Evaluation Question 1 In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms

and conventions of real media products.

Lana Del Rey - Shades Of Cool

In Lana Del Rey’s Shades of Cool music video she uses the codes and conventions of the Indie genre being associated with Dream rock, pop rock and psychedelic rock. In the music video, Layering is used to establish the thoughts of the male protagonist of the story. The music video suggests a romantic liaison that is no long occurring and the clever use of vivid imagery in the form of layering creates the concept of Del Rey’s potential higher being and release of pain, passion and connotations of suffering. Using cold blue tones (echoed by the lyrics “my baby lives on shades of blue) in scenes where the male is alone and contrasting this with warm tones with archival style filtering to suggest the age of these memories is a key concept in the documentation of ones thoughts and the concept of time difference. Explosions of flowers and fireworks are some of the imager that are used to show a release in emotion from Del Rey.

Emma Farrell – Since I Saw Your Face

In my own coursework for Emma Farrell’s single “Since I Saw Your Face” layering and filtering has been used to portray a release in passion and emotion, with the repetitive metaphorical imagery created using the firework imagery. The scenes in which Emma is along from her partner are filled by her every day going one’s and the use of the layering portrays how her constant flow of emotions consume her thoughts while doing basic daily activities. Warm tones as well as ghosting has been used within the fond memories of her and her loved one while the dull tones of her everyday life are used to contrast the vividness of her emotions portraying that she is lost in her own world of uncontrollable thoughts.

Critique and Comparison

• Using the conventions of the Indie genre and being heavily inspired by the work of Lana Del Rey and her Stunning visuals, I have been able to create a similar music video using similar metaphorical imagery.

• Both Shades of Cool and Since I Saw Your Face portray romantic relationships who’s fate is unknown and up for interpretation with female protagonists that are battling with their own thoughts and emotions.

• Both videos using Layering visuals and Archive style filtering to portray The documentation of time within ones thoughts and to provide a visual representation of the need for release in the passion that consumes the female characters.

• Both videos also use a variety of locations to provide the important concept of their emotions tormenting them where every they go and to establish a stronger, realistic story line.

• One concept that also provided an important reference to how my own media text uses the conventions of its genre inspired by real media texts.

• A very strong location within Since I Saw your face was the Canal location performance scene in which Emma directs the camera walking down the canal alone.

• The canal was perfect to represent both isolation and aloneness to reinforce the story line of the music video. It also establishes the setting within the life style of the artist and high lights her edgy personality.

• Many people that gave me feedback said that this reminded them very much of Adele’s “Someone Like You” video in which a similar canal is used to portray her inward emotions of remote feeling.

• Using this idea of isolation that is used within both videos is a brilliant concept and portrays perfectly how my own media text uses the codes and conventions of its designated music genre.

Andrew Goodwin and the concept of Thought Beats

• Within my own media text and the real media texts that I have chosen to analyse an important process within post production in the editing process was allowing the visuals to portray what was going on within the music.

• Using Premier Pro to cut and edit my footage I used the beats and bridges of the song to cut and transition one shot to another. The subtle tones of the guitar and extended notes resulted in my use of a dissolved transition that portrayed the extended and flowing notes of the music.

• Artists such as Adele And Lana Del Rey have very distinctive singing voices and as a result their professional and stunning visuals have become a strong concept behind their identity as a creative artist.

• Linking this with the concept of Roland Barthes theory of the grain of ones voice, both artists and their producers use the voice as an expressive instrument. This Idea is also used within my own media text using the flowing transitions and visual representation of the release of emotions allows the light tone of Emma’s voice to become reinforced as a musical instrument of expression.

• Finally again comparing it back to Goodwin, Goodwin believes that songs are seen as stories and artists are the story tellers creating the concept of a two communicate device. Del Rey, Adele And Emma have unique voices and as a result the producers of their music videos have used this to create the strong tone within the visuals of the music video. Using the concept of romantic disunion within my own music videos allows Since I Saw Your Face to create a strong link with other real media texts of the indie genre.