Evaluation Activity 1 In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions or real

media products?

The above nine frames represent the following features of our music video: 1. A shot that shows a link between lyrics and/or music and visuals.

When shooting our music video we wanted to create a balance between performance and narrative but focusing more so on narrative. However, when doing this we found it difficult to match actions with the lyrics of our song Torn. This therefore meant that we had our artist performing more as this way we could show how she is affected by what she is singing. The above picture shows when they are walking down the street together before they let go of their hands. This matches the lyrics but I dont know him anymore. We decided to make the link here as it is a sign that their relationship was beginning to deteriorate and therefore they were before more distant. This is shown by them letting go of their hands as it shows them parting and becoming more distant.

2. A shot that typifies the way a record company would want their artist to be represented.

Although this is quite an unusual screen garb to choose, I believe it shows the way in which the record company want their artist to be represented as it shows her in everyday situations. I believe that by having a screen grab of a board with photos on it shows the artist in another light. This would therefore benefit the artist as she is seen to be an ordinary person and not shown to be a diva. This would therefore build a relationship with the audience as they may feel as though they can relate to her more than many other artists. By showing her in a relationship it gives the audience an insight into her life and how attached she was to him, which is something her audience would most probably be able to empathise with as they are in their late teens earl y 20s themselves, an age at which they may be going through the same thing or have previously experienced a break up. 3. A shot that illustrates how your video uses music genre.

Although this screen grab is not of the best quality it shows the artist wearing a white dress which we found in similar music videos of the same genre. This white dress was used to symbolise purity and vulnerability as she is singing about the pain she has been through. In contrast to this she is seen wearing red lipstick which is often seen as a sexual colour, however in this case it is not seen as sexual but powerful. She is portraying herself as strong through being able to lay her heart on the line and tell her audience what has happened and through this she is seen as a strong character. This is another convention which we saw within the pop genre. The final thing which I believe illustrates how our music video uses music genre is the body language of the artist, although it cannot properly be seen in this picture she is seen holding a picture close to her heart, I feel this is something which gives the song more meaning as it connects the memories with her feelings. When looking at similar music videos they had an object or prop which played a vital role within the music video, within Avril Lavignes When youre gone we see the elderly man looking at photos and going through his wives wardrobe, this is used to show the connection he had and the memories of them together. We therefore did the same in our music video as we felt that it would allow the audience to empathise with the artist, whilst using a convention which is seen within the pop genre in similar music videos.

4. A shot that shows an intertextual reference.

This shot shows an intertextual reference with Sinead OConnors Nothing Compares to You. This is because the way in which the artist is portrayed is similar to that of Sinead within her music video. This is seen as an intertextual reference as when the audience watch our Torn music video they will create a connection with the Sinead OConnor music video, which is a hugely popular music video. Our music video is similar in the way the artist is portrayed as Sinead is portrayed as a strong character although she is seen to be crying. This is the same within our music video, with our artist appearing to be strong with facing her emotions whilst also crying at the end of the music video. The position of the artist is also similar within both music videos, with the artist being in the centre third of the shot throughout the majority of the music video. This allows the audience to focus on the artist as in both music videos the artists expressions and emotions are the most significant part of the song. 5. A shot that demonstrates your use of camera.

This shot is a mid shot which pans around our artist. This allows the audience to see her body language whilst also allowing them to see the mise-en-scene of character clothing and location. This is an important part of a music video as it is allowing the audience to connect with the artist, and feel a part of her journey. As mentioned previously within this music video we have the audience empathising with the artist as her target audience were of a similar age and would have experienced the same things including the emotional ending of a relationship. 6. A shot that demonstrates your use of lighting.

In this shot you can see the lighting in the bottom left hand corner, as it creates as it reflects onto both characters. For the lighting we used a light box, whilst ensuring the main light of this room was turned off. This was because when it was on the characters appeared to be very orange and unnatural as the light was I the centre of the room which therefore affected the characters greatly. We ensured it was not turned on during filming as it would affect the continuity between shots as the artist (Emily) would appear a lot paler in some shots compared to others. This would make a huge difference to the music video as it would look unnatural and we would need to edit the colours in order to try and get them to match. This was nearly impossible as when changing the colours on Photoshop you are then change the balance between colours which makes the shot look extremely edited. This was not something we wanted so in order to avoid this we had to make sure the shots contained the same lighting, including the outdoor scenes. These were filmed during the day as we didnt want the shots to be too dark causing continuity issues with the rest of the music video. 7. A shot that demonstrates your use of mise-en-scene.

