Task1 evaluation!

Evaluation Task #1

In what ways does my music video use, challenge and develop conventions of

existing media profucts?

6 Stills

Analysing conventions by looking at....

1. Camera

CHALLENGES the convention – the camera is a high tech tool that is almost the ‚invisible‘ tool on set as its use is to record and show the mise-en-scéne (the content/or the action) such as the artist. We challenge this convention by providing the feel of our artist writing on the lense of the camera and covering the viewer‘s sight to look at him. In addition, Peter is out of focus at the same time. The camera focuses on the writing saying ‚Foreground‘ which is the title of the song which again challenges onventions of other music videos where the title is not particularly introduced as an element within the video.

This could even be referred to the artist‘s image as he is a calm musician in his ‚own little world‘ shown in the music video which is contrasting to other media products where the artist‘s aim is to show off himself to his audience as much as possible. Also, there‘s no performance element, neither does it contribute to a narrative.

CHALLENGES – usually, music videos focus on the artist‘s face and shoulders in the frame but in our video, we have a lots shots where we have wide shots of him or only focus on the bottom half of him to show the actions he is doing as opose to him singing and performing. These shots make the style more filmic than a usual music video as it provides a certain distance to the audience.

It has also to do with the genre we produce in because comparing indie to, for example, RnB, it is much more the music we care about than the glamour around a RnB star. No blingbling, no fancy make up or sexy gazes into the camera. He‘s only shown walking up the stairs.

2. Style

3. Performance - Dancing

DEVELOPS – dancers are often used in music videos! But usually they are rather commercial dancers in HipHop, Pop or RnB videos that dance background or together with the artist, therefore the song is more upbeat. This is why we neither challenge nor use this convention but we develop the dance idea and put it into a completely different content and music genre. The ballerina is used as another artistic element which is a high cultural image that signifies sophistication and contributes to the seriousness of Peter‘s music.

Here‘s an example of Beyoncé whose music is in the RnB/Pop genre and she Always uses lots of background dancers as well as her own dancing. But this is much more the entertaining and sexy factor of dance in opposition to our ballerina.

DEVELOPS – the performance convention in music videos is that the camera focuses particularly on the top half of the artists singing or a wide shot showing him dancing/rapping. In our video, Peter performs/lipsings but instead of acting it he just stands still against a wall and doesn‘t even look into a camera. Again, it conveys his genre and his image of the introverted musician.

4. Performance (1)

USES - the convention of an instrument playing artist. We show the artist playing his instrument and especially CUs of his hands playing which is commonly used in music videos that are by bands or artists that play their music themselves to reinforce this fact. These shots can also be used to connect a new section in the music video to one we saw earlier, so that we are reminded of that particular sequence creating a cohesive music video order of events (‚narrative‘).

5. Performance (2)

USES – especially nowdays the use of special effects in music videos is constantly increasing as the technology gets better and better and CGI is used to add value and the level of interest, or enhance the look of the video. This is conventional in particularly Pop genres where the ‚shell‘ meaning the look of the artist and the location is far more important as in the rock and indie genre in our case. But we use this tool as well in order to add an element to the storyline by making flowers come alive and by making a photograph move to remind that the world our artist is in withing the video is not the normal life we know, even if it seems like it.

Therefore, I‘d say the difference in using special effects the way we do is that we use it to a minimum amount but to create the same effect as high budget Pop videos to. To create something superficiel and inaccessible for the audience. Relating back to ‚the present absent star‘ a music artist is.

6. Special effects

2 panels of the digipak

Analysing conventions by looking at....

The font CHALLENGES conventions of album cover styles because we keep it really realistic by using the actual artist‘s writing and scribbling to underline the genre of Peter & The Wolf which is INDIE, in contrast to, for example, HipHop/Pop digipaks that significantly use a lot of CGI to create an aestheticly flashy CD cover. Our font makes the digipak more real and personal whereas a fully computer created one underlines the distance between audience and artist.

We also use the same background wallpaper as in the video instead of coming up with a whole new fancy design which is rather unusual for album designs.

Also, we don‘t use any photos except for one polaroid which CHALLENGES the convention of using new technology to edit photos.

e.g.

1 poster photo

Analysing conventions by looking at....

CHALLENGES – as conventions of today‘s posters are rather eye-catching and colorful. Our‘s is simple and no photoshoped changes are made.

Also DEVELOPS – as we mention quotes of critics to enhance the promotion which is usual on advertising photos. Using a known photo from the music video to remind fans of it and maybe encourage customers and create a ‚style‘ or unique selling point which is also something that big stars do to create whole face of the new album.

CHALLENGES – conventionally, in today‘s music industry there‘s a lot of ‚sex sells‘ promotion which is dominant on advertising posters and spreads. We do not work with this promotion tool.

How to present the artist as a person?

Convention: matching to the star image the record label gives him or her.

In the indie world (Mochi Mochi Records) artists are signed as what they are, which challenges the convention as they don’t have a face or reputation that is invented for them. This image is of course displayed on the poster.

In this case, he stares melancholicly out the window into the wide world which refers to his genre and his image of not having a star image – this contradiction therefore uses the convention again.

The Prodigy: stare with an aggressive expression right into the camera conveying the feel that the band and their music is tough and loud and intrusive. Also they want to take over the world with their music whereas Peter just cares about his music because it makes him happier and not about marketing himself. (Of course he wants to sell his album… this is just his reputation as a musician.)

Example:

Thank You.