Casey Phillips - Evaluation Question 1

Evaluation Question 1
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products?
Conventions of a Digipak.
A digipak is a style of a CD or DVD packaging. Digipaks are normally designed to have a gatefold like a book and the
packaging is either made out plastic or cardboard. They are usually created for special editions and albums because they look
more professional, the quality is better and they hold more information than normal. However, as they are made out of
cardboard, they can be quite vulnerable and they are likely to wear off than average cases. Digipaks became popular in the
early 2000's and now they are used quite often.
Convention

What is it?

Why is it used?

Track list

A track list is a list of all the songs that the band or

artist has created.

Title & Artist name

The title of the album and name of the artist is used

so the audience is able to recognise who and whether
it's worth buying.
The barcode/QR code is usually found on the back of
the digipak. This is used for the audience to purchase
the album. The QR code takes viewers to the bands
website or merchandise site.
These photos are normally of the band/artist or have a
running theme. Colour in photos are used to stand out
but black and white look more sophisticated.
Production and distribution are the people who
produced this album. They normally have a small logo
either at the front or back of the digipak.

They are created to tell the audience what

songs are on the CD as there might be new
releases.
It is important to use this convention because
the audience would like to know whose CD
they're buying.
It is used on the album to gain publicity,
audiences satisfaction and also profit towards
the bands.

Barcode/QR code

Photos

Production & Distribution

companies

Artist Information

This is information about the artist and is basically a

These essential to the digipak as it creates a

more interesting and appealing case.
They aim for a specific target audience and
this could be a wide or small range. They are
used as the audience might follow what other
music the producers have created.
This usually appeals to the fans who are

Casey Phillips - Evaluation Question 1

small biography of creating the album and songs.
Lyrics

Lyrics are the words to the song. These are usually

presented inside the digipak in a book or just one of
the folds.

deeply interested into the band or artist. It

keeps the fans interested.
These are used so the audience can follow
along with the songs. It is mainly used for the
fans interests.

Casey Phillips - Evaluation Question 1

Conventions of a Music Video

Convention
Lyric

Genre

Music

Camera Work

Editing

Narrative Performance

Intertextuality

What is it? Why use it?

Expressing the writer's emotions, usually briefly and in stanzas or recognized forms. Lyrics are a
main aspect in the making because they help establish a mood or sense of the subject matter
rather than offering the exact meaning. Some lyrics main associates with the song or visuals
however its less likely for the music video to replicate the lyrics as a whole.
1.
Genre is a style or category of art, music, or literature. Music videos can be easily
categorised as production teams concentrate more on music genres in particular. When
researching through various videos, youre able to see what features are used in particular genres.
These features might be shown through types of mise en scene, camera, themes, performance
and editing skills.
Vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form,
harmony, and expression of emotion. Music tends to make the use of the tempo of the track to the
drive of editing and it may emphasise particular sounds from the track by foreground instruments.
Camerawork is the technical work that a photographer does to take pictures. Any moving image is
used and sequenced to impact a meaning. Camera work includes the movement, angle, shot
distance and pace. Movement and placement can impact on the music video as it could connote
meanings or relate to the genre.
Prepare (written material) for publication by correcting, condensing, or otherwise modifying it.
Editing is an essential convention as it includes pacing, transitions and cuts, these key elements
might affect the meaning of the video and it can also relate to the genre.
A spoken or written account of connected events; a story. Music videos are usually cut between a
narrative and a performance of the band. A choreographed dance might be a part of the artists
performance or an extra aspect of the video intended to support visualisation and the
repeatability factor. In some videos, the artist will be part of the story, acting as a narrator and
participant at the same time. However its the lip sync close-up shots and the miming of playing
instruments that remains the same and still in music videos.
A music video is often described as a Post-Modern form, which is another way of saying
Intersexuality. One of post-modernisms reveals more definable features.

Music videos have conventions so they can highlight their genre and target their audience. There are 7 conventions
that make up a music video.

