In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of

real media products?

DIGIPAK:
I conformed to the digipak conventions in terms of the layout as I features the artist name
and digipak title in a bold font that would catch the consumers eye solely based on the fact it
would stand out as an obvious viewing point despite its position on a shelf, the image is
centred so that any measurements and visual lining matches more naturally as I understand
from researching the types of digipak I like that the image placement throughout is vital as
the appearance is a massive selling point for any digipak and especially for a debut album
like mine is briefed to be therefore I didnt follow these types of conversions but adapt some
to find the design layout I wanted to make. The simplicity of my digipak centres on the
inspiration I have taken from album art from the likes of Kasabian in their album For crying
out loud and Madison Beer for her EP DEAD who feature white borders as the visual
component that intensifies the image chosen as the actual selling point as the assumed
audience will acknowledge the image before anything else due to the eye doing an initial
gaze therefore I wanted to have a clear simplistic appearance so that I could add a unique
editing technique to give a distinctive feature in a shelf full of digipak. I took an image of my
artist LUNA REY, who has featured in the music video also under a different name to add a
more personal and realistic look, using a IPhone 7 as I wanted to take it in a more natural
and structured setting where I could use my time to focus on the more intimate and direct
styling to ensure I could create the ideal photographs for my digipak based on a picture of
Kendall Jenner in which her hair has been manipulated to mimic little hearts at the end in a
natural way from an overhead shot that highlighted beauty and intimacy in a flattering way,
therefore I took that as huge inspiration for my whole photography. Laura Mulveys male
gaze is highlighted in the digipak covering as the model shown as Luna is seen with the
neck shown with no cover which although doesnt reveal any aspect of the body, can
encourage the mind to enquire the rest which is what the male gaze revolves around. The
fact Kendall Jenner created a look that was similar and was crowned most liked post on
Instagram in 2014, and Jenner as an influencer, model and reality star relates massively to
how I wanted my artist and album to be perceived as she was someone that offered a style
that I wanted to feature in my digipak and means that my intended demographic may
recognise the image which is conforming to the conventions of real media products as media
product of all genres and varieties tend to either re-create or edit an already existing album
cover for their own brand, magazine advertisement and DVD cover for example all typically
do this as more artists are creating digital work that tributes other media products therefore
the fact my digipak does conform and suits the genre of many other covers highlights that a
consistent trend of similar looking covers on the market for many years before and possible
after the creation of my digipak for Luna Rey and her debut album Clarity and corruption.
The fact my digipak has a divide in editing to create a colossal array of reds, blues and
yellow challenging the conventions set by the Roger Black and the colour on background
rule as I have by keeping white as a majority background to create a statement border and
filler throughout my digipak but I have combined a vary of colour which have been stated a
complimentary with the white but not with other colour tones therefore I have subtly
challenged a colour orientated organisation. It is a clear convention that every aspect of the
digipak has a clear repetition to the next or a clear connection that conforms to the idea that
a digipak should have a connection when brought, used and looked at as part of its
signature- this convention has been apparent in my digipak as I have made the editing style
with slight in focus as part of the visuals on every side on my digipak, from the front image
and front fold of LUNA REY to the crosses and circles on the back and CD holder keeping
the link in a genre appropriate layout that portrays my digipak and artist in the way intended
based on the music genre and intended audience. The image editing connotes the edgy and
futuristic tone of my artist and therefore my media products inspiration as I want the fact that
the digipak is called Clarity and Corruption denotes the idea of opposites attract as clarity is
defined as clearness or lucidity as to perception or understanding; freedom from
indistinctness or ambiguity whereas corruption means dishonest or fraudulent conduct by
those in power, typically involving bribery; both contradict each others integrity yet fit the
genre of the digipak as each song is giving a realistic side to the modern fairy tale every
strives for therefore the fact I have put the crosses and circles is highlighting how it is all
about differences and they conflict but visually wait, meeting the genres expectation and
artist representation. Because my genre was indie dark pop, I want to conform to that with
the look therefore looked to achieve the crisp, clear yet chaotic and fun look like seen on big
name inspirations like Lorde, Ella Eyre and Dua Lipa in their digipaks therefore added the
colours, hidden messages and interactive aspects like the colour illusions and glitches in the
image that cause the audience to investigate what the image actually is which is a smart
marketing technique but also challenging the convention that a digipak should try and be as
visual clear as possible for it to be considered as it may confuse if it doesnt look like every
other digipak on the shelf so I challenged that slightly as I felt it added a sense of originalism
to the digipak and I am glad I chose to challenge that convention for my own digipak.
