EVALUATION
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
The close up of the artist playing the drums is a common shot used in rock music videos. The scene acts as a visual stimulus in order to retain the audience’s attention. The band / musician's instruments are typical and iconic props used in rock music videos. I applied Goodwin's theory suggesting that there is a link between the music and visuals to this scene, demonstrated by the artist, as he is playing the song on drums. Fast paced cuts between the clips is also a convention that I have used.
Many rock music videos use / reference iconography and symbols derived from the horror genre. The close up cross-dissolve between Taylor Swift and my artist is an intertextual reference to the final scene from Alfred Hitchcock's 1960s 'Psycho'. The connotation is that the protagonist wishes that he had the talent, voice and popularity of the mainstream artist which coincides with the lyrics “I wish I had a better voice to sing some better words.” So, I have applied Goodwin's theory once again.
The close up of the protagonist's mother shows that she is angry at him. Pressure and family are themes that often appear in rock music videos. Typically, ones that have a focus on school with the issues associated with it. Other themes explored in rock music videos include bullying, self-harm and mental health issues.
The close up of the artist's desk show lots of intertextual references. The books add to the literary influences on the music video whilst also enhancing the narrative. 'The Merchant Of Venice' by Shakespeare is about a debt that needs to be repaid. If it is not repaid then the lender will kill the character who borrowed the money. This alludes to the severe consequences that the protagonist will face if he fails his exams and doesn't get a good job. It emphasises how stressful exams can be.
This medium shot filmed from a canted angle is reflective of the protagonist's unstable mindset. His body language suggests that he fears that someone is following him, alluding to his paranoia. These angles are often used when a character is feeling distressed. These angles are often used in horror films during chase sequences. These angles are popular in videos that show a participant taking drugs and the effect it has on the mind.
Most rock music videos utilise low key lighting to reflect the dark themes and tones explored in the lyricism of the song. This low angle medium shot provides the audience with emotional voyeurism as they are looking into the protagonist's obsession with celebrities and consumerism. Therefore, I have applied Debord's commodity fetishism theory. Other inspirations of low key lighting include film noir movies like Double Indemnity. The dark setting creates an atmosphere filled with teenage angst.
Fire is a typical form of symbolism used in rock music videos. It can symbolise the aggression of the music or the emotions of the artist. The match going from lit to extinguished is symbolic of the protagonist in the music video, it resembles how he has lost his hopes, dreams and passions in life and just wants to go back to a simplistic way of life (His childhood) in order to escape from his responsibilities and work.
This medium shot of the protagonist shows him crying after he has been picked on by a bully. He is showing emotional vulnerability, he is powerless and displaying passive behaviour, which is not stereotypical behaviour of a protagonist in a rock music video. Typically, the protagonist is dominant and confident, but there are a few cases that depict the opposite.
I have applied Goodwin's theory of voyeurism to my music video. The final sequence has multiple close ups of the artist having a mental breakdown, so emotional voyeurism is displayed. Fast paced jump cuts cut between the protagonist looking fine to freaking out and screaming, revealing how unstable his mind set is and how quickly these feelings can overwhelm a person. Fast paced jump cuts are a convention of rock music videos as the maintain the song's tempo, thus retaining the audiences focus.
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Rock Music Video Conventions:
I Follow:
I Don't Follow:
✓ Has the lead singer in the video
✓ Footage is edited to match the music
✓ A Performance section featuring instruments is common
✓ Lighting tends to be dark – Low key so shadows and certain objects / facial features and expressions are emphasised, creates a mysterious and grungy atmosphere
✓ Props are normally dark colours e.g. Black or dominant colours like red
✓ Costumes are Dark clothing / red connoting anger + danger.
✓ Narrative vs performance videos e.g. Foo fighter – The pretender is performance - See clip 3. Narrative videos e.g. Evanescence – Bring me to life (see clip 4), the lyrics connect with visuals.
✓ Camera Techniques in Common rock performance videos include Close ups of artist and instrument being played e.g. the base drum pedal and the strings of the guitar, with quick cutting between them enhances the fast pace of the song.
✓ Editing has a more heavy reliance on fast paced editing and fast cutting than other genres due to rock songs being played at a faster tempo with more emotion. Tend to use few if any special effects, as the videos aim is to focus on the artist and their music. Fast paced editing can drive the song’s narrative making the speed of the visuals appearance match the tempo of the song. - See clip 1 for fast paced editing.
