RC - Evaluation Q1

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

Our media product simultaneously uses, develops and challenges the forms and conventions of real media products. By applying critical theories our product can be interpreted as either using, developing or challenging, depending on the theorist.

Laura Mulvey

• Although this theory is mainly applied to classic hollywood films durings the 1940s/50s I felt that the points that Mulvey brought up were relevant, in some cases, to our music video in terms of how we have dealt with stereotypes of genders
• This theory focuses on how women are represented as objects, and more specifically the 'male gaze'
• The look could be 'voyeuristic' or 'fetishistic'
• Our product uses the forms and conventions by opposing Laura Mulvey’s theory; through our camera work and editing it is not evident that our intention was not to subject women in any form;
• it was never our aim to advocate women as being sex symbols by drawing upon the ‘male gaze’.
• However, there are some shots in our video that can be viewed as opposing our intentions.
• ECU of good girl putting on lipgloss, an ECU of the bad girl putting on mascara and a CU of bad girl putting on high heels
• all shots show very feminine actions

• However, the CU shot of the bad girl putting on her shoe does not include the pan up/ped up movement needed to create a subjective shot.
• I believe that the people present in our video will be viewed as being equal because each character/person gets around the same amount of screen time.
• However, the lead singer is male, which could advocate male dominance; opposing the emerging ideology of males and females being equal, but supporting the residual ideology of males being superior
• In contrast to this there are also shots that can be seen as objectifying the male characters, which I think does not conform to the indie genre, these include a CU of the good boy doing up his tie as well as a pan up of the good boy waiting outside holding a briefcase.
• In this video the 'good girl' is the person who is driving, which can be viewed as unconventional and challenging the hetero-normative because cars are linked to masculinity and therefore some could argue she is playing a male role.

• There are some parts that could be considered as voyeuristic, particularly the shots where the lead singer appears in the corner of the shot

• it is as if he is watching the good girl get ready, however, he is only telling the narrative of the video

Dyer’s Framework

• In terms of Dyer’s theory on star image, where he has written extensively about the role of stars in film, TV and music, our video reinforces a number of his beliefs and therefore uses/develops the conventions of real media products.
• He believes that a star is not a real person but in fact an image constructed out of a range of materials, he states that for a star image to be successful the artist(s) has to be simultaneously extraordinary and ordinary as well as present yet absent.
• I feel that our video follows these conventions to some degree, being that the band we are representing in our product are not present the whole duration, due to the use of conceptual characters.
• The band’s absence causes audiences to strive to ‘complete’ or ‘make sense’ of the image.
• Although the band is singing to an audience, the audience is ultimately only watching them on the television
• Again, this makes audiences feel unfulfilled by the text and therefore they want to watch it again
• Our band is ordinary yet extraordinary in the sense that the band members are normal, ordinary people just like us, but there is a sense of the band being extraordinary with the use of the spot lights and specific camera shots in the band sequence that accentuates the band's star image.
• It is common for videos of this genre to have an artistic appeal, where a lot of indie bands focus more on creating a work of art than an advertisement. I think that our video uses this form to some extent, where the inclusion of a number of photomontages provides an artistic effect.

Post Modernism

• Videos these days are consumed in a post-modern fashion, where the question of whether the product is a piece of art or an advert is brought up.
• The use of photomontages breaks the continuity of our video, as does our continuous use of jump cuts.
  
  
  
• The narrative of our video can be considered as generic of the indie genre; the storyline that is conveyed in our music video of a group of friends having a good night out, appears in many videos specific to this genre.
• In this light our product can be perceived as simulacra, which is a component of post-modernism.
• Our narrative also provides a ‘playful’ aspect, by subverting to the rules of the indie genre, as the four characters are evidently enjoying themselves in a ‘realistic’ manner, by doing something that ‘everyday’ people would do.
• I feel that our video can also be considered as a deconstruction of the grand narrative, where we focus on the smaller details rather than the big narrative
• The boundary between what is real and what is being represented is blurred in videos which include post-modern elements, and to some extent this is relevant to our product, where our video can be viewed as being a copy of a real performance through the use of lip synching.
• However, our video can be perceived as not being post-modern because some argue that post-modern videos are unoriginal and I believe that our video is in fact original and authentic.

Goodwin's critical theory

• Our product uses and develops the forms and conventions through the use of Goodwin's theory
• An example of this would be the use of amplification through the use of sound, visuals and lyrics
• the sound is amplified by the fast cutting rate of the video
  

• The lyrics are amplified by the use of lip synching
• the visuals are amplified by the illustrative relationship between the sound and lyrics where the visuals are used to enhance and support the ideas brought about by the sound and lyrics
• In the good boy sequence there are many visual connotations that support the lyrics of the song. Thepanning MS shows the good boy to be holding a briefcase, which is a prop that highlights the boy's 'nerd-like' features, as we know from earlier on that there is a musical instrument within this suitcase.
• It is implied that he is waiting to get picked up from band practice, which is amplified by the CU of him looking at his watch. This movement suggests anticipation as well as a sign of intelligence because he can clearly read the time and he takes pride in wearing a watch everyday.

• Indie videos are conventionally low-fi, a factor which distinguishes videos of this genre from the rest.
• They are not concerned about the advertising aspects or being funded by huge conglomerates
• They focus more on being 'independent'
• I think we have managed to achieve this look and put across this message in our video
• The realistic effect of our product conveys originality and authenticity; key components of the indie genre
• The interaction between the lead singer and the audience, through the use of first person mode of address, breaks down the fourth wall; a feature that seems to be present in most indie music videos. still of josh
• One video that I looked at was ‘Naïve’ by The Kooks:
  
  
  

• It is clear from this video that first person mode of address plays a significant role in videos of the indie genre.
• In our video we use a couple of effects to enhance the last shot as well as creating a reverse shot in the opening sequence. Visual effects are not common in videos of the indie genre
  

• The use of meat shots is a common feature in indie videos. We have included this type of shot a number of times in our video, particularly in the band performance shots, and for that reason our product conforms to the forms and conventions of real media products
  

• In the arcade sequence there seems to be connotations of wealth, power and danger where the bright lights and the CU shots of the arcade/money machines signify this. However, the location in which this arcade is situated in conveys a more run-down, very British appeal and therefore fits into the indie genre.
• The element of rebellion conveyed in this sequence is an aspect that appears in most videos of this genre because it relates to the youth-culture.
• Iconic props such as the beer can supports this as well as shots such as the moving MS of the bad girl pushing the bad boy along in an abandoned trolley.

• The sped up car sequence that we included in our video is a feature that we felt was unique to us; uniqueness is key in indie videos and therefore I think that the inclusion of this shot develops forms and conventions