This shot is a good example of mise-en-scene as included within the shot is the characters clothing, a slight view of the location and the props used within the music video. Although only being a mid shot this shot shows a lot of information regarding mise-en-scene. On the left of this shot we see the box with white lining surrounded by ripped photographs and cards. These play a significant role within the music video as they act as the memories the artist shared within her previous relationship. Throughout the music video we see the artist ripping these photographs and cards showing her anger towards them. We also see her crying and holding these close to her heart, all suggesting these props played a significant role within the relationship but are now purely memories. The right hand side of the image shows the artist crouched down on her knees whilst we can see her hand is picking an item out of the box. Although you cannot see the artists face, you can see her wearing a while dress which also plays a significant role within this music video. The white dress symbolises purity and vulnerability as we see the artist breaking down in a vulnerable state. The dress also symbolises purity as the artist is now free from the relationship. When selecting what the character should wear I researched into a number of music videos including Skyscraper by Demi Lovato, in which she is wearing a long white dress within her music video. Looking at other music videos including Miley Cyrus When I Look at You I again saw the white dress as being a feature of the song which played a vital role. These therefore helped in my decision of character clothing. 8. A shot which you feel demonstrate something which shows you have watched other music videos.

This shot is a replica of Miley Cyrus Wrecking Ball in which we see Miley wearing very natural make up. She is seen wearing very minimal eye make up; only a thin line of eyeliner with her mascara. This is contrasted with her bright red lipstick, which draws attention to her mouth. Throughout her music video you see a number of extreme close ups of her face which show her facial expressions and emotions. This is mainly seen when she is seen to break down and cry whilst singing the song. Our shot is therefore the same as it is an extreme close up with the focus on the artists facial expressions and emotions. Our artist is seen to be crying in this image, whilst her make up is also the same as Miley Cyrus within her song Wrecking Ball. 9. A shot which you feel demonstrate something which shows you have watched other music videos.

This shot is a very similar shot to one which we saw in Avril Lavignes music video When youre gone. The shot within her music video shows the two characters laying on the grass cuddling whilst holding hands. We therefore decided to do a similar shot but indoors showing the characters at home and how they would have previously behaved around each other. Although the shot is not exactly the same as Avril Lavignes it is very similar, showing how close their relationship was. For the second part of this evaluation question I have used the same nine questions in order to make a second nine frame grid which contains screen grabs from other music videos which we have used as inspiration for our music video.

1. A shot that shows a link between lyrics and/or music and visuals.

This image from Avril Lavignes music video When Youre Gone shows a link between lyrics and visuals as when the artist sings the lyrics I miss you we see a carving of both of the characters initials in a tree trunk/branch. This is connecting her feelings with the past as it shows their initials surrounded by a heart also carved into the tree trunk/branch. This is allowing the audience to see the past which they shared, creating the connection between visuals and lyrics. By creating the connection the audience are able to empathise wit the artist as they can understand how the artist would be feeling, missing the person they previously spent a large amount of their time with. I believe this song has a strong ability for the audience to empathise with the artist as it doesnt only focus on a relationship involving a break up, but also a partner who is in the army and an elderly man who ahs been widowed. This therefore appeals to a wider audience as it does not have be a boyfriend which they miss but can be a dad, brother or even just a friend. 2. A shot that typifies the way a record company would want their artist to be represented.

This long shot from Demi Lovatos music video Skyscraper typifies the way in which the record company want to represent their artist through the mise-en-scene. We can see the artist wearing a long white dress, minimal make up with long brown hair. She is seen wearing a white dress as it symbolises vulnerability, purity and perhaps even naivety. This all connects to her song as it is a powerful and sad song. The location also plays a significant role as she is seen standing on her own on a beach. This helps to portray her emotions as it suggests she feels as if she is alone. 3. A shot that illustrates how their video uses music genre.