MAGAZINE ADVERT:
For my magazine advert I wanted to conform to the generic rules that I feel do not need to
be adapted or challenged as the only thing that may be manipulated slightly would be the
placement of the bold title- I have followed the traditional convention of putting a bold title of
my artist (LUNA REY) at the top of the advert so that is instantly attracts the eyes to the title
as seen in a large majority of media products of all genres and formats. However, I have
decided to use a nude pink shade as my chosen title colour as it creates a clear link to the
digipak it is promoting as its purpose and adds a unique touch that in my opinion shows
much personalisation as it isnt a typical colour scheme featured from what I have seen
during my research and planning section of the coursework therefore challenging the
convention that the title should either be a solid monochrome colour scheme or a primary
shade that looks more conventional on the market, however to contradict the idea that I have
completely challenged a convention is not completely true as bold colour choices have been
used therefore I have not followed a traditional convention but have not been totally original
as that would not be true. The image being placed in the middle of the page taking up a
majority of the negative space is conventional as having an image on the page is a
traditional tactic however because I have enhanced with the border and only placed it in the
middle doesnt follow conventions set as typically magazine adverts and other media
products either have the image as an underlay under the text or the image being used as
part of the text but because I wanted to create a consistent look that shows a clear parallel
between the digipak and magazine advert therefore I felt using the image in the way I have
has enhanced the crisp look I wanted to create and achieve a magazine advert that
conforms to magazine adverts I aspired to create during my research and planning, like
Florence and machine who also kept the image in the centre and had a clear link between
the digipak she was promoting on the magazine advert much like I have as I think it is an
effective way of creating a signature for my artist and her metaphorical brand. At the lower
proportion of the page I have featured a list of songs featured on the album being promoted
including the Lost In You Light which is the song that the music video is produced about
creating a discreet link between all of the media products I have created- the fact I featured
the songs, highlighted it is a debut album and promoted her website so that people can use
in order to get frenzy from the public and because of the fact the website will be linked to
social media profiles instigates that the intended audience will look into the website to know
more as the intended audience are raised in a digital age that conforms to using social
media at their disposal therefore I only linked the website to open more marketing
opportunity for REYs brand. The fact I have featured the website conforms to conventions I
have seen from what other magazines Ive looked into therefore is a typically text found on a
magazine advert.
Both my magazine advert and digipak challenge the traditional and standard conventions
with its more minimalistic styling approach with editing being the way of showing
uniqueness- however it is not an original idea and has been shown in many offer artists work
therefore I have used it as a tactic to approach the intended audience.
MUSIC VIDEO:
LOCATION:
Wilkinsons Afterglow music video was a huge inspiration for the music video created for
Lost in your light as the concept of a modern day love story being told something I felt was
slightly different than many other video that conform to the genre made by as part of the
coursework therefore for location a variety of different sets were used to firstly reflect on how
the song by Lipa relates to the artist style and secondly to match the storytelling hoped to be
achieved to build strong mise-en-scene. The location varies from rooms in a house to whites
rooms with different coloured backdrops to add aspects of colours, props that reflect what is
being said and allude the fun tuning behind the song as both the song and the video isnt
supposed to have a dark or atmospheric interpretation be instead a more carefree,
entertaining video for the intended audience as the song itself is a combination of dark pop
and soul. With the colours, props and visual styling of the videos layout all conforming to the
conventions set based on the genre of music being visual created to ensure it appealed to
the intended audience. The scenes that included the exterior elements of the flat and the
room in the first section of the video reflect the intimate aspects of the relationship being told
on the scenes before it give the video a genuine, realistic and endearing quality to the video
as it highlights to the audience that it could be a real story being told, which is a convention
of the type of music video this falls into (narrative and disjunctive) as its supposed to be
believable for the consumer watching. The location choices were more simplistic as we used
everything we could to intensify the mise-en-scene being shown because we wanted to
create the storyline is the most professional and visual pleasuring way without being over
eccentric with how we did it therefore imagination as inspiration by including a variety of
different location ideas to replicate the ideas; conventions were challenged slightly as
locations were make rather than actually used therefore certain parts of the videos
authenticity however the outcome was better than the convention that all aspects should be
directly conforming at all times as the video is inspired by a slideshow of the relationship, at
its highs and lows. The fact the video consists solely of a male and a female character
matched the song and video as both female and male vocals can be heard creating the idea
that the two bodies featured are the artists singing giving a more personal feel even though
the characters are given names that relate in no way to the artists (Luna Rey and Quinn
Jackson) its like a story being told through them under false illusion- giving the video an
edge.
CAMERA ANGLES:
Whilst planning the music video, it was clear that camera angles are vital in composing a
genuine visually clear video that reflects the skill of the planning and complements the
concepts trying to be captured during the filming as it is the most important aspects of the
videos pre-production as no editing or adjustments can be made whilst filming, therefore I
planned out what types of shots I wanted to use before filming commenced. I looked for
inspiration for shot types and camera angles for a variety of music video that both conformed
to the conventions of my chosen songs genre and not as I feel that camera angles should be
chosen based on how they promote the styling rather than where they are sourced from, as
it is clear a variety of videos taken inspiration from one another to increase the likelihood of
the video being seen by the intended audience. The main shots used were overhead shots
to allow the audience to acknowledge what is being represented in the shot, for example for
did an overhead slow pan of birthday candles being laid out on a pink backdrop covered in
confetti was used to represent the birthdays shared, long shots to highlight aspects of the
story that follow both intimate details and mise-en-scene trying to be established through the
camera angles, extreme close ups and point of views because each one conforms to the
conventions of the video but also promote the realistic styling trying to be achieved. These
shots are conventional based on the genre however are slightly developed and manipulated
due to the narrative and disjunctive aspect of the music video made.
EDITING:
Because the video is styled like a timeline, a fast pace editing style conforms to that concept
as each scene is played the a story, taking inspiration from the Afterglow music video as it
matched the visual idea most wanted for the video made therefore the main part of editing is
fast pace and repetitive so that every 5 to 15 seconds is a new scene in the progressive
sequence. The fast pace editing element gave the video a seamless look that synchronise
with the songs more digitally sounding whilst fitting the song build up during certain
segments of the audio therefore it was the most complimentary for the song and styling
inspiration trying to be achieved for the genre and audience who are intended to be
watched. The editing style conforms to the typical conventions of any music video as it is
vital that editing works alongside the video as it is important post production. One thing that
isnt a typical element for many music video is the fact that I added text onto every scene,
minus the last 5 seconds to intensify the meaning of each scene, as it added to the idea that
this is a timeline inspired music video, although it isnt conventional in the general sense it
isnt totally original therefore inspiration has been taken and other videos may have also
used the text in a similar way.