evaluation: how have you developed, used or challenged conventions of real media texts?

8/12/2019 Evaluation: How Have you Developed, Used or Challenged Conventions of Real Media Texts?

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Evaluation: How have youused, developed, orchallenged Conventions ofReal Media texts? BY HANNAH ALLEY


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Each media text adapts certain typical conventionsaccording to its genre, such as pop, rock, R&B etc. If you

watch a variation of music videos, you will realise that

they all cater to certain genre conventions, which arerepeated over and over until they eventually becomefamiliar to an audience. However, you could argue thatsome artists like Gaga for example, essentially have theirown genre, as Gaga is so unique in so many ways.


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My music video


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My music video - Goodwins Dancing in theDistraction Factory theory

My music video uses a pop song, so when it came to producing it, I knew Ineeded to decide whether to conform to fixed pop conventions, developthem or challenge them. I ended up wanting to have a contrastingbalance of both challenging and using pop conventions, which was veryfun to do. Firstly, my video definitely conforms to Goodwins Dancing inthe Distraction Factory theory, stating that there is a relationship between

lyrics and visuals firstly. I definitely conform to this idea, as for example,when Ellie Goulding sings I left my house, left my clothes I correlate thiswith footage of Georgina putting on her jacket and leaving her house. Imade sure to repeat this aspect quite a few times to represent familiarity,but not too many times for it to become repetitive and predictable.

I left my house,

Left my clothes


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Relationship between the music andvisuals

Secondly, my music video really conforms to the idea that theres arelationship between the music and visuals, as I made sure to matchevery single shot to each beat of the song with the marking tool, so thatthe rhythm and pace was consistent and easy to watch. The second draftof my music video however, did not have this and watching itback/receiving feedback made me realise it really did need short, snappycuts to match the song rhythm, so of course I changed this.


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Notion of looking & Intertextuality

Lastly, I used notion of looking and intertextual reference, especially in thenarrative of my music video. For example, when Georgina discovers thatMatt has been speaking to other girls on his phone, I used a slow camerazoom into the phone screen, which was a Blackberry. I did this because itshows the audience that these teenagers are just like them modernand relatable. I found this aspect would be really effective in my musicvideo.


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Shot amplification

Additionally, Goodwin states that the music videos pace etc may be used toillustrate emotions and moods, without overtly showing them. I would say thatmy music video conforms to this perfectly, as I use a steady pace of cutsthroughout the video until it gets to the actual climax of the song. In the climax,the beat and singing of the song fastens and dramatises massively, and Icaptured the break up of the couple just at this time. In order for theemotions/anger felt to be amplified, I simply used extremely short cuts thatflickered from the couple arguing, to the sky spinning quickly above Georgina.

These cuts flickered back and forth in a high speed, and some of the narrativeshots of where for example Georgina pushes matt, I used a slow motion effecton this to dramatise it and add intense emotion to the shot. I found this featureof my music video really successful and it received a lot of positive feedback,purely because the climax is captured at exactly the right time, and allemotions are erratically being thrown around in these short cuts.


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Mise-en-scene and conforming to popfashion ideology

In contrast to this, I used the mise-en-scene to reallybring out certain features/the storyline of my musicvideo. For example, in terms of pop fashionideology/representation, Georgina wore a white,flowy dress with simple black pumps and a smalldenim jacket. I planned out her costume carefully,as I knew that the colour white connotes innocenceand purity. I did not want her to look too glamorous,

as the aim of my music video was to encouragesympathy from the audience for Georgina, andvictimise her. She is represented in fashionable, girlyand casual clothes, so that there is a variety in herimage to signify unpredictability but also so that thefemale viewers perhaps look up to her and see heras a role model. Many pop genre music videoshave a main female protagonist who is fashionableto trigger this successful effect.


