Isla Reid's A Level media blog: 2017

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary tasks?

How have you created a 'Brand Identity' across your music video and ancillary tasks?

Costume- Throughout all my media products the people used are wearing the same costumes. This is to help create a clear link for the audiences to notice. Secondly, it creates a sense of cohesion which reinforces the artist is of importance as she is featured in all 3 products which helps to trigger memories which stick in the audiences mind.

Font- I used the same white calligraphic font across both ancillary tasks. I did not use any txt in my music video as I felt that was very conventional of pop music videos and i wanted to follow with the conventions of indie folk. I used the 'Savoye' text as it is dainty and simple which clearly represents the songs style. It can also be said to resemble the artists individual persona which is a convention of indie folk genres.

Images- Throughout all three of my media products I used similar images and camera shots to sync them all together. This therefore creates a relationship allowing audiences to clearly see Birdy's brand identity.

Effects- The light leak effect from pixelmator was used on both ancillary tasks to resemble the 'fire within' album name. This also correlates well with the music video as it is in a natural setting with high key lighting created by the sunlight. In the artists scenes she also wears red and orange lipstick which also connects with the effect clearly. This was purposely done to ensure the audience saw the relationship between all the products therefore creating a sense of brand identity.

How does my Digipak design'sell' the song

The main focus of my digipak was the artist as it used a close up image. That way she can engage with the audience and draw them in. The key feature of the front cover is the lips which stands out from the rest of the image and emphasises the album name 'fire within'. Similarly, the artist is breaking the 4th wall as her eyeliner is staring directly into the lens of the camera to directly address the audience convincing them to buy the CD. I also put a subtle image of a flame into her eye to therefore correlate even more with the album name and bring everything together. The artists name and album title is also placed in the corner of the digipak once again in white calligraphy writing. However, it is clear enough to still stand out to audiences as the bright light leak effect contrasts well with the font making it stand out even more. Lastly, audiences can create a recognition between the imagery and the artist as it shows a sense of personalisation.
The back cover of my digipak included a track listing representing a variety of Birdy's new and upcoming songs to engage the audience into buying the CD. The image seen on the back may also attract the audience as it includes the performers from the main song. It shows them in a dance position slightly faded out which emphasises the subtle importance of them and represents their key part in the music video.
For the inside left panel the image is split into two of the orange tinted fairy lights to make it pleasing to the eye and connects both sides together . This once again represents the album name 'Fire Within' and creates a connection between all the panels in the digipak. I then included a key quote from the song which is recognisable to the audiences persuading them to buy it.
The right panel is where the CD will sit and it is the other half of the fairy light image. I once again used the light leak effect to make the lights stand out. The image is simple and clear for audiences to recognise as the same fairy lights are used in our music video. This therefore creates a brand identity as it represents the music video through the CD cover therefore selling the song.

How does my Magazine Advert 'sell' my song

How did I communicate the genre...

Indie folk conventions use various natural elements such as the location to add a unique and different sense of style and to stand out from conventional pieces of music and their brand identities.

Therefore i used a natural image of the trees that i took whilst we were filming as an overlay in the magazine advert. Similarly, I also used an image that I took on the back of my digipak as it was a major part of our brand identity.

The images of the artist on both the digipak and magazine advert are quite unusual close ups as they are slightly canted which can help draw the audience in. Similarly, this is conventional of indie folk genres as it is another unusual element they incorporate into their individual branding.

The close ups also signify that she is of authority and that the artist is the 'star' as she is of importance.

There aren't many visible costumes in my ancillary tasks as i didn't want them to distract from the importance of representing my music video within them. However, the costumes that i show on the back of my digipak of the two performers is taken from my music video. These costumes are very plain and simple as i followed the convention of indie folk genres as audiences can relate to the narrative more. This may appeal to the 'Explorers' in Young and Rubicam's theory as they are out to seek new and unusual opportunities which is what the indie folk genre portrays.

The imagery of the fairy lights on the inside of my digipak is conventional for this genre as CD covers use various photographic images that represent part of their music video. The bright orange light used tut all my cd cover created a relationship to the orange lips an eyes of the magazine advert creating a clear correlation and brand identity as it is clearly recognisable to audiences as well as the album name being 'fire within'.

The makeup used on both characters shown in both ancillary tasks is quite bold to help them stand out as important characters of the narrative. This is unconventional of indie folk music videos as usually the makeup is quite subtle and basic.

Strengths and Weaknesses of all 3 products

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

What did I learn about conventions of real music videos?

