In what ways does your media

product use, develop or

challenge forms and conventions

of real media products?

The brief I chose to fulfil involved the construction of a promotional

package for the release of an album, including a music promo video for an

existing song, accompanied by a digipak (CD) and a magazine cover

advertisement. The song I selected to base my promotional video around was

‘Sun Hands’ by Local Natives. The reasoning behind why I elected this

particular song was on account of its varied rhythms and tones, providing a

psychedelic nature. This allowed the inclusion of both an abstract

narrative and elaborate mise-en-scene, two characteristics which are

frequently exhibited in the genre of this song, indie/alternative. The

ideology associated with this genre commonly refers to defying the latest

customs and doctrines owned by the rife; creating innovative forms which

are directly linked to concepts either ahead or behind the times, with all

products differing from one another. Consequently, it is difficult to

identify whether my own products meet or flout the conventions of this

genre because variety is an overriding feature. However, within the

research I conducted on existing promotional products prior to my own

creative process, I was able to distinguish some correlations between them

as precincts are still required in order to produce a professional exterior

and engage audiences, such as editing on the beat of the song and conveying

a narrative of some kind.

My Music Video

Displaying the Band & Song Name

One recurring feature I recognised from my research, partially shown above, was the initial display of the band/artist - the owner(s) of the ideology expressed within the art - and song name before any action had commenced. This is to provide the spectators with immediate recognition of the song’s creator(s) so they can distinguish whether it’s suited to their individual music taste and weltanschauung. I noted the minimalism of the typefaces, this is habitual as they make the text easily identifiable. Renowned fonts such as ‘Times New Roman’ were predominantly used, I therefore incorporated this element in my own video, using exactly the same font style. Additionally, I capitalised every letter of my band and song name, in keeping with the customs of music videos as it reinforces the distinctiveness. In terms of composition, I positioned the text in the centre, once more coinciding with existing products and highlighting the content further. Although I tried to closely resemble the samples in my research, I somewhat defied conventions by layering the text over a plain backdrop as opposed to the actual footage itself. This is because I featured three very brief shots at the beginning, harmonising with the beat of the song, meaning the clarity of the text would be lost if I were to follow the custom accordingly.

Mise-En-Scene

Cast Members

Another recurring feature of indie/alternative music videos is the inclusion of band members. Much like the display of their name at the beginning, this is to gain recognition to promote themselves as individuals alongside their music. Bearing this in mind, I met this regularity. Many bands within this genre are typically four or five piece, meaning all musical attributes can be accounted for, and they usually consist of males. I therefore embraced this and selected four boys for my original casting. However, on account of a last minute cancelation from one cast member, his spot was replaced with a girl, therefore contradicting the expected format. I purposely selected modest, simple clothing for my cast to wear - essentially jeans and shirts - as this factor is not generally deemed as significant within the indie/alternative genre, as shown above.

Mise-En-Scene

Lip-syncing

Lip syncing is a predominant feature in music videos of all genres, in order to provide verisimilitude, the illusion of performance and reminding the audience who is responsible for the vocals within the song. I applied this convention to my work as it is the most excepted element in music videos starring the actual artist or band. I, however, defied the prospect of having one band member lip-sync with their own vocals, instead electing two people. This was primarily because I wanted to supply more variety to conserve the spectators’ interest.

Mise-En-Scene

Humour & Surrealism

Humour is a notorious factor in music videos as it’s naturally endearing, inviting large audiences. Bizarre spectacles frequently contribute to this, with the intention of bewildering viewers to evoke laughter, therefore seizing their attention until the end of the film. I implemented humour in my own work to correspond with the interest and expectations of my audience. This was conveyed through editing strategies such as continually repeating certain movements two times the speed of the original footage, providing an uncanny sight. I also communicated humour through the brief I gave some of my participants – ‘Dance like an awkward person’ - which they delivered wholeheartedly; this view is also naturally laughter inducing.

