1. 1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products?
As our chosen artist’s music is of the acoustic genre, I started to look at
existing music videos of the acoustic genre. I studied, analysed and took note of
recurring themes that could be conventions of music videos. As I have a keen interest
in music anyway, I already had a basic understanding of conventions of different
genres from watching music channels and watching music videos on Youtube. I also
carried 4 music video analyses, 2 of the acoustic genre, and 2 of different genres.
From these analysis’ I developed my knowledge and expanded my awareness of
conventions of existing music videos of both the acoustic genres and other music
genres. I have written about some of these conventions below.
Goodwin’s music video theory consists of a number of features applicable to
most music videos. These are as follows:
1) Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics: In our music video we
included several aspects that associated our music video with the
characteristics of acoustic music. (More detail about how we did so in the
convention breakdown below).
2) There is a relationship between music and visuals: As we wanted our
music video to be able to tap into this convention of music videos we
decided to include some matching lyrics and visuals. For example one
section of the song’s lyrics is “ And I’d take my time, to show you that I
care”. During this part the visuals are of the narrative couple walking and
holding hands in slow motion to match the lyrics and the themes of time
and caring. However we did not want to overuse this convention as a
literal music video where visuals consistently match the visuals looks
unprofessional and tacky.
3) There is a relationship between music and visuals: When there is the guitar
playing in the track, quite frequently throughout our music video we
showed clips of Lewis playing the acoustic guitar. Also we edited out
music video in a way that matched the beat of the music to the beat of the
cut of visuals, again enhancing the relationship between music and visuals.
4) The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups
of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their
work: In our music video we included many close ups of Lewis singing
and close ups of him playing the guitar to abide with this criteria. We also
had Lewis wearing his key chain necklace, which is a reoccurring theme of
his as he wears it during live gigs and promotional photographs.
5) There is frequently reference to the notion of looking and particularly
voyeuristic treatment of the female body. We included clips of Lewis
looking around and looking up to the sun as he sings to represent him
looking for his loved one. The only female in our music video is of the
narrative actress, however in the casting process we thought that as she is
an attractive woman she would fulfil this feature.
6) There is often intertextual reference: As previously mentioned we planned
for Lewis to wear his key chain necklace as it is a reoccurring theme of his
as he wears it during live gigs and promotional photographs.

2. Camera Shots
From studying existing music videos of the acoustic genre, it was made
apparent that the use of close ups are quite conventional. James Morrison’s music
video of “Broken Strings” and Joshua Radin’s music video of “Brand New Day” are
both of the acoustic genre and both consist of close up shots. In order for my music
video to be able to tap into this
convention I decided to use several
close ups throughout both the
performance section and the
narrative section. It would also
enable the audience to see what the
artist looks like, which could help to
increase his popularity and
awareness. An example of one of the
close ups we used can be seen to the right. This is a close up of Lewis who is sitting
under a willow tree playing the guitar and singing.
Having watched music videos of other genres such as rock music I found that
the use of tracking shots and pans are very common. For example in one of the music
video analyses that I carried out was that of Francesqa’s music video of their single
“Ghosts”. In this video tracking shots are used several times, mainly in the
performance section of the music video. From watching rock music channels such as
“Kerrang!” “Lava TV” and “Scuzz”, I have found that the use of tracking shots in
performance sections of rock music videos is very popular. Hence I drew the
conclusion that the use of tracking shots is a convention of rock music videos. Despite
this when it came to storyboarding, a few of the panels we constructed included the
use of a tracking shot. As I knew that this was a convention of rock music videos and
not used commonly in acoustic music videos I was a bit apprehensive in using one in
the music video. However we it came to shooting we tried out the tracking shots and
we thought they worked really nicely. Hence we decided to leave the tracking shots
in, which could challenge the conventions of an acoustic music video. However I feel
that despite challenging the conventions of an acoustic music video I think it fits well
into our music video and acts as an interesting shot.
Many acoustic music videos including Jason Mraz’s music video of “I’m
Yours” and Never Shout Never’s music video of “I love you 5”, consist of handheld
camera movement. As we got the opportunity to use a Sony HDV-100E video camera
as apposed to the smaller Sony HD Handycams, we decided incorporate some
handheld shots into our storyboard. When we shot our music video with the Sony
HDV-100E video camera, we were able to use handheld shots in the music video and
come out with reasonably steady and interesting shots. It is difficult to do a handheld
shot using a Sony HD Handycam as when viewing the captured footage back you can
really notice the shakiness, which looks unprofessional. By using handheld shots we
were able to incorporate this conventional camera movement of acoustic music videos
into our music video. On a different note we felt that the use of static shots might
challenge the camera movement convention of acoustic music videos. Also we felt
that repetitive use of static shots could make a very dull music video so we tried to
minimise the use of static shots.

