Evaluation question 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

We tired to stick to the conventions as best as we could do

The genre that we were trying to represent was UK rap, as our artists were inspired by rapper duo Krept x Konan. As this would enable us to connect to our desired target audience.

In order to do this, we used technical elements from the theories of people such as Carol Vernallis and Andrew Goodwin.

Codes and convention vary between genres, you will never see the same conventions of a indie and hip hop, as that's too confusing for the audience and that makes it harder for people to identify them if they're too similar. They also provide a structure for the music video.

The influence of Goodwin

We used amplification and illustration, as it was easier for us to capture the lyrics literally and be creative about it, rather than to user disjuncture as it would probably confuse the audience. We also used the artists as a narrator/character; looking straight as the camera.

The influence of Verallis

We have incorporated the use of slow motion; the camera moving in sync with the music; the use of basetracks;  the use of jump cuts; the use of obvious editing; continuous editing.

 Illustration 

Illustration is where the music video represents the lyrics by telling its story. Whiles amplification is the same thing but in more depth.

Amplification

amplification is the same thing but in more depth. In the case of this music video, we used to with the Rose flower. It was edited in away that it will be able to represent life and death, which amplified the meaning of the life cycle. In a sense you can even interpret it as personification but than again, flowers die too. 

Narrator/Character

Our artists played a significance role within the music video. They were used as both Narrator and character. This is because we wanted to show the audience that even though they're artist. they experience loss just like any ordinary person. Everyone is universal in that element.

Artist staring at the camera

The reason why we thought this will be effective at showing the raw emotion one feels when they lose someone so dear to them. It draws the audience in and makes them feel as though the artist has made this song just for them. They are in sync with each other the connection is so strong.

Slow Motion

This was used to capture specific moments in the music video, where mentions were raw and it made it look so much powerful. Representing the stress and pain they were feeling when talking about someone that meant so much to them.

Camera moving in sync with music

This was used at the start of the music video when we has establishing shots of London, the Church etc. This is very common with the genre we are influenced by as it occurs in many UK rappers music videos. 

Basetracks

This element is very useful at giving the music video a structure, without it, it will just look all over the place and will lack so much appeal

Jump Cuts

Very useful at keeping the audience entertained, because there's nothing worse there constantly seeing the same thing for a long duration. Whereas, jump cuts though they can be repetitive in the sense that you will see something more than once, it frequently changes from one scene or a shot or angle to another, capturing different things.

Obvious editing

One of the most obvious editing we used was the use of slow motion. Also with how the rose changed color that was an obvious edit. Though it was obvious it was still effective at capturing the audience's attention.

Continuous editing

This was the transitions from scene to scene, from shot to shot, from angle to angel, in order to make the music video flow  

The notion of stereotype

We break the convention of the females on this music video being subject to the male gaze "sex sells", as it doesn't match the type of song it is and it just degrades women. It subliminally means that in order for a women to fit in to society, she must allow herself to appeal to men the way they want you to. However, we do stick to the use of the 9 give or take base tracks, as it helps us to achieve a structure for our music video.

Symbolic techniques

We have used this throughout our music video. through symbolism of the lyrics with the emotional performance of our artists. So you can feel that connection with the lyrics and the video itself. Specifically the pain and heartache.

This is the use of things like facial expressions and body language

Technical

How meaning is conveyed used technical equipment, e.g the way the camera is angled, different type of shots, sounds non-diegetic and diegetic. The pace, the style of editing and the genre.

By maintain the influence of camera work, helping to show the messages we want to portray. For instance, we have used close up in scenes where the facial expression of the artists is critical in linking the performance to the music video. As it builds a stronger understanding to what we want to achieve. It is also for showing different elements of the music video to the audience, so that they see things from more than one angel. As angels are effective at giving meaning and significance.

Mise-en-scene (Costume)

The use of costume was effective at presenting the combinations of genres that our artists were from. As the artist Estelle Da La Rose has taken inspiration from Emeli Sande, it's only right that we maintain her style. Emeli is known for always being so well dressed. She always looks elegant and she is a prime example of how women should represent themselves. Unlike so many female artists that are subject to the male gaze. She breaks free from that stereotype, and represents herself in a more lady like way. She covers are imitate areas accordingly. It is respectable, as she has a target audience consist of grown women, ranging from the ages of 40-55. So its prime that she is appealing to them, as they are grown women, that have experienced life and realise that one should dress accordingly. Likewise, it is also great for younger females to, as it shows that you don't have to show a lot of flesh in order to be seen as sexy. A women with class, is what is sexy. Don't degrade yourself to fit into the male gaze stereotype and lose your own self value. With the male artists Kwabz and Kapone. We also used the typical style that Krept and Konan use. In order to appeal to their audience, which are the youths, where girls are attracted to that danger they represent as well as showing true emotion, and where the boys can relate to via costume. That urban attire, shows the authentic-ness of the artists.