My original intention for the performance-based sector was to include genuine tenor drums for the band to play, however, on account of expense and not having the appropriate connections to borrow some, they were difficult to obtain. Therefore, I instead incorporated pots and pans to imitate drums, adopting the ironic playfulness, do-it-yourself attitude which are chief characteristics within this genre. An example of this quality appears in OK Go’s video for ‘Here It Goes Again’ in which all band members are seen dancing on treadmills, an object which isn’t typically associated with dancing.

Mise-En-Scene

Location

The indie/alternative rock genre derives from independent labels which are small and relatively low-budget, demonstrating a DIY attitude of the bands and artists involved. This expense deficiency, however, condenses the venue options, rendering minimal locations being popular. I selected a minimal locations to coincide with this typical aesthetic, choosing Fruit as it bears a very unpretentious, offhand attribute, not to mention it’s the vessel of indie/alternative band performances. I also contained some footage within the collage green room and is essentially the embodiment of minimalism, solely containing a green screen and white wall. In short, I followed this convention to a large degree.

Mise-En-Scene

3 Shot Format

In all genres, music videos predominantly follow a 3 shot format: long shots; medium shots and close-ups. Long shots are to illustrate the character’s entire figure and to place it in some relation to its surroundings. Additionally, it underscores the character’s movement/body language. Close-ups are generally used to depict the facial expressions and emotion of the character and, finally, mediums shots are to reveal both the subjects' facial expressions in the context of their body language. This rule of three is fundamental, therefore expected, consequently I employed this format, using all shot types for an equal amount of time as it is essential to exhibit variety to make it more visually stimulating, retaining the interest of my audience.

Cinematography

Cinematography

Establishing Shot(s)

Like in any other mediums of film, establishing shots feature at the very beginning as the first shot, intended to reveal the where the action is taking place, to the spectators. It immediately establishes the context, meaning the audience gain some insight of the film’s themes and the reasoning behind certain behaviour(s). I decided to include three establishing shots at the very beginning to provide the audience with this sense of locality, the stage imp articular. One shot, conversely, depicts an abstract kaleidoscopic pattern, positioned on the wall of my venue, which instigates the recurrent motif of psychedelic graphics.

Editing to the Beat

The intention of music videos is to compliment the song, meaning certain visual aspect should synchronise with nature of it, including the beat. No matter the genre, editing to the beat is fundamental, otherwise the piece appears disordered and amateurish. Expectedly, I followed this convention to meet societal requirements, ensuring the length of the shots became shorter as the song accelerated and elongated the shots that were positioned against parts with a gentler tone.

Editing

Editing

Abstract Techniques

To harmonise with the abstract narrative of my video, I also implemented abstract editing strategies to illustrate new and challenging perspectives of reality, aligning with values typically associated with the indie/alternative genre. Tame Impala’s video for their track 'Feels Like We Only Go Backwards’, plus Temples video for ‘Shelter Song’(both of them indie bands) were the chief incentive behind my idea; sporting a psychedelic quality which was incredibly captivating throughout. I communicated a similar quality through effects, such as the display of vivid colour, continuous colour alteration, overlays and experimenting with structures, thus replicating a number of videos within this genre.

My Digipak

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The typical conventions one would expect to see on an album digipak are as followed:

- Barcode- Copyright infringements- Artist webpage- Dates of year- Record label logos- Track list- Album title

All these elements were included in my own work in order to produce a professional and recognisable exterior with verisimilitude. Other components I incorporated were more in relation to my own artistic preferences, applying collage, photography and graphic design techniques to create a product that is innovative and aesthetically pleasing to my customers, besides reinforcing the continuity within all my products.The construction of my digipak is seen below.

Front Cover

The prominent impression I received when completing research on album covers of artists, relating to my chosen song, was one of absurdity (research displayed above). Emphasis was placed upon artistic imagery as opposed to images of my artists themselves for self promotion, somewhat reflecting the values associated with this genre. All designs were incredibly diverse from one another, allowing my own artistic preference to flourish. My front cover combined both photography and Photoshop digital manipulation, resulting in an image that bears a similar metaphysical quality to existing indie/alternative bands; a lady, placed behind a projected collage image, with a deer for a head. There is no particular connotation associated with this image, it’s chiefly for aesthetic enjoyment. This aligns with Michael Shore’s argument of media texts being a “surface without substance”. I maintained the use of the font ‘Times New Roman’, seen on the opening sequence of my music video, to create continuity, therefore my audience can establish a connection between the two mediums. Furthermore, I applied overlays on Photoshop to replicate the same effect used in my video, reinforcing the continuity of my products. The primary inspiration behind my front cover design was Local Native’s art for their album ‘Breakers’(displayed top right), observing the masked face and medium close-up shot of the model, which I directly implemented in my own design, I believe, successfully.A step-to-step construction of my front cover is displayed below.

