Evaluation Question 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and

conventions of real media products?

Music Video:
Our music video uses, develops and challenges the forms and conventions of real media products.
An example of where we used a convention is when choosing the number of band members we
would have. We researched a variety of current indie music bands, such as The 1975 and Peace. This
allowed us to make the decision of having a four piece band, lead singer & guitarist, another
guitarist, bass and drum member.

Choosing the number of band members allowed us to consider the setting of the music video. When
designing this section of our music video we were influenced and used the convention of setting our
music video in a plain white room. We were inspired to do this by a variety of artists videos, such as
The 1975 Girls, The Thermals - A Pillar of Salt, Be My Wife - David Bowie and Blur The Universal.
Using this setting would outline the simplistic element of our band and the music genre trying to be
different; it would also allow all the focus of the shot to be on the musical element of our video; the
band members and instruments rather than being distracted by the setting and background.

This lead on to making decisions about the layout of the band members in the music video. We used
the conventions of other music videos during this decision, taking influence from The 1975, The
Foals, The Thermals, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Adorable who all had a simple layout of the band
members, having the most important member at the front of the setting; the lead guitarist and
singer, followed by the bass and second guitarist behind either sides and the drum member at the
back. Using this convention allowed all of the band members to be seen in group shots and kept our
video to a realistic standard.

We used a convention of lighting within our music video. We placed a light at the back of our room
in order to light up the set from the back while we had two large lamps at the front. This ensured
that the drums were not in the dark and that when we did out 360 degree shot that the backs of the
band members would not be shadowed. We were influenced to carry out this in our music video by
The 1975 Sex.

We used conventions of other music videos during the choosing and filming of our music video.
Most of the shots in our video are influenced by other music videos we had watched in our planning
and research up to the production stage. The shots in our music video which are common
conventions in music videos include: close ups, mid-shots and wide-shots. An example of when we
used a close up shot is on the instruments such as the bass, we used this type of shot during this
time in the video so that the audience could see which instrument was making the sound during this
clip of the video. It also allowed a realistic feeling to the video. We were inspired to do this by The
1975 Girls:

Another example of where we used a close up in our music video is a variety of shots of the lead
singer such as in the image below. We used this shot during this clip as it allows the audience see the
lyrics being sang, it makes the video realistic and outlines where the vocals are coming from within
the band. We were influenced to use this shot by a selection of other music videos, Peace Follow
Baby is an example where a similar shot is used.

We used mid-shots a lot in our music video; we did this as it allowed more than one member or
instrument to be in a shot. Like the close ups if more than one instrument is playing it will allow both
instruments to be noticed, outlining where the sounds are coming from. It was important to outline
this as it would make the video more realistic and less like our band members were just miming and
pretending to be playing the music. An example of this shot being used in the video is during the
second guitarist and drum member playing, the shot is mainly on the guitarist, but allows the
drummer to be seen behind playing. This presents where two parts of the sound is coming from. We
were influenced to do this by many music videos, including: The 1975 Sex.

We also used a mid-shot during a timeframe in the video where lead guitarist, drummer and bass
are involved. The shot is mainly on the lead singer, however allows the other two members to be
seen playing. Another music video which influenced us is: Foals Late Night.

Another shot we used is a wide-shot; this is a convention which is in many music videos, used for a
variety of reasons. In our music video we used a couple of wide-shots as it allowed us to get a clip of
all/most of the band members together which outlines them all being present in the music video but
also brings a band image together. We were influenced to do this by The 1975 and Adorable.

However we challenged the conventions of shots within real music videos when we filmed a 360
degree shot, this is a not very common shot to use as it is breaking the fourth wall which usually
dis-orientates the audience, but in our video this was the aim as we wanted to outline to fast pace
and higher beat part of the song and have a shot in our video which presents the whole band in one.
Self-reflexive

Another music video convention we used is placing the video in black and white, many other music
videos have done this, but we did this to our music video as it would follow the cohesive black and
white colour pallet which I and Chloe were both trying to follow throughout our product
development, such as advertisement and digipak. The black and white outlines our simple and basic
audience and their clothing colour style, which I found using the shops they may be found shopping
in such as All Saints which mainly sell black, white and grey items. Other examples of artists which
used tis black and white effect of their video include: the 1975 Sex, The Raveonettes - The
Christmas Song, Cline Dion - I Drove All Night and many others.

