1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Firstly, one of the ways that our media product uses the conventions of real media products is through the use of storyline that we chose to follow as a group. We decided that we should create a narrative video with elements of a performance. This is quite common for real media products to use this style of work, as it keeps the audience interested in the product as the video is not so repetitive. A real life example of this is the video for Sam Smith - Not the only one. The video contains a narrative of the realisation of a woman discovering her husband is having an affair, Although the video also cuts to clips of the artist, Sam Smith singing. This is to ensure that the audience can engross in a narrative but also see the artist themselves. 

For our own music video we included a narrative of the artist going insane through the consequences of a bad breakup. We had to be very careful when thinking of the narrative for our video to ensure that it appealed successfully to our target audience (16-24 year olds).Therefore we decided that the narrative of our video should be focused on the emotions surrounding a breakup, as it is quite likely that most adolescents would've experienced these feelings and can therefore relate to our music video, meaning they are more likely to want to watch it. As well as this, it is quite often that real media products feature these issues, for example artists such as Taylor Swift and Adele focus on these issues. As a result of this our media product uses the conventions of real media products. 

Dancer 

As well as this, we also featured some clips in our video of a dancer. We decided to feature a dancer in our video because it was originally completely focused on the artist and after receiving some audience feedback that the video became quite repetitive we decided that we needed to add something additional to our video to make it more visually interesting. The use of a dancer in our video uses the conventions of a real media product as many music videos feature a dancing element. For example the artist Sia, features a young dancer in all of her music videos.

Locations

One of the conventions that we have developed through our music video is the use of locations. It is quite often that a music video will feature more than one location, in order to keep the target audience interested. For our own music video we developed this convention by using 5 locations. We decided that it would be a good idea to use quite a few locations because our music video is mainly focused on the artist and we thought that it in order to keep our audience interested in the video we must use a variety of locations. I think that it is effective that we used a variety of locations because if we were to shoot all of our video in one or two locations it might have become quite repetitive for our audience to watch. 

Repeated sequence 

A convention of real media products that we followed is the use of repeated sequences. It is a common feature in professional music videos that they will refer back to a certain sequence in the video more than once. As a result of this, we decided to use this element in our own music video. We decided that we should repeat one of the most important sequences in the video, which is the opening scene. The feedback that we received from our target audience after repeating this sequence throughout the video was very positive and they liked the aspect of some of the shots reappearing. I also think that we repeated the shots the correct amount of times, if we'd of done it too frequently it could've become quite boring for the audience to watch. 

Transitions 

One of the conventions that we challenged against real media is the use of transitions, as shown in the images above. Although real media do feature transitions within their work, we used them far more regularly than what is expected. I think that some of the transitions that we used through our work were very effective. However some of the feedback that we received from our target audience was that at times there were too many transitions within our work. I think that if we was to recreate our work we would remove some of the transitions from our work, this is because at times I think that it takes away some of the professional elements of our work. Although, viewing it in a positive light is that it makes our work stands out from others and has its own originality. It is important that our product has its own unique element even if that means challenging the conventions of real media products.

Camera work

Another convention that we have challenged against real media products is that our camera work is very still. For example the image above displays a mid shot of the artist and this is generally the type of shot we used throughout our video, along with close ups and long shots. When filming a professional music video it is likely that they will have a wide variety of shots, which include camera movements such as panning and tracking because they have the technical facilities to do so.  However because the only piece of equipment that we had was a tripod, we tried to ensure that the shots within our work were quite still. This is because we wanted to ensure that we had a clear shot of our artist but as a result of this it meant that our work did lack some variety of camera work. Therefore, this is a flaw in our product. If we was to recreate our music video I would try to add some movement to our work, even if it is only minor. This is because it is crucial to keep our target audience interested in the video and they might become quite bored watching similar camera shots throughout the video. On the other hand the use of mid shots means that our audience can clearly see our artists appearance, this is very important then first releasing work as you want your target audience to become familiar with the artists appearance and style.

