Representations of conventions within my product

The ways in which my products follows conventions are....

Mise-en-Scene

My use of lighting corresponded with common mise-en-scene conventions of music videos currently in the industry. Frequently lighting is used to created a "desired vibe or feeling" therefore I selected predominantly natural light in order to represent the reality of my narrative. This concept was enhanced by my use of props to give the scenes a life like atmosphere while further clarifying both my narrative and conceptualising the lyrics of my chosen song to give the viewer a more in depth grasp of the meaning of the song.

My use of lighting goes against the typical stereo-types of British youth in the way that it suggests that these emotional situations aren't typical in the lives of the youth and therefore my use of mise-en-scene is trying to challenge this idea to stand up for the disjointed relationship between the youth and the rest of society.

The costume used for my actors goes against typical stereo types of the British youth being "Hoodies". I tried to drift away from the endless "Chav" name tag which is associated with the British youth and tried to suggest that the youth is an upcoming group of society.As mentioned in my Mise-en-scene post on the blog I used brands which blended originality with fresh new brands of this generation to flow with the message intended of how the youth is developing and separating more widely in the way there are to extreme ends of the spectrum currently present. 

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/life/article3121057.ece

The extent of the problematic stereotype is shown through the way media perceives certain pieces of clothing as an indicator of gang warfare. An example of this is the article above, titled "HOW GANGS USE THE POWER OF THE HOODY" containing words such as "menacing hooded top". Even though this is an article from 2011 this stereotype has been present over time as proven below in a statement about mods and rockers, two gangs of society from the 1960's. These two gangs consisted of young teenagers having many conflicts about various different topics. These conflicted only empowered the older generations argument that the youth are a danger to society.

I believe these references provide the evidence to suggest the youth have been labelled with a negative stereotype both in the past, present and it seems as if it will continue in the future. Therefore I went against the negative stereotypes to present the other side of the young that is ignored by all of society who want to continue fueling the fear of the British youth.

Camera 

Camera angles and shots are a vital component of how a certain character is depicted by the audience my video uses a varied range of shots and angles such as low angles, close ups, tracking and free hand running shots. Each shot has its own influence on the mood of my product, for example.. 

My tracking and close up shots suggest the male protagonist is chasing the viewer just like he is chasing his lover. 

However my free hand running shots suggest a fast pace explosion of emotions which mirrors the intensity of my selected song. 

Sound

My lack of diegetic sound suggests my protagonist has an empty mind to go along with his empty emotions. I feel like the lack of sound gives the viewer and insight of how the protagonist now feels cut off from the world just as he is with his lover. By doing this it gains my protagonist the sympathetic outlook from the viewer that I desired. 

Editing

Editing was a fundamental part of my music video due to the fact I wanted to create a gradual uplifting vibe throughout my video. I used saturation and the weather to flow in sync with each other to lift the colour and vibrance to replicate his growing happiness through his journey to rekindle his relationship.

DigiPack

Front Cover

 Binder Cover

Back Cover

Right Inside Cover (Behind CD)

Left Inside Cover

Display Without CD

Display With Cd

DigiPack Advert

Font Development

To remove the clash of two fonts I decided to recreate my secondary font using string and then blend and mould it into my previously developed product using Photoshop.
To complete this aspect of my media product I used the following equipment:

• String (NOT ROPE)
• Previously printed template
• Scissors (LEFT HANDED FOR ASH)
• Glue gun 

This process finalised my Digipak and in result when I conducted focus group research, I received outstanding positivity therefore, proving the success of my product has been extensively improved upon.

The process is shown below:

Analysis of DigiPak Adverts

Due to EDM being a digitally dominated genre of music DigiPak adverts are not used often in the industry however posters are used for festival and event advertisement. Therefore I will allocate specific conventions from these two products to successfully create a DigiPak Advert suited to my genre of music.

Predominantly the layouts follow the visual hierarchy and have a conventional format. The main text is placed anywhere between the centre and the top of the page, therefore being the first feature people see. Additionally any imagery or photographs are placed in the same area to give this feature a similar visual status. This leaves the space between the centre and the bottom of the page free and therefore the information is commonly located in this area of the page.

The use of this familiar layout gives the product a recognisable image which is key to creating a product which is easily consumed by the viewer. Time equals money. Therefore by speeding up the consumption process you maximise sales and therefore maximise the profit margin.

Additionally I have identified that within my chosen genre due to the huge amount of different fonts used to identify different artists the product as a completed item has to be simplistic to avoid overwhelming the viewer. This links to my previous point of easing consumption.


