MEDIA
How my media products use forms and conventions of real media products
To make a successful music video, certain common codes and conventions have to be cohered to. In the production of my video I have ensured that I have included several of these so as to guarantee the success of it.
Camera Angles:
Andrew Goodwin theorises that close ups are essential in music videos so as to form a relationship and a sense of intimacy between the audience and the artist. They also play an important role in demonstrating who the 'star persona' is in a music video, causing them to become familiar and well-known. In my music video I have used this common convention frequently by using many close ups of my artist. I have done this both in the performance elements of the video and also the narrative sections. I feel this accomplishes in developing my artists character and story as the many close ups cause the audience to feel empathy for her and as though they know her personally.
A variety of other camera angles and movements have been used which would be commonly found in music videos. I have used wide establishing shots near the beginning which help set the location and surroundings. Camera movements such as tracking have been used, particularly in the performance parts, which give movement and realness to the shots that would otherwise be static and boring.
Mise En Scene:
This is something that is crucial to any successful media product. It involves anything from lighting, facial expressions and positioning to costume and makeup. It is also something that I really had to consider in my music video as it was what would distinguish between the three different versions of the same character that makes up my whole video. The crux of the matter is that I had to display three distinctly different personalities merely through the way they acted and looked. This is where miss en scene came in. For the angry persona, the costuming consisted of dark colours, jeans and boots with a mix of close ups to display her frustrated and angry facial expressions and high angles to make her appear helpless and lost.
In comparison is the binary opposite of her bubbly and social personality that is the 'stereotypical teenage girl with neutral pastel colours and happy, outgoing facial expressions and interactions.
Finally, there's the representation of the artists 'true self' as she struggles with the two opposing sides fighting against each other for dominance. She is shown in white, symbolic of naivety and innocence and resembling a blank slate when the two fierce personas are torn away.
Digipak and Poster:
These ancillary products that I have created share many common forms and conventions found in real media products. They contain institutional information such as barcodes, sort numbers and record label in various places such as the album back and less thought of places but equally important such as the spine. These little details may only seem very minor and unimportant but they are crucial in making the whole product look professional and affective.
I have created a 6 panel Digipack and these panels contain the common parts that make up a Digipack such as the front cover containing the album name and artists' name, the back cover with the song titles on, the cd label and the other three panels that can contain whatever the artists like, more pictures, information etc.