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Varying costumes & their meanings

Furthermore, I have made sure that both of my actors wear avariation of different outfits in each stage to ensure that itsustains the audiences interest with the variety. Also, I ensuredthat their outfits fit the context, for example in a restaurantthey were more glamorously-dressed and when they were athome they were dressed casually in tracksuits, etc.. This is sothat the music video is realistic to watch, being anothertypical convention of pop music videos as they often fit in with

real life so that the audience can actually believe them,triggering a more understanding response from the viewers.Georginas outfits in particular also match the emotion withineach stage. For example, when on their date, Georginawears a red dress to signify the passion she feels for Matt. Interms of make-up, Georgina was very natural and subtle. I findthat if she looked too dolled -up, again she may just beharder to sympathise with. However, her bright red hair goesagainst this convention, and in fact makes her stand out from

the woods as she wanders around it; which for me, is a greatfeature because it made her unique.

Date : red connotespassion/love, she looksglamorous

Coocoobothcom

Arguments : red & blackconnote anger. She ismore smart as her guardis back up

Awo


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The setting and its representation

The idea of the woods is that it captures isolation and someoneessentially being lost that being Georgina. I found this wasthe perfect place to highlight the fact that Georgina istrapped (in the woods) by her own emotions, and cannotescape as random props trigger her imagination. This alsoportrays a childlike sense within her, making her easier toempathise with.


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Antonio Gramiscis hegemony &Binary Opposites by Levi -Strauss

Additionally, Antonio Gramisci used the term hegemony to describe what isthe social norm in people. I believe that my music video supports thehegemonic norm of a typical weak and heartbroken girl who is drawn in bylove. She is represented as not as strong as Matt, and this is signified throughclose up shots of her looking sad, or long shots of her looking lost andvulnerable, whilst constantly being reminded of her sad past love life. Andfunnily enough, the audience is shown no sign of remorse or weakness ofemotion within Matt, as the male. I did not purposely do this, however, itdefinitely conforms to the pop conventions as most pop music videos representfemales and males in this way. This essentially uses the idea of BinaryOpposites by Levi -Strauss, which again is a very common convention in popmusic videos. The effect of this is that when Matt rejects Georgina in thestoryline, the audience may feel even more sympathy for Georgina as Mattsimage is masculine and hard, compared to Georgina who is soft andsensitive, emphasising her heart-break and vulnerability when they split.


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Challenging conventional pop ideas

However, there are many aspects in my music video that challengetypical pop conventions. Overall, I would describe my video as quitestrange and quirky. Most pop videos are fun, fast, lovey -dovey andperhaps cheesy. I have seen some pop music videos with sad storylines,however they are part of the minority. The fact that my music video usesboth performance and narrative-based shots is quite unusual for a popmusic video, as they usually only use performance shots. Also, the idea ofGeorgina discovering props that are a figure of her imagination could beconsidered as quite odd most pop music videos keep things simple andeasy to understand. However, I wanted my music video to be differentand have depth to it; something only people who really paid attention toit, would understand.


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Signifier and signified

I would say I definitely use the idea of signifier and signified through the useof props. Georgina discovers props along the way that link to flashbacksfrom her previous relationship, such as the random spoon on the floorwhich she picks up and it links to a shot of a spoon on the kitchen side,followed by the couple cooking together. The effect of this is that theaudience will be able to familiarise with the props and realise that they aremeaningful in her mind, and also figures of her imagination.


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Added meaning to my video

Furthermore, the idea of the gymnastic/ribbon shots I used,where we see a gymnast perform in slow motion every nowand then randomly throughout, is not conventional of thepop genre. Its quite eccentric and unusual something thatwould perhaps confuse people. But I wanted addedmeaning to my music video, and emotion to be conveyed inother ways than blatantly through visuals. Pop music videosdont usually use these sort of random shots, however I feltthat emotion was amplified through these. For example, Iused a shot of the gymnast simply jumping in the air in slowmotion, which was used right next to the narrative shots ofwhen Georgina and Matt first started dating. This was meantto convey Georginas sudden freedom as she jumps outthere and begins her love life with this male. I also felt that insome of the shots, the ribbon portrayed the flowing ofGeorginas emotion. The last shot of the gymnast leaping inthe air was used after the shot of Georgina burning Mattsletter this again, represents Georginas sudden freedom asshe is finally moving on from her ex lover.


