music video conventions
Andrew Goodwin identified a number of features which distinguish the music video form:
- a relationship between lyrics and visuals
We have used this convention in our music video by basing the setting and narrative around the lyrics of the song, the song's lyrics talk of the exam situation 'hello, sit down in your seat. don't look, don't speak, don't cheat' and also of the relationship point of view 'don't cheat on me. don't go, this is just the beginning'. We used these lyrics to write a narrative of a male lead 'playing' two girls and to create a school exam setting, in a high school classroom with a class sitting a test. We have therefore conformed to the convention of linking lyrics and visuals in our music video. We also developed this convention by taking more than one meaning from the lyrics and applying this in our music video, the cheating in an exam setting and also in a relationship context. This can also add enigma, engaging the audience and holding their attention.
- a relationship between music and visuals
- demands of record label mean many close ups of artist
- intertextual references to other music videos and films
- voyeurism is present in many music videos, in treatment of females and in terms of looking
forms and conventions of Real media products
conventions of digipacks/magazine adverts.
- Album cover used on magazine adverts as well as website, quotes/comments/date of release.
[I used the album cover on my magazine advert to promote the release of it, however I also used the tour dates as an extra page as this is conventional of rock artists and bands. I also used comments from magazines and radio stations as is conventional]
- Artist name as focus on album cover, usually picture of artist and instruments, particularly in the indie-rock and pop genre.
- Indie-pop/alternative bands focus mainly on artwork for CD cover and magazine advert.
influences
music video
This video has a similar narrative structure and also interweaves the performance and narrative element towards the end. Our music video also reflects the representation of the male in this video, dating various girls and acting the 'charmer', for example in ours when the character is seen in the cafe with one girl and then meeting up at a gig with the other. In this we are using and conforming to the promiscious male stereotype often seen in music videos, rather than developing or challenging this convention.
We liked the style of the close ups of instruments at the beginning of this video, as we have used similar kinds of shots at the start of our music video. The close up shots of guitar, drums and speakers establish the style of music the audience are about to hear. In this video they also pre-empt the performance scenes that are about to take place.
American drama 'My So-Called Life' shows a similar school-room setting to that which we have used. The mise-en-scene of classroom location, individual exam desks and the representation of teenagers as distracted and unattentive in school are similar ideas reflected in our music video, we have conformed to these conventions so the music video is recognised as part of the teen-drama genre.
digipack
Inside In Inside Out is an example on album with the band on, however here they are also playing their instruments, showing a stronger focus on sound than image. I decided to use a picture of the band playing too. Again, rather than rely on the recognition of the artist by having their faces on the front cover, we have appealed more to the interest in their music.
I wanted to imitate the same British, nostalgic feel that Mumford and Sons album gives off, as Blighters are also a British indie band, with a very British style. I tried to achieve this in the digipak by using an image taken in the city, down an old city street. We have therefore used the same convention as Mumford and Sons in that we wanted certain imagery, to sell the music to a British audience.
Bloc Party's album gives uses a similar, city, grimy setting to that of our music video and digipak. The mise en scene of the colours and lighting highlight the city ambience and this is something familiar to a young, British audience. Familiarity and recognition is used to sell the music through the audience's identification with the image.
my productions
narrative
Our music video uses a convergent narrative, conventional of music videos
like Jack Penate's video for Have I Been a Fool?
through: enigma, the audience do not know what the male character is up to at first, and are unsure of his relations. This makes the audience want to know more, and therefore holds their attention.
some flashbacks; a montage at the end of the video, of the male character in the classroom and on each date.
and..
climax/crescendo; the video comes together as the narrative and performance meet and the couple go to the gig, where the band are playing, on a date.
as does Just Jack's music video - Day I Died
representation
Our music video represents the male 'player' stereotype, showing the male character dating different girls, along with the lyrics 'don't cheat on me', suggesting he is in fact cheating. This stereotype is also conventional of narrative music videos.
(Kate Nash- Foundations)
(Jack Penate - Have I Been a Fool?)
The digipack represents the band as accessible and down-to-earth, rather than the out of reach celebrity artists, a representation we avoided by including lyrics, which shows a willingness by the artist to share their material, and also a picture of the band inside, showing that they are accessible and able to have contact with listeners and fans, and are not hidden away celebrities.
techniques/codes
Music Video
fast cuts, in sync with beat, like Vampire Weekend's - A Punk
focus pulls, like Rocket Summer's video
digipack
an urban, grunge setting on cover and magazine advert
links to music video
genre conventions
as defined earlier..
MUSIC VIDEO
band playing in performance shots
city locations of the the 'date'
narrative of girl likes boy; boy likes girl but boy is a player type
DIGIPAK
image of band used
lyrics included
a focus on artwork, as used mainly in the indie-pop/folk genre
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
[Rather than use an image of the artist of the front cover of my digipack, I decided instead to use an image of the two main characters and use an image of the band inside the album in an insert. i think this creates more of a focus on the artwork and the music than on the fame of the band, which is helpful as they are unsigned and not very well known. Following conventions, I used a guitar on the background to reinforce the indie-rock genre]
[My digipack uses a cardboard which allows plenty of room for artwork as this is the approach I was going for, the artwork plays great important, with an insert of edited images and even a single image as artwork on the inside of the cover.]
This is one convention we have avoided slightly, having had no way of filming the actual band or a similar one, we filmed a totally different style band for our performance shots, focusing mainly on the instruments and action there rather than close ups of faces and singing. This convention is used mainly to sell the fame and celebrity of the artist to their audience, however in this case, using an unsigned band, we can't use their celebrity to sell the song as they are not well known and recognised yet.
In our music video, we attempted to sync the beat of the music with the visuals. For example, with the sudden building pace before one of the choruses, we used fast cuts between the faces of the three main characters, sat in the cafe.
Our music video lacks any intertextual references, often used as a way to draw in a audience who will recognise said references or to cite favoured music videos/films. Therefore we are challenging this convention and relying on other methods to sell our music video and artist.
We've used the element of voyeurism during the cafe scene of our music video, with the girl watching the couple from another table, we used point-of-view shots to show this. This makes the audience feel more involved within the drama, and allows it to be more relatable to them.
e.g. screens within screens, mirrors, cameras...
- genres are complex in terms of music video style and iconography
like going for coffee in a little cafe