Following on from this a way that our work develops the forms and conventions of real media products is through the use of multiple split screens, as displayed in the image above. Very often in professional work they may feature a split screen however it does not contain as many images as the one above does. I think that overall the use of multiple split screens within our work was very effective and it sets us apart from other people. Elements such as this means that our work has its own unique element which is very important when starting out in the music industry. 

Effects

Another way in which our work develops the conventions of real media products is through the use of effects. When we looked at Rihanna's video of Disturbia we found that in her video she did use blur effects slightly. As a group we were very interested in this effect and thought that it added to the overall dark tone of the song. As a result of this we developed this convention even further and used it several times throughout our work. I think that the use of this effect adds to the professional element of our work and displays a good variety of skill. Furthermore, I think that the shots above are very visually interesting and therefore keep our target audience interested. I think that it is effective that we chose to use effects within our work, as once again it adds a unique element to our work and it creates variety. 

Green screen 

In contrast to this, one of the elements that we have challenged against real media products is the use of a green screen.  In professional music videos they have the budget to be able to travel to a variety of locations, this means that they do not have to use technical elements such as the green screen. However because we do not have the budget to do so, therefore we decided to use the facilities that were available to us and we created the visual image that is shown above. I think that it is effective that we decided to use the green screen element as once again it adds variety to our work as it is something different for our target audience to focus on. I think that the choice of setting that we used is also effective as it fits in with the dark tone of the song and adds an element of mystery. The setting may also be reflective of the artists emotions as it is very empty and lacking life.

Costume changes 

Finally, one of the ways that our media product uses conventions is through the use of costume changes. The images above are an example of some of the costume changes throughout our video. in real media product it is very likely that the artist will feature in more than one outfit and this usually changes along with the location. As a result of this we tried to use a variety of costumes throughout our work to ensure that we followed a professional standard. Also, if we were to use the same costume throughout, the video could've become very repetitive for our target audience. Moreover, the use of different costumes signifies a change in time and location, therefore adding to the narrative of our work. 

Even though our artist is wearing a variety of costumes we wanted to ensure that her overall style remained this same, this is so that she can develop an image for herself as an artist and her target audience can become familiar with her. Therefore we tried to use dark colours throughout the video such as black. Also the use of grey colour is reflective of the narratives within the video as the artist is unsure how she is feeling. 

Overall, I think that as a group we have created a good product. I think that our work has a good amount of variety and it follows some of the typical conventions which are expected from a music video, this is good because it means that our target audience are familiar with that they are viewing and certain things appear as they expect to see them. However the use of challenging some of the conventions of real media products means that our work has its own originality. This is important when starting out in the music industry.

One of the ways that our ancillary products which is the digipak and the magazine advert follow the codes and conventions of real media products is the use of the same image repeated throughout the work.  This is a common feature in real media products as they often want the artists work to be easily recognisable therefore the target audience begin to associate a certain image with the product. I think that it is effective that we have used the same image throughout our work because it means our artist can easily establish her own image.

Furthermore, another way that our digipak follows the codes and conventions of real media products is through the use of the layout. This is because we have displayed a large image on the front of the cover with the artists name and the album. As well as this the backing of the digipak also follows the codes and conventions of real media products, this is because we have contained the vital information needed such as the copyright rules and the bar code. Along with this we also have the list of songs featured on the album. 

However one of the ways that our digipak goes against the codes and conventions of real media products is the use of the songs being displayed on the far left hand corner. It is often the case that artists will display the list of songs within the centre of the backing, if they are not using an image on the back. As a group we decided to put our tracks on the left hand side because we thought that is where it looked most effect, especially because we have a backing on our font and we felt that when we place the text in the centre it looked too compact.

In conclusion I think that both our main product and our ancillary texts have elements that follow the codes and conventions of real media products but also have aspects that challenge them. I think that it is important that as a group we carried out research to ensured our work followed the conventions as it meant that it is more likely to appeal to our target audience if they view something they are expecting to see. However, as I have mentioned previously it is also important that we challenged some of these conventions within our work.