on her own makes her appear more
independent and artistically strong. The difference here is the
fact that I chose for my actress to not have eye contact with the
camera. This is due to the fact that I wanted the shot to be more
natural, as well as giving my artist, Asha Levitt, a more dreamy
appearance. Like Birdys album cover, I decided to place the text in
the corner of my album cover to create a balance between the artist
and the text. However, as I wished my artist to be placed towards
the left of the album cover, I decided that my text had to balance
the picture, thus influencing its position on the right. Also, I
followed Birdys influence of the black text against the white
background. This, I believe, makes the text stand out, thus making
the album cover more eye catching. However, unlike Birdys album, I
decided to place a bold black border around the outside of my album
cover. This is due to the fact that I believed that it framed the
cover better, as well as creating a much bolder, and giving it a
more aesthetically pleasing look. The colour scheme used here was
very similar to the colour scheme used on my album cover. I used
the same idea of black and white throughout the entire digipak.
This was to both relate the digipak to my music video, and keep to
the conventions of an indie-folk genre. Also, I believe that Birdys
black and white colour scheme gives the album cover a much more
professional and eye catching look, hence the reason why I
duplicated this idea in my digipak.Similarities and Differences
between the Back Cover:
On my back cover, much like Birdys, I decided to keep a very
simplistic tone, hence the idea of a plain white background with
the black text on top of it. I decided to keep to the theme of the
text shown on the front page with the name Asha Levitt. Although
the text is spaced differently (going across the page on my album
cover, instead of going downwards), the fact that it is placed in
the centre of the page draws the consumers attention to the actual
text rather than the other features of the page. I decided to place
the Raven Records logo behind the text, unlike the plain white
background on Birdys album cover. This was due to the fact that I
thought that the back of my album looked too plain and not
aesthetically pleasing, thus meaning that it needed something to
make it more interesting. By repeating the logo on this page, I was
able to make a further promotion of my record company, as well as
creating a reoccurring theme throughout the digipak. Again, I
decided to keep to the colour scheme of black and white to keep
with the simplistic conventions of my genre, much like Birdy did
with her ablum cover. However, unlike Birdys cover, I decided to
place a border on the back as well.
Similarities and differences between CDs Unlike Birdys CD, I
decided to stick with my reocruing theme of white with black
writing. This was so that I could place the logo on the CD with the
ability of being allowed to create a link between the logo on the
CD and the logo on the front of the album cover. To make this CD
stand out even more, I decided to use black and white piano keys as
a background, which was taken from a shot in my music video. By
doing this, I was able to link the digipak with the music video for
promotion purposes. Also, many indie-folk albums contain a
reference towards an instrument, hence the idea of the piano.
Unlike Birdy, who placed her black album on a white background, I
reversed this idea to be able to stick to my theme.