Colour in EDM is a vital aspect. therefore from my products I plan to do some research upon colour theory which will allow me to select specific colours due to their theoretical meaning. As seen in these two products dark blue and a plum/purple colour is used and according to http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html this is what these colours represent..


Advertisement 1

"Blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body. It slows human metabolism and produces a calming effect. Blue is strongly associated with tranquility and calmness. In heraldry, blue is used to symbolize piety and sincerity."

"Yellow produces a warming effect, arouses cheerfulness, stimulates mental activity, and generates muscle energy."

Advertisement 2

"Purple combines the stability of blue and the energy of red. Purple is associated with royalty. It symbolizes power, nobility, luxury, and ambition. It conveys wealth and extravagance. Purple is associated with wisdom, dignity, independence, creativity, mystery, and magic."

"White is associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity, and virginity. It is considered to be the color of perfection."


Conventionally females are used to advertise and attract the audience this is due to just over half the listeners being males  as evident below from research from 2014 this links with Laura Mulveys "Male Gaze Theory" - 1975 which suggests media products force the perspective of a heterosexual male to be used by any viewer. This would maximise sales by focusing their marketing plans upon their majority target audience. 

Additionally the use of female models links with the age group which makes up the majority of their target audience which is 18-24years for both males and females. For the 55% of males 20% of them lie in the age bracket of 18-24 and for the 45% of females 13% of them lie in this same margin. The 55%  of male listeners are the receivers of the male gaze concept coined by feminist film critic Laura Mulvey. It refers to the way visual arts are structured around a masculine viewer. It describes the tendency in visual culture to depict the world and women from a masculine point of view and in terms of men's attitudes.

However I intent to defy this technique by using a male character in my advert, the protagonist of the production piece. I have made this decision as I believe the whole idea is to in turn boost the artists recognition in the industry. Therefore by using his identity across all the products the advertisement is magnified in all areas of consumption by my target audience.

http://www.dancingastronaut.com/2014/07/study-reveals-demographic-breakdown-edm-fanbase/

Analysis of DigiPacks

Mise-en-scene Within My Product

Mise-en-scene:

Props:

Letter - This letter symbolizes the finalisation of his relationship and it also acts as a flash back of the past to bring the audience up to date in a swift manner in order to allow the viewer to understand what has happened and what is most likely to happen next. The letter adds a traditionalist vibe to the video which will appeal to the older audience.

Jars - The use of jars in my video emanates the songs lyrics in a visual modus-operandi. The jars depict the containment of the current pain the male protagonist is battling with and the flame inside represents this pain. I used fire as I believe the way it can instantly be blown out and removed mirrors the way even though fire can hurt, it can be removed with the correct actions.


Lighting:

My video follows a progressive pattern which transitions from dark saturated shots to bright well lit shots, the darkness coincides with the pain and sadness of the protagonist portraying his emotions in a visual manner which allows his feelings to be swiftly shown to the viewers.

Candles - The light from the candles will be used as a symbol of affection. At the beginning of the music video a candle will be placed next to the main prop, the letter and as the letter is lifted the candle will blow out as a visual depiction of how his relationship has just come crashing down in a split second. This will be juxtaposed at the end of the video through a final shot of a candle spontaneously setting alight as the affection is rekindled within the relationship.


Actors:

Jordan Tilstone


Costume:




The costume was carefully constructed to represent his persona. "11 Degrees are an urban lifestyle brand born in the North East of England. Inspired by sportswear and designed for people who know a thing or two about style, they’ve got every base covered, from t-shirts, to full-on tracksuits."  .It is an up coming brand which i feel reflects the youths new upcoming image within society.
   I selected dark clothing due to the values it represents. Colour phycology suggests "It creates a barrier between itself and the outside world, providing comfort while protecting its emotions and feelings, and hiding its vulnerabilities, insecurities and lack of self confidence." 


Links used from above:
http://www.footasylum.com/11-degrees/
http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-black.html


Expression:

Expression is a vital component of the construction of characters emotions. Various expressions cause  different depictions and therefore influence the viewer associated vibe or feeling for a specific scene. As found while deconstructing products from with in my chosen genre, relatability is a fundamental characteristic of successful products, therefore by using expression I created an image which forced viewers to be grasped and feel the protagonist is illustrating relatable features.

Setting:

The setting changes in sync with the lighting and mood to construct a full set of aspects, which successfully show the reconstruction of the featured relationship. The snow interlinks with the darkness and anger which is present as the video begins but as hope and happiness shines through the scenes become progressively brighter to emphasise the unraveling story line.
Snow - sun

Music Video - Final Piece

Dash Berlin - Jar Of Hearts ( Ashley Hebblethwaite A2 Media Project 0 from Ashley Hebblethwaite on Vimeo.

