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

media products?

My music video uses, develops and challenges conventions of real media products through the technical elements of media (sound, mise-en-scene, camerawork and editing), the narrative and performance modes of

music video as a hybrid and the Rap genre.

I used a young black male as our artist, Royal-Tee, as this adheres to the conventions of a hip-hop/rap music video. Rap artists such as A$AP Rocky and T.I are all young black males, so by using a young black male as the artist of my Rap music video, this doesn’t confuse the audience of what they’d expect to see in a Rap music video, encouraging them to be at ease whilst watching the video.

Another convention of real media products used in my music video is the use of editing. Continuity editing was used with the example of a long shot of the artist leaving his house, to a medium close up of him walking away from the door, to a close up of a boy sitting on his porch. This was used to represent logic, as the linear nature of the shots adheres to what an audience would expect to see in a music video, and represents the audience thought process when watching anything- we start off by viewing something broadly which is commonly followed by a more thorough presentation of what an individual sees.

UseIn my music video, conventions of Rap music videos are utilized with the intention of appealing to my target audience who are 16-20 aged students who enjoy listening to hip-hop/rap music, socialising with friends and using social media).

My artist A$AP Rocky T.I.

My music video: From wide/long shot of the artist leaving his house and a little boy on his porch to a close-up of the little boy.

The hybrid of the narrative and performance modes of music videos are used to adhere to the conventions of a real media products. The narrative of my music video is in chronological order with a clear beginning, middle and end (the artist starts in bed, encounters a boy, his dad and brother, and ends performing in a jazz bar), with the main focus on the artist. This straightforward storyline invites the audience to focus on the artist, which is aided by the order of events of the music video. These aspects that contribute to the narrative of the music video allow the audience to have clarity whilst watching this Rap music video as the narrative aspect of the music video is similar to other music videos. This is especially seen in the Rap music video ‘Nicki Minaj ft. Lil Wayne- High School ’, in which Nicki Minaj is wooed by Lil Wayne, in which there is a clear sequence of events. This puts the audience in a clear frame of mind to immediately associate the narrative aspect of our video to the narrative aspect of other Rap videos. The lip syncing of the artist in the music video (when performing in the jazz bar) adheres to the performance and narrative hybrid, as it allows the audience to divert the lyrics of the song seen in his performance to the narrative mode of the music video- linking to having the main focus of the music video being about the artist.

Use

Beginning: artist in his bed, going to start his day. Middle: Gets advice from his father to be positive.

Middle: applies what he was told from his father to his brother, tells him to stop drug dealing and to be positive for the present and future.

End/Performance scene: performs to audience.This scene also runs throughout the music video.

Beginning: guy approaches girl

My video

Middle: romance progresses End: The like each other

Performance scene: Artist is lip syncing her song

I have developed conventions of a music video to not only allow the audience to be clear to watch genre of music video they are watching, but to also bring excitement and a varied feeling whilst watching my music video as opposed to another music video.

In music videos, lyrics and visuals of the music video are usually linked, e.g. with the 50 cent rap song ‘Candy Shop’, the phrase ‘Let me come to the candy shop’ is in sync with 50 cent rapping. However, with my video, not only did the artist lip sync, the music video shows the lyrics creating the narrative through visuals. This was demonstrated through stop motion of orange juice, in sync with the lyrics ‘pour me up a glass of simply orange’. This was done to give the audience a variety of ways in which lyrics can be shown in a music video, as opposed to the artist just saying the lyrics.

Another way in which I developed the conventions of my music video was through using a song that used a male singing the chorus of the song. This tackles the conventions of a rap song as in a rap song, the artist normally raps in the chorus, or gets a female to feature and sing in the chorus, for example, in Kanye West and Jay-Z ft. Rihanna- Run This World, Rihanna features to sing the chorus. The chorus of the song is arguably considered as the most important section of a song, therefore, to have a chorus of the song sung by a male, allows the audience to hear something different in a rap music video, by still adhering to the rap conventions through different technical elements and construction points such as continuity editing.

Develop

My video: Artist is singing chorus

Rihanna in singing

50 cent singing in sync with lyrics

Stop motion: in sync with the lyrics ‘Pour me up a glass of simply orange’

ChallengesThe subject matter and mise-en-scene of my music video challenges the conventions of a rap music video. In rap music video, the rap artist’s song is normally based on the artist flaunting success through objects such as money, expensive clothing and even objectifying women. For example, in ‘50 Cent- Candy Shop’, the artist is seen using girls as his sexual objects. This was used to show success and power, in which I challenged that theory seen in rap music videos in my video. The subject matter is about being positive and making the future better for ourselves- rapped to the audience. This is mirrored by his clothing as unlike the expensive chains seen in contemporary conventional rap music videos, the artist is wearing a red hoodie and jeans whilst walking, and a checked shirt in his performance, symbolising his humility. The use of clothing allows the audience to focus on the message behind the song as opposed to the expensive clothing and extravagant objects which link with the message in conventional rap music videos.

The aim of challenging conventions of real media products is to surprise your audience with letting them experience something unorthodox to a certain genre.

The use of camera work in the scene where the artist is talking to his brother also challenges what we see in common rap videos. A point of view shot is used in which the artist represents the camera, whereby the artist is walking and the camera jilts. This challenges the conventions of a rap music video as it allows the audience to identify with the artist as he changes from the focus of the video, to behind the lens, which strives away from the conventional rap music videos which want the audience to aspire to the artist seen through the artists rapping about their success, in which the artist allows the audience to be on the same level as himself. This links with the mise-en-scene connotations of humility and intertwines with the message behind the song of everyone being ‘better than yesterday’ and positive for the future.

My video: ends with this text, reinforces subject matter into audiences mind

50 Cent is engaging in sexual activity with the female, girl is seen as object