✓ Narrative, Two types, Performance based and Concept based. In rock genre, narratives are usually linear and tell a story, but in some cases there are non-linear narratives. My video is a non-linear narrative, follows Vernallis' theory that music videos pose a question at the end - there is no clear resolution, the audience doesn't know if the protagonist passes his exams and gets into a good uni. The ambiguous open ended narrative is quite common in concept based rock music videos. Concept based may be combination of concept and performance. Concept based is creative and tends to have a unique narrative and visuals e.g. short story to go with the music that may have nothing to do with the lyrics of the song literally but may have been inspired by the song.
✓ Iconography including - Drum kit, dark clothing, mental breakdown presented in a satanic possession way. Symbolism - Fire - Candle and match symbolise the artist, When the flame grows it represents the feelings and emotions building up inside the artist. Additionally, the red lighting suggests that the protagonist has a dark and aggressive side.
✓ Mise en scene - Actors are typically rebellious but can depend on the song’s narrative - My character is predominantly passive and presented as emotionally weak and vulnerable - presented this way to be relatable to my target audience members who have felt like this. He is also presented like this to highlight the pressing issue behind the narrative and to bring to light how important mental health issues are, especially in secondary schools.
✓ Props - Iconic props include the Band’s / artist's instruments, outfits and cigarettes.
✓ Setting is usually based around the song’s lyrics and inspirations or the chosen setting for a band to perform in.
✓ Close ups of the artist - creating a star image - representing the social group that are students that like rock music - presents that star as an ideology so fans will copy their style and beliefs on certain issues. Record companies use close ups of the artist to 'sell' them and promote their image.
✓ Bulmer and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory - My target audience will be able to find a personal identity in the protagonist as they will relate to pressure that he is under from exams. This is because my target audience's age range is students so they will have experienced or may still be experiencing these pressures. Furthermore, i myself am a student and a member of my target audience and from personal experience i can say that i have wanted to go back to simpler times when i had no responsibilities and work. So, by making my protagonist relatable, my target audience will develop a deeper, much more personal connection with him which helps to create a passionate fan base for the artist.
✗ Setting of the music video is usually dark / grungy and is usually set during night time
✗ Strobe lights are used quite frequently - See Clip 1
✗ Characters, mainly lead character is often depicted as rebellious guys going against mainstream society and fighting conformity. This is usually shown through the artist’s confidence and stage presence (Stereotypes.) Main feature of almost any character in a rock music video is that they are passionate about performing and playing music.
✗ Slow-mo is quite common and is a good way of paralleling fast paced songs.
✗ Performance based are the most common for the genre.
✗ Iconography includes signs, symbols, places and brands associated with rock genre e.g. satanic symbols, other negative imagery like Drugs, alcohol and head banging.
✗ Make up - Black eyeliner is used sometimes especially in the punk rock genre, Gerrard Way from My Chemical Romance and Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day are known for wearing black eyeliner.
✗ Skateboarding also appears in rock music videos as it is associated with rock music as it is a popular hobby among rock artists - Gnarwolves often featuring skateboarding in their music videos. See clip 2
Gerard Way
Billie Joe Armstrong
Clip 1: Better Off Without You - Mallory Knox
Rock stars who wear eyeliner:
1.
Gerard Arthur Way (born April 9, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and comic book writer who was the lead vocalist and co-founder of the rock band My Chemical Romance from its formation in September 2001 until its split in March 2013.
2.
Billie Joe Armstrong (born February 17, 1972) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor who is best known as the lead vocalist, primary songwriter, and guitarist of the punk rock band Green Day, which he co-founded with Mike Dirnt.
Clip 2: Smoking Kills - Gnarwolves
Clip 3: The Pretender - Foo Fighters
Clip 4: Bring Me To Life - Evanesence
Stereotypical Rock Star Vs My Protagonist
Frank Carter
Liam Ash
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes are an English band formed in 2015 by former Gallows and Pure Love frontman Frank Carter. Frank is the embodiment of rock music, he is aggressive (Shown by his body language and facial expression), dominant and confident. On the other hand, my protagonist is presented to be powerless, emotionally and mentally weak and passive, the binary opposite to Frank. Another stereotype of rock stars is having a mass amount of them. Not only is Frank covered in tattoos, he is also a tattoo artist. So, my protagonist is challenging the forms and conventions of the behaviour and attitude of a typical rocker. However, since my character is more like a student than a rock star, my target audience may find it easier to find a personal identity in my character than Frank because my character is in a sense more realistic.
