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

By Jamie Boon

GOODWINS THEORY
My product uses Goodwins theory throughout to help to create a particular tone. Goodwins theory states that music videos demonstrate genre characteristics and I feel that my music video follows that idea. The genre of my band is rock, and rock music often has connotations of violence, death and anger, all of which are displayed in my music video. My music video also gives off a gritty, urban, eerie tone which is replicated in my other products, for example my Digipak has a dark colour scheme and includes pictures of the rural area near the setting of my music video. The colour scheme of my poster follows this and uses dark colours, even for the Facebook and Twitter logos; my poster also includes blackbirds, which are associated with bad luck, mystery and death. The combination of my products helps to create a dark and eerie vibe that is consistent throughout all of my products.
Goodwins theory also states that there is frequently reference to the notion of looking which is followed in my music video. In my video, there is frequent close ups of the protagonist reacting to a situation and this is shown in close up shots of his facial expression. This helps the viewer to understand the protagonists perspective and gives an insight into what he might be thinking. Goodwins theory states that there is a relationship between music and visuals. This is true for my video in some parts as the song and the narrative do have some similarities, however my music video is used to set a particular mood and I feel that in combination with the song it is successful in doing so.

MUSIC VIDEO
My music video uses a range of conventions of real media products. My music video uses a variety of different shots throughout, ranging from establishing pan shots of the setting in the beginning through to close up shots of the protagonist shooting the burglar towards the end. This follows that of other music videos which use a range of different shots to help give a sense of perspective from all angles.
My music video also makes use of continuity editing throughout to help add to the realism and verisimilitude of the video. This sustained continuity helps the music video to flow nicely and becomes more believable to the viewer. When editing my music video I have also made sure to keep the pace of the video fast. When looking at other music videos of the same genre, most are fast paced which help to keep the viewer interested in the narrative. I feel I have replicated this style well into my own music video

When editing my music video I have made sure that it is in time with the song. The video progresses at the same speed as the song, and at certain points in the song I have made sure that certain events in the music video happen at the same time. For example. The protagonist shoots the burglar when the pace of the song increases, before the song starts to end and then the protagonist disposes of the gun. This follows the style of other common music videos with narratives, in which the narrative builds up towards the end of the song and then ends abruptly.

POSTER
My poster uses a lot of conventions that real media products would use. For example, my poster includes a Twitter and Facebook logo which are found on other band posters, which indicates that the band have an online presence and that they can be found by audience 2.0. My poster also includes the logo of the Record Label which is similar to other band posters.
The layout of the poster also follows that of real media products. The poster itself is large in size and is very striking. I feel that it grabs the viewers attention easily. However, I feel like my poster challenges other music posters in that the majority of existing posters are not 100% animated like my poster is, but rather include actual photographs and an element of realism. For the band name, I have chosen the same font that they use on their products. I feel that fans of the band will recognize the style of the font and be interested in my poster. Below the font are the two black birds, similar to the black bird that appears on my Digipak. This helps to create a motif and an enigma code why is the man standing on the edge of the cliff?

DIGIPAK
My Digipak uses a lot of conventions of real media products. An example of this is that my Digipak is the same size of other standard existing Digipaks and follows the same template. It includes a front and back cover along with extra panels. I used Adobe Indesign to make sure it was the right size. For the layout of the Digipak, I took inspiration from Everything Everythings Arc design and have used this for the layout of my digipak while Deaf Havana and Everything Everything are different genres of music, I still feel the layout works well with the colour scheme I have chosen. My Digipak also makes use of conventions such as the record label and the bar code which are found on album covers. I feel that there is not much different between my Digipak and other existing Digipaks, as I have used the connotations of existing Digipaks well.
The Digipak includes a lot of abstract imagery, and entire panels are taken up by images of the rural setting. This follows some existing Digipaks, such as Deaf Havanas Old Souls album. I have tried to follow the idea of using images to create a certain tone. However my Digipak also challenges conventions of real media products as my Digipak does not include any of the band members, which is different to most common album covers as they have pictures on the front panel.