Casey Phillips - Evaluation Question 1

The conventions I used in my

media

Mise en
scene
Costumes,
Hair & Make
up
Props

What I used
All black clothing and shoes & hair up

I used various conventions when it came to planning

and creating my music video. As I was using a chart hit
Black, gold and white masks &
song, I wasnt able to use the convention lyric because
powder paint
they were already done for me. However, I used the
Body
language
Powerful, strong, sharp & in control
convention lyric when I linked the narrative to the
Facial
Blunt, superior & serious
words and meaning. The lyrics of the song had a lot of
expression
meaning therefore we had to express these meanings
Lighting
Natural lighting due to outside
and emotions through the narrative.
Location
Outside in fields and pathways
This is where we had to think about the convention
genre. The genre of the song was rock/pop, it was important that we had the right props, expressions in the face
and the story line to present what genre it was. As the song uses heavy instruments and beats, we planned out a
theme which connoted or suited the heaviness and beat of the song. As the genre was rock/pop we choose a
theme of having all black clothing and an intense rivalry storyline however has we needed to use the genre pop,
this genre was more friendly and suitable for our viewers to watch.
We used a various amount of camera shots and movement so the image wasnt at standstill all the time otherwise
itll become quite boring also we were able to capture the scenery around the main character. Usually in rock
genre, the music would be fast and low whereas this song was quite slow and low therefore when it came to
thinking about the pace of the video, we had used slow pace cuts and this allowed the viewers to examine what

Casey Phillips - Evaluation Question 1

was going on. Distance shots also allowed the viewers to examine because in cuts there were more than one
subject to focus on. Placement and movement can connote meanings or relate to the genre for example, if the
camera placement was looking up at the character, this creates a superior look to the character and suddenly
makes him in charge.
Editing was also important when it came to organising camera work because we had to arrange the shots together
to make the video flow. We used different transitions to cut from one clip to another therefore the video would run
through smoothly. We downloaded a video clip of a loss signal TV screen and we layered this over our own video
clip, this was to emphasis the change the character made from normal to mask. We used a transition of fade to
black or white to give the video some boldness and it was able to catch the viewers eye as it stroked like lighting.
To create tension in the last minute of the video, where the narrative begun to change, we selected the group of
masked people to walk towards the camera and we edited this into slow motion and this worked really well due to
the beat but also the pace of the song as it was coming to an end. This also created the masked people to look
superior and all the tension was on their movement.

Casey Phillips - Evaluation Question 1

Theory of Goodwin
Aspects of a music video
Godwins theory states that there are 8 aspects to a music video. These 8 aspects are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Links between Lyrics and Visuals

Goodwin suggests that lyrics makes constant references to visual on the
Links between Music and Visuals
screen. Visuals normally reinforce what the lyrics say. This helps connect
Genre Characteristics
to viewers and teaches an understanding where and what the lyrics
Intertextual reference
actually mean.
Notions of looking
Voyeurism
Genre characteristics are portrayed as the certain personalities which is
Demands of record label
associated with a particular music genre. For example a rock video
Performance, Narrative or concept based music videos
would have a live performance video. A character can be portrayed by

Notions of looking on the idea of gaze and the way

someone in specific is understood. Goodwin believes
that in music video women are often presented as
objects. Notion of looking doesnt only apply to women,
Goodwin also thinks men are represented in ways that
they come across violent, cheats and controlling. For
example Beyonc If I were a boy, this music video
shows a man being disloyal to his partner and comes
Goodwin believes that the artist should be involved in
their music video, either by performing or acting out a
role as the main character or singer. This benefits the
song as it creates a more realistic meaning and allows
the audience to understand the song.

body language, costume or location, another example if a boy was

Record labels have a certain control over the artist they sign. The
record label role is to decide what the artist should be represented as,
for example the label may want a female to be presented sexy.
Narrative is also known as its own category in Goodwins theory. The
narrative allows the music to liven up. It connects the subjects that
Goodwin has identified. Many music videos today tend to be
fragmented however they can also be linear. This is typical for an R&B
as a genre.
Star image is a vital aspect of the music video to Goodwin theory as the
actor/actress makes the video more appealing to the audiences whilst
bringing their own style of how they portrayed. This is focused on their
costume, appearance and actions. Normally it is used to promote the
video and creating a public reputation for artist.