question 1

1. In what ways does your media product
use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products?

2. The brief I chose to fulfil involved the construction of a promotional package for the
release of an album, including a music promo video for an existing song, accompanied by a
digipak (CD) and a magazine cover advertisement. The song I selected to base my
promotional video around was ‘Sun Hands’ by Local Natives. The reasoning behind why I
elected this particular song was on account of its varied rhythms and tones, providing a
psychedelic nature. This allowed the inclusion of both an abstract narrative and elaborate
mise-en-scene, two characteristics which are frequently exhibited in the genre of this
song, indie/alternative. The ideology associated with this genre commonly refers to
defying the latest customs and doctrines owned by the rife; creating innovative forms
which are directly linked to concepts either ahead or behind the times, with all products
differing from one another. Consequently, it is difficult to identify whether my own
products meet or flout the conventions of this genre because variety is an overriding
feature. However, within the research I conducted on existing promotional products prior
to my own creative process, I was able to distinguish some correlations between them as
precincts are still required in order to produce a professional exterior and engage
audiences, such as editing on the beat of the song and conveying a narrative of some kind.

3. My Music Video

4. Displaying the Band & Song Name
One recurring feature I recognised from my research, partially shown above, was the initial display of the
band/artist - the owner(s) of the ideology expressed within the art - and song name before any action had
commenced. This is to provide the spectators with immediate recognition of the song’s creator(s) so they can
distinguish whether it’s suited to their individual music taste and weltanschauung. I noted the minimalism of the
typefaces, this is habitual as they make the text easily identifiable. Renowned fonts such as ‘Times New Roman’
were predominantly used, I therefore incorporated this element in my own video, using exactly the same font style.
Additionally, I capitalised every letter of my band and song name, in keeping with the customs of music videos as
it reinforces the distinctiveness. In terms of composition, I positioned the text in the centre, once more
coinciding with existing products and highlighting the content further. Although I tried to closely resemble the
samples in my research, I somewhat defied conventions by layering the text over a plain backdrop as opposed to the
actual footage itself. This is because I featured three very brief shots at the beginning, harmonising with the
beat of the song, meaning the clarity of the text would be lost if I were to follow the custom accordingly.
Mise-En-Scene

5. Cast Members
Another recurring feature of indie/alternative music videos is the inclusion of band members. Much
like the display of their name at the beginning, this is to gain recognition to promote themselves
as individuals alongside their music. Bearing this in mind, I met this regularity. Many bands
within this genre are typically four or five piece, meaning all musical attributes can be
accounted for, and they usually consist of males. I therefore embraced this and selected four boys
for my original casting. However, on account of a last minute cancelation from one cast member,
his spot was replaced with a girl, therefore contradicting the expected format. I purposely
selected modest, simple clothing for my cast to wear - essentially jeans and shirts - as this
factor is not generally deemed as significant within the indie/alternative genre, as shown above.
Mise-En-Scene

6. Lip-syncing
Lip syncing is a predominant feature in music videos of all
genres, in order to provide verisimilitude, the illusion of
performance and reminding the audience who is responsible for the
vocals within the song. I applied this convention to my work as
it is the most excepted element in music videos starring the
actual artist or band. I, however, defied the prospect of having
one band member lip-sync with their own vocals, instead electing
two people. This was primarily because I wanted to supply more
variety to conserve the spectators’ interest.
Mise-En-Scene

7. Humour & Surrealism
Humour is a notorious factor in music videos as it’s naturally endearing, inviting large audiences.
Bizarre spectacles frequently contribute to this, with the intention of bewildering viewers to evoke
laughter, therefore seizing their attention until the end of the film. I implemented humour in my own
work to correspond with the interest and expectations of my audience. This was conveyed through
editing strategies such as continually repeating certain movements two times the speed of the original
footage, providing an uncanny sight. I also communicated humour through the brief I gave some of my
participants – ‘Dance like an awkward person’ - which they delivered wholeheartedly; this view is
also naturally laughter inducing.
My original intention for the performance-based sector was to include genuine tenor drums for the band
to play, however, on account of expense and not having the appropriate connections to borrow some,
they were difficult to obtain. Therefore, I instead incorporated pots and pans to imitate drums,
adopting the ironic playfulness, do-it-yourself attitude which are chief characteristics within this
genre. An example of this quality appears in OK Go’s video for ‘Here It Goes Again’ in which all
band members are seen dancing on treadmills, an object which isn’t typically associated with dancing.
Mise-En-Scene