I then specifically focused at typical conventions of different genres in music videos including indie folk.

A Theorist which supports the typical aspects in music videos is Andrew Goodwin. He states that there are 5 main stages to a music video, however this does depend on the genre of the video.

The conventions I have/have not included...

Breaking the 4th wall

Throughout my music video I did use various shots of the artist breaking the 4th wall. This allows a connection to be made between the audience and them which is a typical convention of music videos in the indie folk genre. This also allows the audience to feel directly addressed and engages them into the video. The key shot where we broke the 4th wall is when the artist lifts her eyes into shot and the camera is at an extreme close up. This emphasises the singers emotion as you can tell how someone is feeling through their eyes. Audiences therefore can relate and create a connection between themselves and the artist. This shot also represents the entirety of the narrative storyline and how the artist is being portrayed. This shot also breaks the rule of thirds as it creates audience focus however made it more engaging.

Similarly, the female performer also broke the 4th wall as we created a graphic match cut between her face and the artists. That way it linked both characters together within the narrative to show that the performer was portraying the artists story.

Throughout the video these shots are very minimalist and used sparingly. That way it makes the video still professional and follows the conventions of this genre as it is more abstract. This could connote to the audience that the artist is very likeable, relatable and down-to-earth. Similarly by having only a few of these shots it still makes the video feel natural and genuine, as not every person stares right into a camera all of the time. This also gives the impression that the music video is not all 'staged' as well making the artist more relatable for audiences.

Extreme Close Ups/Close Ups

I used various close ups within my music video which are a typical conventions of music videos. They are used all the way through my video and help to represent everyone's feelings through their facial expressions. These are conventions of music videos as recording companies use them to sell the artist and ensure the audience are aware of who the star is. I feel we clearly show this in our video as all the shots of the artist are close ups of her singing. Also using extreme close ups of the artists lips connotes the importance of the lyrics within the song and how audiences can relate to them. Therefore this also sends an impression to the audiences on how they should perceive the artist creating a sense where the audiences can relate to the artist.

Some of the close ups were also of the performers. This included a variety of shot angles and pans to keep the audience engaged as well as to reduce the amount of repetitiveness for audiences. These close-up's allowed the audience to clearly see the key features of the music video and its storyline. According to Young & Rubicam's theory I feel this would appeal to the 'explorer' as my video has an exploring theme using various different locations including a park and therefore explorers may relate to the artist.

Medium/ Long Shots

Medium and long shots were integrated through the music video as well. These are conventional as they allow the audience to see the artist and characters costumes and relate them to the narrative. These shots also help to represent the location they are in and overall enables the audience to gather more information. These are conventional in music videos they help to create emphasis on the artist as well as panning to create authority. Secondly, in performance based videos (like ours) medium and long shots are used to see the performance aspect such as the dancing. In our music video the performing clearly resembled the connection between the two dancers and showed the relationship that the artist was singing about.

Lip Syncing

Lip syncing is a conventional part of performance based music videos as they enable audiences to believe the words as the artist is singing them. It creates a more natural setting and audiences can listen to the words realising the sense of personalisation towards the audience. In most of my shots of the artist singing i followed the typical conventions by having her full face in shot so that audiences can read the facial expressions behind the words. However, in a few shots it only had the bottom of her face in (lips) which challenged these conventions however i feel it drew more attention on the lyrics themselves.

Mis-En-Scene

Lighting

For the artists shots I used artificial lighting umbrellas with a white school backdrop. That way there would be a contrast between the natural locations in the performance with the artists shots. This adds a sense of professionalism to the video and shows true conventions of music videos once again creating emphasis on the individual so the audience focus on them.

These images represent some of the shots took with the artificial lighting.

For the daylight shots I used natural lighting however for the night time filming we used fairy lights and lanterns. This connotes a romantic setting as well as enabling us to see the performers clearly so as not to remove the professional feel. Lastly, the natural lighting used in the performers daytime setting creates a binary opposite with the artificially lit shots of the artist.

Outfit

The performers followed typical conventions of music videos as they wore multiple outfits throughout the video. In the daylight scenes the female wore a white lacy dress which the male also linked to with his white top. However he then wore black bottoms. This connoted the female was full of purity, which the male seemed to be however deep down there is an element of mystery about him suggesting to audiences he is hiding something.

