EVALUATION: QUESTION ONE

Q1. IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?

Earlier in the year we researched a number of different theorists including Carol Vernallis and Andrew Goodwin. At the very beginning, once we listened to the song, we realised that we would take Goodwin's theory of disjuncture and use this as a base to form our own ideas on instead of using illustration; which could get a little repetitive. Additionally, our video also sticks to the ideas and conventions that Vernallis presents. For example, we used discontinuous editing all the way through our video. This enhanced our audiences viewing as it focuses their view on our artist. Furthermore, we used obvious edits to draw attention to our artist as she sang into the camera engaging with the audience. We also used slow motion many times in our music video. This was done at certain points throughout to emphasise a specific shot; For example, at the very end we wanted to emphasise the bird release and through using slow motion it was effective.

Throughout the research process of our video, we found that looking at others music videos helped spark inspiration for our own. Such as: Lykke Li's video Get Some:

This music video was a huge influence into the many stylistic ideas of our video. We loved the quick paced cuts and the idea of writing down words on a page and speeding up the motion to convey a gothic/depressed tone. In doing this, we created a heavily edited piece that portrayed the mood of the song quite well.  We used both ideas accordingly into our own piece which proved to be a success in the end product.

Our song is considered unconventional as the genre of the piece is said to be Dubstep rather than a mainstream Pop song. We added in a gothic touch to our video as the song seemed quite depressing and would appeal to a certain type of teenage audience (emos, goths etc..) 

Here are a few likenesses from Lykke Li's video and our own:

Gnarls Barkley's 'Crazy' was another video that sparked inspiration into our own. Although the genres of the songs are very different the aspect of silhouettes, shadows and the use of black and can be compared to our video. We created this using a light to reflect Valeza's face on the wall whilst lip-syncing. We then brightened the contrast during editing to give the video a sense of mystery. In doing so, I think we re-created this aspect really well. Furthermore, it proved to be an effective part of our video, as we used mini clips of this throughout.

Looking at my Digipak, I've tried to stick to a simplistic structure by looking at artists of today and how their albums have been crafted. The simplistic approach to an album evidently seems to be the conventional way these days. Therefore, the front of my digipak can be compared to Adele's debut album 19. I loved Adele's debut album as she had her face half in light of a shadow and half out but her fans could still recognise her distinctly. Therefore I took this idea and incorporated it into my own by using only half of Lila's face in the picture:

The differences between the two are that of three: The colour scheme, the pose and the artists genre. I think the main link is the extreme close up position of the face. In using this picture type, the artist looks flattering which will draw an audience to her image on the shelves of HMV or online. Also, with the help of using a black and white edit to enhance her face draws attention to the album. Furthermore, the black and white use within my digipak makes it easier for my audience to recognise our artist, as we used this in our music video.

My advertisement is sticking to conventions by playing with the text and having an eye capturing picture to sell and promote! I took inspiration from Rihanna's Loud album poster as it had the simplicity factors that I wanted: 

I loved the distinctive colour that her poster portrays as it reflects the albums name 'Loud' 

instantaneously. This gave me the idea to incorporate this into my own piece. The obvious differences are colour and the poses that each artists are in. However, I've followed her text positioning as its simple yet effective as the target audience can clearly see what her company are trying to promote. In following these conventions I've created a believable and sellable product to my target audience.