A2 Media Studies Portfolio Evaluation Question 1

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

Synaesthesia: images seen when listening to music video. (Andrew Goodwin) used sadness images and pictures of the past as indexical signs of reminiscing death.AudienceSymbols and theoriesNarrative and performanceRepresentationDigipakWebsiteResearchUsed star image (dyer)ChallengeInterpretation and compare it to different media textstoderov1. A state of equilibrium (All is as it should be.)

My music video is addresses issues such as grief and bereavement and how you have control over your own thoughts and cognitive view and can therefore determine and decide your outlook on life, post a traumatic or sad event

As well as this it looks at the possible interpretation of sisterhood and sorority.

Could challenge music videos as they do not tell such poignant stories. Both mine and these other videos.The audience are able to relate to the other characters such as the older girl who is getting over her personal loss of the sister. Just like in when you’re gone by Avril Lavigne, we empathise with the pregnant expecting mother whose husband goes to war. (Partner)

Preferred readings:It can be said that my music video has multiple interpretations. Audience that’s watched this some said that from the

very beginning it was clear that the girl had gone but some knew she was dead and others believed this was a light hearted story about the girl going away for a short while and the singer feeling alone in a new environment. I did this by using a ghosting effect on the image where Amy and the young girl can be seen on the swings. As she sings “you won’t be there anymore” the girl disappears from the swing and Amy is seen isolated.

People also interpreted the silhouette element in different ways. Some said that I was an expression of freedom; others concluded that it was simply about the ambiguity of the characters and how the young girl is a faceless

mouthpiece for a projection of loss, whether it is a job or a person.

Finally the ending was a multi-faceted piece of the music video which audiences had different ideas about what it might mean. In the penultimate shot, the young girl is seen fleeing from Amy who is holding the mirror. Some agreed that it was a symbol of Amy never being able to let go of the past as she watches it back. Others believe that

it was a sign that Amy was relieving herself of the past by letting her run away and she is in front of the mirror to connote that she is past the point of reflecting on the past and is ready to move forward.

Other media texts also carry multiple interpretations. Fore exmple Rise Against — "Make It Stop (September's Children)"music video is a political stance against one of the most potent and crucial messages about bullying and discrimination in secondary school. The rope and guns towards the end are indexical signs of suicide and yet people can learn to rise above it and become successful.

In stark contrast. Other songs such as I knew you were trouble by Taylor Swift hone in on an obvious and clearly outlined message with an iconic meaning. I used iconic symbols in my music video when the singer is looking at photos of her and the girl.

I also used indexical signs which allude to the signifier and the signified for instance when the girls are seen in the second shot smiling in to the camera, this signifies emotion and illicits a positive air.The pathetic fallacy of the bright sunlight outside in the singing shots compared to the outside flashbacks to time spent with the girl illuminate the change in mood between the two times. SubtleSymbols such as the photographs hanging from the tree are inspired by Taylor Swift's music video for mine. I used close-ups of Amy viewing he shot

like in swifts music video so the audience get to see the true emotion conveyed in the artists expression.

Intertextuality referencing in my other related media products digipakFaceless, ambiguous, black

and white

Also seen in Katy Perry’s wide awake music video.

Imagine dragons demons

Ciara speechless. Silhouette really effective as consumers could look at it and feel like the image is faceless and therefore could represent them. I

particularly think that the hoop earring which colour remains is highly interesting as it adds contrast and body to this image. For this reason when crating my own digipak cover I highlighted elements of the guitar that were reflecting the light in another colour to achieve a similar effect.

Conformed to conventions of website by listing several different icons that are common for example advertising their events and the band members individually like Ellie Goulding's site.

Challenged conventions by having a performance background image/ shot from music video as opposed to a photo-shoot image (ref) I did this as I wanted to stick to the generic term of indie which fits with the gene of the song and I felt that a photo-shoot image was adhering too much like a pop artist website.

I challenged the convention of women when representing in above the line media products. In most music videos women are

presented wearing arguably excessive quantities of makeup or at least a sufficient amount to accent certain features of their face as well as body. In my music video I chose to present the artist without any makeup to connote how this is a strip-down natural and true portrayal of herself which hones true to the lyrics.

This is also used in demi Lovato’s music video for give your heart a break. The

lyrics have a possible similar meaning to with a smile and so I felt it would be considered appropriate if not acceptable to take this element where she is shown with no makeup and make a direct reference in my music video.

I deviated from conventions of using natural lighting in my

music video. This is unpopular and uncommon in high definition music videos as the creative director of the shoot may not achieve his desired effect as he or she cannot control the lighting by using the sun as a light source. In demi Lovato’s music video for skyscraper, the footage has been edited by increasing the contrast and brightness of the image. I did this in my music video to distinguish between the outside memories clips from the singing shots.

I wanted the relationship between the two girls to appear

realistic on screen as this can often be the down fall of filmed media products – a lack of realism. I asked them both to watch Ramona and Beezus, a U rated film which documents the sisterhood between two sisters – both of which were respective ages of my actors.

Dress

I asked my artist to wear a black dress for the memory shots for two reasons. I wanted her to appear out of the element of where one would wear a smart dress.

She would appear smarter than any other people who would normally be in a park.

I also wanted the dress to be black as the colour connote bereavement and grief and are often worn to funerals. As she is mourning I thought it was appropriate not to deviate from the norm when addressing grave and severe subjects.

Finally I want to reference Carrie Underwood’s music video for blown away in which she wears a similar style dress. The artist had a similar sound to her songs and blown away deals with similar issues of destruction and loss. As I am a fan of underwood I really wanted to put her stamp on my music video by emulating her in this way.

Ferdinand de Saussure: Signifier is what one sees and hears, for example,

Signified is idea director is trying to convey.

E.A. Caplin pitches how the singer’s face acts as an anchoring motif or visual hook.

Laura Mulvey scopophilia audience have female gaze when watching others in a video. This is because they admire them and so want to effectively break the fourth wall and make eye contact with them.

This is also known as voyeurism which is a key element of the 1950s film rear window.

One of the other reasons for a singer looking into the camera has been said because they are angry or with to confront issues they are addressing in the song.

Sergei Eisenstein theorises in his books film form and film sense that montage

shots are vital for a music video. He believes that the collision of shots can be used to arouse emotion in the audience whilst creating film metaphors my music video does this as it consistently cuts back and forth between the anchoring image I applied by E.A. Caplin to the memory shots.

I also don’t conform to Toderov's theory for this reason. I challenge this as my music video starts with disruption in the

singers life and not beginning with equilibrium

Much like media products that are conveying a message to the audience or present a scenario that happens in real life, known as simulacra, I use his as

well by presenting the idea of being and loss of a person or tangible item.

By using some handheld shots I conformed to new technologies otherwise known as we media such as presented in one directions music video cover of one way or another filmed on their tour for charity.

My film like most guerrilla filmmaking was on a zero pound budget or we media productions. This is like Ed Sheeran's music video for a team which was filmed on only £20 budget.

Most real media productions are filmed on expensive locations with high quality technology and a large crew and so although costly, can normally represent real life more accurately.

Whilst difficult to define, my music video does stay true to the unique collective and simultaneously disparate conventions of indie pop.

In the wise words of Glenhill

Glenhill: 1985: in terms of genre there are no rigid rules in terms of inclusion or exclusion (1705)

I would call my music video overall “A Hybrid of identities”.