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Challenging Laura Mulveys The MaleGaze

Adding on to this idea, I think this is where Laura Mulvey's 'The Male Gazetheory' comes in to my music video. This is another prime example of aconventional pop theory I have challenged and not used in my musicvideo. In music videos like Rihanna's 'Rude Boy' which is another popvideo, highly contrasting towards my video itself, Rihanna is representedas overtly sexual and confident. This is portrayed through shotsemphasising her curves and bare legs, or her breasts. However, like Ipreviously stated with Goodwin's theory of voyeurism, The Male Gaze wasnot necessary for me. I felt I did not want Georgina to be viewed in

specifically a heterosexual male's point of view, because if I presentedher in such a sexual way, she would become merely a seductive object,not a representation of a normal, typical teenage female. I want myteenage target audience to be able to relate with her, not feelintimidated by her or envious of her. Like I previously stated, I feel that ifGeorgina was represented in too much of a glamorous, sexual way,females especially would find it hard to empathise with her. So I avoidedthis theory was much as possible by using long shots of her runningthrough the woods looking lost so that we see her at her most innocent,vulnerable manner, and her body features aren't particularly emphasisedby the camera movement/shots/angles I used. Furthermore, her clothescover her up any way, so I felt successful with my attempt to challengethis theory.


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Unconventional settings thatteenagers can relate to

As well as this, with most pop music videos you watch, there arehigh- class settings like a green screen, London, and overall brightand bubbly backgrounds. However, my music video uses thewoods as the performance shots, which is quite unusual. The onlytime I have ever seen the woods used in a music video was inParamores Brick By Boring Brick, which used the idea of Alice inWonderland lost in the unknown depth of the land. I was inspired bythis and in turn wanted to add an Alice in Wonderland essence to

my music video, but at the same time using narrative shots set athouses, outside, etc.. My music video uses quite a lot of casualscenes, like in a house kitchen, bedroom, lounge etc, but I wantedto create a typical teenage love story that the audience couldactually relate to and feel it is not far off from reality. I did contrastthis with using an actual restaurant for their date night, so that therewas a variety of settings used, but I feel this does challenge popconventions quite a bit as they usually use more artistic scenerythan this.


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Setting correlated with the song

However, in some respects my music video conforms to the pop genreconventions and also my songs conventions. The song Guns andHorses uses a light, melodic acoustic background sound, which when Ifirst listened to it, made me think of woods, trees, birds and the sun.The woods was my instant reaction, and I still do feel now that thewoods I used really correlate with the songs sound, as the acoustic

feel matches the nature provided. Wide angle long shots of the sunpeering through the trees and bushes towards the camera are typicalshots used in order to create a calm, acoustic feel to the video.However of course I knew that my music video needed something elseto add a more dramatic feel to it, in order to match with its song, whichis when I brought in Georgina being lost and the narrative shots of thecouples story together


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Escapism

I do feel that those who listen to my music video would enjoy the outsidefeel given with it, and those who listen to pop who perhaps live in the cityor are tired of the same superficial conventions given in pop music videoswould enjoy and appreciate the naturistic feel I have shown in my musicvideo, as it may provide a sense of escapism. Also, my music videoconforms to the pop genre by using a love story and flashbacks, which isoften used in pop music videos.


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In-concert experience Firth 1988

I made sure to use a love story narrative as well as a performance whichholds typical pop ideology as the majority of pop videos include some sortof narrative, along with performance shots. The effect of usingperformance in my music video is that it conveys a sense of the in-concertexperience to the audience (as said by Firth 1988). It reminds the viewerthat the soundtrack is still important.


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Mode of Effects & linear structure

Furthermore, my music video definitely uses the Modeof Effects convention as it assumes that my youngteenage target audience will appreciate the lovestoryline. I, as the producer, have assumed that mostteenagers have been through what I convey in myGuns and Horses storyline, so they can relate to it andtherefore it will be successful. My music video functionslike a mini-film. It uses flashbacks throughout, especiallyin the choruses, to trigger an emotional reaction fromthe audience as its bringing back previous momentsfrom the couples relationship. My music video is verystructured and linear, with specifically 5 differentstages of a relationship portrayed throughout,beginning from the couples first date, ending with theacceptance of their break-up. This makes my musicvideo very clear to understand and reveals informationomnisciently. Perhaps it is quite clich, but a common

feature of the Pop genre.