Moreover, in the night time scenes the female became more dressy in her outfit wearing a sparkly gold skirt and grey tight upper. The skirt was worn to connect the female performer with the artist as in her studio shots she had gold sparkly lips. All together this signifies the album cover 'Fire Within' representing to audiences the idea behind this. In contrast the boy is wearing all black once again suggesting to audiences a sense of mystery about him and portraying that he is hiding something.

The artist, was also wearing pure black which I feel challenges conventions of music videos because normally the artists are supposed to stand out from everyone else. However we felt that the important parts in the studio shots were the lyrics and the artist singing as that is what we wanted audiences to focus on which is also quite popular for indie music videos. On the other hand, we also put the artist in black clothing so that she could stand out in her shots and nothing would distract the audience. This also creates another binary opposite of the black and white colours being used together. Lastly, we could create a message to audience by saying that it doesn't always have to be so over the top and fancy to be successful and this may become more relatable to audiences for example people who are up to date with what going on in day to day life such as the 'Mainstreamers'.

Editing

Slow Paced Editing- We decided to go for slow paced editing as it is conventional of indie folk music videos as they are much more laid back. As the song did have moments where the tempo sped up, I would increase the pace of my editing to fit well with the song and so audiences kept engaged with the video. By having slow paced editing it allows the audience to consider what is going on in each shot and have a clear understanding of the storyline. Also editing techniques such as a graphic match, action match and a locked off camera shot were also used to not only add interest into our piece but to also represent conventions of the indie folk genre as these techniques make the video flow much easier adding to the sense of professionalism we are portraying.

Cross dissolves and Cross fades- These are often used in music videos as they are an easy and simple way to connect the clips in a fluid manner. I also used some fading in and out at points to create more suspense and keep in time with the tempo. For example at the very beginning of the video I used a fade in from black into an extreme close up shot of the female performer lying down with her eyes closed. This therefore creates suspense and enigma for the audience as to what is going on and encourages them to keep on watching. Secondly, i also used a fade out to black at the very end of the video which is a mirroring technique used to keep it tidy and professional. This also clearly follows Todorov's narrative structure as it started with a clear 'Equilibrium' and then ended with the 'resolution' of the performers separating which linked clearly to the lyrics.

What did I learn about the real media conventions for the Indie Folk genre?

The key conventions that occur in these music videos in the industry are:

Most of these videos are created with a low budget which is represented with the mis en scene and lighting often being quite basic.
Most indie music videos include a live performance of the artist which represents them in an authoritative and powerful manner showing them as the 'star convention' according to Andrew Goodwin. This is also used as a way for these artists to represent their passion for singing. An example of this is Birdy as in most of her music videos we see her singing with a piano not necessarily live but still to represent her passion to the audience and show she is of importance. I feel i challenged but also supported this convention as I did include the artist singing to the camera however I did not include any instruments or live performance. Lastly, I do still feel that our video portrayed Sarah (playing Birdy) as of high importance which overall supports this convention.

Similarly, in these music videos as they are abstract they mostly use a performance based video with a narrative storyline to break it up. We followed this completely, having dancing as our performing aspect, separate to the artist singing, and we then had the narrative storyline of a relationship. This is used to make the music video memorable for the audience.
The Mis-en-scene in Indie Folk videos are normally very simple so as not to distract from the other aspects such as the narrative and performance. I feel we did follow this convention however still had clear costumes so we could clarify the characters feelings and emotions behind what they were doing.
Next, Indie Folk music videos often use diegetic sound such as a dialogue to create a beginning and an end to the video and to directly address the audience. This is a way of adding a sense of personalisation to their video making it unique and different for audiences to engage in. However, we did not use this convention as we feel it didn't fit the song or storyline that we were going for. I feel that the use of this sound is more clearly suited to videos that are trying to get across a clear message to their audience and get them to think. Whereas our video was more abstract allowing the audience to make their own assumptions on the storyline. An example of a successful video using dialogue to address the audience is Alessia Cara's Wild Things..

The typical camera shots we see in Indie Folk music videos are extreme close ups and close ups as they help to introduce the artist and express their emotions clearly to the audience. I feel we used these significantly throughout our piece to clearly represent the storyline whilst also represent the typical conventions of our chosen genre. Similarly, long and establishing shots are also seen in these videos as they show the locations and settings of the characters and to give the audience more information enabling them to understand the underlying message.
The key settings in the videos are normally studios or the natural environment as they are cheap to use and can be accessed easily. We followed this convention clearly as we used both of these settings which helps to clearly show our narrative but to also look aesthetically pleasing to the audiences eyes. Secondly, these simple locations help to keep the focus on the characters themselves which we also clearly showed in our music video.