Risk Assessment

Risk assessments are a vital aspect of a production piece as they form an integral part of a occupational health and safety management plan which allows me to ensure the following are not overlooked. 

• Create awareness of hazards and risks.
• Identify who may be at risk (employees, cleaners, visitors, contractors, the public, etc).
• Determine if existing control measures are adequate or if more should be done.
• Prevent injuries or illnesses when done at the design or planning stage.
• Prioritize hazards and control measures.

A risk assessment is completed through the completion of the following steps:

Step 1: Identify hazards, i.e. anything that may cause harm.

Employers have a duty to assess the health and safety risks faced by their workers. Your employer must systematically check for possible physical, mental, chemical and biological hazards.

This is one common classification of hazards:

  Physical: e.g. lifting, awkward postures, slips and trips, noise, dust, machinery, computer equipment, etc.

     

Mental: e.g. excess workload, long hours, working with high-need clients, bullying, etc. These are also called 'psychosocial' hazards, affecting mental health and occurring within working relationships.

Chemical: e.g. asbestos, cleaning fluids, aerosols, etc.

Biological: including tuberculosis, hepatitis and other infectious diseases faced by healthcare workers, home care staff and other healthcare professionals.

 Step 2: Decide who may be harmed, and how.

Identifying who is at risk starts with your organisation's own full- and part-time employees. Employers must also assess risks faced by agency and contract staff visitors, clients and other members of the public on their premises.

Employers must review work routines in all the different locations and situations where their staff are employed. For example:

  Home care supervisors must take due account of their client's personal safety in the home, and ensure safe working and lifting arrangements for their own home care staff.

In a supermarket, hazards are found in the repetitive tasks at the checkout, in lifting loads, and in slips and trips from spillages and obstacles in the shop and storerooms. Staff face the risk of violence from customers and intruders, especially in the evenings.

In call centres, workstation equipment (i.e. desk, screen, keyboard and chair) must be adjusted to suit each employee.

Employers have special duties towards the health and safety of young workers, disabled employees,nightworkers, shiftworkers, and pregnant or breastfeeding women.

https://worksmart.org.uk/health-advice/health-and-safety/hazards-and-risks/what-are-five-steps-risk-assessment

My Risk Assessment

1.    My video was predominantly filmed in woodland areas therefore the risk of “slips and trips” was considerably increased by the ground along with the bad weather. This could potentially harm my protagonists and ruin scheduled future shoots therefore to remove these issues I plan to prepare shooting areas by removing any tripping hazards such as fallen trees and rocks and ensuring the ground is moderately dry by selecting days which are predicted to have moderately dry weather. This will guarantee the locations are easily accessible and safe for the movement required for the specific scenes.

2.    The first segment of my video was filmed in a urban area, this therefore increased the risk of getting his by moving vehicles. This incident, if it occurred would substantially delay my schedule and I would have to redo the previous shots because a replacement protagonist would have to be used. To resolve this issue I had to close the road and ensure no vehicles came into the shooting area while we were shooting in dangerous areas.

Unexpected Changed (During Shooting)

Unexpected Changes

After planning my story board my female protagonist withdrew at short notice and therefore the previously planned story board had to be tweaked in a short space of time. Therefore during shoots I had to improvise to create a narrative which was similarly as strongly effective to the viewers so I needed to include a small clip of a female to use during the final sections of my new improvised story. These small clips are featured below. 

Lyric Analyisis

Musical Alterations

Due to myself and my audience being wanting a narrative based production piece I questioned my initial choice of music, Coldplay - Paradise (Fedde Grand Remix) and through focus group questioning I came to the conclusion that this piece of music really narrowed my creativity to explore various narratives and therefore I came to the conclusion to focus upon a new piece, Dash Berlin - Jar Of Hearts.

Protagonist Audition

Audition:

A2 Media Protagonist Auditions from Ashley Hebblethwaite on Vimeo.


While researching in preparation to shoot my music video I decided to audition peter for the part, however he didn’t fit my criteria therefore in this post I will explain why.

My music video during the opening scenes was heavily dependent upon lip syncing therefore the actor had to be considerably confident with his skills. During further inspection Peter lacked personality and effectiveness which is crucial to attract the viewers’ attention.

Additionally his complexion and overall image didn’t stand out to me as relatable features; this is probably due to his knowledge of being in front of the camera from his experience of being a model under the firm AKE. In result I looked for someone more middle class and who had a more down to earth relatable persona.