Disks

My intention was to design a convincing product that appeared credible when stocked in shops, therefore, to reinforce my product’s sophistication, I included all the appropriate logos and copyright information of my selected record label. I elected 'Infectious Records’ as they are the actual record label of my chosen song’s band, ‘Local Natives’, meaning they’re accustomed to collaborating with artists belonging to the genre my song falls under. The composition of the band name, album name, record label and logos are all fairly obscure, opposing to the accustomed linear format of the prevalent, therefore mirroring the ideology of the indie/alternative genre. No matter what genre, copyright information is always displayed along the disk’s circumference, meaning I was required to use the pathway tool. After watching a YouTube tutorial of how to create a pathway I discovered that it involved the circular selection tool, before altering it’s setting to ‘pathway’ then using the type tool to attach text to it.

Back Cover

The layout of my back cover is in response to the existing products I researched beforehand, as I took various aspects from each one I gazed upon and developed them. The album ‘Lonersism’ by indie band Tame Impala (displayed top right) was my incentive regarding the track list. I noted the juxtaposition between the chaotic background image and the minimalist typography, in addition to the central composition of the track list against a solid coloured layer to strengthen the text’s clarity. I applied all three elements in my own work, selecting ‘Times New Roman’ as the track list font, continuing the font style presented on both the album cover and opening sequence of my video. I also positioned my track list central and comprised the fill layer idea, however, I divided the text’s fill layer into four equal parts as the whole fill layer showed empty spaces which were visually displeasing. Indie band, the XX’s debut album inspired the configuration of my barcode; copyright infringements; artist webpage; dates of year and record label logos. I selected this particular album as a guide on account of it’s customary approach; the design likens to most albums in the industry.

The copyright information was almost directly prompted by that of the album 'Hummingbird’ by Local Natives, the band of my chosen song. This was to provide the appropriate information regarding the artists and their record label, ‘Infectious Records’, again reinforcing the verisimilitude of my own product when compared to those in the music industry. My original intention was to be guided by the actual album of my song, ‘Gorilla Manor’, however, I was unable to on account of the text’s indistinguishable size. My track list was essentially a duplicate of the genuine track list on ‘Gorilla Manor’, I decided to do this as the remaining songs on Local Native’s album purposely compliment my chosen song, emphasising the continuity.

2015

My Poster

On a promotion poster for an album, one would expect see:

• The band name• A main image• The artist/band’s featured song• The album name • The release date do the audience known when it is

available for purchase.• The artist/band’s website so the audience can find

out more about them and about upcoming tour dates.• Their record label logo(s) to promote the artist as

part of a business.• Some indication of where the album can be purchased

or streamed, usually illustrated in the form of company logos.

These are all elements which I adhered to, as they all support the promotional purposes of this product.

In accordance to the research I carried out on indie posters, prior to the construction of my own, geometry was an overriding theme, particularly in relation to circles. This design style coincides with contemporary art forms, which is currently popular amongst society because of it’s modest nature. I featured this concept within my own design as it’s overall purpose is to comply with widespread taste to sell more products.I also noted it’s balance between minimalism and surrealism; minimalism represented by the shapes and surrealism depicted by the use of colour and patterns. I incorporated this property in my own poster, embracing the use of hand-rendered collage and layer blends on Photoshop to portray surrealism, although also filling the majority of the image with solid white colour to enforce the minimalist balance. Most indie posters I gazed upon also wore fairly simple font styles for the purpose of clarity, I therefore applied minimalist font ‘Courier New’ to all the text within my poster. I strengthened the clarity further by increasing the letter spacing.