3. Location and Setting
One important issue we had to face was the choice of location to film our
music video. From studying existing acoustic music videos we found that the majority
of them were filmed outdoors in beautiful scenery. We wanted to develop this
convention in our music video and also film in beautiful scenery. Hence we came to
the decision of filming in “The Walks”, a
park in West Norfolk (see picture to the
right). The park consists of a river, a huge
amount of trees and plants, a bandstand, a
castle, hills and fields, all of which would
benefit the mise-en-scene of the music
video by making it visually appealing. A
typical convention of acoustic music
videos is to include shots of either the
narrative actors or the performer walking
across grass, so we decided to include this
convention in our music video. This
convention is also made apparent in Colbie Caillat’s music video of “Bubbly”, when
Colbie and a male actor are shown lying down and walking across the grass. We also
felt that we could use the sheer size and variety within this location to our advantage
and create some interesting shots, emphasising on the beautiful location and tapping
into this convention.
Another possible location was to
film at the beach as this location proved
quite conventional of an acoustic music
video. For example Jack Johnson’s
music video of “Taylor” (see the screen
shot to the right) is filmed
predominantly at the beach and again
this reinforces the natural feel to the
music video that is also shared with
many other music videos of the acoustic
genre. However we felt that taking expensive equipment to the beach could be a bad
idea with risks of sand getting in it.
Studying existing music videos of other genres such as rock also helped our
decision when it came to choosing a location to film at. For example one possible
location that we came up with was an abandoned warehouse. However after watching
several rock music videos I discovered that this location was very typical for this
genre as apposed to acoustic music videos, so if we filmed our music video here it
would challenge the conventions of an acoustic music video. In contrast, from
studying existing music videos of the pop music genre, I found that the location
choices were typically dance studios. We decided to avoid this type of location as it
holds strong conventions of pop music, not acoustic music.

4. Lighting
Another typical convention for an acoustic music video is the fact that very
little artificial lighting is used. As the majority of existing acoustic music videos are
set in the daytime, typically in the summer, studio lighting is not necessary. I think
another reason why the use of artificial lighting is rationed is so it does not ruin the
natural feel to the music video that acoustic music videos typically consist of. As we
shot our music video towards the end of summer at midday, we did not need to use
artificial lighting. We also felt that by not using any artificial lighting in our music
video, our music video would use the convention of natural light that is featured in
many existing acoustic music videos.On the other hand pop music videos often have
big studio lighting of many bright colours that tend to flash in time with the music.
We felt that having this approach to lighting would be unsuitable for the genre of our
chosen artist’s music, so we avoided this pathway.
Costumes
When it came to deciding on a costume for both our actors and our chosen
artist in our music video we wanted outfits that were conventional for acoustic music
videos and also fashionable so they would appeal to our target audience. As our target
audience is made up of males and females aged 13-24 we understand that fashion is
quite an important aspect for them. We wanted outfits that were fashionable so our
target audience could relate to them and find them visually attractive, enhancing our
music video.
Artists of the same genre such as Jason
Mraz and Jack Johnson are often seen wearing
casual clothing in most of their music videos. This
made me think that perhaps casual clothing is a
convention of a music video, so we applied this
convention to the outfits that we created for our
music video. Our chosen artist wore a light green t-
shirt, which looked summery and enhanced the
theme of summer time in our music video, which
is also a convention of acoustic music videos.
Along with the green shirt he also wore jeans,
which reinforced the convention of casual clothing
in acoustic music videos.
Our male actor Thomas wore a red shirt
and jeans throughout our music video. Again by
wearing jeans it holds the convention of casual clothing in acoustic music videos. The
colour red has connotations of romance, and this could represent the theme of love in
our chosen artist’s song as well as this theme that is shared in many existing acoustic
music videos. Red shirts are also quite popular in acoustic music videos, (see picture
right of acoustic artist City and Colour), which also influenced our decision when it
came to choosing the costumes.

5. Props
After watching acoustic music videos such as Jack Johnson’s “You and Your
Heart” and Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours”, I found that quite a common feature is to
include footage of sport.
For example “I’m Yours”
includes footage of
skateboarding (see left)
and “You and Your Heart”,
includes surfboarding
footage. Other acoustic
videos I watched included
sports such as volley ball
on the beach. Seeing sports in acoustic music videos has led me to believe that it
could be a convention. Hence we decided to include some kind of sports in our music
video. We thought that logistically having extreme sports such as surfing or
skateboarding in our music video could be difficult to film, as well as having health
and safety issues. We decided that an appropriate sport to include in our music video
would be a bat and ball game between the narrative couple in love. This taps into this
convention, as well as also showing that the couple are having fun in the park, being
in love and playing games.
Another prop we included in our music video was the use of an acoustic
guitar. We found that many acoustic singer-songwriters play their acoustic guitar in
the performance sections of their music video. We thought it would be a good idea to
incorporate performance shots of our chosen artist playing his guitar so we could use
this convention and make our music video more like a professional acoustic music
video. We also thought that by including
shots of our chosen artist playing guitar it
would help with his star persona and allow
the audience to recognise that he plays
guitar as well as sings. You can see a shot
that we used in our music video to show
Lewis playing the guitar and singing to the
right.
Music Video Structure
The majority of acoustic music videos I studied have a structure that includes
both performance and narrative sections. As we wanted to use this convention in our
music video we created a narrative that we could use and incorporated that and
performance shots into our storyboard. We also felt that a music video consisting
purely of a performance would make a boring music video. We felt the same way
about having a music video based purely on around a narrative. We also thought it is
important, particularly in unsigned acts to include performance sections so the
audience can start to recognise the artist and associate their music with their face.

