Evaluation: Q1.

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

In order for my music video and ancillary products to look professional and be successful in their target demographic they needed to use many of the forms and conventions that existing products use. As I was producing a music video for the dance/remix genre I wanted to include the conventions of dancing and artistic videos, whilst challenging the conventions of including ‘sexy girls’ with very little clothing as, while that is the stereotype that appears to ‘sell’, I wanted to progress from this idea as in 2012 I felt that women are more equal to men and therefore my target audience would appreciate a more intelligent look. In terms of big conventions that music videos use I featured lots of lip syncing and editing on the beat as well as having a narrative that reflected the content of the music... 


Comparison
I've created this presentation to compare in more detail my product with existing products...

Q1: Real Media Product Comparison

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Sound: Music videos often not only have the song that they are promoting but also diagetic sound that you would find in a short film, such as footsteps or the ‘real’ sounds of a location. I incorporated this by using sounds such as waves crashing and seagulls to fully set the scene of the beach - a key location in the video.
Text: In the video I’ve chose a more personal, impacting font style which I have edited together to look more contemporary and to feel more professional and important. The inclusion of the artist’s name and title of the song is often used in modern music videos, especially alternative artists, in order for the audience to remember the artist after viewing the song as these days audiences can be fickle as they flick through music video after music video. Thus in order to make any audience impact it is important to keep them engaged and to be bold, which I have tried to do.

I've continued this throughout the video as well to keep the theme running:

An example of existing products using this technique

In my ancillary tasks, I didn’t use any text for the single cover which, while against the generic conventions of mainstream products fitted in with Jamie xx’s existing covers. I went for simplicity and kept the ‘x’ brand in order for the cover to be recognisable to my target audience - both fans of jamie xx’s music and listeners to dance music who are mostly used to seeing stills from the music video as well as something more artistic and simple. However in my advert I did use text as the advert was to attract a more wider audience that may not have heard jamie xx’s music before. I still tried to keep it simple and so went for a black and white theme with font that suggested an established artist to give it more credibility. The colour red stands out which is why I used it for the words ‘out now’ in order to prompt readers to buy the song. I included reviews from well-known and respected magazines and newspapers in order to stand out to the audience that it is a good song. As is the convention, I included the website details of the artist so the audience can find out more. This is often done and is an example of the growth in multi-platform media: it is expected for artists to have an online presence.

I placed my advert into a real newspaper music section (The Daily Telegraph's Review section) and while the majority of the music reviewed there is aimed at an older audience, my advert stands out on the page and the inclusion of reviews from established institutions may help further to draw the average reader in and be interested in the advert. The ideal place for my advert to be situated would be in music magazines such as NME, Mojo and Mixmag as readers would be interested in music already and in the case of Mixmag specifically interested in dance music. Other ideas may be teen magazines or free newspapers such as the London Metro as creative types who are open to new things may be attracted. Otherwise a newspaper/magazine advert may not be the right way to promote this song in the modern market and an online advert such as the trailers before YouTube videos would be the ideal way to promote the song as my target audience (16-24 year olds) use social network sites such as YouTube daily, whereas market research I've conducted has shown me that very few 16-24 year olds read newspapers and magazines and that sales for magazines are dropping as the world gradually turns digital.


Genre: The music genre that I was working in was perhaps more complex than most because it wasn’t just a dance song but also a remix of a mainstream song and so I wanted to include both dance and pop music conventions to develop something more interesting and original. I swayed towards the dance music genre when creating my single cover, but when putting together my advert I also used elements of Adele’s advertising campaign - using an understated and sophisticated black and white palate, which meant that the blues in the cover image stood out and the advert and connections with Adele as well as Jamie xx - combining both their styles effectively.
The genre conventions I’ve used in my music video are as followed: lip-syncing, editing to the beat, engagement with audience, artist/character shown, music playing and some form of narrative/message.
The video genre I’m working in is romantic, however it is moving away from conventions by looking at the break up and not the ‘falling in love’ part of romance.
My video conforms to some conventions of a romance by including a couple in love (these portions making up the flashbacks) which builds audience expectations for the video. But then the rest of the video subverts the conventions by showing a strong single female who is moving on from the relationship. It plays with the conventions by showing her in similar conventions used in romantic videos and then showing herself happy in them on her own.

