In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
During my preliminary task I discover that Tupac, song and music video was making a political statement on the quality of life young black females face. This gave me the inspiration to also send my own message about my life to an audience. I felt my message would grasp my audience and lead to social change or at least spread awareness
Throughout my music video I wanted to challenge the conventions of Hip-Hop music videos. With this in mind I didn’t objectify my female models and didn’t allow them to be assets in my video, instead I kept them fully clothed as well as constantly using close-ups of their faces with direct eye contact to demand the attention of my audience. I did this to not satisfy the male gaze. I also made sure my models wore no make-up, as I didn’t the beauty to distract my audience. Them being bare faced helped to make sure the weren’t subjected to the male gaze.
TRADITIONAL
CHALLENGE
In Hip-Hop videos there always men surrounded by women, giving them power. These images transmit in society that woman are there to assert power.
McRobbie argues that men and women are represented in stereotypes in the media. Women as weak and men as leaders. For example men having low angle shots implying power.
In my music video I wanted to address this to show how the media transmits this idea. I made male models play Media directors and stylists, I did this show them as the creators of beauty as men own most beauty and media outlets. (Elle owned by Dirre Lazerff, E! Larry Namer and Kiko Antonio Perassio). Using this helps to show were the ideology of beauty comes from. I only had one female, showing her outnumbered and over powered by men.
Costume in music video is a key convention. Traditional Hip-Hop videos conventionally have men with gold chains shirtless, with women wearing basically nothing.
TRADITIONAL
NOW
I decided to go against this and have all my models wear all black costumes, as seen in contemporary music videos. I feel this is suitable for my music video as it helps to convey my models as a collective, them experiencing them same ordeals.
ANDREW GOODWIN –
Through Beats: to suit the style of my music video and to communicate the amount of negativity that happens to black females in the media. This helped to heighten the importance and urgency of acting on these issues.
Star image: I decided to have no star and focused on getting my message across. I wanted to show unity within my video as well.
In traditional music videos the setting is normally at clubs, ‘on the streets’, the hometown of the artists. I decided not change this in my video. I mainly did my video in public places, surround with many people. While filming having people walk around, in and out of shots, helped to convey how oblivious to the inequalities black females face in the media. People just passing through and moving on with their lives