8. Location
The indie/alternative rock genre derives from independent labels which are
small and relatively low-budget, demonstrating a DIY attitude of the bands
and artists involved. This expense deficiency, however, condenses the venue
options, rendering minimal locations being popular. I selected a minimal
locations to coincide with this typical aesthetic, choosing Fruit as it bears
a very unpretentious, offhand attribute, not to mention it’s the vessel of
indie/alternative band performances. I also contained some footage within the
collage green room and is essentially the embodiment of minimalism, solely
containing a green screen and white wall. In short, I followed this
convention to a large degree.
Mise-En-Scene

9. 3 Shot Format
In all genres, music videos predominantly follow a 3 shot format: long shots;
medium shots and close-ups. Long shots are to illustrate the character’s entire
figure and to place it in some relation to its surroundings. Additionally, it
underscores the character’s movement/body language. Close-ups are generally used
to depict the facial expressions and emotion of the character and, finally,
mediums shots are to reveal both the subjects' facial expressions in the context
of their body language. This rule of three is fundamental, therefore expected,
consequently I employed this format, using all shot types for an equal amount of
time as it is essential to exhibit variety to make it more visually stimulating,
retaining the interest of my audience.
Cinematography

10. Cinematography
Establishing Shot(s)
Like in any other mediums of film, establishing shots feature at the very
beginning as the first shot, intended to reveal the where the action is taking
place, to the spectators. It immediately establishes the context, meaning the
audience gain some insight of the film’s themes and the reasoning behind certain
behaviour(s). I decided to include three establishing shots at the very beginning
to provide the audience with this sense of locality, the stage imp articular.
One shot, conversely, depicts an abstract kaleidoscopic pattern, positioned on
the wall of my venue, which instigates the recurrent motif of psychedelic
graphics.

11. Editing to the Beat
The intention of music videos is to compliment the song, meaning certain
visual aspect should synchronise with nature of it, including the beat. No
matter the genre, editing to the beat is fundamental, otherwise the piece
appears disordered and amateurish. Expectedly, I followed this convention to
meet societal requirements, ensuring the length of the shots became shorter as
the song accelerated and elongated the shots that were positioned against
parts with a gentler tone.
Editing

12. Editing
Abstract Techniques
To harmonise with the abstract narrative of my video, I also implemented
abstract editing strategies to illustrate new and challenging perspectives
of reality, aligning with values typically associated with the
indie/alternative genre. Tame Impala’s video for their track 'Feels Like We
Only Go Backwards’, plus Temples video for ‘Shelter Song’(both of them
indie bands) were the chief incentive behind my idea; sporting a psychedelic
quality which was incredibly captivating throughout. I communicated a
similar quality through effects, such as the display of vivid colour,
continuous colour alteration, overlays and experimenting with structures,
thus replicating a number of videos within this genre.

13. My Digipak
Calligraphy.PresentFondness

14. The typical conventions one would expect to see on an album
digipak are as followed:
- Barcode
- Copyright infringements
- Artist webpage
- Dates of year
- Record label logos
- Track list
- Album title
All these elements were included in my own work in order to
produce a professional and recognisable exterior with
verisimilitude. Other components I incorporated were more in
relation to my own artistic preferences, applying collage,
photography and graphic design techniques to create a product
that is innovative and aesthetically pleasing to my customers,
besides reinforcing the continuity within all my products.
The construction of my digipak is seen below.

15. Front Cover
The prominent impression I received when completing research on album covers of artists, relating to my chosen
song, was one of absurdity (research displayed above). Emphasis was placed upon artistic imagery as opposed to
images of my artists themselves for self promotion, somewhat reflecting the values associated with this genre. All
designs were incredibly diverse from one another, allowing my own artistic preference to flourish. My front cover
combined both photography and Photoshop digital manipulation, resulting in an image that bears a similar
metaphysical quality to existing indie/alternative bands; a lady, placed behind a projected collage image, with a
deer for a head. There is no particular connotation associated with this image, it’s chiefly for aesthetic
enjoyment. This aligns with Michael Shore’s argument of media texts being a “surface without substance”. I
maintained the use of the font ‘Times New Roman’, seen on the opening sequence of my music video, to create
continuity, therefore my audience can establish a connection between the two mediums. Furthermore, I applied
overlays on Photoshop to replicate the same effect used in my video, reinforcing the continuity of my products.
The primary inspiration behind my front cover design was Local Native’s art for their album ‘Breakers’(displayed
top right), observing the masked face and medium close-up shot of the model, which I directly implemented in my own
design, I believe, successfully.
A step-to-step construction of my front cover is displayed below.