I put together this comic strip showing my process of production...

Genre theory in relation to my music video

Genre Theory

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I created this presentation whilst studying genre theory in relation to my music video. I began to look at genre theory a while ago here and is something, along with other theories, I keep in mind while creating my products in order to make sure my products fit/subvert conventions to attract my target audience.

Audience Research: Genre

Who listens to dance music (and the surrounding genres)?

My target audience is 16-30 year olds who regularly listen to, download and share music, specifically from the genre dance. They are more likely to have a disposable income, also, as they are young but will be students or starting out in their careers. As my video would broadcast on music channels and YouTube, I need to think about the differences in grabbing the audience through these different mediums. The majority of my audience will watch over YouTube as they spend more time on the internet than watching television. This means they have chosen to click on the video so will need less hooking in than on television, which can be easily flicked over to another channel. The beginning will be slower paced than the rest of the video but is still engaging as it introduces the artist and will be shot artistically. Then, once the beat kicks in the pace will build so by then the audience should want to continue watching.
According to this useful website on the media use of US teenagers, about 44% of what young people watch online are music videos. And the internet is incredibly important to young people in the UK as well, as this recent Guardian article states, just 23% of 16-24 year olds say they would struggle without tv.

Source

So the audience I'm targeting an audience that is very internet literate and is used to spending hours online a day, so in order for my video to stand out from the rest and to be successful I need to make sure it engages with the viewer and looks professional, fitting with the conventions the audience is used to (see below).


How are they traditionally targeted through the media?
Looking at some of the statistics for social networks, Facebook has a huge influence over my target audience's age group...

Source

So marketing is now primarily done through social networking sites as that is where most young people spend there time. There is a lot of business to be made advertising through these sites, so in order for music artists to be known to their audience they need to have a marketing campaign on these sites, with their own pages and interact with the audience, to get them sharing to their friends and talking about the music.


Music video conventions
- Lip-syncing 

- Dancing

- The artist featured and engaging with the audience

- Editing to the music

- Different locations/costumes to keep it interesting

- Visual signifiers

- Reoccurring motifs

- Some sort of narrative

- About 3-5 minutes long


Combining my research into what the audience for dance music videos want to see and the established conventions for music videos as a whole here is what the audience will expect to see in my dance music video...

- The artist featured and engaging with the audience
- Great cinematography
- Sharp editing to the music
- Lip-syncing 
- Dancing
- Changing locations
- Colouring/Lighting carefully considered
- Repetition techniques - manipulation of the film
- Emphasis on the beat through cuts and pacing
- Close ups of the artist, which provides empathy for the audience which they can identify with


Further detail in specific shots:
Many videos I have looked at have visual signifiers/reoccurring motifs, which anchors meaning for audience. Here are a few that I will include...
- extreme CU of lips to main line of the song
- crash of the waves

Mind Map

I've made a mind map of my progress and ideas so far to get an overview of my plans...

Critiquing Existing Products: Rihanna

I thought it would be a good idea to look a little closer at other music videos already made to look closer at their editing techniques and structures in terms of locations and when they switch between them.

The first good example of this is Rihanna's video for Only Girl (In The World) which not only uses a lot of editing techniques like repetition, but is also a great example of colouring as the video is tinted red to match with the Artist's (then) new hair. This gives the whole video a staple style, which is then associated with the Artist.


The first 15 seconds (before the song has even begun)...