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Conforming to Todorovs equilibriumtheory

According to Todorov, there is usually a equilibrium then a newequilibrium/resolution at the end of the video. The resolution leaves theaudience feeling satisfied as everything has been solved after such abuild-up. I applied this aspect to my music video, as at the end my mainactress finds her way out of the woods, and after all of the heart -wrenching flashbacks, she simply reminisces of the happy memories herand Matt had together. Even though this is quite realistic and not thehappiest ending, it creates a satisfying feeling for the audience because itis just life and things aren't so bad anymore.


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Target audience & conforming toBulmer and Katz Uses andGratifications theory

My video would essentially appeal to young girls within the ages of 12- 24. Idsay this is because Ellie was only 23 when she sung Guns and Horses, and herlyrics really portray this, so they would appeal to those of a similar generation.In result, I carefully picked my main actress to appear as a young girl, small insize, petite and innocent-looking. This was to ensure that my audience wouldfeel a personal identification with my actress, helping them to engage morewith the narrative. This means it applied to Bulmer and Katz Uses andGratifications theory. After watching previous pop music videos, like Rihanna

and Katy Perrys, I realised that the artist needs to be confident and outgoing inorder to appeal to an audience, so I chose Georgina as I knew she would beconfident and comfortable with miming correctly and acting accordingly tothe role, which I felt she did perfectly.


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In conclusion

Overall, I feel that my music video bothconforms, challenges and developstypical conventions of the pop genre,as the visuals/music link to the lyrics, itconforms to many theories/ideology,yet it also has its own unique, quirkyfeel that jumps out of the typical popconventions and is one of its own.


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My Digipak


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How I created the nostalgic,mysterious tone & conforming toAndrew Goodwins theories

My digipak main cover maintains the dreamy, nostalgic style ofGeorgina being lost in a woods, reminiscing of her past relationshipthrough light blue filters that add a glow effect, making her look innocentand angelic. I actually took the photos in the woods, in the exact sameplace we filmed the video, so that Georgina could replicate the actuallost feeling she acted in the music video. She definitely did this as in thephoto, she is looking in an upwards direction at something unknown,representing how lost and dreamy she is. I used a close up to conform toGoodwin's theory of 'personal identity', assuming that the audience willidentify with her in this way. To reinforce this dreamy, Alice inWonderland feel, I added sparkles underneath the title LIGHTS whichare multicoloured and faded just a tad. This is quite conventional of apop digipak cover as female ones are usually quite colourful and girly,yet mysterious which I feel I replicated. It also portrays Andrew Goodwinstheory of amplifying emotion/feeling in subtle ways, which I have donethrough a close up of Georgina, not only representing her star image butallowing the audience to relate/empathise with her through her facialexpression, which connotes sadness and heartbreak.


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The CD holders

The CD holders and all of the other photos used are all of trees/nature. Thisis because I am trying to convey the tone of the album, highlighting theacoustic/soft tone used in the song. I feel that the target audiencemembers of soft pop will instantly associate themselves with albums of thislook. The filters used on these photos make the leaves and scenery seemsunlit and warm, therefore appealing and eye catching. This keeps itsimple and pleasant.


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Providing familiarity in part 4

Then, on part 4 there is an image of Georgina actually discovering her firstprop in the music video: the ribbons. Therefore, this image replicates thisexact moment in the video, providing familiarity with the audience andconsistency.


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Personal touch to part 5

Part 5 is an image of a torn up small note on theground with leaves on it, saying I hope youenjoyed it as much as I did.. Ellie x. I came up withthis idea myself and wrote this down on a smallpiece of paper in script writing, to connotepassion. I thought it was a great idea to add theartists personal touch to my digipak, so that theaudience can identify with them more. It alsocontinues the idea of the woods floor with leavesand nature, again reinforcing the familiarity withinthe audience. The note also suggests that Ellieactually really enjoyed taking part in the musicvideo herself, and singing the song, which I feeladds a great touch to the digipak.


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Last part

The last part is a simple image of Georginas hand brushingacross a tree bark, which is faded behind the track listingswhich are bold and in black, but the track numbers are inred. I added a drop shadow to make it stand out, as mostpop digipaks do themselves. The copyright details are alsoincluded as well as typical generic conventions such asthe track list and barcode. These all contribute to makingmy product look as professional and as close to real-lifemedia texts as possible.


