Q1.

How do your products use or challenge conventions and how do they represent social groups or
issues?

Ans. For our Advance Portfolio we made a Music Promotion Package for a Sufi Rock Artist – Noor Ul Ain.
The Music Promotion Package included a music video, a digi-pak and a website for the artist. A hybrid
music video was produced which includes performance, concept and narrative, followed by a non-linear
narrative. For the digi-pak, we created a CD Cover, Inlay, CD and Back. As for the website, we used WIX,
which is an online website generator. The website included separate pages namely Home, Bio, Contact,
Store, Gallery and Music.

The GENRE for our Music Promotion Package was Sufi Rock. Sufi Rock is a SUB-GENRE of rock music,
which is also a combination of rock with classical Islamic Sufi music traditions. Sufi rock music is
commonly sung in Pakistan as well as India. The music genre, fuses traditional eastern musical notes
with western rock music techniques giving a soothing yet modern feel for the audience. Just like the
music genre itself, Sufi Rock Music Videos also blend eastern cultural codes with global & postmodern
concepts. In addition to this, Sufi rock music also includes traditional instruments such as Sitaar and
Tabla.
One of the main aspects of the chosen GENRE is that Sufi rock music very vividly highlights the cultural
codes of Pakistan, which was one of our main motives while making the music video, digipak and
website. Our aim was to portray the artist through cultural and traditional means which includes rural
setting, traditional clothes, and traditional jellewery.
To understand the genre conventions, we researched a number of different Sufi Rock artists and music
videos for example Maula Mere Maula, Sajda and Shukar Allah, we decided how our Music Promotion
Package will portray these conventions and how we will challenge our GENRE and break these
conventions. One of the main convention followed by every Sufi Rock artist is Darvesh Dance (an
energetic dancing and whirling of Sufis).

Our music video follows the same conventions since the lead protagonist is shown seeking God for help
by dancing in white traditional clothes. The color white symbolizes light, goodness, innocence and purity
which is the end result of our music video.
Another key convention which our music video follows is that Sufi Rock music videos often shows a lot
of symbols and create meanings through it. Tree is often used very symbolically by Sufi Rock artists as a
sign of seeking God for help. Our music video follows this convention as the lead protagonist is shown
tying a knot to a tree. This act is also followed in Pakistan as well as the Sub continent where women are
mostly shown asking God for help by tying a knot to a tree. This act is also known as “Manat”.

Sufi rock artists are mainly shown wearing eastern traditional clothes and traditional jewellery. The artist
of our music video follows the same conventions as she is shown wearing typical Pakistani dresses like
Shalwar Kameez, Lenga Choli, Khussas, Bangles, followed by very light make up and mostly emphasis on
the eyes by putting kajal (a form of eye liner).
Most of the Sufi Rock artists in Pakistan also follow the same convention such as Qurat Ul Ain Baloch, Ali
Azmat etc, which show mid close up and close up shots in their music videos which we have also
followed.

Location and lighting also plays a vital role in Sufi rock music videos. After an extensive research on our
GENRE, we realized Sufi Rock music videos mostly highlight open areas. Likewise, we decided to conduct
our shoot for the artist in open fields to follow the codes and conventions of our GENRE.

Not only does our music video follow the codes and conventions of Sufi Rock music, but also at some
point our music video is breaking the conventions of Sufi Rock music. Mostly, Sufi Rock music videos
follow the agenda where, in the end the male and female actors live in peace and harmony. We have
broken this convention of Sufi Rock music, by showing that the lead protagonist finds her peace and
happiness by living alone and fighting for her right to seek education.

With our Music Video we wanted to highlight a specific social issue in Pakistan and therefore target a
specific social group. Women do not have enough power in the society we are living in. This convention
is broken down, by showing the lead protagonist fighting for her right to seek education after being a
victim of domestic violence, by running away from her husband and seeking God for help. This way, our
music video highlights women empowerment, which currently our society lacks.

It was very important to highlight to social problems faced by our society and women especially.
Therefore we decided to choose three core problems faced by our society, namely early child marriage
for women, domestic violence and lack of education. After doing an extensive research on our concept,
we realized it was vital to bring about these issues to the audience. Lack of education, followed by early
child marriages, and being a victim of domestic violence is a very common practice nowadays, in a
country such as Pakistan. 21% of the girls in Pakistan are married before the age of 18. The main reason
behind such an act is lack of education and exposure.

Consequently, our music video bring about these issues, as the lead protagonist is initially shown
covered with bruises. Then some shots show the protagonist secretly trying to seek education, but after
being caught by her husband, she becomes a victim of domestic violence. The feelings which almost
every other girl in the rural area holds in herself is being portrayed in this music video where instead of
seeking education, they are forced to get married to someone twice their age.