What did you learn about digipak conventions what have you included and why?

These are some of the basic typical conventions found in digipaks..

I also analysed some Indie Folk Digipaks to see what the conventions of them were.

Location- A true convention for indie folk digipaks is an image of a location linking to one of the music videos in the album. This creates enigma for the audience whilst also representing the abstract nature of these music videos within the branding.
Same Image- Often, some artists like to include the same image on the digipak and magazine advert to create an identity for the artist which audiences can clearly see. However I did not follow this convention. I wanted the digipak to purely show the artist and to sell her however in the magazine advert i felt it would work if i used the performer. That way it would create enigma for the audience as to what the key video 'Wings' is going to en-tale therefore making them more engaged in the product.
Font- A bold font is always used to capture the audiences eyes. It is what audiences look at as it represents the album. I feel my font was clear as it was in white calligraphy writing which also suits the artist as well as clearly showing the title of the album.
Themes- The title of this album is 'Fire Within' which is clearly shown throughout the entirety of the cover. This is a typical convention used by artists to connect all the sides together making it look more professional. I did this by using the light leak effect on pixelmator to make the shots brighter and more of an orange tone to infer the 'fire' aspect. I also placed an orange tint into her eyes which match the colour of her lips once again clearly identifying the album name.
Mis-en-scene- The typical mis-en-scene of indie digipaks is usually very casual and similar to that of the music videos themselves. The colours used are very bland and blend in with their surroundings. I followed this convention as everything is very simple including the costumes, setting and makeup. This enables the important aspects such as the album and artists name to stand out much more.
Camera- The close up of the artist on the front cover is a typical convention of indie folk digipaks as it is another way to promote the artist to the audiences.
Barcode- This is a convention that is used as a way to mass produce the album for the artist to create as much money as possible.
Tracklist- This is essential for artists to include in their digipak as it includes information on what is on the album so audiences know. For indie folk digipaks sometimes they include songs from other artists to attract more audiences and appeal to a wider range of people.
Inside- On the left hand side of the inside of the digipak there is normally either some of the artists information or a booklet with song lyrics. This is conventional for the indie folk genre as it adds a sense of personalisation therefore attracting the audience. In my case I decided to put a key quote from my music video 'Wings'. This therefore creates audience enigma and also adds a personal touch as audiences will know that this quote is special in some way to the artist.

I feel overall I followed the conventions of the indie folk genre as I only included the artist on one panel and then used abstract images. That way it becomes more intriguing to the audience and creates enigma.

What did you learn about real magazine advert conventions, what ones did you include and why?

Artists name- The artists name is used in bold white calligraphy writing. This is the same font used for the front of the digipak to clearly connect both media products for it to be clearer for audiences. Secondly, it also clearly illustrates the artist therefore increasing the awareness and popularity of them. The album name is also used underneath so that the audience are aware of what this is advertising and so they are aware of the upcoming CD that the artist is releasing. I did put it in the corner so that it didn't distract from the images however is still clear enough for audiences to see.
Release Date- It is essential for magazine adverts to include a release date to inform audiences when the can purchase the CD.
Rating- It is conventional for most magazine adverts to include a rating to tell the audience how successful the music is. I felt it unnecessary to do this as Indie Folk genres are more laid back and as they are less well known it may not make a difference whether they have a rating or not. Also it may destroy how unique and different Indie Folk magazine adverts are because they are different to the well-established bands and artists.
Key Imagery- Most magazine adverts have one main image which takes up the majority of the magazine advert. I followed this convention as it creates a main focus point for the audience and draws them in. I decided to create an overlap between the performers face and the artists. By reducing the opacity of one it therefore enables the audience to see two faces in one. The advert also included a nature environment of one of our filming locations which adds to the uniqueness and represents the genre clearly. That way, I can represent my music video for the main song 'Wings' and creates enigma for the audience engaging them to watch it when it's released. The artist is also breaking the 4th wall in the image I used which makes it more eye-catching.

Social Media/Websites- Social media is becoming a prominent feature on magazine adverts as a way of communicating and promoting new releases in the music industry. I decided to include Birdy's official website as a way of increasing publicity for the artist. Her website enables audiences to subscribe to her newsletter so they are informed of when new and upcoming music is being released by her. This in turn increases the artists popularity making her more well-known.

Record Label- This is a way in which the artists credit their record label for helping to produce the song, music video and CD. I didn't follow this convention as I still wanted to keep the magazine avert different and usually artists like Birdy are more individual and make them seem as the powerful figure.