Mise-en-scene(Props)

Things such as the family photo are used to draw the connection between the lyrics and the music video. The glass of drink is to show it is a depressant, as Kwabz is going through a hard time and all he knows is to drink away his sorrows, though it isn't helping him because it dragging him into more depression. The use of iPhones, is to represent the latest gadgets that artists get, it shows their wealth and its also something that helps to appeal to the target audience of aspirers. Showing that, if you work hard, you can end up with all the materialist things you so deeply desire. Keeping the conventions of this genre, as props like this are clearly seen in various real life music videos. As it helps to keep it authentic and ties in with the meaning very well. Here you see the use of the family photo, as well as the prop of alcohol. Therefore, justifying my view of effective props to help signify the meaning of the song. As it makes everything more heart felt. At the same time, you could also justify that the use of alcohol wasn't used in its conventional role considering the genre. As whenever you see alcohol it is usefully used to present an artists wealth, because they will be popping bottles and having a good old time. Nevertheless, the use of this prop we used was in the right context we feel.

Mise-en-scene(Location)

The location ties in with the Urban lifestyle we are trying to achieve. We use Joel's South London home to draw the connection of Krept and Konan, as they live in South London. And it also helps to represent that home is where the heart is, as even though they have made it, he will still go back to the ends as that's were he is still comfortable in. Though they have made it to the mainstream platform, Krept and Konan are great at still sticking to their roots, which is what led us to decide to use the urban setting in the first place, as realistically it was easy for us to achieve, because we don't exactly have any access to lavish housings. That would have probably been costly and long to gain the access in the first place. The use of the church is to link the lyrics with the music video, when they talk about praying. As it shows that religion pays a functional role at helping people cope with hard times, you are more likely to be draw to religion is time of great loss and experiencing hardship. It is also a beautiful location, which is why we wanted to use it in the first place. The location of Alexandra Palace is to draw the audience to a familiar location. It is used in various music videos with artists from North London, such as Chip in "Are you really from the Endz". Likewise, it is a beautiful location and looks good both at day and night. It is easily accessible with no restrictions making it a useful location to use. We also used the Sky Garden as a location, to show the binary composition between the south London home and to a more lavish like living.
 

Keeping with the convention of the type of emotional song this is, but due to the fact that Kwabz and Kapone are meant to be grime artists, it should be based in the streets or more urban setting than what we managed. However, it is good in the sense that because they are mainstream artists, because it drifts them away from the urban like appeal because they are more shifted towards a pop audience.

Alexandra Palace 
Click on last photo for real media example of this location in use

Church

Sky Garden view of London

South London home

Mise-en-scene(Lighting

The use of lighting is important within our music video. In Kwabz scene, we use a spot light, to draw all the audiences attention purely towards him. As it stops them from losing connection to what he's trying to say. And it helps to show that the only thing you must focus on is him. whether its the props he's holding or his body language and facial expression. Other than that we try to see natural lighting through out. As it makes everything present and specifically happening at that moment.

Natural light

Stop light

Camera

We range the camera angel and shot styles throughout the music video. The use of close ups are mostly used to expression a facially expression or a body gesture. The use of a wide shot is to show some of the mise-en-scene location. The use of tracking shot is to justify that you are being watched, whether that being watching by Estelle Da La Rose or by the loss one, its ambiguous in that way.  We took base tracks of the same scene but from different angels, in order to allow the audience to see things from different viewpoints and for them to gather different meanings from them.


 

I feel like we've kept the convention of the use of camera, as it works well with the meaning we have tried to portray.

Sound

We purely use non-diegetic sound, which is the sound that is placed during the post production. That being the actual song we are using which is Krept and Konan ft. Emeli Sande- Roses. The sound is also parallel, as it matches the mood of everything going on within the music video.

Editing 

The use of jump Shots is to give the music video structure, likewise it enables to see the action going on from different angles. This is achieved through the use of our base tracks that have been cut at particular points. We also use slow motion as it was effective to present what we wanted to achieve. To show that though it may be hard to move on from the loss, one way or another you have to let yourself heal and move on from it. Therefore at the end, the where the rose reappears and this time its from the dying colour edit, to the blossoming, healthy rose. To show strength and that there's to life then to dwell on the past.

Cameo

We have this throughout our music video, as our artists take of the role of being narrators and performers. Whiles Estelle Da La Rose is more on the narrative side, in the church scene where she is seen in the shadows of the performance going on, which is effective as she is still clearly present there in the scene. It also creates some sympathy for those have experience loss, because it shows that though you feel hopeless, one must remember that they are not alone, there is also helped when and if needed. Whereas, in the other scene with her fellow artists, she is performing, as you can only see the singing, there isn't any performance going on at that specific moment.

Performance or Narrative or both?

Both as the music video is linear narrative, then at the end chorus its performance of all the artist and ends with a narrative like ending.

We can justify our music video as being a mixture of both, as it cause be described as having a fair ratio of both narrative and performance.

Ancillary Web

There is a strong connection between all our products as it has a synergy throughout. We have kept the code and conventions. As well as the website looking similar to such artists as Giggs and Krept and Konan. Which will be great in terms of connecting with our target audience. I made sure that the ratio of the text and image was more towards the image, as its best for the audience to identify with the artist. I didn't really try to break any of the conventions as that would have complicated things.

Ancillary Digipak

Above you can see the ancillaries that have inspired the one I created, it shows that I did quite well at sticking to the conventions of this music genre, as Iv'e captured the similar background, as well as the artists positioning on the cover(Krept and Konan style)