How I have presented my media products:
Music Video
Digipak
Website
Video – YouTube – I decided to use YouTube as the platform to present my music video because the website was ranked as the second most popular site (as of February 2017) by Alexa Internet, a web traffic analysis company. So, it can be concluded that YouTube has a massive pool of viewers, so by uploading my video to this platform I am enabling the largest possible sample of my target audience to watch my video. This is helps distribute the video to the target audience as YouTube’s algorithm will recommend this video to viewers who watch rock music videos. Thus, ensuring that my video reaches its targeted audience easily. Moreover, one billion hours of content is watched on YouTube every day, so the video has the potential to earn a massive revenue from ADsense. Furthermore, all of the music videos that I researched were uploaded to the YouTube platform, so I am ensuring that my music video is conforming to the technical forms and conventions of real media products as it is the conventional platform for music videos. Additionally, YouTube is online, so it is easy to access. Companies like Vevo have utilised the popularity of YouTube to promote their artist's work. Vevo is an American multinational video hosting service founded on December 8, 2009 as a joint venture between two of the "big three" record companies, Universal Music Group (UMG) and Sony Music Entertainment (SME). Vevo hosts music videos from both Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment syndicated on YouTube and its website, with Google and Vevo sharing advertising and similar benefits.
Digipak – Maltese cross digipak template – I decided to present my digipak by placing the finished version of each panel over a template of a Maltese cross digipak template. I chose to do this because the layout of the Maltese cross digipak is complex and does not follow the usual standard 4-panel conventional layout of most modern digipaks. So, to ensure realism I made each panel the exact size that It needed to be to act as an actual digipak, therefore my digipak follows the technical form and convention of a real media products, making it look more professional and authentic. However, the layout and style of my digipak challenge the forms and conventions of real media products as my digipak has 10 panels whereas the most common modern digipak is 4 panels – Front, inside, disk panel and back cover. I wanted to make a Maltese cross digipak because it gave me more freedom to convey a message, the extras panels also allowed me to emphasise the message that I was relaying. However, the complexity of the layout meant that it needed some sense of direction as the digipak had to be unfolded to reach the disk and when unfolded it became very hard to identify where each panel belonged and which way it should face, so by using a template this issue was eliminated. I was inspired by the Gorillaz ‘Demon Dayz’ digipak which is a Maltese cross digipak and decided to develop the convention of using faces to surround the disk panel. The Gorillaz are known for being different and alternative and I feel like that style would work well with promoting an issue where people are perceived as ‘different’ and extraordinary. I developed this convention by having all of the faces blurred to highlight the artist’s suffering in an explicit and graphic manner to reveal the pain and torture that people with mental illness struggle with. I decided to do this in an attempt to raise awareness to the issues of secondary school students struggling with mental illnesses, stress and anxiety as this issue is often overlooked and dismissed. So, this hyperbolic presentation of what it is like to suffer from these should help to change these attitudes.
Website – Wix – I decided to use wix because it is simple to use and allowed me to create a fully functioning website. The site also allows users to embed links and use hyperlinks, so interactivity is achieved. It also makes the site easier to navigate as you can implement arrows that when clicked guide the user to a certain part of the page. This is important as consumers can lose interest if they cannot find what they want when using a complicated site. I learnt from my research that interactivity and navigation are two of the most important aspects of a website. This is because they determine how easy the consumer can reach the information that they are looking for, moreover it can also influence the number of purchases of a new release from the artist. I found that any new release from the artist was featured on the homepage, so to follow conventions I also displayed the artist’s latest release on the homepage. So, by creating an interactive website that is easy to navigate I am following conventions of real media products. I decided to go with a simplistic layout that focuses on promoting the artist's music rather than promoting the star image like most pop artist's websites do. I was inspired by the Raury, the artist's website as the homepage only features his new album, thus ensuring all focus is on his music. Another artist that does this is My Chemical Romance, but i dislike the way that the have presented the homepage as it is messy and looks like it is unfinished.
Raury's Website:
Conventions I have Challenged:
Music Video:
1. Not set at night - A conventions for rock music videos is to be set at night, as seen in Shout At The Moon by Mallory Knox. However, my music video is predominantly set during the day, the scene at the beginning of the video is the only scene set during night time. However, I decided to film the majority of the music video during the day because the narrative follows the life of a student struggling to cope with pressure from exams, family and bullies. So, to create an authentic and realistic school atmosphere I had to shoot during the day when school hours typically are. My audience were able to find personal identity in my protagonist so I would argue that this decision ended in a successful outcome.
2. Bright colour are used during scene set in the past - A convention of rock music video is the dark and dreary colour palette used, typically consisting of black and grey, as seen in Numb by Linkin Park. However, my music video challenges this convention by using vibrant colours like yellow and blue during the scene set in the past. I decided to use these bright colours to create a tranquil atmosphere as the past acts as a safe heaven for the protagonist and the bright and warm colours creates a happy and upbeat atmosphere, thus reinforcing the positive connotations associated with the past. This warm and welcoming atmosphere may appeal to my target audience. I created this atmosphere so that the audience would too associate these positive connotations with the past, thus making my protagonist experience with nostalgia more relatable. So, by doing this, my audience would find it easier to find a personal identity in the protagonist which would create a stronger bond between the artist and the audience. This bond would help to create a passionate fan base for the artist. I believe this was successful as many members of my target audience were able to find a personal identity in my protagonist.