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In conclusion

Its easy to notice as well, that my whole digipak continues the actualnaturistic music video feel as much as possible, creating familiarity withinthe audience. I didnt take any photos in a studio, purposely for this effect.I chose to use 6 parts to my digipak to add more of a personal feel to it - asif more effort has been put into creating it, for the audience to appreciate.


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Magazine advert


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Additionally, my magazine advert also maintains the nostalgic, 'Alice inWonderland' type of theme throughout. The main image is of Georginawalking through the woods, staring up into space. The audience are notcompletely aware of where she is looking, which again reinforces the toneof mystery. However, I have strongly linked the image to my music video,ensuring that they are consistent and similar, by actually capturing amotion/action shot of Georgina walking through the words. This links withGoodwin's personal identity, as I am assuming that the audience will beable to identify with the idea that Georgina is actually in the same settingthat she was when 'Guns and Horses' was filmed. The successful outcomeof this is that it looks like Georgina actually 'sticks to her routes' by takingthe photo in this same scene.


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Challenging Voyeurism & The MaleGaze

Similarly, I have challenged Goodwin's theory of Voyeurism andLaura Mulvey's The Male Gaze , because as you can see, Georginais dressed in a white dress that flows to her knees and covers themajority of her body, with a denim jacket over the top, black tightsand pumps. This represents her as extremely innocent and feminineas white connotes purity, and this is exactly how Georgina cameacross in the video, so I intended to continue this representation ofher. By representing her as merely a sexual object, that would bedefeating the point of trying to provoke empathy and sympathywithin the audience for her, so I avoided this. This is because, if Irepresented her as too overtly sexual and promiscuous through hercostume, my female target audience may feel almost intimidatedby her and envious of her instead of feeling sorry for her, which is notmy aim.


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Conforming to pop fashion ideology

Additionally, the image conforms to the ideaof Pop fashion ideology, as she is dressedconsiderably 'fashionable' for Spring time,and her costume is well in-season. Thesuccess of this is that the audience will feelthey can personally identify with her andrelate to her because she is 'similar to them'through dressing like them. Also, they maysee her as a role model and want to dress likeher.


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Entrapment

As well as this, in the image you will notice there is alot of wood background, and a tree behindGeorgina that arches slightly over her. This almostconforms to Goodwin's theory that media productsshould link with their initial ideas, and I did exactlythis. When taking this photo, I aimed to captureGeorgina's imprisonment and entrapment within

the woods, by having her walk underneath anarched tree which is supposed to look like it is'holding her inside the woods'. As you can see, theactual setting of the image represents not onlynature - a consistent theme throughout myproducts - but another theme throughout my musicvideo: entrapment.


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Furthermore, in the landscape version of my album advert, I haveused a very 'curvy' font type because this brings out its modernity -hopefully something the audience can identify with and feel it is 'upto date'. I used a large font size for the white 'LIGHTS' title so it wouldstand out and catch the reader's attention easily, as well ascontrasting this with 'elliegoulding' which is in red and slightly smaller,all in lower case letters. Furthermore, I believe that audiences will onlymake the effort with a product if it has overtly positive reviews, and Ihave conformed to this idea by placing two star ratings bynewspapers either side of the bottom of my album adverts. As youcan see, I have also conformed to the conventions of real-worldMedia products in relation to the Pop genre. Also, I believe that theaudience that the album is really worth buying, therefore hopefullythe album would appeal to them even more so. Lastly, thementioning of 'limited edition vinyl' again displays the idea thatpeople will be 'getting what they bargained for' and will be receivingsomething special when buying the album.


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As well as this, I conform yet again to Goodwin's idea ofpersonal identity through placing Ellie Goulding's twitter @name and website address at the bottom of both versions ofmy album covers. I believe that when the audience see themain image, they will want to identify with Ellie more and findout more about her because she is such a large focus of theadvert. Therefore, placing her Twitter name and website onthe advert will allow them to carry out their own research onher and the album, thus encouraging them to buy thealbum even more so. Lastly, the reason I created one inportrait and one in landscape is because I wanted to ensurethe album could be advertised in various places, forexample: a bus stop advert in portrait and also perhaps abillboard in landscape.

evaluation: how have you developed, used or challenged conventions of real media texts?

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