Digipak:
During the producing of my digipak I researched many existing media products, looking at fonts they
use for their text, the layout of text, colour schemes they have used choice of images or no images
etc. I used many conventions of digipaks, album covers and other media products; however I also
challenged choices of real digipak designs.

The colour pallet of my digipak: Choosing the colour of my products was mainly decided by the style
of my target audience. Within my research I found that my target audience wear a lot of black and
white clothing, this lead to me making decisions that I would keep to this choice throughout my
digipak, advertisement and video. This would allow my products to attract the target audience I
intend, this would lead to sales in the real life industry. My research of other digipaks outlines that
other artists in the same or similar genre have followed through the same colour pallet on their
digipaks; these conventions had some influence in helping me make the decision to choose these
colours. For example: The XX, Nirvana, Cool Choices, The Arctic Monkeys and The 1975 etc.

The layout of my digipak front cover: This was very inspired by previous digipaks in the music
industry; I used these conventions when designing my own digipak. Such as it is very common of
digipaks to have their text or logo/image in the centre of the page, this is because the centre of an
item is where the audience first looks (centre of attention). Using this convention as seen on many
previous product I placed my album name and artist in the centre on the front cover. This would
ensure the target audience recognized the name of the artist, which would be the selling point for

my product. Examples of other products which have followed this convention include: Nirvana,
Kanye West, Arctic Monkeys, Peace and The XX.

The layout of my digipak back panel: I chose to place the track list in the centre of the panel as like
the front cover, it was important for this section to be centre of attention; the track list would be
another large selling point for my product as it outlines the songs available on the CD. Other indie
bands have followed this convention which had a large influence on myself deciding to place the list
in the centre as my audience would be aware of other albums which have done this so would look
out for this similarity on my digipak. Other digipaks which have followed this convention include:
Kings of Leon, Youth & Young Manhood and The Chvrches.

I chose to place the bar code for the product below the track list, this is a common convention in
digipak designs and I was influenced to do this by a selection of previous real digipaks. For example
Kid Kola Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, The Chvrches. This keeps a simple layout as it allows the majority
of the aspects of my digipak to be central aligned.

Another aspect of my digipak which I used conventions from previous products is placing the record
label logo on the back panel. I decided to do this as it is a very important component within digipaks,
as it outlines the production company which produced the sounds on the digipaks, this image will
also work as a selling tool, for example if a customer sees a record label which is well-known and
they have produced other artists music before it will help give the digipak support in sales etc.
Examples of other digipaks which have this convention include previous examples such as: Kings of
Leon and Kid Kola Carpal Tunnel Syndrome + many more.

The final aspect of my back panel is the legal text. This is a very common convention of digipaks; this
is due to including this legal information being necessary on or within all digipaks/albums. Many
have it placed at the bottom of the back panel or within the inside pages. On my digipak I chose to
include the text vertically placed on the back panel I was influenced to follow this through by The
Beta Band album Hot Shots II. I also wanted the text to be vertical on the panel as it presented a
cohesive design throughout my designs, for example on my front panel; the album name is placed
vertically.

The font used throughout my digipak: I chose to use the Bebas Neue font, I felt this font was
suitable as it was bold, easy to read and stood out nicely in white on the black background. I have
followed the conventions of a selection of other media products in this decision, gaining influence
from mast heads on magazines and fonts on other digipaks. For example the music magazines: Loud
and Quiet, NME and Wire. Examples of digipaks which have used a similar style of font are Cool
Choices and The Vaccines.