The video opens with the artist on some dunes seen from an establishing shot. We see a flash of her in a bed of flowers, which then cuts back again to the dunes, but this time with a mid shot. There are flashes of the artist's face and light flares as we see the artist from a great distance in a long shot. There is a lot of movement as we see a shot of her face again and then her in the flowing dress on the dunes once more with it blowing in the wind (thus matching the sound of wind). She is walking in slow-motion adding an ethereal element to the video, then the editing gets extremely fast as many images of the artist in various locations and poses flash across the screen and then the song kicks in. This is an effective way to begin, establishing the location, artist and feel of the video before fastening the pace dramatically to keep the audience watching.

0.15-0.30 Intro of song 
Now the song has started the editing doesn't slow down, reflecting the fast beat of the song. A lot of editing and camera techniques are used such as slow-motion, jump cutting as the artist takes off a piece of clothing and repetition of shots as a shot is played and then rewound and played again, sometimes backwards. It is playful, symbolising the feel of the song and the brand of the artist. Already about 3 'locations' have been established... 
1. On top of the dunes

2. In a valley of grassy desert

Jump Cut Example

3. A bed/wall of roses

Repetition Examples

0.30-1.00 Verse 1

The artist sings the first few lines of the song in 2nd location but she is moving and dancing as well as editing techniques such as jump-cutting her movements are being used to keep the established pace.

First few lines of the song, with repetition editing

Then in the gap between lines flashes of the other locations are used. The 3rd location is then chosen for the artist to sing the next line, before cutting back to the grass valley is cut back to for the next line. 
Then another 'location' is shown, of the dunes but this time in a different costume, but then it cuts out to show the artist jumping next to a big tree in the middle of nowhere, and then zooms out even further so the artist is all but a dot.
4. Grassy tree

The 2. location seems to be the main location for the artists singing as it cuts back to this for the next couple lines. Then a change in cutting during the gap in singing, as shots of the artist running down a dune, whilst zooming out and then a cutaway to the artists feet running and then a long shot zooming in to the artist of her standing half way down the dune.

Then it cuts back to 2. as she sings some more lines. But before she finishes singing (a break from the convention established so far) it cuts to her smiling in the 3rd location as rose petals fall on her in slow-motion, before back to 2. to lead into the chorus.


1.01-1:47 First Chorus
As the beat changes dramatically for the chorus so do the editing techniques to reflect this and to give it more impact.
She appears to fall quickly into the bed of roses, but then in time to the beat, moves around/falls further (see below). The technique uses jump-cutting which makes the change in beat a lot more dramatic and emphasised. 

Next, we see a close-up of the artists face as she sings part of a line, again in 3. but from a different angle and colouring. 

Then back to 2. to belt out some more, however very quick flashes of another location (3.a - 3. from a distance) are shown in time to beat, again emphasising the dance melodic beats which dominate the song. And then suddenly the 2. location changes as she is now standing in a field of flowers (location 5.), which is intercut (again in time with the music) with a close-up of her face as she sings and moves her hand across her face.

It then stops on 5. part way through the chorus for a few seconds, so quite a long time for the video, and then cuts to a mid shot of her singing, with wind being blown at her face, her arms above her head and the camera quite shaky - much less 'glossy' than before, as the artist gets caught up in the song. Then a long shot of 3.a with the wind blowing her back and the flowers in the ripples as if the music/her singing had done so. Then a close-up of her from an entirely different angle of 3.a as she looks into a flower and then up again, with the camera still from the original angle of 5. It then becomes clear that 3., 3.a and 5. are meant to be the same 'location', however 3. has different flowers and she is wearing a different costume, so it looks very different.
The wind picks up and the flowers in 5. are moving dramatically, she sings into the flower from the 3.a angle above, and the 3.a long shot of the wind through the flowers is shown, as the chorus picks up a notch.

New location, shaky camera movements and wind in the flowers

There is then a completely different change in location for the climax of the chorus - 6. she is on a hill in the grassy desert but with huge coloured balloons flying around and an interesting camera movement around the artists face as she sings. 

Camera moves around the artist as she sings

She maintains eye contact as it moves around her head (a similar idea that I have for 0:00-0:18 in my video).

Slow-motion is used a great deal as she swings around with a shawl with the balloons moving around her.


