A2 G324: IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA ?- FIRST DRAFT

EVALUATION - QUESTION 1 FIRST DRAFT:

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

CAMERA:

The way camera is used in a music video is crucial to the audiences understanding of the genre and theme of the music. In general all music videos of the R&B genre will have different ways of portraying the actress/actor by the use of angles, shots and movements. However, my main aim was to show the power the actress had over the lover she sings about. This is an example of how I presented this in the music video:

The repeated use of close up shots was important in my music video, because in the R&B genre, the the artists face is shown close up to understand their feelings and emotions. A common way female artists do this, is by looking at the camera through their eyelashes for example:

This particular look is seductive to the male audience and connects emotionally with the lyrics of the song.

{Voiceover - showing Frans close up of her lips and eyes} Talk about why they ave a lot of meaning and work well with the genre. Compare to the RMA - jhene aiko

FOCUS GROUP:
{Focus group video - what do you think of these shots?}

Since most music videos work on a higher budget, it is more likely that the camera work would be more smooth and there would be no shakiness detected by the audience. Therefore, on the filming day I had to make sure this was possible so I used a camera stabiliser to control the shakiness from my arm when focusing on a neon sign or the actress. This is a quick gif to show the shakiness of the footage without and with the stabiliser.

These gifs show how the camera stabiliser can make a huge difference in shakiness.

This is a clip from one of my RMA's (Tinashe - Flames) which shows the smoothness of the camera.

FOCUS GROUP:

overall look at video - comment on the camera.
Improvements I can make (make a video)

EDITING:

In many of the RMA I researched, many effects and quick transitions were used to keep the pace soft however, most of the editing synced with the beats of the music to add an impact and keep the audience interested. My main goal was to include as many effects in the video that looked similar to Jhené Aiko's Wading music video. The overlay of clips was effective and the colours were very vibrant and deep, therefore, I focused on these aspects of the video at the beginning.

The transitions in the music video were kept clean and neat so that, the attention was not taken off of the actress and effects. I tested out unique transitions however, it did not work well with the theme of the music video. The conventions of R&B include cut transitions to keep the video looking professional and well paced.

FOCUS GROUP:

This is a graph to show the favourite transitions chosen by my focus group. This shows that the transitions will meet the expectations of my audience. The most used transition in my music video is the cut. This was luckily a high vote.

MISE EN SCENE:

The most visually appealing aspect of the video is the mise en scene because it includes neon lighting, deep colours, words representing love and lastly, it highlights the actress as she is the centre of attention among all the lights. The red and pink glow is very similar to Jhené Aiko's Wading music video therefore, notifies the audience that this production is part of the R&B genre.

The location also had many seating areas from red sofas to wooden stools that looked retro and edgy. This allowed for a great variety in shots and positions the actress performed in.

{Video talking about the mise en scene with a friend - chatty talk}

{why does this reflect the R&B genre}

This is a video analysing certain signs I included in my music video - their significance.

Overall, I was pleased to have found a perfect location to film my music video, because my target audience are very excited about the final product.

COSTUME:

The outfit the actress wore in the music video challenges the conventions of the R&B genre. Typically, the actress would be wearing something provocative to appeal to the male viewers - for example, low cut tops, skirts, shorts or a dress. However, I wanted the actress to wear something more high class such as a fur coat and knee high boots. I did not want the actress to draw male viewers attention because the lyrics in the song is mainly a connection between her and her lover. The main focus is the her facial expressions and feeling rather than her body.

This is an image of the clothing the RMA artists wear.

Compared to what the actress in my music video wore. The clothing is not tight and flirty.

Research shows that cultural issues can be a big problem for the clothing teenagers wear. When we walk into a mall we are surrounded by mini skirts, low cut tops and heels for 10 year olds. Advertisements can also promote clothes in a sexualised way particularly on social media. When females self esteem is strongly tied with their mirror image, they may result in wearing revealing clothing. Therefore, the message I wanted to put across in my music video, is that a girl can be strong and powerful without wearing tight fitting clothes to show off your figure. A woman can be just as capable with their facial expressions.

In my option, R&B music videos have changed specifically due to the way women dress. Many male viewers do not focus on the emotion in the song, however, only watch the video for the seductive gestures of females. Therefore, I wanted ensure that the attention was kept not the feeling as the actress sings the lyrics. Applying Goodwins theory, the music video is a mixture of illustration and amplification of the lyrics. This is why lip syncing was best for my music video.