Evaluation Question 4: Forms and Conventions

We answered 3 of the 4 evaluation questions on our coursework, here: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0btxIVcX6M&feature=youtu.be

we thought we'd break down the final question in a text post in order to go into more details about forms and conventions.

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

Our coursework 'Wild Things' challenged conventions of the music video. Instead of using conventional cutaways of the artist playing the music, we cast the artist as the mysterious protagonist of the piece. We made this choice to compliment the genre of the music. Since the artist predominantly uses drum kits, and samplers, it would be extremely difficult to stage any 'live performance' true to the song in the video.

An image of Low Res as the protagonist of the piece.

Equally, we also used conventions of music videos, in that we used the video as a promotional tool for the artist, this, perhaps the greatest staple of the music video. We 
included images of the EP's cover art at the end and included the description of the release date and download link. Furthermore, the use of Low Res as a protagonist can be seen as a promotional tool.

Details of the EP's release at the end of the video

Further, it could be seen that we used a conventional narrative structure for our music video. Our piece is supported by Craig Davis' narrative theory, whereby he states "Music video narrative involves either illustration, amplification or disjuncture.' Simply, Davis refers to images within a music video either resembling the literal meaning of the lyrics, involving creative interpretation of these lyrics, or being completely abstract and even juxtaposing the lyrics. The piece's woodland setting could be seen as a form of 'amplification'; whilst not indicative of the songs lyrics it involved our creative interpretation of the music. As our piece was befitting of one of Davis' three categories, it could be seen as conventional. 

Wild Things: Coursework Evaluation

CLICK THE IMAGE TO WATCH OUR 'COURSEWORK EVALUATION' VIDEO

Here we answered 3 of the four evaluation questions on our coursework.

1. How effective is the combination of your main project and ancillary task?

2. How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

- (Supplementary) What individual strengths do you feel you brought to the coursework?

3. What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

Evaluation: Representations in Wild Things

The nature of 'Wild Things' as a promotional music video, saw the need to promote Low Res as an artist. We achieved this mainly through representations. 

Representations of Low Res as a teenage experimental music artist. 

We represented Low Res as a young, up-and-coming talent through the use of vibrant imagery and the fairly 'experimental' narrative style.

Examples of the varied imagery
in 'Wild Things'.

It has been argued that conventional 3 structure 
narratives are less appealing to a new generation of viewers, so used to viewing quick and engaging content on sites like YouTube. We designed our music video with this in mind, using a mix of continuity and montage editing to show Low Res' appeal to a teenage demographic. 

Furthermore, we presented the experimental nature of Low Res' music through the video's narrative. The presence of strange costumed characters - themselves influences from the 1960s TV show 'The Banana Splits' - and the fairly ambiguous story create a unique final product that mirrors Low Res' production, showing him an artist with a distinct style and image.