This mid shot from Taylor Swifts music video Love Story shows her and a male character looking at each other. The mise-en-scene of this shot shows her wearing a ball gown although only the shoulders are visible. The male character is seen wearing a tuxedo and the location of this is at a ball, When watching the music video the time period appears to be the Victorian/Edwardian era with the clothing matching this. I believe this shot illustrates how they use music genre as love stories and fantasies are a common theme seen throughout the pop genre. Another convention which is almost always seen throughout this genre is the connection between the male and female character, with the song usually focusing on their relationship.

4. A shot that shows an intertextual reference.

This image is from Sinead OConnors Nothing Compare to You which in an intertextual reference for our song as when our audience view our song they would automatically compare and contrast it to Sinead OConnor song. This is because they both focus on the artist, usually located in the centre third of the shot. This is in order for the audience to focus on her facial expressions and emotions felt in order to empathise with the artist. The audience are able to empathise with the artist as our target audience were of the same age as the artist and slightly younger. This would mean they themselves could be going through the same situation or perhaps have previously been in the same situation, allowing them to empathise with her. They are also both never emotional songs with the artists in both, crying towards the end of each music video. 5. A shot that demonstrates their use of camera.

I chose this shot from Conor Maynards R U Crazy as I believe the use of camera is very unique. We first see the camera travel over the ceiling, seeing the lights disappear and new ones appear as it travels along. After this the camera then comes down the walls to straighten up into the usually straight ahead camera shot. This camera movement is very unique and something which I have not seen within other music video.

6. A shot that demonstrates their use of lighting.

This long shot is also from Conor Maynards R U Crazy. When looking at other music videos I really liked the use of lighting in this music video as it is used to create an atmosphere. You can see the light at the end of the walk way, whilst the side in which we are viewing from is in darkness with only the slight lighting coming from above. This works really well as it creates the perfect shadows, with the artist (Conor) seen with his hand on his head walking towards the light whilst the girl follows behind. Lighting is really important here as it contains it own meaning; Conor walking towards the light is suggestive that he is walking away in order to gain the freedom he requires, whilst having the girl in the dark more is suggestive that she is a dark character and could perhaps be trouble. 7. A shot that demonstrates their use of mise-en-scene.

This long shot shows a room full of photos, hanging all around which are later seen to have a story or play a vital role within each of the artist lives. Throughout the music video we see a number of close ups of these photos which then expand into a real life situation. I thought this was quite a unique music video, as the photographs play the most important role. This is a very good example how the mise-en-scene of props really does have a huge impact on story and can even have a story of their own. These photo are used to show the memories which each of the artists share with their family, a way which connects the audience as they may have similar family photos or perhaps a photo with a sibling which means a lot to them. This therefore builds a rapport between the band and their audience, showing how significant props including photographs can be to the overall music video.

8. A shot which you feel demonstrate something which shows you have watched other music videos.

When researching similar videos we used Miley Cyrus Wrecking Ball as a significant music video as we really liked the extreme close ups of Miley. This is because we felt that purely focusing on her face we could see the emotions which she felt. We also liked the framing of her face in many to shots with the focus being purely on her. The shots were usually extreme close ups showing her facial expressions allowing the audience to feel a connection to both her story and song alike. This therefore built a rapport between the audience and the artist allowing them to sympathise with her. We also liked the natural make up which can be seen in this image. She is wearing simple eye make up, with only a thin line of eyeliner accompanied by a layer of mascara. This is contrasted by her bright red lipstick, but is used to draw the attention to her mouth. Although in our music video we were not intending the attention to be drawn to the mouth we thought it signified power for our artist. Also as her eye make up was minimal it allowed the focus to be on the glazed eyes which are later seen shedding tears. 9. A shot which you feel demonstrate something which shows you have watched other music videos.

This long shot from Avril Lavignes When Youre Gone shows the two characters laying on the grass, cuddling and holding hands. Although we did not replicate this image we used it as inspiration and modified it to use as part as our indoor scene. We believed that it was a good shot as it showed the relationship between the characters and how close they really were. We therefore decided that we could se this as part of our music video when the characters are seen inside cuddling on the sofa. By allowing the audience to see the artist previously in a relationship it also allows them to feel the pain which she now feels. This therefore builds a rapport between the audience and the artist, which is the main aim for most song within this genre.