3. Actor differences - As mentions before, typical actors and artists in rock music videos are dominant, aggressive and confident, shown through their stage presence. My protagonist shows emotional vulnerability, passive behaviour and powerlessness. I decided to do this because these are stereotypical feelings and behaviours that students display during exam season. So, by presenting this behaviour my protagonist will seem more relatable than if I presented a stereotypical arrogant rock star. The behaviour also makes the audience feel sympathetic towards the protagonist which adds to the dramatic outburst of emotion at the end of the music video when he breaks down. The contrast of behaviours aims to highlight the severity of mental illnesses and how they cannot be taken lightly, especially in school. I believe that i have been successful in challenging this convention as many members of my target audience were able to find a personal identity in my protagonist due to his portrayal of the effects that stress has on a person.
Shout At The Moon - Mallory Knox
My Music Video
Numb - Linkin Park
My Music Video
Juggernaut - Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes
My Website
My Music Video
Professional Websites
Website:
1. Doesn't feature the music video on the homepage - I decided to promote the digipak rather than the music video on the homepage as I wanted the focus to be on the artist's new album, not just a music video for one of the songs. Other artist's websites do this too as a form of promotion, most noteworthy is Raury and Kasabian. Artists like A Day To Remember and Architects feature a music video on their homepage of their website.
Digipak:
1. Style of the digipak - Typically, digipaks consist of 4 panels, a front and back cover, a disk panel and another panel next to the disk. My digipak has 10 panels as it is a Maltese cross style digipak. I was inspired by the digipak for Demon Dayz by the virtual band known as Gorillaz as I liked the way they utilised each panel surrounding the disk by having a picture of each band member's face. I wanted to develop this convention by having each picture amplify a theme that is prevalent in all of my media products. So, in the end i decided to go with a maltese cross style digipak as had much more space for content and allowed my to emphasise the message explored in my music video. However, I think it has been partially successful in conveying my message about mental health as some members of my target audience were able to see that it was about mental health, whereas other thought it looked weird and said that the pictures were repetitive. Additionally, some members of my target audience found they layout to be quite confusing and overwhelming. So, I should've perhaps used a simpler layout / style to make sure that my target audience would be able to follow the intended message of the digipak. So, on the whole my digipak was partially successful as some members of my target audience liked it whereas others didn't.
2. Font of the album title is not the same as the one on the front and back cover - I decided to change the font on the spine because when reduced to a smaller size, the font 'Bad Behaviour' became illegible so i decided to change the font to 'Copperplate' as it was clear and easy to read. As a result of changing the font, continuity and brand was slightly compromised. However, this change had to be made otherwise there would be a major flaw in the design of the digipak, so it was a worthy sacrifice.
Professional Digipaks
My Digipak
How My Ancillary Texts Follow Conventions
My Website
I have annotated the conventions that my website follows / uses.
I have annotated the conventions that my website follows / uses.
My Digipak
I have annotated the conventions that my digipak uses / follows
I have annotated the conventions that my digipak uses / follows
Professional Websites
I have annotated the conventions that the following websites use / follow.
This is the first page that appears when you open A Day To Remember's Website.
I have annotated the conventions that the following websites use / follow.
Professional Digipaks
Inspirations
Music Video
This music video inspired the incorporation of mental health in my music video as the band can be seen performing in front of a crowd of mentally unstable patients.
This scene inspired the breakdown scene as there is fast paced movements of the artist as he slowly turns into a demon.
Inspired by extreme close up of the artist to convey emotion. I have used it to convey the artist's fear and worry.
This music video inspired the incorporation of mental health in my music video as the band can be seen performing in front of a crowd of mentally unstable patients.
Digipak
This digipak inspired the style and layout of my Maltese cross digipak as I liked the unique look of it, I thought it could act as a unique selling point for my album, thus making it stand out from the rest. I was also inspired by the pictures of the artist surrounding the disk panel - I used it to highlight the theme of mental illness.
This digipak inspired the style and layout of my Maltese cross digipak as I liked the unique look of it, I thought it could act as a unique selling point for my album, thus making it stand out from the rest. I was also inspired by the pictures of the artist surrounding the disk panel - I used it to highlight the theme of mental illness.
Website
I was inspired by the minimalistic and simplistic layout that focuses on promoting the artist's music/latest release.
I was inspired by the minimalistic and simplistic layout that focuses on promoting the artist's music/latest release.