Question 1 - Q1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
1. We filmed close up shots of the couples faces close When we researched other music videos which fell into a similar
together to vary the shot types of them but to also genre to this one, we found that a boyfriend character was used to
meet the record demands of the record label – the help represent the theme of love and relationships so we used a boy
audience need to identify with the main pop star. to act as a boyfriend of the pop star. We used different techniques to
represent love which fits into the theme of the lyrics.
In this shot we lit it to make the setting The couple are seen to be happy and in
seem warm and bright as if it were the love and we kept to the genre
early morning. By filming them lying on a characteristics by filming a boyfriend and
bed it insinuates intimacy and the girlfriend like other music videos are seen
relationship between them. to be doing in a similar genre.
2. The lighting in this shot is dimly lit and gives a mysterious atmosphere. At this point in the video we
hadn’t shown our stars face yet so the audience can’t identify with her at this point. By using
voyeurism, we tried to build up suspense by filming other parts of her body and bare flesh to keep the
audience interested and wanting to know who she is. This is a reference of the notion of looking.
Here we used voyeurism at the beginning of the music video. The shot is a close up
of Bessie’s legs and lower body. This would especially attract male members of the
audience to the music video. This would expand the target audience because men
wouldn’t necessarily be interested in the song or idolize the female star (like young
female woman would) but by attracting them to the video in other ways (using the
notion of looking and voyeuristic treatment) it may interest them.
3. Here we layered shots of the pop star and some out-of-focus lights which created an interesting effect. I faded the light
shots out when Bessie was singing which went with the mood and tempo of the song. When we studied other music
videos of the same genre they also used similar layering effects and made transitions match with the songs speed.
This shot also shows a close up of the artists faces where the audience can identify with her and which also meets with
the record labels demands. In each different shot of Bessie, we made her make up and outfit slightly different to show
that the artist has different fashionable styles but still carries a similar look throughout the music video.
4. Task: Select 10 stills/ images from your Music Video and the 2 ancillary tasks (you cannot annotate ancillary tasks just yet
obviously). Annotate each one of them in Photoshop or Powerpoint to indicate which conventions you have used at which
point. Explain which conventions you followed/challenged and how/why? Use Goodwin's 6 points as a guide here.
In this shot, our star is singing to the camera and miming to some of the lyrics (eg. When she sings ‘you’ she points to the
camera). This will make the audience feel as if they are connecting with the star and as if she is truly performing to the
lyrics of the song.
The shot type is a long distance shot to show her whole body and actions. She is positioned in the middle of the shot with
a plain background and simple setting. She is wearing a white and simple dress. These aspects give her an innocent and
natural look so the audience can relate to her.
5. The lighting we used for this shot is warm but not to intense to represent romance and give a happy feel to the shot.
Here is a close up shot of the couples hands. In other music videos whch we researche din this genre, if a relationship
scene is seen then shots usually involve close ups of their hands and faces touching to focus on the intimacy and intensify
the romantic theme.
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12. 1. Genre Characteristics
Pop/RnB
2. Lyrics & Visuals
- Illustrate: Our music video is illustrate because it explains the lyrics in the song through the images. The song is about
how a boy is making it hard for her to love him. In the video, our pop star is singing to the camera which makes us feel like
she is singing the song to her boyfriend. We also included shots where she is seen in typical couple scenes with him which
might seem like her thinking back on t
- Amplifying: lyrics exaggerated
- Abstract: image doesn't match lyrics
3. Music & Visuals
- Usually a strong relationship between these especially with instruments, dancers, movement and camera movement etc.
4. Demand of record label
- Lots of close ups of artist, visual motif (symbol)
- Something might repeatedly appear throughout the videos as part of the artists identity.
- USP (unique selling point) (visual motif)
5. Reference to notion of looking (voyeurism)
- Pleasure of looking & subject unaware