After completing the evaluation for the music video, I will now be using a similar method in order to compare and contrast our digipak and promotional poster. Below is an image of our digipak next to a digipak which we used as inspiration. I have deconstructed both digipaks in order to show the similarities between the two. As Nicole Scherzingers digipak only shows her front and back pane accompanied by the spine I will only be using these for my comparison. 1. The front cover As you can see from the images on the left the front cover of our digipak is very different to Nicole Scherzingers. This is through the use of colours, image and text. Nicoles front cover contains a very dark background whilst we used a very nude, natural colour for ours. However, due to her hair being very dark it creates a good contrast, the same as ours as 1. our artists hair is a medium brown which works well with the natural background. Although the images are different they contain a number of similarities. The image is used as the main focus on both albums, which is a common feature in the pop genre. The main difference is how the artist is portrayed, with our artist looking away from the camera seen to be shy and perhaps untrusting. Whilst Nicole is seen to be looking straight into the camera, shown to be a very confident 1. character. The artist name and album title are also different, as we have only used Lola the artists first name, in comparison to Nicoles containing both her first name and surname. However, by using a bigger font for her first name they are focusing on Nicole as her main stage name. Another common feature in which they both share is the boarder around the front cover. Whilst Nicoles boarder contains the album title With Love ours is purely a purple boarder used to add detail to our album cover.

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2. The Back Cover

The layout of our back cover is quite similar to that of Nicole Scherzingers in the way that the image and writing both occupy around half of the pane. When looking at Nicoles album cover for inspiration we really liked the balance between the writing and the image. This was therefore something we wanted to try for our own digipak. As you can see the balance is quite similar although the image and text are on opposite sides. After taking our photos for our digipak we decided which photo we would use for each pane. We liked this photo as it would create the perfect balance with the text on the right. We then had to ensure we had all the legal requirements on our back cover eg barcode and record company information. As you can see our barcode is at a different angle as we thought that this created a more professional finish. We then needed to add the record company information which includes copyright and the record company name. We used Nicoles back cover in order to do this task as we were unaware of what information was needed. We then placed it between the barcode and the bottom of the photo in order to create the perfect balance on the pane. Finally as you can see both our back cover and Nicoles back cover contain the boarder for detail, whilst ours al so contains the small flower in the top right hand corner.

3. The Spine For the spine we liked the colour gradient which can be seen on Nicoles album and therefore decided to do the same for ours. However, as we have used more natural colours the gradient is less visible. With ours beginning at the top with a nude/beige and getting lighter as it works its way down. The top of the spine contains the artists name (Lola Brooks) and the album title (Lost Faith). The font used for these are the same as the font used for the album title on the front cover and also the track list of the back cover. For continuity reasons we kept the flower in between the album title the same as on the front cover. The bottom of the spine then contains the barcode number and record company name. Below is an image of our promotional poster and Avril Lavignes Promotional Poster for comparison:

When looking at our promotional poster in comparison to Avril Lavignes you can see a number of features which they share. A you can see Avrils poster is promoting her tour rather than album, this is because I found it difficult to find a poster promoting an album within the pop genre. The main similarities between the two posters is the Artist name due to promoting different things. In the bottom left hand corner of Avrils album is a photo of her album cover, with a few of the songs listed underneath this picture. Below this is a release date for the album which is similar to what we have done on our poster as we have incl uded the statement out now. We have also included the statement featuring the no.1 single Torn which is similar to Avril Lavignes poster as it is giving an insight as to what songs are on the album. Our poster also contains the artists website, record company and where you can buy the album (ITunes). Similarly Avrils poster contains her website, record company and who she is promoted and supported by. Due to being in the pop genre they both contain a picture of the artist as this is a common feature within the pop genre. The main difference between the two is the extra details which come with what the album is promoting. As our poster is advertising an album we

have included rating from two magazines, whereas Avril Lavignes poster contains prices and where the concert tickets are available from as hers is advertising her upcoming tour.