The layout of my digipak binder: The design of my binder presents many current conventions of
digipaks. I have added the album name, this is important as it outlines the name of the album to the
consumer. I have also added a record label logo due to the same reasons as above such as being very
important to support sales. The small code of the left is the catalogue number, this is important as it
helps the CD be registered and searched through its sales history, and history within the record
label. Finally I have added the website address for my bands information, this is an important part as
it helps give the customers further links and gain more information about the band etc. A lot of
current digipaks and albums use these conventions. Examples of these conventions are as follow:

Inside Panels:
The layout for my digipak inside panels is again very simple. It is completely plain, including only an
insert poster of the band. I have carried this idea through as the simplistic, minimalistic design
attracts my potential audience and represents their simple, basic style. Like the colour, the plain
design represents the clothing which my target audience would be found wearing. I have used the
conventions of previous real digipaks and was inspired by various products albums & digipaks, such
as Prince, Jay-Z and Dean Blunt with this colour and design layout and clothing styles which my
audience would represent.

The digipak insert is a very common convention of digipaks, this feature gives the customer
something else but the music to appreciate and present in their outlining on interest in the artist. I
was inspired by many other indie/alternative bands/artists who had also included different inserts,
one artist included a random other, I was inspired by this as it added something to the digipak which
represented the bands style and interest. Through this inspiration I designed various inserts, posters,
booklets, cards etc. My conclusion was to insert a poster with an image of the band members, this
simple insert makes the digipak more interesting and has something extra to gain the audiences
interest to purchasing the product. The following images are album inserts which influenced my
decisions:

Advertisement:
My advertisement uses the conventions of real media products and other various products which
relate to my target audience. Taking influence from other products, it has allowed me to design,
develop and produce a simple, eye catching advertisement poster to market my digipak for my
fictitious indie/alternative band. The image below is my final advertisement:

The layout of my advert was influenced by a selection of different conventions and other layouts of
advertisements. The convention of having a large image of my digipak front panel came from an
advertisement I found within the Loud and Quiet magazine. This advert was perfect inspiration as I
found it within this Indie/Alternative magazine, this is where my target audience may see the
advertisements which led to me believing following this convention may help attract my audience,
leading to sales if the product was real. I saw throughout my research into media products and
especially advertisements that it was common for the record label that released the music to be
found on the advert, suing this convention I placed the logo of Pumpkin Records in the bottom right
corner, I understand this would work as another selling point for my product as outlined during the
designing on my digipak. I was influenced to do this by The Drums advert and Bombay Bicycle Club.

Another convention I used on my advertising is the release date, this convention is important to use
on an advertisement as it outlines to the audience when the product is available to buy, if the
customers do not know when its available, they cannot buy it. Following this I found many examples
of other advertisements with a date on them, I chose to place the convention under my image
following the research of my first example, the advert from Loud and Quiet. I final convention I used
from real advertisements, is including the name of the artist and album and including where to find
extra information and sale of the product (web address). I noticed this convention on a selection of
my simple advert research, for example The Drums, James Morrison, Jeff Tweedy. It is important for
this to be outlined as it attracts the audience and informs them of other information if theyre
interested. I chose to place this in the bottom left corner, in order to keep a plain space in the centre
bottom half, this keeps the advert minimalistic which would attract my audiences attention
following my research of their style.

The colour pallet of my advertisement is the same as my digipak and music video; I wanted a
cohesive colour pallet throughout my three products. The colour of my products was mainly decided
by the style of my target audience. Within my research I found that my target audience wear a lot of
black and white clothing, for example clothing from All Saints, a shop my target audience would buy
from, this lead to me making decisions that I would keep to this choice throughout my digipak,
advertisement and video. This would allow my products to attract the target audience I intend, this
would lead to sales in the real life industry.

Wanting to keep a cohesive layout and idea throughout my products, I also used the same font on
my advertisement as I did throughout my digipak. The font I used for my advertisement text is the
Bebas Neue font, I felt this font was suitable as it was bold, easy to read and stood out nicely in
black on the white background. I have followed the conventions of a selection of other media
products in this decision, gaining influence from mast heads on magazines and fonts on other

digipaks. For example the music magazines: Loud and Quiet, NME and Wire. Examples of digipaks
which have used a similar style of font are Cool Choices and The Vaccines.