1:48 - 2:16 Verse 2
Interestingly the start if the verse begins with her singing from the same angle the end of the chorus uses of the camera moving around her face. It then cuts to a long shot of another location - 7. featuring a grassy desert with a giant rose. 

Rose location, including a shot from the previous location during gap in lyrics

Repetition editing is used once again signalling a verse as she dances in 7. around the rose. A shot of 6. is used in the break from the lyrics. She then caresses the rose, which various cuts if her in different poses around it, for the next line and break. 

The next line is sung in 6. the break using both 6. and 7. slow-motion movements. A slow shot of her singing and lying by the rose is used - pause in the action, contrasting from the chorus. 
But then, as this verse is incredibly short, a new technique is used where many shots are shown, very quickly almost making a continuous motion, as the chorus begins. Shots include...

2:17 - 2:48 Second Chorus 
She is in various poses from 7. ending with her on a cliff edge (8.) with a light flare, throwing her arms back as she sings the first line of the chorus, cutting to different angles in 8. a long shot, an extreme close-up of her face - again in time with beat like in the beginning of the first chorus. As the beat kicks in she is still in location 8. 

As it has been throughout the video the editing is done completely to the beat, which may be because the genre of the song for the artist is more dance-y than she has been and so wants to play up this fact. 

The entirety of this second chorus is based in location 8. which is unusual so far, but as it pre-bridge then they may have wanted to keep it simple so the bridge and last chorus would have more potency.


2:48 - 3:18 Bridge

Quick editing, location 9. intercut with 6.

Another location is introduced (9.) as the song changes into the interlude.

Lots of repetition editing used to match music

Here the editing techniques are more exaggerated as the beat is much more dominant in the song and there are editing tricks in the song itself with manipulation of the artists voice, so the editing reflects and matches this.

Noticeable use of blur, as well as transitioning into location 11.

3. is quickly shown again, before leading into the second half of the Bridge which shows another different location (10.) of the artist on a swing, swinging high above the grassy desert, matching the lyrics "take me high".

The Bridge ends with a studio location (11.) with green screen special effects of fireworks. The artist is jumping in slow-motion with the fireworks going off around her. This location is used until the end...


3:19-4:11 Third (and last) Chorus
11. is used until the end of the song, but is intercut with shots of previous locations as this is the climax of the song. 

Also another location is shown - 12. is of a tree (possibly 4. but at night, matching the fireworks theme of 11.) with colourful lanterns glowing in its branches. 

The climax of the song uses a new location intercut with previous locations

Colour seems to be a big part of the video as the colourful balloons (in 6. and 9.) are a staple of the video and now the same colours are used again for the lanterns at the end. This could be to emphasise the pink/red tones of the video which highlight the artists unique bright red hair.
The last shot (fades to black):

There are 12 locations overall...

1. Top of Dunes
2. Valley of desert
3. Wall of roses
4. Tree in desert
5. Field of flowers
6. Hill Top with Balloons
7. Giant Rose
8. Cliff Top
9. Ladders in Lake
10. Swing
11. Fireworks
12. Lantern Tree




The amount of locations used here has made me think that using lots of different locations is a good idea, fits conventions and keeps the video interesting to watch. I thought that perhaps I had too many before this, but now I don't! If I think carefully about costumes (i.e. how many costume changes per location, if any) then I will be able to follow the right conventions for the genre of a dance video. As there are quite a few costumes changes in Rihanna's video also.
Costume changes adds to the movement and pacing of the video, keeping the audience engaged. However, I will need to be think about whether quick cuts and editing will be enough for my video. The Rihanna video is more pop-dance, and as fashion is a huge part of popular music that is appropriate. However, I am using a dance remix, so there is less emphasis on fashion in dance and more symbolism and focus on the beats.


The 'narrative' to Only Girl (In The World) is that she is the "only girl in the world", thus this is represented by Rihanna being alone in this 'rose-tinted' (literally!) world. It makes a more dramatic impression, whilst being symbolic, artistic and looking good on screen which is of course incredibly important in contemporary music videos were competition is tough. But as you can see... 