16. Disks
My intention was to design a convincing product that appeared credible when stocked in
shops, therefore, to reinforce my product’s sophistication, I included all the
appropriate logos and copyright information of my selected record label. I elected
'Infectious Records’ as they are the actual record label of my chosen song’s band,
‘Local Natives’, meaning they’re accustomed to collaborating with artists belonging to
the genre my song falls under. The composition of the band name, album name, record label
and logos are all fairly obscure, opposing to the accustomed linear format of the
prevalent, therefore mirroring the ideology of the indie/alternative genre.
No matter what genre, copyright information is always displayed along the disk’s
circumference, meaning I was required to use the pathway tool. After watching a YouTube
tutorial of how to create a pathway I discovered that it involved the circular selection
tool, before altering it’s setting to ‘pathway’ then using the type tool to attach text
to it.

17. Back Cover
The layout of my back cover is in response to the existing products I researched beforehand, as I took various aspects from each one I
gazed upon and developed them. The album ‘Lonersism’ by indie band Tame Impala (displayed top right) was my incentive regarding the
track list. I noted the juxtaposition between the chaotic background image and the minimalist typography, in addition to the central
composition of the track list against a solid coloured layer to strengthen the text’s clarity. I applied all three elements in my own
work, selecting ‘Times New Roman’ as the track list font, continuing the font style presented on both the album cover and opening
sequence of my video. I also positioned my track list central and comprised the fill layer idea, however, I divided the text’s fill
layer into four equal parts as the whole fill layer showed empty spaces which were visually displeasing. Indie band, the XX’s debut
album inspired the configuration of my barcode; copyright infringements; artist webpage; dates of year and record label logos. I
selected this particular album as a guide on account of it’s customary approach; the design likens to most albums in the industry.
The copyright information was almost directly prompted by that of the album 'Hummingbird’ by Local Natives, the band of my chosen song.
This was to provide the appropriate information regarding the artists and their record label, ‘Infectious Records’, again reinforcing
the verisimilitude of my own product when compared to those in the music industry. My original intention was to be guided by the actual
album of my song, ‘Gorilla Manor’, however, I was unable to on account of the text’s indistinguishable size. My track list was
essentially a duplicate of the genuine track list on ‘Gorilla Manor’, I decided to do this as the remaining songs on Local Native’s
album purposely compliment my chosen song, emphasising the continuity.
2015

18. My Poster

19. On a promotion poster for an album, one would expect see:
• The band name
• A main image
• The artist/band’s featured song
• The album name
• The release date do the audience known when it is available
for purchase.
• The artist/band’s website so the audience can find out
more about them and about upcoming tour dates.
• Their record label logo(s) to promote the artist as part of
a business.
• Some indication of where the album can be purchased or
streamed, usually illustrated in the form of company logos.
These are all elements which I adhered to, as they all support
the promotional purposes of this product.

20. In accordance to the research I carried out on indie posters, prior to the construction of my
own, geometry was an overriding theme, particularly in relation to circles. This design style
coincides with contemporary art forms, which is currently popular amongst society because of
it’s modest nature. I featured this concept within my own design as it’s overall purpose is to
comply with widespread taste to sell more products.
I also noted it’s balance between minimalism and surrealism; minimalism represented by the
shapes and surrealism depicted by the use of colour and patterns. I incorporated this property in
my own poster, embracing the use of hand-rendered collage and layer blends on Photoshop to
portray surrealism, although also filling the majority of the image with solid white colour to
enforce the minimalist balance.
Most indie posters I gazed upon also wore fairly simple font styles for the purpose of clarity, I
therefore applied minimalist font ‘Courier New’ to all the text within my poster. I
strengthened the clarity further by increasing the letter spacing.