6. Editing
When it came to editing our
acoustic music video we decided to
take a similar approach to that of the
music videos of “Hey There Delilah”,
by The Plain White T’s. In this video
the footage is shown in sections split
across the scene. As we thought this
makes an interesting editing technique,
as well as using this convention of an
acoustic music video we decided to
incorporate this editing technique into our music video. An example of the sectioning
can be scene in the screen shot above from the Plain White T’s music video.
Another editing convention found often in existing acoustic music videos is
the use of cutting to the beat of the music. The pace of the editing is quite slow paced
and the shot changes are matched in time to the beat. We also decided to use this
convention in our music video as we think it is effective in making our music video
more generic to the acoustic genre.
Another editing technique we decided to include in our acoustic music video is
the use of a colour filter in our visuals. We felt that the filters enhanced the summery
colours such as the yellows, and greens, which help to reinforce the generic
convention of summer often associated with acoustic music videos.
Conclusion
In conclusion I think that I have been successful in applying certain typical
conventions associated with an acoustic music video and think I have made correct
decisions when it came to choosing which conventions to use, develop or challenge.

7. When it came to creating my digipack and music magazine
advert I first looked at existing products of the same genre as my
chosen artist. I looked at digipack designs from artists such as
Jason Mraz and Joshua Radin. I also did further research into
similar artists digipack designs by creating written analyses of Jack
Johnson’s “In-between Dreams” and Plain White T’s “Wonders of
the Younger”. From these digipacks I was able to create a rough
idea of what conventions were typical for acoustic artist’s digipacks. I also looked at
magazines that feature acoustic music such as NME to see the conventions associated
with acoustic magazine adverts.
One of the conventions I found common to acoustic artist’s digipacks was the
use of showing the artist on the front cover, as seen in the picture to the right of
acoustic singer-song writer City and Colour. As I wanted to use this convention in my
digipack design and magazine advert I decided to include a photograph of Lewis on
the front cover. I also think that as Lewis is an unsigned artist it would be a good idea
to include a picture of him on the front cover so the audience can get a rough idea of
what he looks like and create a sense of star persona. In conjunction to this convention
the most typical framing of the digipack photo was centred. As my photo was
originally rectangle and I had to edit it using Photo Shop to make it the correct square
shape, I was unable to use the centred photo convention. Instead the artist was
positioned to the right of the photograph, slightly off centred. I thought it would be a
good idea to use the same image in both of my ancillary products so the audience can
recognise the reoccurring theme and associate the advert with the single release.
Studying existing magazine adverts, particularly of the
acoustic genre I found that having the release date quite big and
interesting is a typical convention of a magazine advert. This is why
I decided to include my release date on the sign that Lewis was
holding up. I think this acts as an interesting and quirky way to
display the release date but also it is quite easy to read.
Another convention I decided to use was to put the artists
name towards the centre of the digipack and magazine advert.
From studying existing products of the same genre but also different genres such as
Pop music and Rock music I found that the artists name tended to be in the middle
and generally the biggest text. Also as the artists name is probably the most important
piece of text of the digipack cover and magazine advert so by having it towards the
centre it would be likely to focus the audience’s attention to it first. The font choice
used in many acoustic digipacks I looked at were quite simple and easy to read. I
wanted to challenge this convention by using a more fancy font choice, so I used a
swirly font. However I made sure it was still easy to read. As acoustic music holds
conventions of love and romance I decided to colour the text in red as the colour red
connotes these themes.
In my digipack I also decided to include the artist’s website as this would
enable the audience to view more of the artist’s work and increase his awareness
which is important, particularly for an unsigned artist. Another convention I included
on my digipack was the use of a barcode. As well as using this convention I feel that
this little feature makes my digipack look more professional.
In conclusion I believe that despite taking a more challenging approach on
existing acoustic product conventions, I have created a interesting and innovative

8. design which can still be linked back to the acoustic genre, but with a more
metaphorical approach.