...the video has 173,574,107 views (correct on the 17th September 2011, and increasing on average 300,000 views a day) so it has made its mark on the industry. As previously looked at, YouTube is the main market for Music videos nowadays and therefore social media has an impact on how music is shared and viewed. Other alternatives to YouTube are music channels on television, which are much more restricted on what they can broadcast at certain times - which YouTube isn't as much. So this has a bearing on the content of music videos as the institutions that run them can not show them if they deem them not suitable. This is something I have taken into consideration so, unlike Rihanna's video which is full of sexual references, I will tone down this and focus on making it as stunningly beautiful as 'Only Girl' is. Or as much as I can with my budget and equipment.


Another consideration is audience... 

As you can see Rihanna's key audience are females between 13-24 years and older males. The genre of dance is generally targeted towards 16-24 year olds and stereotypically males, so this may be something to look into in order to make sure I am engaging my target audience. 

Genre Theory

The Genre Theory
Genre is "a recurring type or category of text, as defined by structural and thematic criteria" (David Duff, Modern Genre Theory).
Examples of Genre...

Key Components

- Stock characters

- Stock plots, situations, issues and themes

- Stock locations and back drops

- Stock props and signifiers

- Music and sounds

- Generic conventions

Paradigm

A paradigm is a stereotypical example or model, which can be used to sum up or signify a genre. It could be used as short-hand for film makers to ‘sell’ or discuss the genre of film.

Audiences & Institutions

Genre is very important as audiences can easily identify films and know what to expect when choosing what to watch. They find genres satisfying as they develop certain expectations when watching certain genre films, and if these expectations are fulfilled, will find satisfaction in recognition and predicting what will happen next. So, for instance, if someone was a fan of horror films, the trailers and posters for the film would carry the iconography and signifiers of the genre so that person could easily see the difference between that and a romantic comedy. 

Institutions also depend on genres as an immediate communication with the audience, therefore can use a familiar format/characters/situations, without much explanation as the genre characteristics are easily recognisable to audiences. They can use short-hand iconography and visuals using black and red colours for horror films on the posters, or a pink poster with a man and woman smiling standing back to back - typically signifying a romance film. This way it is clear to everyone what ‘type’ of film it is, making it easier for media producers to sell the film and audiences to consume it.

Genre Limitations

There are also problems with genre. Defining it can be hard, for instance it can often be hard to differentiate between a thriller and a horror film. Audiences can also get quite bored with seeing the same genre formulas again and again. This is why films that stretch and mix genres are often so well received. Therefore limiting films to one genre can often alienate some potential audience members, such as a romance film is stereotypically seen by females and an action film stereotypically seen by males.

Rick Altman

Rick Altman, Professor of Cinema and Comparative Literature, wrote a book called Film/Genre, where he puts forward a Semantic/ Syntactic/Pragmatic approach. 

Here is an extract from his book; "Whereas one Hollywood genre may be borrowed with little change from another medium, a second genre may develop slowly, change constantly, and surge recognisably before settling into a familiar pattern, while a third may go though an extended series of paradigms, one of which may be claimed as dominant. As long as Hollywood genres are conceived as Platonic categories, existing outside the flow of time, it will be impossible to reconcile genre theory, which has always accepted as given the timelessness of a characteristic structure, and genre history, which has concentrated on chronicling the development, deployment and disappearance of this same structure."

1) Semantic

Conventions that communicate to the audience the genre

e.g. shooting style, music, props, locations and characters

2) Syntactic

Relations between these elements and structure or narratives in genre

e.g. romantic comedy - The audience expects the potential lovers not to like each other, then through a series of meetings and problems the film culminates in their successful relationship.

Web 2.0

Web 2.0 has impacted on audiences through things like user-generated content. Audiences can be active consumers of texts, and thus can manipulate genres and generic conventions for their own pleasures. 

e.g. YouTube - reworking of film trailers

An example is The Shining below...