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

2. Amal Osman
Music video conventions
 By looking at the conventions of music videos, it gave us the ability to understand what is
prominent in them according to the specific genre of the music.
 From the research we did on ‘’Kate Nash foundation’’ music video, we learnt that the
convention used to represent an indie artist is to represents what the artist is trying to
portray but in a very down to earth and humble way and that allows others to connect with
them on a personal level. She does this by not having expensive items in her music ,
whereas in a RnB music video a common convention is to have big diamonds and gold
jewellery . Instead Kate Nash uses a tooth brush and socks to get across the message
she wants to her audience. Kate Nash lip synced through the whole music video alongside
the narrative instead of having them as separate scenes which is another convention.
 In the research we did on Ed Sheeran’s video ‘’Drunk’’ we learnt the convention he used to
represent indie was humour and this was done through that toy cat that featured the video
and the dialogue used to illustrate what the toy cat wanted to say. Also another convention
was that Ed Sheeran had his guitar in the music video which one of the indie convention .
The music video also doesn’t feature any superficial items and because of that many of his
target audience can relate to him as an artist. Also another convention used in his video
was a performance scene as well as a narrative.
 In Florence and the machines video “Cosmic Love” we learnt that she used was special
effects and that is also one of the conventions of a music video. She did this to illustrate
the meaning on the song in a visual way and that allows her target audience to relate to
her.

3. Amal Osman
Continued…
 From this we learnt that a performance with a guitar is a common convention in indie music videos and
that they don’t use expensive props and that there settings can be relatable to the audience. We also
learnt that not all music videos follow a narrative or storyline, although it is a typical theme that occurs in
music videos. Another music video convention is that there is almost always a performance in a music
video whether it be through out all of it or it coinciding with the narrative. Also music videos are an
opportunity to understand and feel the mood of the song visually .
 This relates to Andrew Goodwin theory and he stated for the target audience / consumers to watch the
music video again the artist needs to incorporate the music video and performance in their music video.
He also said that the ‘’star image ‘’ is also another important conventions in music videos. In addition
Goodwin said that the audience make up their own meaning or narrative of the song but that only
happens through the ideas that the music video itself portrays to the audience.
 In our music video we decided to have a narrative and this is the storyline of what the song is trying to
portray and we wanted it to fit well with the song so we could create a mood for the audience. We also
had the conventions of a performance in our final construction of our music video and performance is like
a mini concert in the music video which allows the audience to get a feel of what the artist actual tour
concerts will be like , which in effect is promoting the artist which is what a music video is primarily
supposed to do . We also decide to use props such as coins and the guitars in our music video as one of
the indie conventions and its also similar to what other music video use .

4. Amal Osman
Music genre conventions
 We learnt there are many different genres in music and what specific conventions they
have. For example the genre indie artist usually perform to show how much they are
focused on their music which makes the music video more authentic. Also the music
videos usually feature a narrative to create a storyline and this allows the their target
audience to bond with them. Sometimes indie music videos have surreal ideas in them to
catch the audience attention . An example would be ed sheerans video ‘’drunk’’ and the
unusual thing about his video was the talking cat and that got the audiences attention.
Also their music videos commonly use natural settings such as the park or house so their
audience can relate to them. Also indie genres usual have natural colours e.g. brown
green and yellow . They also have props such as a guitar and normally wear vintage
clothes to give them a retro appearance.
 In comparison to the pop genre , in their videos artists generally have dancing scenes with
a group/crew to make the video look interesting and they also have narratives and
sometimes the two are linked together. Also bright neon colours are used to draw the
audience attention. This is because the colours used aren't boring but electrifying instead
so it will keep them interested in the music video. An example of a music video where
there is dance as well as bright colours would be Cheryl Coles video ‘’fight for this love’’.
 The genre we choose was indie and therefore we included the conventions which are
common in an indie music video. For example we used natural setting such as the park
and house scenes and we also had our artist wear vintage clothes which will appeal to our
audience as that is what the indie genre consists of . We also had a performance
alongside a narrative and we also used props such as a guitar . All this will attract and get
the attentions of our target audience.

5. Amal Osman
Digipak conventions
 Digipak conventions are that they usually have an extreme close up of the singer on the front
cover so that they can still be seen on thumbnail when downloaded digitally. we also learnt
that usually artist add something special on the digipak to add special value to it which will get
the audience to buy a physical copy then digitally download it . For example artist might add a
bonus CD which has bonus tracks that the actual album doesn’t have or a calendar with
pictures of the artist on . Also another common convention is to use bright colours so that
consumers are attracted instantly while buying other albums and this makes that special
album stand out from all the other ones because of the bright colours or bizarre designs used.
 From the research we have completed on Rihanna ‘’loud’’ album which of the pop genre. we
found that she had an extreme close up of her face on the front cover of the album which we
have seen is a common theme in digipaks distributed today e.g. Ed sheerans album cover .
However in our digipak we wanted to subvert from the common convention of having an
extreme close up of the artist face and instead we decided to have a mid-shot of the artist and
that enabled us to show the scenery behind her of the trees in the park which means we are
keeping to the indie conventions .
 We also added an extra CD in the digipak which has the instrumentals of every song on the
album which allows our target audience to make their own version of a song on the digipak .
Thus creating a unique selling point and adds special value to the album .

6. Amal Osman
Continued
 We also have elements of intertextuality in our digipak because we have an image where the artist is
reaching out to the graffiti which resembles the work of Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
The image we used
Michelangelo's
painting

7. Amal Osman
Magazine advert conventions
 The conventions of Magazine adverts are that they usually have the same image as the digipak because
it is trying to publicise the digipak by creating a relationship between the two products . They also have a
lot of detail about the album on the magazine advert . For example they usually have the record label and
a music distributing site such as iTunes logo , They also have the artist website link on there as well as
information about when the album will be released. Also the colours used in the magazine advert usually
represents the genre of the music that the artist is distributing .
 From the research we have completed on artist such as Jessie j and Mumford & sons magazine advert.
we have found that artist usually use the same image on their digipak and magazine advert which creates
a link between the two products . They also have information on the magazine advert such the release
date of album and website . Also in the Mumford's and sons magazine advert they used colours such as
green and brown which represents the indie genre. However Jessie j is one of many artist who subverted
from the typical conventions used in the pop genre . This is because the main colours she uses are black
and gold and usually the colours associated with pop are bright vibrant colours like bright pink and green.
 In our magazine advert we followed the conventions of having the same image in the magazine advert
and digipak and adding information on the magazine advert. However in some ways we subverted from
the conventions because of the colours we used in our magazine advert e.g. the pink and yellow as they
don’t represent the indie genre. However because the colours are muted and are pastel colours it could
be argued that the colours do represent the indie genre .

8. Amal Osman
Conventions appealing to target
audience
 Our use of conventions will attract our target audience because it allowed our music video
to be relatable with the narrative in the music video. Also having the performance in there
allows our target audience to see how much performing and music is important to the
artist.
 The convention used in the digipak will attract our target audience because we have an
extra CD which has instrumentals of each song and lyrics booklet which adds special
value to the product which will attract them. This is because it allows the target audience
to get involved and makes them feel like the album has been made for them. It also
ensures that the target audience will buy the digipak .
 In addition , our magazine advert will attract our target audience because there is the link
with the digipak and music video by the use of colours , there is also information on the
magazine which will help our target audience find more information . Also because we
have a barcode which allows our target audience to see an exclusive photo shoot will be
appealing to them because they are getting something extra special that not a lot of artist
are doing.