Evaluation Question 1) In What Ways Does Your Media Product Use, Delvelop or Challenge Forms and Conventions of Real Media Products? BLOG

In my A2 media coursework this year I was assigned to create a music video for an artist that I would design myself. These ancillary texts included a magazine advert and a digipak. I had to create a music video of at least three minutes long. While researching into other music videos through my planning I found that as a whole the main concept of a music video was to create a message that was visual and fitted the theme of the song well. Music videos were also seen as a chance for the artist to create a new image for themselves. Once I had justified why my music videos were essential I then went on to focus my attention on a number of indie artists who would influence the creation of my own music video. Gabrielle Aplin was one of these people, her music seemed to relate to me as a consumer very well. Her song ‘Please don’t say you love me’ was heavily based on both narrative and performance concepts. The idea that she herself was an indie artist whom presented herself as someone who was very relatable become interesting to me and I wanted to study the conventions further through other artists.

Ed Sheeran and Birdy were two other artists that were classed as successful indie performers. I was able to analyse his video ‘Lego House’ and again a clear narrative was shown through the emotional story that shows him decorating and making his house a ‘home.’ In Birdy’s music video ‘Skinny Love’ she has focused on the mise on scene in her music video. The particular costume being large combat boots display her as an artist who is able to get her hands dirty and is not afraid to act differently to the typical ‘glamourous’ artists. This then allowed me to recognise how the audience would appeal to this as they see the artists as friends and not anything above them. This allows me to be able understand what type of artist I want to use for my own music video which is going to be Gabrielle Aplin and the song ‘Salvation’ because it seems to have the right amount of emotion to create a very delicate narrative. While staring to plan my own music video I knew that I wanted a very creative side to it. I wanted it to appear original but still conform to the conventions of a music video.

Firstly, I thought about which three aspects of the music videos I wanted to include. I chose narrative and performance elements to be present in my own music video. In addition to this the mise-en-scene in my music video developed real life indie conventions mainly though the costume and location. The certain costume and makeup our artist Amy-Michaela has worn made it possible to identify her as an indie artist. For example the grey dress and black combat boots that she wears in the music video show an original and vintage side to her. This is because the boots she wears are stereotypically made to make her look ‘Tom-boyish’ and adventurous these two statements are able to make her seem like someone who doesn’t mind getting dirty and isn’t a stereotypical glamorous celebrity. I felt that the audience could relate well to this due to the fact that they might be able to see themselves in this particular artist and this will result in them taking an instant liking to her as a person not just an indie artist. 

In addition to this the many settings and locations used in the music video make it possible for their artist to be presented as someone who appreciates natural beauty, most of our shots in the music video are set in the forest areas and cornfields which natural sun in the background. This would be commonly seen in the real life display of indie gen music videos as both Gabrielle Aplin and Birdy themselves show a true representation of natural beauty in their music video by using natural elements such as the sunlight. The audience are then able to see her as a more relatable person as they are able to see her as someone who makes her videos in areas that may be very common to them as people.In addition to this like dyers theory states the artist is being able to be portrayed as ordinary as well as extraordinary. This means that even though the artist is successful and has all the fame and fortune they still choose to relate to the audience through typical locations and costumes that may be familiar with the artist.