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

Editing

The majority of pop music videos tend not to have titles in their video but it was part of the conditions set by Universal that we include credits to the artist and label, so we decided that it was appropriate to place the credits at the beginning with the title of the song. However, the title of the song is not conventional with music videos and merely serves the purpose of crediting the right parties as instructed in the email we received from Universal in response to us asking the company for permission to use the song as part of our coursework. The screenshot on the left is taken from Miley Cyrus video for her single We Cant Stop. As can be seen the title of the song was integrated into the video with a large, yellow, capitalised typeface so that it follows the bright, colourful, vibrant conventions of pop videos. Whereas our titles are placed before and after the video rather than integrated into the actual video, this is because the only purpose of the titles is to serve as our disclaimer.

The picture on the left is a screenshot taken from when we find that the beat matches the flash of the camera; this was edited using Sony Vegas Pro which allows us to look at the sound waves so it clearly shows the beat and is easy to match the cut. The image on the right was edited so that the ride comes in straight on the beat; this helps the video flow; we were also fortunate to have the flashing lights of the ride in time to the beat as well.

The two images above show the change in shot where Ellena gets up and begins to shout at Lawrence. From a high angle over the shoulder shot (from Ellena) to a low angle over the shoulder shot (from Lawrence). This was edited so that we could see the view from both sides of the argument; making sure that the positioning was right and Ellenas arms were out at the side in both shots. This image displays Ellena slapping Lawrence; this was matched to the beat to draw a bigger impact and add emphasis which is usually seen in pop videos with a fast pace.

The image to the right shows an overlay added to create a different effect; making the argument more memorable and show her emotions while singing to her audience that he is taking away everything they have together by making this mistake. Title font and style

The title font is Calibri because its clear and easy to read; its a white font on a black background; this just makes the text clearer. The most important names are Polydor Records and Universal Music Group therefore they have been highlighted in bold; this is so that any audience will see the names and know theyre importance straight off because they stand out.

Mise-en-scene Location/Setting

We considered many different locations for our music video, because typically pop music videos have a range of settings/locations. To develop our music video we decided to have fairly common locations, beginning with fireworks night. We used this location because it portrays happiness and excitement, but also meeting our needs by being local and cheap. The next scene of our music video was located in Bellway Housing estate, Brentwood where we filmed the happy scene of our music video. We were influenced by this location because of the attractive scenery, and that it reflects happiness. This location also had long footpaths which we thought benefited us because our actors Ellena and Lawrence could express happiness and romance. Its conventional for pop video videos to convey emotion. To make our music video realistic and familiar to our audience we filmed at Lawrences House. Here we were able to focus on both of our actors and share to the audience how their current relationship was going. This location benefited us because there were fewer distractions to deal with and this location is conventional in pop videos. We also had enough space available to film our actors and get a variety of shots and angles suitable for this genre.

The bath scene was incredibly important to this genre, because it fulfils the criteria of voyeurism. For this project we researched many different pop videos and many showed that voyeurism is regularly used. This is important to the story of our music video because this scene reflects isolation and loneliness. This location allows us to focus one persons emotions and how the relationship with the other character had suddenly changed. Lastly, we thought it was a good idea to use a house for the party scene because they are very common in pop videos; they create a fun and exciting atmosphere for the audience and put them in a dance mood. The kiss at the end was put in a separate room; the lighting was naturalistic and the lights in the background create a warm and loving atmosphere making it more romantic enabling the viewers to connect with our characters. Costume and Props

Firstly, we have used two mobile phones and a sparkler as props in our video. The mobile phones were especially important as they were plot devices as they drove the storyline. Ellenas text from Lawrence revealing he couldnt appear at the fair near enough concluded that scene and hinted at the possible breakdown of the relationship. Then later on Lawrence receives a

call from another girl, which leads to the conflict in the narrative and relate to the meaning of the song. I would say that the mobile phones follow the conventions of a pop video because everybody owns a mobile phone and therefore the events of the video are relatable. This is conventional because pop videos try to appeal to their target audience by creating relatable scenarios, which is exactly what we have tried to recreate. The other prop, the sparkler, was used because it relates to fun, which is conventional of pop videos, but also relates to the meaning of the song because the sparkler was being moved in the motion of a circle to reflect a never ending cycle, much like a figure 8. Cinematography Our music video has followed the typical pop conventions in terms of camera shots and angles; there are many close ups, mid shots and establishing shots but it all revolves around our artist. The main artist, usually the singer in any music video is the focus; in our video Ellie Goulding played by Ellena Dow is who the video is styled around. This shot is an establishing shot, where the shot turns from a soft focus into clear focus then changes into another establishing shot of another ride. This is a typical shot to have in a music video as they set the scene. Its bright and colourful which is very typical of the pop genre.

This is a close up of our artist; these are important for conveying emotions and to engage the artist with our audience using eye contact as if she were telling her story directly to you. Lip-syncing in music video is incredibly important; it needs to look legitimately like the artist is singing.

This is a two shot; this is a shot to show the relationship between the two main characters. It shows them being in a personal and intimate relationship; the happy couple our audience desires to see. This is important in making it look genuine and relatable.

This is a wide shot; this is another way to set the scene with it looking more personal than just another establishing shot. In this area of the video the artist is upset and has to look melancholy so while creating the scene; the mood must follow.

This is a close up where the artist is first singing to herself but then looks up and into the camera to engage with her audience. The main objective here is to make the audience empathise with her; it is conventional of pop videos to have the audience emotionally connect to the artist.

These extreme close ups show intimacy; the eye contact helps the audience feel part of her life; feel closer to the artist. The extreme close up of the hands emphasises their relationship; shows its positive and happy. This two shot shows the connection between our lead roles. Its the final shot therefore we wanted to give it a happy fairytale ending where the guy gets the girl.

Another pop video similar to ours is We Found Love by Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris; this is because of the relationship between the characters; it shows the story, happy and sad but is shown is a similar style to our video; such as the close up and two shot below.

Voyeurism Voyeurism refers to looking into the lives of the artist or artists and can be described as witnessing the unseen as well as revealing the true nature of the artist. This includes looking into their private lives and/or portraying the artist in a sexual manner. In our music video, we explored the close relationship of Ellenas and Lawrences characters. This included scenes of where they were happy, where they argued and when they kissed. The purpose of voyeurism is to invite the audience into the confidential lives of the artist in order for the audience to get to know the artist better and empathise with them.

Also in our video we included a bath scene that highlighted the lead roles sexuality and the sexual portrayal of women is very conventional of pop music videos as they are appealing to male audiences. We also used the bath scene to further emphasize looking into the personal life of the lead artist, which is also typical of many music videos in general as music videos aim to appeal to

their audience by showcasing an idea of what the artists lives are like within the video. In our video the bath scene was to reflect explosion and isolation and evoke a response of empathy from the audience. Representation We took a very stereotypical approach to gender in our music video. Firstly, it is a very conventional everyday relationship as most pop music videos tend to focus on typical romantic relationships because the audience can then relate. Also, stereotypical romantic relationships play into the fairytale ideology of relationships always being happy and getting through the hard times as portrayed by the happy resolution to our video. Therefore we followed the conventions of a pop video because a stereotypical relationship is appealing to a young audience, fitting our demographic, especially teenage females. The characters also follow the stereotypical representation of men and women that are sometimes seen in music videos. In our music video the male is portrayed as the bad guy as he is talking to another girl behind her back and has betrayed the girl. This in turn leads to the portrayal of the girl as the victim.